Old Master An also took a sip of tea before he began to speak: "Back then, when my An Family was competing with the Qian Family for profits, it wasn’t as if we were at a disadvantage from the start." "At first, both families had their victories and defeats, but the Qian Family was greedy, and their disciples were mostly selfish and greedy, while our An Family was harmonious, unified in spirit, and not as exploitative as the Qian Family. In our struggle against them, we gradually gained the upper hand." "At that time, within Tongxian City, our An Family controlled most of the Artifact Refining and Alchemy businesses—so much so that the Qian Family was on the brink of defeat..." "Was there some kind of mishap?" Mo Hua asked. Old Master An nodded and sighed deeply before continuing: "Indeed, a major mishap occurred—the An Family took on a certain business deal..." "It was the largest deal the An Family had ever encountered. If we could secure this transaction, the Qian Family wouldn’t be able to compete with us for at least a hundred years." "We had everything prepared; all that was left was to safely transport the goods out of Tongxian City and deliver them to Runan City nearby. With that, the deal would have been successfully completed." "Therefore, I specifically arranged for the only Foundation Building Elder in the An Family to lead the formation, with fifty of our elite disciples as escorts, accompanied by two hundred An Family cultivators." "The strength of these cultivators was not to be underestimated, even by the Qian Family. And the Qian Family wouldn’t dare to engage us directly; the loss of life would lead to too great a loss, no matter how you look at it." "I thought I had been cautious enough and the preparations were adequately safe, but I never, never could have anticipated..." Old Master An’s face showed a look of regret and agony. "...I never could have anticipated that after they entered Big Black Mountain, they would never return!" "Not a single one of them returned!" "They all disappeared in Big Black Mountain!" Old Master An’s face twitched, his emotions fluctuating violently. Mo Hua quickly poured him a cup of tea. After drinking it and catching his breath, Old Master An nodded slightly and continued: "This was not just a crippling blow, but it also struck at the very root of the An Family—like cutting a chunk of flesh from my heart!" "Afterward, I went into Big Black Mountain myself, but no matter how I searched, I could not find our Elder or any of the An Family disciples. It was as though they had evaporated from the earth." "I even braved the risks and ventured into the deep mountains, but the fog was heavy, and I couldn’t find any trace. I dared not venture too deep, so I was forced to retreat." "Did you ever suspect the Qian Family?" Mo Hua asked. Old Master An nodded. "They were my first suspects." "But I paid attention, and on the day our An Family disciples went into the mountain, the Patriarch of the Qian Family and most of the Qian Family’s Foundation Building Elders did not leave home, nor did they enter Big Black Mountain. They had no opportunity to act against my An Family..." "However, I am positive that it was the Qian Family’s doing!" Old Master An clenched his teeth, his eyes reflecting a chilly resolve. Mo Hua quietly asked, "How do you know?" Old Master An hesitated, not wanting to involve Mo Hua by sharing this information, but now it seemed that the young man might already know something. Moreover, these were all old issues from the past; it was unlikely they would bring up old grievances. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 Old Master An said, "Originally, I wasn’t certain whether the Qian Family was involved, but later on, over a Pill Furnace, the An Family had another falling out with the Qian Family." "Although the An Family was severely weakened, we didn’t want to succumb to defeat, so I decided to oppose the Qian Family to the end. But then, the Patriarch of the Qian Family said something to me..." "No one can outcompete the Qian Family. In Big Black Mountain, whoever I wish to disappear will disappear..." Old Master An sighed, "From then on, I knew—all of it was the Qian Family’s doing. The strength of the Qian Family was greater than I had imagined, and their methods were more ruthless." "I wanted to bring the Qian Family down with us even if it meant mutual destruction, but the other disciples of the An Family still needed to live on. To confront the Qian Family head-on, they might not suffer much, but the An Family could be wiped out..." "Then do you know," Mo Hua’s eyes flashed as he spoke in a low voice, "what exactly did the Qian Family do?" Old Master An shook his head, then suddenly his expression grew severe, "Do you know?" Mo Hua nodded. Old Master An asked in astonishment, "How could you know?" "Are you aware of Black Mountain Stronghold?" Mo Hua continued. Old Master An slightly nodded, "It is said to be a group of Evil Cultivators in the depths of the mountains, recently exterminated by the Taoist soldiers." Old Master An then paused in realization, "You mean to say..." Mo Hua nodded and explained, "Black Mountain Stronghold was established by the Patriarch of the Qian Family behind the scenes. It’s likely the An Family disciples were killed by its Evil Cultivators. This way, the Qian Family Patriarch wouldn’t have to dirty his hands and could avoid any direct involvement." Old Master An realized the truth, then drifted into a somber daze, "So that’s how it was..." With that explanation, everything became clear to him. These An Family disciples, though not killed by the Qian Family, indeed died at the hands of the Qian Family. Old Master An’s gaze turned sharp. "You didn’t come to me just to say these things, did you?" "I’d like to confirm with you the relationship between the Patriarch of the Qian Family and the Black Mountain Stronghold, and also to ask if you wish to seek revenge." Old Master An’s gaze grew more focused. "Revenge?" Mo Hua nodded. "The Patriarch of the Qian Family has extended his life with the Human Life Pill, and he can live for a much longer time. If he goes on living, he will sooner or later become a great calamity, so it’s better to strike first." Old Master An pondered, "How many people are available?" "Quite a few." Mo Hua briefly counted. There were Monster Hunters, Taoist Court, and also the Taoist soldiers Court. Without hesitation, Old Master An said, "Good, count the An Family in on this matter!" "As long as that old dog of the Qian Family doesn’t die, Tongxian City will never be at peace!" Mo Hua originally intended only to inquire about some information, to find evidence proving the association between the Patriarch of the Qian Family and the Black Mountain Stronghold. He hadn’t expected the An Family to have such deep-seated grievances with the Qian Family, and that Old Master An was willing to lend a hand, which was an unexpected joy. After Mo Hua reported the matter to Elder Yu, Elder Yu also breathed a sigh of relief. Though the An Family’s influence was modest, they were still the second-ranking clan in Tongxian City. With their help, they had a bit more confidence in dealing with the Qian Family. Another two hours passed, and Zhang Lan and Mo Shan returned as well. Elder Yu asked, "How did the questioning go?" Zhang Lan nodded. "We sent someone to pose as Evil Cultivators, and talked with the second-in-command. He showed no reaction to other topics." "But when we mentioned ’the Householder is already dead,’ the second-in-command opened his eyes and sneered, saying that’s impossible; when we said ’the Camp Leader is also dead,’ he scoffed again, saying that’s even more impossible." "From this, it’s clear that there is indeed a Camp Leader in the Black Mountain Stronghold, and he is not the same person as the Householder!" After sharing Old Master An’s words, Mo Hua asked Leader Yang, "Are these evidences sufficient?" Yang Jiyong pondered, "They aren’t fully conclusive, but they are enough. When it comes to Evil Cultivators, it’s better to wrongly kill than to let one escape; delaying any longer and letting the Qian Family become aware would mean missing our chance." Elder Yu nodded in agreement. "Whether the Camp Leader of Black Mountain Stronghold is the Patriarch of the Qian Family, we will know as soon as we make a move." "If it is him, we will execute him on the spot!" "If not, I will apologize to the Qian Family. Anyway, I have thick skin. I have not spared them from my harsh words on regular days, so apologizing now won’t be a loss." Yang Jiyong nodded, "Alright then, let’s finalize the plan to move against the Qian Family and eliminate the Patriarch of the Qian Family!" The whole following day, everyone discussed strategies together. By evening, Old Master An, dressed in black, also came quietly. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Old Master An disclosed some secrets of the Qian Family that were not known to the public—about the Qian Family’s terrain, as well as the cultivation techniques, Taoist skills, and the preferred fighting methods of the Patriarch of the Qian Family. Mo Hua listened attentively from the side. He did not understand Foundation Building Cultivators, was not familiar with the manipulation of spiritual energy above Foundation Establishment, and had no idea how to kill a Foundation Building Cultivator. His own skills could not harm those at the Foundation Building level. The only thing that might be lethal to a Foundation Building individual was causing a Compound Formation to collapse through Divine Sense Calculation. However, the calculations for such a Compound Formation took time, and Mo Hua, busy with investigating the Patriarch of the Qian Family, had not yet finished the calculations, nor had he actually used them, so it was of no use for the time being. Now, all Mo Hua could do was to listen and learn: How to design an execution of a powerful enemy cultivator. How to estimate the enemy’s strength, including their cultivation, cultivation techniques, Taoist skills, spiritual artifacts, and so on. What strength his own side needed to successfully execute the plan. How to arrange manpower, how to deploy them, how to exploit the enemy’s weakness and attack their shortcomings, and how to minimize casualties to the greatest extent. Whether it was Yang Jiyong, the leader of the Taoist soldiers, or Zhang Lan with his profound family learning, or the experienced Elder Yu, as well as battle-hardened Mo Shan, they were all fairly adept at this kind of thing, each with their own strengths. In discussing the plan, each expressed their opinions, playing to their strengths and compensating for each other’s weaknesses. Mo Hua watched and listened silently, memorizing everything, pondering and adapting it for his own use. He might not need it now, but one day in the future, it might come in handy. Two days and one night later, everything was settled. The plan to eliminate the Patriarch of the Qian Family officially began.