Chapter 1504: Chapter 810: Using Punishment On the way back to Mistwater City from Yun Shui City, they didn’t take a carriage. Mo Hua walked with his hands behind his back, lightly pinching his fingers, then, as if with a shared understanding, he led the way ahead. Gu Changhuai and the other two silently followed behind. Gu Quan couldn’t help but whisper, "Supervisor, how is Young Master Mo identifying the route?" He couldn’t understand it at all. Gu Changhuai slightly furrowed his brows, "Just follow along..." "Yes." Gu Quan dared not say more. Gu Changhuai quietly glanced at Mo Hua, who was swaggering in front like a "religious con man", and silently sighed in his heart. Even before, he couldn’t understand this kid Mo Hua. But now he realized he understood him even less. These strange skills, who knows where he learned them... Mo Hua walked ahead, sometimes confident, sometimes pausing and looking around, sometimes using Divine Sense to probe, discerning causes and effects. After walking for a while, he suddenly stopped, pointing to a small grove by the roadside: "Here..." The line of causality cuts off here. Or rather, something has obscured the traces, cutting off the inference of causality. This small grove is very suspicious. Gu Changhuai nodded, "Let’s go over and take a look. You stay behind, be careful." "Mm." Mo Hua nodded. He had a grasp on this situation. With Uncle Gu here, he could afford to be lazy. If he didn’t have to do it himself, he wouldn’t. Gu Changhuai walked in front, heading toward the grove. Mo Hua obediently followed behind him, treating Gu Changhuai as a "shield". Gu An and Gu Quan guarded Mo Hua from either side. The four of them advanced toward the grove in this formation. After walking for about 30 minutes, the trees became sparse, revealing a small inn ahead. The inn looked somewhat dilapidated and was in a remote location, not far from a branch of the Mistwater River, where the water flowed gently. In front of the inn, there was a stable with two horses and a simple-looking carriage. Mo Hua and the others exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat puzzled. "An inn?" In such a remote place, they built an inn? Moreover, it was hidden among the thick forest, as if afraid of being discovered. Gu Changhuai released his Divine Sense, scanned briefly, and then said, "Let’s go inside and have a look." "Yes." Gu An and Gu Quan nodded. As they approached closer, even before entering the inn, a big man suddenly came out of the entrance, his face covered in a thick beard, with a fierce gleam in his eyes, shouting at them: "What are you folks up to?" Gu Changhuai’s expression remained calm, "We’re traveling, saw there’s an inn here, and want to rent a few horses." "Traveling?" The big man frowned, his eyes scanning over Gu Changhuai and the others, then bluntly said, "A deposit of ten thousand Spirit Stones. The rent is one hundred Spirit Stones per horse per day. If the horse dies, the deposit is not refundable." Gu Changhuai’s eyes slightly narrowed, "Isn’t that a bit expensive?" "If you think it’s expensive, don’t rent." The big man said impatiently, "You look like a noble family young master, what, can’t even afford ten thousand Spirit Stones?" Gu Changhuai’s eyebrows raised slightly, "Fine." The big man extended his hand, "Hand over the Spirit Stones, and I’ll give you the horses." "No rush," Gu Changhuai let out a breath, "travelling has been tiring, so we’d like to rest here for a bit and have some tea." The big man’s face soured, "No tea, only horses. Give me the Spirit Stones and take the horses quickly." Gu Changhuai said calmly, "You’re running an inn and don’t even do a tea business?" The big man hesitated for a moment, then smirked, "Tea business can be done too, a thousand Spirit Stones for a pot of tea." He thought he was making an exorbitant demand and that Gu Changhuai would retreat. Who knew Gu Changhuai would nod and say, "Fine." The big man was stunned, his expression turning hostile, "You heard me right, I said a thousand Spirit Stones for a pot of tea." Gu Changhuai looked at him with disdain, "What, you think this princely young man can’t afford a mere thousand Spirit Stones?" Hiding behind Gu Changhuai, Mo Hua couldn’t help but internally grouse: A thousand Spirit Stones for a pot of tea? No matter how many Spirit Stones, you can’t just spend them like this. Uncle Gu is really too corrupt. Upon hearing this, the big man’s face changed, his eyes coldly fixed on Gu Changhuai: "You’re not here to drink tea, nor to rent horses. Who are you really, and what do you want here?" Gu Changhuai calmly replied, "I am here to invite you for tea." "Invite us for tea?" The big man frowned. Gu Changhuai nodded, "To invite you to the Taoist Court for tea." At the mention of "Taoist Court", the big man’s eyes turned vicious, murderous intent flaring up. From the woods, stable, inn, and the broken tower, several sinister hidden weapons, gleaming with green light, flew toward the four of them. Gu An drew his sword, blocking one of the hidden weapons. Gu Quan parried another and then shielded Mo Hua in front, horizontally sweeping his long sword to intercept the weapon aimed at Mo Hua. Gu Changhuai merely extended his hand gently. The poison-coated weapon heading straight for his heart halted mid-air, and was then crushed into powder by his hand. Seeing the ineffective hidden weapons, several cultivators immediately charged out from all directions. Most of these cultivators had their cultivation between the Foundation Building Middle Stage to Foundation Establishment Late Stage, their expressions fierce and methods skilled, indicating they had likely done such ambushes and robberies before. However, in front of Mo Hua’s group, especially in front of Gu Changhuai, the Court Official of the Taoist Court with Golden Core Realm cultivation, they were largely insignificant. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶 Gu An and Gu Quan combined their dual blades, the blade light sharp. Gu Changhuai condensed a Wind Blade, his Spiritual Power dazzling. Mo Hua used the Fireball Technique here and there. Even though they were still within the Second Grade State Border, and Gu Changhuai couldn’t utilize his Golden Core Power, it took less than ten breaths of time to subdue them all. The only one who got away was the big man. When Gu Changhuai crushed the hidden weapon with his bare hands, the big man looked terrified, aware that Gu Changhuai’s cultivation was undoubtedly extraordinary. Even if he wasn’t a Golden Core, he must be at the Foundation Establishment Peak, so he fled early on.