Water Prison Technique? Mo Hua had never heard of this technique before.
He previously had a book titled "Compilation of Qi Refining Techniques," which documented some common techniques used during the Qi Refining stage, but there was no mention of the Water Prison Technique.
This technique was hidden deeply by Diao Lao San, probably just like the Hiding Technique, both being relatively rare techniques.
Mo Hua asked Diao Lao San, "What is this Water Prison Technique?"
Diao Lao San replied, "I don't know."
Mo Hua looked at him indifferently, his gaze somewhat sinister.
Seeing this, Diao Lao San's heart chilled. He was afraid that Mo Hua would start tormenting him again if he said a word, so he hurriedly said, "I really don't know."
"Then how did you get hold of this technique?" Mo Hua asked.
Diao Lao San explained, "Years ago, I accidentally killed a heavily wounded cultivator from the Water Element Sect. I searched his storage pouch and found these two techniques: the Hiding Technique and this Water Prison Technique."
"The Water Element Sect?"
"It's a relatively low-profile sect in the Heishan Prefecture, with a small number of members but a long heritage."
Mo Hua nodded. "And then?"
"I have a single Water Elemental Spiritual Root, which is perfectly suited for learning the Hiding Technique. I thought it was my chance, so I learned the Hiding Technique, moved to a different place, and engaged in some business to make a living..."
Yu Chengyi kicked him and spat, "What business? Robbing!"
Diao Lao San dared not speak in anger.
Mo Hua asked again, "So you learned the Hiding Technique but not the Water Prison Technique?"
"I couldn't learn it." Diao Lao San sighed. "The Water Prison Technique is very difficult to master. It's hard to control spiritual power when casting it, it's difficult to hit the target once cast, and it can only trap people with no significant power. I felt it was somewhat useless, so I didn't bother learning it."
"And I'm a body cultivator, not relying on techniques for a living. Although this technique is rare, it's useless for me. I could only keep it temporarily and wait to exchange it with others for different martial arts techniques."
"But this technique is too niche, and I still haven't been able to exchange it..." Diao Lao San spilled the beans.
Mo Hua roughly understood and asked Diao Lao San again, "The two sin cultivators who escaped, one had a single eye, and the other was bald. Who is your leader?"
Diao Lao San didn't want to say, but he had to, "The bald one..."
"What's his name?"
Diao Lao San shook his head, "I don't know his real name. We called him 'Boss' in person, and cultivators on the road called him 'Bald Tu.'"
"Bald Tu?"
Mo Hua nodded. The name was fitting and easy to remember.
"How many bosses do you have?" Mo Hua asked again.
"Currently, just him..."
"Currently?"
"The position of boss rotates. When the previous boss dies or is captured, a new one takes over. As long as you stick around long enough, everyone has the chance to be the boss..." Diao Lao San muttered quietly.
"It's really like shallow water with many turtles..." Mo Hua murmured.
After the interrogation, Mo Hua put away the two books of techniques and returned the storage pouch to Yu Chengyi.
Yu Chengyi also tacitly accepted that these two techniques belonged to Mo Hua. After all, there weren't many spiritual cultivators among the demon hunters. Even if Mo Hua didn't ask for them, he would still give them to him.
Later, the demon hunters escorted all the sin cultivators down the mountain and handed them over to Elder Yu.
These sin cultivators were interrogated again one by one, suffered some hardships, provided some information, and were then sent to the Daoist Court.
Yu Chengyi personally escorted them, explained the situation, completed some formalities, and locked these sin cultivators in the Dao Prison.
An hour later, Yu Chengyi returned and saw Mo Hua sitting in the living room, drinking tea with Elder Yu.
Elder Yu looked up and saw Yu Chengyi, asking, "Is everything done?"
Yu Chengyi nodded, "Everything is done, and I've informed the court chief, he is very happy."
"That old guy, he gets credit out of nowhere. Of course, he's happy." Elder Yu chuckled.
"Will those sin cultivators be sentenced to death?" Mo Hua, holding a teacup, asked curiously from the side.
"Murder and robbery, and most of them have criminal records. According to the law, they'll be sentenced to death. Even if they're not sentenced to death, being locked up in the dark Dao Dungeon until they die is almost the same as being sentenced to death." Yu Chengyi said.
"That's good, so they won't come out to harm people again," Mo Hua felt relieved.
Yu Chengyi sat beside Mo Hua, and Mo Hua poured him a cup of tea. Then, he remembered something and asked, "The blind cultivator from before said they were paid by the Kong family with spiritual stones to kill Uncle Ji and Brother Ji. Can the Daoist Court handle this?"
Yu Chengyi shook his head, "It's just hearsay, and the Daoist Court can't convict based on that. Besides, the Kong family is a clan in Qingxuan City. The Daoist Court in Tongxian City can only hold them accountable but cannot directly intervene."
"The Daoist Court in Qingxuan City has been bribed by the family and definitely won't accuse the Kong family of anything."
"Even if there is evidence, it's likely to be brushed aside in the end."
Mo Hua felt somewhat regretful.
Yu Chengyi then explained the origins of this group of sin cultivators and the reasons behind the incident.
Most of these sin cultivators were cultivators from the Heishan Prefecture, with various backgrounds, including families, sects, and some lone cultivators.
Many of them were wanted by the Daoist Court for murder cases, so they roamed around.
With Tongxian City gradually prospering and more cultivators coming and going, they gathered on the Great Black Mountain, committing murder and robbery, and plundering spiritual stones.
They kidnapped cultivators for ransom or directly engaged in murder and robbery, leaving the bodies in the wilderness for the demonic beasts to devour.
Ji Qingbai and his son Ji Li fled from Qingxuan City. When the Kong family's cultivators failed to catch them, they encountered this group of sin cultivators on the way and paid them spiritual stones to continue the pursuit.
According to the young master of the Kong family, since Ji Qingbai and his son had assaulted him, he wanted their lives. As for Fu Lan, for defying his wishes, he wanted her to be a servant.
After the task was completed, they paid the sin cultivators one thousand spiritual stones.
Elder Yu couldn't help but curse, "This little beast, may he have a miserable end!"
Yu Chengyi also felt angry when speaking, and continued, "We had some conflicts with these sin cultivators too. They had been eyeing us for a long time. Just today, with the sudden fog, the demon hunters got separated, and they saw an opportunity to strike."
"It's a pity we didn't catch them all; two got away," Mo Hua frowned.
Yu Chengyi said, "It's already good enough. With fewer people, it's hard to make waves. They probably won't cause much trouble for a while."
"Can we catch them?"
"I've already instructed the demon hunters to keep an eye out, but the inner mountains are vast, so it might not be easy to catch them in the short term."
"Alright," Mo Hua nodded.
But Mo Hua remembered the bald one; next time they meet, he won't let him escape.
"Oh, by the way," Yu Chengyi said to Mo Hua again, "There are rewards from the Daoist Court for catching sin cultivators. I'll send them to you in a few days."
"Everyone gets them?" Mo Hua asked.
Yu Chengyi nodded, "Everyone does."
Mo Hua smiled, "Thank you, Uncle Yu!"
After chatting for a while and drinking tea, Mo Hua bid farewell and left.
Then, Mo Hua went to Mr. Feng's place and checked on Ji Li.
Ji Li was safely brought back, and Mr. Feng performed acupuncture, fed him medicine, and used wood elemental energy to clear his meridians. His life was no longer in danger.
He was still in a coma temporarily, but with proper care, he would recover in due time.
Fu Lan, with red eyes, stayed by Ji Li's side.
Ji Qingbai looked serious, but he also felt relieved in his heart.
Being alive was better than anything else...
Mo Hua saw that Ji Li was not seriously injured, so he felt relieved.
Mr. Feng was very pleased to see Mo Hua and praised him, saying, "The medicine I gave you was used well. Otherwise, it might not have been so easy to save Ji Li."
Fu Lan stood up and sincerely bowed to Mo Hua.
Ji Qingbai also looked at Mo Hua, clasping his hands, "A great favor without words!"
They were too serious, which made Mo Hua feel a little embarrassed. He scratched his head and smiled, "Then invite me when you're having a wedding banquet!"
Ji Qingbai was momentarily stunned by Mo Hua's words, but then he felt relieved and smiled, "Okay!"
(End of the Chapter)