Chapter 122 Father and Son (First Update)_1 Afterwards, whenever Da’hu and his two companions had free time, Mo Hua would accompany them into the mountains to hunt Monster Beasts using Trap Formations. They would divide the Spirit Stones after killing the Monster Beasts, and Mo Hua could also extract Monster Blood. While Da’hu and the others were happy, they were also somewhat worried and said to Mo Hua, “If we do this, only killing severely wounded Monster Beasts and not confronting them head-on, won’t our Taoist Skills get weaker and weaker?” Mo Hua replied, “This is called nurturing war through war. First, hunt Monster Beasts and earn Spirit Stones, then raise your Cultivation. Once your Cultivation is higher, it won’t be too late to consider head-on confrontations.” Mo Hua looked at them and said, “We are still young, and fighting with Monster Beasts is inherently disadvantageous for us. If we don’t think of tactics, we can only end up dead.” Da’hu and his companions nodded again and again in agreement. So, the three followed the methods designed by Mo Hua for Monster Hunting, becoming more familiar and more in sync with time. When facing Monster Beasts, they no longer lost their composure due to fear as before. However, after killing several Monster Beasts, something unexpected still happened. One day, they surrounded a Fire Spitting Hound as tall as a man, with a red tongue and eyes. After a dozen or so exchanges, the Fire Spitting Hound took a hit from Shuanghu’s blade but found an opening, a flash of its figure, and escaped from the encirclement of Da’hu and his companions. This Fire Spitting Hound was at the pinnacle of the Monster Beasts Middle Phase and was close to the later phase, so the damage caused by the Earth Fire Formation was not as severe on it as it was on other Monster Beasts. After escaping ten feet away, the Fire Spitting Hound glared with red eyes, seemingly committed to remembering Da’hu and his companions, and then turned to leave. Halfway through, its nose twitched, and it suddenly noticed Mo Hua hiding behind some nearby rocks. With Mo Hua’s Qi Refinement at the fifth layer, his Cultivation level was not high, and his Blood Qi was weak. The eyes of the Fire Spitting Hound blazed with red light, and its fanged mouth exposed its dripping saliva, reeking of blood. It turned and charged straight towards Mo Hua. Da’hu shouted urgently, “Mo Hua, run!” Mo Hua froze for a moment. But the Fire Spitting Hound had already circled behind him, its gaping jaws biting down fiercely. In the eyes of the Fire Spitting Hound there was a cruel and excited glint, yet when its jaws snapped shut, it tasted neither the sweet blood nor the delectable flesh it expected. It had bitten empty air. Mo Hua was already standing a dozen feet away, looking somewhat tense, but not in a panic. The Fire Spitting Hound wore a puzzled expression as it couldn’t understand how the young Cultivator had evaded its attack. Da’hu and his companions let out a loud shout as they rushed over from afar. The Fire Spitting Hound, with a scornful look in its eyes, leaped up and charged towards Mo Hua with even greater speed. It was only a ten-foot distance, and it covered it in a flash. Its claws lashed out at Mo Hua’s vitals, and in its eyes, the young Cultivator had nowhere to dodge. However, Mo Hua drifted backward a step without any warning, his body light and composed, easily avoiding the swipe. The Fire Spitting Hound was momentarily stunned while Mo Hua took the opportunity to retreat another thirty feet, his gaze calm and even a bit mocking. This trace of mockery enraged the Fire Spitting Hound, its eyes flashed red, and its fur turned crimson until flames blazed around its body. When the Fire Spitting Hound was truly enraged, its whole body would ignite with flames. “Not good!” Da’hu and his companions were halfway there when they saw this and were shocked. The enraged Fire Spitting Hound, like a blaze, charged straight at Mo Hua with increased speed, and it was also suffused with raging demonic power. This kind of flame, shaped by the Monster Beasts’ demonic power, could erode a Cultivator’s flesh, burn a Cultivator’s Spiritual Power, and even destroy a Cultivator’s meridians. Once it entered the body, it was difficult to eradicate. Mo Hua’s expression also became serious as he pushed his Divine Sense to the limit, perceiving the trajectory of the Fire Spitting Hound, while simultaneously stimulating his Spiritual Power, performing the Water Passing Step. For every step the Fire Spitting Hound advanced, Mo Hua retreated one step. With every attack the Fire Spitting Hound made, Mo Hua managed to escape by a whisker, his form flowing like water, ethereal and elusive. After several attacks, Mo Hua appeared to be in grave danger, yet remained unscathed. Da’hu and his companions watched with their hearts pounding and mouths agape. What kind of movement technique was this… Snapping back to reality, the three immediately moved towards Mo Hua. After several failed attacks, and seeing that Da’hu and his companions were approaching, the Fire Spitting Hound pushed its demonic power to the extreme, causing the flames to burn even more fiercely on its body. It stared at Mo Hua with fierce light blazing in its eyes. In an instant, Mo Hua guessed that it was prepared to fight to the death. As long as it killed him and devoured his flesh and blood to replenish its Blood Qi, it could continue to entangle with Da’hu and the others, or at the very least, retreat with ease. Mo Hua’s gaze sharpened as he gathered the Fireball Technique between his fingers. At this distance, it was enough for Mo Hua to cast the Fireball Technique, but he did not know how effective it would be against the Monster Beast. However, before Mo Hua could release the Fireball Technique, a knife descended from the sky and pierced the Fire Spitting Hound, pinning it firmly to the ground. The Fire Spitting Hound struggled a few times, and the flames on its body gradually dissipated. Finally, its breath ceased, but the ferocity remained in its eyes. Mo Hua was shocked and, looking up, he saw Mo Shan standing alone on a distant rock, his face as still as water. A chill settled in Mo Hua’s heart. It was over, he had secretly entered the mountain, and his father had discovered it. Mo Hua hadn’t told his parents because he was afraid they would worry, and at the same time, he knew they would not agree with him entering Big Black Mountain. Although Big Black Mountain was dangerous, one couldn’t avoid it for a lifetime. With thorough preparation and caution, Big Black Mountain was not a place of certain death. Mo Hua knew that his parents would find out sooner or later, but he didn’t expect to be discovered so soon. His plan to hunt Monster Beasts in Big Black Mountain had only just begun… Mo Hua sighed, finally understanding the taste of “a venture failing before it’s halfway done.” Mo Shan didn’t say much, but his complexion clearly didn’t look good. Mo Hua felt apprehensive, and even Da’hu and the others didn’t dare to breathe too loudly. After they had dealt with the Fire Spitting Hound, Mo Shan asked Da’hu and the others to go back home first. “Uncle Mo, don’t blame Mo Hua. It was us…” Shuanghu said weakly. “Alright, you boys go home,” Mo Shan said softly. No one knows a child better than their parents. Although Mo Hua was young, he was intelligent and resolute. Even though Da’hu and the others were older, when they played together, the one to make the decisions was certainly Mo Hua. Going into the mountains to hunt Monster Beasts, there was no need to think; it must have been Mo Hua who convinced them. Mo Shan sighed. He wanted to scold Mo Hua, but he didn’t know what to say. After the father and son returned home, they ate their meal in silence. Mo Shan’s face was stern, and he said nothing. Mo Hua also kept his eyes and nose toward his own bowl, eating obediently. Liu Ruhua looked at Mo Shan with a puzzled expression and then curiously at Mo Hua. After the meal, just as Mo Shan was about to speak, Liu Ruhua said, “Huar, go back to your room and read your books.” Mo Shan’s words got stuck in his throat, and he paused for a moment. Mo Hua felt relieved and, with a grateful glance at his mother, quickly slipped back to his room. Then Liu Ruhua asked, “What happened?” Mo Shan sighed and told her about encountering Mo Hua in Big Black Mountain. Liu Ruhua was startled, “Huar is so bold!” “Yes, with Big Black Mountain being so dangerous, if something were to have happened to him…” Mo Shan frowned and spoke, his expression filled with retrospective fear. “So what do you plan to do about it?” she asked. After thinking for a while, Mo Shan said: “From what I could see at a distance, Huar didn’t enter Big Black Mountain out of curiosity or for fun. It seems he had a real plan. And the way he went about Monster Hunting, he was very systematic—setting up Trap Formations, leaving the finishing work to Da’hu and the others—it was all meticulously planned, even more thorough and cautious than some experienced Monster Hunters…” “But in a place like Big Black Mountain, it’s not the fear of one in a million chances, but the fear of that one chance that could happen. No one knows what dangers one might encounter…” Mo Shan continued, his tone firm, “I won’t blame him this time, but he absolutely cannot go to Big Black Mountain again!” Liu Ruhua thought for a moment, sighed, held Mo Shan’s hand, and said softly: “You must know that we, as parents, can’t accompany Huar for a lifetime.”