Chapter 136: Pursuit (Part Five)_1 Mo Hua set off with Zhang Lan and two others, beginning their journey to Lonely Cloud Peak. Mo Hua was extremely familiar with the mountain paths, so much so that Zhang Lan found it astonishing. He knew exactly where there were paths, water, poison, and fog. Sometimes when it seemed like there was no way forward, he led them left and right through the woods, and suddenly there would be a path again. Whenever they encountered Monster Beasts, Mo Hua would lead them to avoid them from afar before they even noticed. Along the way, he could even pick some wild fruit and dig up some herbs… With such a leisurely and carefree manner, it was as if they weren’t chasing a criminal but out for a spring outing… Zhang Lan found it hard to believe. How could the outer parts of Big Black Mountain seem like Mo Hua’s own backyard to this kid? This was not the Big Black Mountain he remembered. Even a Cultivator at the late stage of Qi Refinement would be extremely cautious upon entering Big Black Mountain, wouldn’t they? Zhang Lan was inwardly shocked, but Situ Fang wasn’t aware of all this. She only had a vague feeling that their journey was much smoother than she had expected. Situ Xiu was even more sarcastic, saying to Zhang Lan, “Didn’t you say Big Black Mountain was dangerous? Why haven’t we encountered anything along the way?” Zhang Lan looked at him as if he was an idiot. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞 This fool, completely clueless, not even aware that someone was leading the way. What has he been filling his brain with all these years… After walking for a while, Mo Hua suddenly stopped and said, “There are Monster Beasts ahead; we need to take a long detour.” The journey had been smooth sailing, and Situ Xiu, finding it boring, said, “We’re pressed for time. Detouring is too much hassle. Just a few Monster Beasts, we’ll simply cut them down.” Situ Xiu spoke loudly and didn’t conceal his presence. As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a pair of crimson eyes looking towards him from not far away. They were discovered! Zhang Lan frowned and cursed the fool once more. The Monster Beast looked like a sheep, with red eyes and curly horns, white fur and sharp teeth, and it stood as tall as a person. It was wrapped in a blood-colored demonic power, exuding a faint sense of oppression. Upon seeing Zhang Lan and the others, a flash of bloodthirsty delight appeared in its eyes, and it charged at them. Zhang Lan and the others had no choice but to brace themselves for battle. Fortunately, all three of them were at the late stage of Qi Refinement, so dealing with a single Red-eyed Demon Sheep wasn’t too difficult. Situ Xiu wasn’t very strong but became increasingly bold in battle. He couldn’t help but shout proudly, “Just a Monster Beast, nothing to it!” No sooner had his words fallen than another Monster Beast emerged from the bushes. It had dark red fur and a stench from its drooling mouth; it was a Split Claw Wolf Demon. Zhang Lan felt bitter inside and wished he could twist Situ Xiu’s mouth askew! Dealing with one Monster Beast was manageable, but two had them in a frantic mess. Situ Xiu, injured, felt the pain burning his wound and dared not act arrogantly anymore. After a hard fight, Two hours later, the Split Claw was killed, and the Sheep Demon fled injured. The three finally had a chance to catch their breath. Zhang Lan’s back was soaked with sweat. After taking a moment to breathe, he realized that Mo Hua had disappeared. He looked around, not seeing Mo Hua anywhere. Just as he was about to call out, he heard Mo Hua’s concerned voice nearby, “Uncle Zhang, are you all okay?” Mo Hua had appeared from nowhere, and not only that, he was holding a bottle in his hand, excitedly rushing toward the defeated Monster Beast, doing something… During the fight, Mo Hua didn’t show any sign of his presence, and after the fight, he emerged as if by magic. Zhang Lan thought to himself that his guess was indeed correct; they could have been lost to death in the mountains, and this kid Mo Hua still wouldn’t have been troubled. Situ Fang, curious, asked Mo Hua, “What are you doing?” “I’m collecting some Monster Blood,” answered Mo Hua. “Monster Blood? What for?” “To mix Spiritual Ink, for use in Drawing Formations.” Situ Fang exclaimed in surprise, “You know how to set up Formations?” Mo Hua, somewhat embarrassed, modestly said, “I know a little.” “Oh,” Situ Fang nodded. Zhang Lan looked up at the sky, speechless in his heart. He said he knew a little, and you actually believed him… After Mo Hua drained the monster beast’s blood, he said, “We need to hurry up, or we won’t make it before night falls.” Then, he complained a bit, “You wasted quite a lot of time dealing with the monster beasts.” Situ Fang felt a bit ashamed and asked, “Did you ask us to take a detour because you knew the monster beasts were tough to handle?” Mo Hua nodded. Situ Xiu protested, “This time it was just bad luck to run into two… ” Mo Hua said, “If there had been only one, would I have asked you to take a detour?” Situ Xiu was at a loss for words. Situ Fang also listened with alarm. Mo Hua had known there were two monster beasts all along, and they had only found out when the second one appeared… After Mo Hua had packed up the monster blood and saw that Zhang Lan and the others were mostly recovered, he said, “We need to hurry on our way now.” The three of them nodded their heads. Mo Hua walked a few steps, then turned back to remind them: “Be sure to follow instructions, otherwise it’s very dangerous.” Situ Fang felt a bit embarrassed, and the stubborn Situ Xiu, bruised all over, also lowered his head. Afterwards, the three of them followed Mo Hua quietly, and the journey went smoothly, but it was getting late and they would probably have to spend the night in the mountains. Mo Hua then found a passing monster hunter and said: “Uncle Zhou, when you go back, please tell my mother I won’t be home for dinner tonight. I’ll come back tomorrow.” “You’re alone, is that okay?” the monster hunter asked. “Mmm, it’s fine, I have an uncle from the Taoist Court with me,” Mo Hua nodded. “Alright, then you be careful.” Mo Hua waved goodbye to the monster hunter, then turned around and said: “Let’s find a place to stay for the night first, and go to Lonely Cloud Peak tomorrow.” Zhang Lan frowned, “Can’t we go at night?” “Aren’t you trying to catch someone? It’s not easy at night, and there are more monster beasts.” Zhang Lan nodded, “We have no choice then.” Mo Hua found a small camp nearby, lit a lamp, and drew some meat from the storage bag to offer Zhang Lan and the others. Situ Fang took a bite and her eyes lit up, “This is delicious, did you make it yourself?” Mo Hua said proudly, “My mother made it!” After eating a few bites, Situ Fang commented, “It’s a pity, this meat has no spiritual energy.” “Loose cultivators can’t afford spiritual meat,” Mo Hua replied. Situ Fang apologized, “I didn’t mean this meat isn’t good.” To show his apology, he took out some pastries from his storage bag and offered them to Mo Hua. Situ Xiu didn’t say anything but also offered Mo Hua some wine. However, the wine was too strong, and after Mo Hua took a sip and choked, he did not drink any more. Zhang Lan, on the other hand, was unfazed by raw or cold food, eating whatever was available and welcoming any wine offered. After the group had eaten their fill, they went to sleep in their clothes. Mo Hua couldn’t sleep; he had to enter his Sea of Consciousness to draw formations at 1 a.m., and seeing that Zhang Lan was also lying awake with his eyes open, he crept over and quietly asked: “Uncle Zhang, could you talk to me about rapists?” Zhang Lan’s eyebrows rose, “You want to be a rapist?” Mo Hua gave him a disdainful look. Zhang Lan laughed, “What do you want to ask?” After thinking for a moment, Mo Hua said, “The Taoist Court has issued the ‘Taoist Law’ that bans indiscriminate killing, plundering, and ‘replenishing from others.’ The ‘Taoist Law’ groups replenishing with indiscriminate killing and plundering, so is replenishing a serious crime?” Zhang Lan’s expression became serious as he asked in return: “Do you understand what replenishing means?”