Chapter 1118: Chapter 686: The Water Well Chapter 1118 -686: The Water Well When did I fall into the trap? The first thought that crossed Mo Hua’s mind was the golden lotus three-colored carp. “I ate the fish, drank the soup, so the River God’s evil thoughts infiltrated my sea of consciousness?” *A flicker of thought in Mo Hua’s mind suddenly tightened his heart as he recalled something.* Yu Er! Yu Er ate the same golden three-colored carp as he did. If his own sea of consciousness was polluted by the Evil God’s evil thoughts, then Yu Er’s sea of consciousness must also be contaminated. It was already late at night. Without much hesitation, Mo Hua got up immediately, walked to the door next door, and just as he was about to knock, the door opened. Wenren Wei stood at the doorway, his expression steady yet tinged with surprise. “Young Master Mo?” Mo Hua said at once, “I came to check on Yu Er.” Wenren Wei looked confused but saw the anxious look on Mo Hua’s face. Not daring to act negligently, he promptly invited Mo Hua inside. Mo Hua entered, passing through layers of intricately elegant screens and furnishings that were luxurious yet playful in design. He arrived at the inner bedroom. Yu Er lay sprawled on the bed, drooling slightly, fast asleep in a carefree manner… He was sleeping soundly, his divine sense calm and devoid of any abnormalities. *Mo Hua’s pupils darkened slightly as he released his divine sense, sweeping over Yu Er multiple times to confirm there were no evil spirits clinging to him. Only then did he exhale softly in relief.* Still, a faint hint of unease settled in his brow. “Yu Er is fine…” “Young Master Mo?” Wenren Wei whispered, “Is Young Master Yu unwell?” 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚 Mo Hua snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head, replying, “No, it’s nothing. I was just overthinking.” Wenren Wei relaxed as well, his furrowed brow easing as he said earnestly, “Thank you for worrying about him, Young Master.” Mo Hua offered a faint smile, refraining from disturbing Yu Er’s rest, and returned to his own room. Sitting by the desk, he sank into contemplation. Though the hour was late, Mo Hua felt no trace of fatigue, his heart a tangle of chaotic thoughts. “That golden lotus three-colored carp, cooked into meat and soup, both Yu Er and I ate of it, yet Yu Er remains completely unaffected…” “That must mean the problem doesn’t lie with the three-colored carp.” “But if it’s not the three-colored carp, then what else could it be…?” *Mo Hua furrowed his brow and painstakingly combed through the sequence of events from the past few days.* From tracking the Crossing River Dragon, to entering the small fishing village, encountering the blood mist, Old Yu, the Wang family cultivators, and finally leaving the small fishing village with the basket of three-colored carp… *If his sight had been invaded by evil thoughts, Mo Hua believed he should have noticed.* If not something seen, then perhaps something smelled—or consumed… Moreover, it must have been something distinct from what Yu Er consumed. “If it’s not the three-colored carp, then it has to be…” *Mo Hua pondered briefly, his pupils contracting suddenly.* “Old Yu’s fish soup?” The only thing consumed over the past few days that Yu Er hadn’t touched was that fish soup from Old Yu’s home. Mo Hua’s brow furrowed. *Did drinking Old Yu’s fish soup lead him to become tainted by the Evil God?* *Why?* *What could be wrong with a mere pot of fish soup?* *Mo Hua was baffled.* At that moment, a streak of crimson suddenly floated up in his mind. Mo Hua froze, startled. He remembered seeing a small fish tank near Old Yu’s silver-scaled fish aquarium. The tank was sealed, its contents invisible, but a faint trace of red could be discerned within. According to Old Yu, it housed a type of light-avoiding blood-colored fish, the red fish. *As Mo Hua thought deeper, he realized this so-called “red fish” bore an exceedingly similar aura to the blood-colored fish that had invaded his sea of consciousness.* Old Yu… Mo Hua’s gaze sharpened. “It seems I’ll need to visit the small fishing village again when I have some time…” If there was an issue with Old Yu’s fish soup, then it was likely the entire small fishing village, including all the fish cultivators there, had unknowingly been tainted by the Evil God. They simply hadn’t realized it yet. For fish cultivators, their suffering was the perfect nutrient for the Evil God’s soil… *Mo Hua’s gaze flickered slightly. His eyes felt a little dry, as though traces of tears earlier still lingered at the corners.* *Scenes from a dream emerged vividly in his mind once again.* *Moments of joy and sorrow, meetings and partings, the struggle to eke out a living, the despair of helplessness, and the pain of loving deeply but being unable to stay together…* *They interwove once more, pressing heavily upon Mo Hua’s heart.* Mo Hua let out a deep sigh. This had been merely a dream, yet it could very well have been the life story of countless individuals… … Gu Changhuai had sent people to keep an eye on the small fishing village, but over several days, they had yet to spot the “Crossing River Dragon.” So when the rest period arrived a few days later, Mo Hua eagerly headed back to the small fishing village. At midday, under bright sunlight, the fish cultivators busied themselves throughout the village. From a distance, it appeared vibrant and bustling, with nothing out of the ordinary. *But Mo Hua knew by now that things were far from what they seemed.* After drinking a bowl of fish soup in the village, his sea of consciousness had been infiltrated by the Evil God’s evil thoughts. It stood to reason that most cultivators in the small fishing village likely harbored crimson fish within their own seas of consciousness as well. A person’s divine sense was encapsulated within their sea of consciousness. Mo Hua couldn’t access the sea of consciousness of others, so he naturally couldn’t see what lay within. He had no choice but to rely on external clues to piece the puzzle together… *Mo Hua’s pupils darkened, golden light glimmering faintly in his eyes as he released his divine sense to sweep meticulously across the small fishing village. Only then did he notice some details he had previously overlooked.* The fish cultivators in the village, despite their diligent and tireless efforts to survive, carried a fleeting look of confusion in their eyes now and then, as well as a deathly numbness in the depth of their gaze. *These seemed to be signs of divine sense being devoured.* Mo Hua also saw Old Yu. Old Yu exhibited the same signs—an occasional vacuous gaze. Yet, his complexion appeared much improved. *It seemed that possessing Spirit Stones, enabling him to send his two grandsons into the sect for a better future, and escaping lifelong poverty had reinvigorated him. The newfound hope brought the clarity of someone experiencing a last burst of vitality before decline, even adding a glimmer to his eyes.*