Chapter 1395: Joint Interrogation
At this moment, Mo Hua stood together with his Little Senior Sister, one on each side of True-Person Rong, keeping a certain distance.
He had a vague premonition, if he moved even a little closer to his Little Senior Sister right now, all those beautifully dressed female cultivators in the hall would probably transform into fierce vengeful ghosts on the spot and pounce on him, tearing him to pieces.
Sometimes, humans were truly more terrifying than ghosts.
Mo Hua grumbled inwardly, and…
This was just the beginning. He had only just met his Little Senior Sister again and had merely held her hand a tiny bit, yet he was already facing such a dangerous situation.
If, in the future, he really ended up with his Little Senior Sister… wouldn’t that be disastrous?
Mo Hua felt his scalp tingle. He immediately lowered his gaze, nose aligned with eyes, eyes aligned with heart, standing there like an honest, well-behaved young man, trying his best not to stir up trouble.
Moreover, this was the Earth Sect, with two Sect Masters and many elders present,. Although those aristocratic disciples—especially the female ones—glared angrily at Mo Hua, none of them dared to do anything excessive.
The Right Sect Master of the Earth Sect respectfully gestured to True Person Rong, “True-Person, please.”
True-Person Rong nodded slightly, then led Bai Zixi and Mo Hua into the main hall of the Earth Sect.
The other aristocratic disciples also wanted to enter, but were stopped by the elders of the Earth Sect.
The interrogation of Mo Hua involved important matters; naturally, they could not allow these disciples to act recklessly.
Especially since this matter involved the noble direct-line daughter of the Bai Can... even more reason to avoid any trouble and risk offending the Bai Clan.
Thus, all those aristocratic disciples, regardless of gender, were blocked outside the hall.
Inside the vast and magnificent main hall of the Earth Sect, only True-Person Rong, Mo Hua, Bai Zixi, and key high-ranking figures from the Earth Sect and several Kun Province aristocratic clans remained.
A grand banquet had already been prepared inside, with fine food and wine. It was exceptionally lavish.
With True-Person Rong's backing and Bai Zixi’s connection, the Earth Sect did not dare treat Mo Hua as an ordinary criminal for interrogation.
Therefore, this “interrogation” of Mo Hua was, on the surface, conducted in the form of a banquet.
At least in terms of appearances, nothing was lacking.
Mo Hua was seated below True-Person Rong, with food and drink before him, his treatment was actually quite good.
Amid the clinking of cups, everyone exchanged a few polite greetings, drank a few rounds of wine to warm up the atmosphere, and then returned to the main topic.
The Right Sect Master of the Earth Sect glanced at Mo Hua and said calmly, “This young talent, may I know your name and lineage?”
Mo Hua slowly stood up. With gentle brows and a fair, slightly flushed complexion, he carried a trace of youthful innocence and elegance. He spoke respectfully and with courtesy:
“This junior is Mo Hua, a disciple of the Great Void Sect from the Qianxue Prefecture. I pay my respects to the seniors of the Earth Sect and all esteemed elders of Kun Province.”
The people of the Earth Sect were momentarily stunned.
The high-ranking figures of the Kun Province aristocratic clans were also taken aback.
This young man… was this refined and elegant?
Back when the ancient formation reversed and starlight fell, when Mo Hua descended from the sky, his entire body had been filled with sinister aura, like a demon god who had crawled out of hell itself.
They even thought that this youth must have been a demon who wreaks havoc in the world, a person of great calamity and misfortune.
Even if not that extreme, judging by his appearance—handsome as a celestial being—and with the Bai Clan’s direct-line daughter protecting him, his identity must be extraordinary. At the very least, they expected him to be cold and indifferent, or arrogant and domineering.
Yet today, he appeared so humble and courteous?
Even True-Person Rong was somewhat astonished at this scene.
In her mind, Mo Hua still carried the impression of that indescribably terrifying monster aberration from the “slicing” vision. She had always assumed that, as that person’s disciple, he must have an arrogant temperament.
But instead, he seemed so gentle, so harmless?
Only Bai Zixi looked at her junior brother with a somewhat strange expression.
For a moment, the hall fell silent.
The Right Sect Master finally recovered and continued the formal questioning. “You are a disciple of the Great Void Sect?”
Mo Hua nodded. “Yes.”
“Why did you go to the Great Wilderness?”
“This junior went to the Great Wilderness to gain experience and seek an opportunity to form a Golden Core.”
“Then why…” the Right Sect Master frowned, “did you end up being transported here to our Earth Sect through the Grand Teleportation Formation?”
Mo Hua sighed. “While traveling in the Great Wilderness, this junior, under the orders of the Dao Court, joined a group of righteous cultivators in attacking the Royal Court. However, at the Dragon Hall of the Great Wilderness, we were ambushed by a group of demonic forces from Myriad Demon Mountain, Skull Cave, Yin Corpse Valley, and the Joyous-Union Sect. In the chaos of battle, this junior was severely injured.”
“True-Person Zhuge of the Imperial Celestial Bureau shares the sect connection with me and could not bear to see me suffer from demonic contamination. With the ancestor’s permission, he first sent me back to Kun Province for treatment.”
“However, during the teleportation, it seems we encountered attacks from other great demons, causing some mishap. When I woke up, I was already in Kun Province. As for what happened afterward, I do not know.”
Mo Hua spoke steadily, his expression sincere as he recounted the events.
His Divine-Sense was strong, his thinking sharp, and his eloquence excellent. Weaving lies was second nature to him.
Back in the Great Wilderness, he had been the Divine-Shaman most adept at bewitching hearts.
Especially when mixing truth with falsehood—using real people to tell fake events, or fake identities to tell real ones—this kind of half-true, half-false tightly woven lie came effortlessly to him.
The Sect Masters and elders of the Earth Sect, along with the high-ranking members of Kun Province aristocratic clans all exchanged glances upon hearing his explanation.
They indeed knew some of the inside story.
Myriad Demons Mountain, Skull Cave, Yin Corpse Valley, Joyous-Union Sect, True-Person Zhuge, the Void Ancestors…
These people and events were real and were all connected to the situation in the Great Wilderness.
Mo Hua’s account was also logically consistent. Although they had some doubts, they truly didn't know where to begin questioning him. The Right Sect Master pondered for a moment, glanced at Mo Hua, and asked,
“How is the situation in the Great Wilderness now?”
Mo Hua replied, “When I left, the war was still ongoing. The royal court had been broken, but the demonic sects resurfaced. The situation was chaotic, and True Person Zhuge was busy suppressing demons. After that, I do not know.”
His words were adapted from official announcements from the Dao Court.
Among those present no one could really challenge them. After all, questioning Mo Hua was one thing, but questioning the Dao Court itself was dangerous.
Thus, this unknown youth—suspicious and possibly harboring secrets—was now redefined as a clearly identifiable disciple of a righteous sect who had merely been transported here for treatment.
On the surface, there seemed to be no issue left with him at all.
But was it really that simple?
And how much of his words could truly be trusted?
The Earth Sect’s people looked at Mo Hua with deep scrutiny.
The Earth Sect’s Left Sect Master, cold and expressionless, suddenly spoke.
“You claim to be a disciple of the Great Void Sect. Do you have proof?”
Mo Hua nodded, about to say yes... but then he paused.
Only then did he realize that when he had been teleported over, his storage pouch had already been gone.
In other words, when he arrived at the Earth Sect, he had been completely empty-handed.
But if he suddenly produced proof now, there were only two possibilities.
Either the proof was fake, forged on the spot.
Or… he still possessed some unknown storage treasure.
That storage treasure was the source of many of his secrets.
If the Earth Sect learned he still had such a thing, trouble would follow.
Mo Hua’s thoughts raced as he quickly understood the danger.
He glanced at the Left Sect Master who had asked the question, uncertain whether this was a trap or a casual inquiry.
The Left Sect Master remained calm, revealing nothing.
Mo Hua said, “I did have proof, but during the teleportation, my storage pouch was lost, and the proof went missing as well.”
The Left Sect Master slowly said, “So you have no proof that you are a disciple of the Great Void Sect?”
“No.”
The expressions of both Sect Masters turned somewhat unpleasant.
“However,” Mo Hua added, “there’s no need for proof. My name is Mo Hua, that alone is my proof.”
The Left Sect Master frowned. The people present were also somewhat taken aback, not understanding where this kid got such confidence.
“Your name?”
Someone in the hall let out an awkward laugh.
“What use is a name? The Great Void Sect is the foremost sect of Qianxue Prefecture. You’re just a mere disciple, what could your name possibly…”
Before he finished, someone's expression suddenly changed, as if remembering something.
“You’re called Mo Hua? Could it be… that rumored Mo Hua from the Great Void Sect?”
“What Great Void Sect Mo Hua?” someone else frowned. Clearly, they had never heard of such a name.
But among the crowd, quite a few elders slowly remembered something.
The Qianxue Sword Debate Tournament was, after all, a competition for those at the Foundation Establishment stage, and it was held in Qian Province, a considerable distance away. Not everyone in Kun Province paid attention to it.
Moreover the Qianxue Sword Debate Tournament was held every three years. Since Mo Hua last participated, three or four sessions had already passed. A whole generation of prodigies had come and gone; the leading talents had changed several times over.
Not everyone remembered the name of a particular prodigy.
But if a reputation was widespread enough, someone would remember it, especially those who had some connection to him.
The Zhu Clan Patriarch suddenly said, “Right… Great Void Sect’s Mo Hua, Dual Qianxue Formation Dao Champion, first place in the Qianxue Sword debate, the Great Void Sect’s Little Senior Brother…”
Mo Hua looked at the Zhu Clan Patriarch; he felt unfamiliar and asked, “Have you met me before?”
The Zhu Clan Patriarch shook his head. “I didn’t attend that Dao Debate Tournament, but among the younger disciples of my Zhu Clan, one once joined the Great Void Sect. After returning from training back then, he often mentioned you, his Little Senior Brother…”
Mo Hua suddenly understood.
So Kun Province also had his junior disciples from Great Void Sect.
It was just that back then he had too many “junior disciples,” so he couldn’t immediately recall which one belonged to the Zhu Clan of Kun Province…
Upon hearing the Zhu Clan patriarch's words, the Lu Clan patriarch, who was standing to the side, also suddenly realized and exclaimed: “So you are Mo Hua?!”
Mo Hua was slightly stunned. “Patriarch Lu, you’ve also heard of me?”
The Lu Clan Patriarch’s expression became somewhat subtle.
He had a daughter named Lu Zhenlong, who had joined the Purple Mist Gate. After returning from the sword debate tournament, she would often fume in anger, saying there was an utterly shameless fellow named Mo Hua who had blasted her face with fireballs, and that if she ever got the chance, she would definitely teach that Mo Hua a lesson.
The Lu Clan Patriarch had never expected that this young man who had appeared out of nowhere was actually that “Mo Hua.”
But he couldn’t bring himself to say that directly, so he could only vaguely respond: “I’ve heard of you… your fireball technique… is quite good…”
Mo Hua, completely unaware of the past grudge, took this as genuine praise and modestly said:
“Not at all, Patriarch Lu flatters me.”
Fireball Technique was something Mo Hua had practiced since childhood. After long refinement and improvement, it was indeed extremely exquisite.
Of all things to praise, the Lu Clan Patriarch specifically praised his fireballs, clearly a man who knew his craft.
With both the Zhu and Lu Clan Patriarchs saying so, the other aristocratic clans and elders, whether they truly recognized Mo Hua or not, all had to express themselves appropriately as well. Their attitudes immediately turned enthusiastically warm:
“So you’re the Young Master Mo of the Great Void Sect… I’ve long admired you.”
“Forgive my disrespect, forgive my disrespect.”
“Young Master Mo’s reputation is thunderous… I never expected to see you in person today.”
“To be honest, I didn’t expect Young Master Mo to be so young. I failed to recognize you earlier, how shameful, how shameful…”
“Number one in formations, first in sword debate, and so modest and courteous… your future is boundless. If you have time, please come visit my Jin Clan so we may show our hospitality.”
“Our Wu Clan as well…”
The Qianxue Prefecture was a sacred land of cultivation sects, filled with countless geniuses.
To win first place in such a place.... the elders present all understood the significance of this achievement.
If Mo Hua were still in Qian Province, they might have dismissed him with disdain. After all, what did Qian Province’s geniuses have to do with them in Kun Province?
But now that this “genius” had landed right in front of them, they naturally had to try to build connections and show goodwill.
Soon, someone raised a cup and came over to toast him. “Come, Brother Mo, I toast you.”
“This old man also toasts Young Friend Mo…”
Mo Hua politely returned the toasts as well.
In this back-and-forth, Mo Hua’s surroundings suddenly became lively, as if he were the center of attention.
What had originally been an interrogation hall had turned into something like a social banquet.
The two Sect Masters of the Earth Sect, along with the elders, stood there for a long while before finally unable to watch any longer.
The Right Sect Master coughed lightly and said helplessly, “Everyone!”
Only then did the crowd of aristocratic elders restrain themselves. After raising their cups toward Mo Hua, they returned to their seats.
Afterward, the Right Sect Master could only bite the bullet and continue asking Mo Hua questions, including his experiences in the Great Void Sect and details of the Great Wilderness war.
Mo Hua answered everything fluently and without hesitation.
Soon, the Right Sect Master ran out of things to ask.
He could vaguely sense that Mo Hua was definitely hiding something, but what exactly it was, he couldn’t figure out at all.
If they used torture, perhaps they could force something out of him.
But without torture, if they let Mo Hua speak freely, he could even patch up holes in the sky with his mouth, let alone answer these harmless “questions.”
Yet Mo Hua’s current “identity” was layered with too many connections.
Great Void Sect, True-Person Rong, the Bai Clan, and even the many elders of Kun Province’s aristocratic clans, just moments ago, had toasted him…
How could they possibly use torture now?
The Left and Right Sect Masters exchanged a silent glance, both frowning deeply.
Since they didn’t continue the interrogation, the hall fell into an awkward silence.
After waiting a while, Mo Hua asked:
“Sect Leaders, is there anything else you’d like to ask?”
The Right Sect Master hesitated, remaining silent.
Mo Hua then thoughtfully said, “Or should I head back first? If you think of anything later, just call me back.”
The Right Sect Master froze. “You still want to come back?”
Mo Hua nodded.
Not only did he want to come back, he even wanted to stay in the Earth Sect. After all, there were quite a few things here he was interested in.
Thinking of this, Mo Hua’s eyes suddenly lit up. “How about I become an honorary guest elder of your Earth Sect?”
True-Person Rong was stunned.
The Right Sect Master was also somewhat incredulous. “You want to be a guest elder?”
Mo Hua asked, “Is that not allowed?”
The Right Sect Master was completely thrown off by Mo Hua, unable to grasp his line of thinking.
You’re not running away, fine. But now you want to stay and become an elder of our Earth Sect?
What is wrong with this kid… Does he not fear at all?
Does he not fear being sliced up by the Earth Sect and interrogated by torture?
Or is he truly so honest and upright that he has no fear whatsoever?
The Right Sect Master hesitated. “You are from the Great Void Sect, right…?”
Mo Hua replied, “It’s fine. The Great Void Sect is a cultivation sect, while the Earth Sect is a commercial sect. The Great Void Sect restrict the development of its disciples after they leave. I can serve as your guest elder. My formation skills are very good…”
Mo Hua’s reasoning was sound and well-argued.
“This…” The Right Sect Master didn’t know what to say.
In fact, the upper levels of the Earth Sect had considered recruiting Mo Hua if possible, to make it easier to probe his secrets.
But now that Mo Hua was eagerly offering himself as their guest elder, they instead felt a bit nervous.
The Right Sect Master even felt like Mo Hua might be setting them up…
He said, “This… is a bit against the rules. Let us discuss it.”
Mo Hua looked slightly regretful and nodded. “Alright. If you reach a decision, let me know.”
Of course, as a disciple of a major sect, he understood that “discussion” was usually just a polite refusal.
After chatting a while longer, the banquet finally ended.
With True-Person Rong present, the Earth Sect did not dare detain Mo Hua.
As for whether they would question him again later, that was a matter for later.
True-Person Rong glanced at Mo Hua in silence, feeling somewhat bewildered.
She had originally worried that Mo Hua might clash with the Earth Sect and cause trouble.
In the end, there was no conflict at all, on the contrary, he even gained quite a few connections, to the point of even wanting to become an honorary guest elder of the Earth Sect…
She truly didn’t know what to say.
But no conflict was, of course, for the best.
Afterward, True Person Rong led Mo Hua and Bai Zixi out of the Earth Sect main hall.
On their way out, they ran into a group of female disciples again.
These disciples first glared fiercely at Mo Hua, then all of their attention shifted to Bai Zixi, as if waiting for their “Sister Bai” to give them an explanation.
In an atmosphere of extreme tension—so tense it almost felt like everyone’s Dao hearts were about to collapse—Bai Zixi sighed inwardly and then calmly “officially announced” Mo Hua’s identity in front of everyone:
“This is a distant relative of my Bai Clan, and my sworn junior brother who is like my own sibling… you are not to make things difficult for him.”
As soon as Bai Zixi spoke, many of the noble clan girls present let out a collective sigh of relief.
Mo Hua also felt the killing intent around him dissipate by more than half in an instant.
Although not everyone believed it, quite a few clearly did.
A “junior brother like a sibling” was basically equivalent to a “younger brother.” While many still felt a bit uncomfortable, this explanation was already the most acceptable one they could tolerate.
Consequently, their hostility toward Mo Hua eased considerably.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly and couldn’t help but complain in his heart:
“My little senior sister… truly a great sin indeed…”
Thus, this brief trip to the Earth Sect came to an end.
Mo Hua and his senior sister, under the escort of True Person Rong, left the Earth Sect once more.
Mo Hua was still somewhat reluctant to leave.
Because with so many people watching, he never had a chance to move freely. This “scouting trip” had not been successful, and his plan to become an Earth Sect guest elder had also failed to materialize.
So much so that even as he left, Mo Hua kept staring at the massive Earth Sect mountain gate, unwilling to look away, and with a hint of resentment.
But as he stared, he suddenly paused and subconsciously sniffed the air.
He hadn’t noticed anything unusual from the surface of the Earth Sect, but in the air… there seemed to be an indescribable strange scent.
A scent carrying an extremely dense earth qi, mixed with a faint… indescribable stale, decaying odor.
“…Something is rotting?”
Mo Hua’s gaze turned deep.
(End of Chapter)