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Chapter 1425: Earth-Ground Formation Primer
"Manager Zhao, what's wrong?"
Seeing Manager Zhao's complexion shift between pale and ashen, occasionally appearing distracted, Mo Hua asked with some concern.
Manager Zhao snapped back to reality, staring blankly at Mo Hua before he couldn't help but ask again, "They... really died on their own?"
"You didn't harm them?"
Mo Hua said with a serious expression, "I truly did nothing."
Manager Zhao sighed inwardly, thinking, Forget it. Tomb raiding carries risks; entering the earth requires caution. That saying isn't just for show—it's inherently a high-casualty profession.
Their deaths in the tomb could be considered accidental, but ultimately, they were inevitable.
As for this Young Master Mo...
Manager Zhao glanced at Mo Hua again, ultimately falling back on judging by appearances. He thought, How could such an upright, kind, and honest youth be a harbinger of misfortune?
Perhaps he truly is blessed with immense fortune, his fate as solid as iron.
That's why everyone else died, and only he survived.
It's just... with everyone dead, it's quite troublesome for him as the manager.
Manager Zhao had a headache.
Mo Hua glanced at Manager Zhao, feeling somewhat guilty.
After all, two groups of people were gone. Although he wasn't the one who killed them, they had entered the earth with him, and Manager Zhao had organized the team. Manager Zhao was bound to be in a difficult position.
To spare Manager Zhao further worry, Mo Hua changed the subject and asked: "Manager Zhao, what is a Dust-Dissolving Pill?"
Upon hearing "Dust-Dissolving Pill," Manager Zhao was indeed distracted, but after a moment's thought, he shook his head. "I don't know."
Mo Hua could tell at a glance that Manager Zhao was lying.
As a manager who organized tomb-raiding teams and had been in business for so many years, how could he not know about a pill even Yellow Weasel was aware of?
However, Mo Hua didn't press further.
This "entering the earth" venture had likely come to an end.
The Dust-Dissolving Pill was a Waste Pill, and the other items weren't valuable. It was like drawing water with a bamboo basket—all effort for nothing. Mo Hua hadn't earned a single Spirit stone.
He was still relatively fortunate, merely failing to earn Spirit stones, while the others had even lost their lives.
Manager Zhao was about to say something more to Mo Hua when his Message Transmission Token suddenly vibrated. He glanced down at it and said to Mo Hua: "Let's head out first. There's some business I need to attend to."
Mo Hua nodded.
The two left the secret chamber and entered a nearby private room, where a steward hurriedly approached and handed a stack of Spirit Contracts to Manager Zhao.
On the Spirit Contracts were the names of various formations.
With sharp eyes, Mo Hua immediately recognized what they were and asked, "Orders have come in?"
Manager Zhao nodded.
Mo Hua said, "Save some for me?"
Manager Zhao sighed. "I'd like to save some for you, but these are all Third-Grade orders."
"Third-Grade orders?" Mo Hua looked at the thick stack of Spirit Contracts in Manager Zhao's hand, somewhat surprised. "So many?"
Manager Zhao gave a slight nod.
Mo Hua asked, "Can I give it a try?"
Manager Zhao sighed. "Don't joke around. I still need to rely on this manager's job to make a living."
Mo Hua sighed, knowing that Manager Zhao didn't dare break the establishment's rules.
But then again, he really did need to find a way to obtain a Third-Grade token.
He just didn't know how strict the Third-Grade formation assessment in Kun Province was.
Seeing that orders had arrived and Manager Zhao was about to get busy, Mo Hua stood up to take his leave.
Manager Zhao indeed had business to attend to and couldn't very well insist on him staying, nor did he dare to. He simply offered some pleasantries and respectfully saw Mo Hua off.
Although rationally, he felt that Mo Hua's appearance shouldn't mark him as a calamity-bringer. Instinctively, however, he couldn't help but feel a little afraid, however slight.
Mo Hua then left Fortune Pavilion. Passing through the market, since he hadn't made any money on this trip, he didn't buy any oranges for Xiao Ju, settling instead for two sticks of candied hawthorn as a "makeshift" treat.
Returning to the minor blessed land, Mo Hua bathed and burned incense using the medicinal powder given by True Person Rong before going to see his senior sister and giving the two sticks of candied hawthorn to Xiao Ju.
Xiao Ju was stunned for a moment before suddenly understanding something. She didn't mind, instead comforting Mo Hua: "It's fine. In business, there are always gains and losses."
Seeing Mo Hua return, Bai Zixi didn't say much, only nodding calmly with a steady gaze.
Mo Hua looked at Bai Zixi, his eyes flickering slightly, and suddenly said, "Xiao Ju, could you brew a pot of tea for me?"
Generally, Xiao Ju wouldn't specifically brew tea for Mo Hua.
Mo Hua could only drink the tea she brewed for Sister Zixi.
But this time, considering Mo Hua's business failure—not earning a single Spirit stone and surely feeling dejected—Xiao Ju surprisingly nodded and said, "I'll go brew tea for Sister Zixi."
With that, Xiao Ju left.
Only then did Mo Hua turn to Bai Zixi and ask quietly, "Senior sister, do you know... about the Dust-Dissolving Pill?"
Bai Zixi's gaze sharpened, looking at Mo Hua strangely. "You can even get your hands on a Dust-Dissolving Pill?"
"No," Mo Hua sighed. "The pill's essence dissipated; it's ruined."
Bai Zixi also seemed somewhat regretful.
Mo Hua asked, "Is this pill very valuable?"
Bai Zixi shook her head. "It's not about value... It's a forbidden pill. The Dao Court has issued a ban, prohibiting cultivators from refining it. Because few dare to refine it, the Dust-Dissolving Pill is very rare."
Mo Hua understood and asked further, "Then what is this pill used for?"
Bai Zixi said, "It's... for the dead to consume."
Mo Hua was taken aback. "A pill for the dead?"
Bai Zixi nodded. "'Dust-Dissolving'—dissolving worldly troubles to attain peace after death. But as for what effect it has after the dead consume it, I'm not sure. Since it's a 'forbidden pill,' proper alchemists wouldn't refine it."
Mo Hua nodded slightly.
Bai Zixi thought for a moment, looked at Mo Hua, and frowned slightly. "Try to avoid such unclean forbidden pills in the future."
Mo Hua nodded. "Senior sister, don't worry."
Bai Zixi wasn't sure whether her junior brother truly took it to heart or was just brushing it off.
Afterward, Mo Hua chatted with Bai Zixi for a while about formations, drank the tea Xiao Ju had brewed, and then returned to his room.
After nightfall.
In the guest room of the minor blessed land.
Mo Hua sat at the table and took out a thin booklet from his Storage Ring.
The booklet was wax-yellow, stained with mud, and the paper had dried out, as if it had been left in a corner untouched for a long time.
This trip into the earth wasn't entirely without results.
Apart from the ruined Dust-Dissolving Pill, the small booklet in his hand was the only gain.
However, strictly speaking, this wasn't something from the earth.
This was something Mo Hua had dug out from the bottom of the storage bag of the deceased Yellow Weasel, and it had been around for quite some time.
The Yellow Weasel's ancestors had significant origins and seemed to have some connection with the Earth Sect, possessing part of the Earth Sect's "Shadow Division" inheritance.
Naturally, the Yellow Weasel would never have spoken of these matters.
It was Mo Hua himself who pieced it together by listening to their idle chatter, rummaging through Yellow Weasel's storage bag, finding some old items, and making his own deductions.
Later, when Yellow Weasel's family fortunes declined, he could only rely on bits and pieces of secret techniques from the Shadow Division to make a living by tomb raiding.
However, what Yellow Weasel could learn from the Shadow Division was still limited to tricks like mechanisms and tomb passages.
Some things, Yellow Weasel wanted to learn but couldn't.
Especially the small booklet now in Mo Hua's hands.
It contained knowledge related to "Earth-Ground Formations."
Yellow Weasel wasn't even a Formation Master, let alone understanding basic formations, much less Earth-Ground Formations.
This small booklet had been passed down from his ancestors, but hardly anyone had ever opened it. In the end, it naturally fell into Mo Hua's hands.
It also became the only trophy from Mo Hua's journey of Entering the Earth this time.
He hadn't examined it carefully before, only knowing that the booklet likely contained some brief descriptions related to "Earth-Ground Formations."
What he lacked now was a systematic understanding of Earth-Ground Formations.
Mo Hua began to focus intently, flipping through this small booklet on Earth-Ground Formations that had been passed down from Yellow Weasel's ancestors but remained incomprehensible to their lineage.
The opening lines of the booklet immediately struck Mo Hua with a sense of awe.
"Qian and Kun unite in the Great Dao, all things divide into Yin and Yang. Heaven is Yang, Earth is Yin."
"Yet the Kun hexagram of the Earth also possesses its own Yin and Yang."
"Above the Earth, soil nurtures all living beings, endlessly flourishing—this is Yang. Below the Earth, the deceased are buried, their Divine Souls concealed—this is Yin."
"The Dao transforms into Two Forms; the Earth divides into upper and lower Yin and Yang. Using formations as the means... above the Earth, nurturing the living, is the Soil Formation; below the Earth, burying the dead, is the Earth-Ground Formation."
These words were mystical and somewhat esoteric. To Yellow Weasel's ancestors, this might have been nothing more than "empty talk" about the Great Dao.
But to Mo Hua, reading them evoked a sense of "the more you think, the more terrifying it becomes."
Because in these few short lines, concepts such as "Yin and Yang," "Qian and Kun," "Soil Formations," and "Earth-Ground Formations" were clearly and logically organized.
Moreover, they encompassed knowledge of formations, including the Yin and Yang of the Two Forms, the Qian and Kun of the Eight Trigrams, the Soil of the Five Elements, and the Earth of the Kun hexagram...
The more Mo Hua pondered, the more profound the principles within seemed.
Unfortunately, the booklet was too short, and the opening exposition consisted of only these few lines.
What followed were explanations related to "Earth-Ground Formations."
"Earth-Ground Formations are a category within the Yin-Yang Feng Shui Life-Death Secret Formation."
"Ordinary Feng Shui formations are related to the 'Gen' hexagram of the Eight Trigrams. This is because most locations with excellent Feng Shui rely on mountains and water, with mountain ranges stretching like dragons, giving rise to the methods of 'seeking dragons and pinpointing acupoints.'"
"However, Kun Province is mostly flat, fertile land with few mountains and shallow waters."
"Thus, due to the terrain, Earth-Ground Formations have become the mainstream for Yin-Yang Feng Shui secret formations in Kun Province."
"Earth-Ground Formations are also mostly used for tombs, specifically the construction of 'Yin Residences' beneath the Earth."
"The types and uses of Earth-Ground Formations are also diverse."
"Tomb seeking, tomb breaking, tomb hiding, tomb concealing, tomb suppressing, tomb nurturing, tomb transferring, tomb relocating... and so on, a wide variety."
From this, it is evident that the study of Earth-Ground Formations is extremely profound and operates in the shadows.
Mo Hua was engrossed in his reading.
But when he turned the page, he reached the end. This thin booklet contained only this much.
Mo Hua felt unsatisfied and regretful.
He then took out a Jade Slip from his storage bag.
The Jade Slip contained the three Earth-Ground Formations he had transcribed earlier from Old Mo's tomb.
At this point, comparing and analyzing, these three Earth-Ground Formations likely relate to functions such as "hiding tombs," "nurturing tombs," or "suppressing tombs."
Unfortunately, Mo Hua does not help people build graves or construct Yin Residences, so he cannot "apply what he has learned" to test the uses of these three Earth-Ground Formations.
Mo Hua picked up the booklet again and flipped through it several more times.
However, the records in the booklet only contained this much. No matter how many times he looked, he could not obtain any deeper knowledge of Earth-Ground Formations.
Mo Hua felt a tingling itch in his heart, then fell into deep thought:
"Earth-Ground Formations are related to Yin Residences and tombs... In that case, I can only find another way to Enter the Earth, seek opportunities, and look for more clues."
"Earth-Ground Formations... I must learn them."
Not only because Earth-Ground Formations are the unique formations of the Earth Sect, with profound formation principles.
But also because, based on the current clues, the Earth Sect might truly be connected to "life and death," hiding some secret related to "reviving the dead."
Mo Hua's gaze gradually sharpened, with flickering flames in his eyes.
Afterward, whenever Mo Hua had free time, he often went to visit Manager Zhao.
Although he had a Message Transmission Token, Mo Hua still felt that meeting in person was more convenient for communication and better for strengthening their friendship.
This way, the next time there was an opportunity to Enter the Earth, Manager Zhao would likely inform him.
However, under Mo Hua's clear, mirror-like gaze, Manager Zhao felt a headache coming on.
He sighed and said, "There really are no opportunities."
Tomb raiding by Entering the Earth isn't like planting melons and harvesting vegetables—how could there be a fixed schedule?
"Moreover," Manager Zhao sighed, "it's not easy to organize a group lately."
"Why?" Mo Hua was somewhat puzzled.
Manager Zhao silently looked at Mo Hua, thinking to himself, How can you even ask?
Both groups that went with you to Enter the Earth ended up completely wiped out. How am I supposed to organize another group for you?
Although he knew this matter shouldn't be blamed on Mo Hua, a "Formation Master" who couldn't even harm a fly.
But facts are facts.
People died, and that's that.
Old Mo and Yellow Weasel had been in this line of work for many years, with cunning methods and not entirely unknown reputations. Their consecutive sudden deaths inevitably made people think twice.
Many even suspected that Manager Zhao was plotting to kill for wealth.
Now, whenever Manager Zhao tried to recruit people in the underground circles for tomb raiding by Entering the Earth, many became wary and guarded against him.
Some would say they needed to consider it, while others would outright refuse with all sorts of excuses.
Mo Hua's presence had severely damaged Manager Zhao's reputation within the "industry."
Everyone had labeled him as "high-risk."
Manager Zhao was truly... almost spitting blood.
But he couldn't blame Mo Hua, because, after all, Mo Hua was also "innocent."
As a Formation Master going tomb raiding, surviving and returning was already an achievement—what else could he be blamed for?
Manager Zhao sighed, "For now, there really are no opportunities."
Mo Hua asked, "What about in the future..."
Manager Zhao didn't want to talk about the future. What if, in the future, anyone who went with Mo Hua to Enter the Earth ended up dead? That would be disastrous.
Manager Zhao could only vaguely reply, "Definitely in the future!"
Mo Hua could easily see through Manager Zhao's thoughts, but he didn't want to put him in a difficult position over such matters.
Just then, the steward arrived again, holding a stack of Spirit Contracts in his hands.
Seeing the Spirit Contracts, Mo Hua's eyes lit up once more.
Manager Zhao took them, glanced at them, and said, "Don't get your hopes up—they're still Third-Grade orders."
Mo Hua frowned slightly, "Why are they all Third-Grade again?"
Manager Zhao said, "That's just how the market is, there's no helping it. It comes and goes in waves... Young master..."
Manager Zhao patted the spirit contract and sighed.
Mo Hua knew that Manager Zhao would be busy again, so he said, "I'll take my leave then."
Manager Zhao quickly replied, "Take care, Young Master Mo."
Afterwards, Manager Zhao personally stood up and escorted this "esteemed guest" to the entrance of Fortune Pavilion before turning back to handle a pile of Third-Grade array spirit contract orders.
However, as he looked them over, Manager Zhao couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Indeed, why are they all Third-Grade orders again..."
Although the array market was like this—business came and went in waves—under normal circumstances, Third-Grade orders wouldn't suddenly flood in like this.
Manager Zhao flipped through the spirit contracts and noticed that these orders were all quite fragmented, coming from various sources. Piled together, they showed no discernible pattern.
But with his years of experience in business, Manager Zhao could sense an unusual hint in the air.
"Could it be... that a 'major project' is on the horizon?"
(End of Chapter)