Chapter 1540: Chapter 821: Knockout Blows (Part 3) After all, we’ve been childhood friends, playing together since we were little, there’s still some affection there. If Junior Brother really takes action, then Wang Chen would be in big trouble. Hao Xuan understood in his heart, that despite Wang Chen’s stature, even ten of him combined couldn’t withstand Junior Brother’s antics. Mo Hua asked, "How is his temperament?" Hao Xuan deliberated, "A bit slick, a bit cowardly, occasionally scheming, but his nature isn’t bad." Mo Hua nodded, "I see, then we’ll take action against him." Hao Xuan’s face turned bitter, "Junior Brother..." "You don’t understand," Mo Hua looked at Hao Xuan and said, "The situation with the Gui Water Sect is very complex. Once something happens, your childhood friend might really be beyond redemption." "Taking action against him now is saving him. If we do nothing, that would be truly harming him." Hao Xuan’s expression turned solemn at these words. He didn’t expect the situation to be so serious. Feeling a bit heavy-hearted, he wanted to ask what exactly was going on, but seeing Mo Hua’s serious demeanor, he wisely refrained. The greater your abilities, the more secrets you know. Hao Xuan knew he didn’t have such great abilities, so it was better not to pry into certain secrets. "So, Junior Brother, how will you take action?" Hao Xuan asked softly. "What are your requirements?" Mo Hua asked. Hao Xuan gritted his teeth and said, "After all, he’s my childhood friend. It’s best to be gentle and give him some dignity." Mo Hua was slightly taken aback, "It’s not that serious. Just knock him out and drag him aside to ask a few questions." Hao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it’s just a knockout, no blood... Mo Hua looked at Hao Xuan and said, "As for knocking him out, I’ll let Cheng Mo handle it. You and he have a good rapport, and I’m afraid you won’t be able to do it." Surprisingly, Hao Xuan shook his head and said, "He’s my childhood friend. We’ve grown up together, so I’ll handle the knockout. I won’t trust anyone else with it." Hao Xuan’s expression was very determined. Mo Hua couldn’t quite discern whether Hao Xuan was worried about Wang Chen’s safety, or simply addicted to the act of "knocking out," afraid someone else might take over his task. "Alright..." Mo Hua nodded. The group then made a simple plan. In the evening, Hao Xuan invited Wang Chen out, saying he had something to discuss. Wang Chen suspected nothing. As it was still the rest period, and there was no curfew at the Gui Water Sect, he boldly left the sect alone, heading towards the nearby Gui Water City. As he reached the foot of the mountain, on a secluded, deserted path, Hao Xuan used his movement technique to skillfully circle behind Wang Chen, activated the formation, and knocked him out with a stick. Cheng Mo and Situ Jian rushed forward, tied up Wang Chen, and dragged him into the nearby bushes. Mo Hua set up a Small Yuan Magnetic Formation nearby for vigilance, along with a Sound Isolation Formation and other concealed measures, ensuring nothing could go wrong. Afterward, Cheng Mo slapped Wang Chen awake. Wang Chen woke up with a throbbing headache, still woozy, and as he suddenly became aware, he instinctively wanted to shout. Cheng Mo immediately covered his mouth and warned in a hoarse voice: "Don’t make a sound, or I’ll be unkind to you." Wang Chen instantly realized he was surrounded by a group of masked "villains," chained up with restrictive formations, unable to move, and quickly understood his situation, nodding obediently. Cheng Mo released his hand. Only then did Wang Chen tremble and say, "Who are you... and what do you want? I’m from the Gui Water..." "Shut up, I ask, you answer!" Cheng Mo barked fiercely. Having spent considerable time with Mo Hua, he had learned that during "interrogations," one must be tough and not let the other side ramble. "Alright..." Wang Chen said timidly. But as he looked at Cheng Mo, the more he looked, the more familiar he seemed. Looking at the figures beside Cheng Mo, they appeared even more familiar. Wang Chen, not being a fool, thought through the sequence of events and immediately realized the truth, exclaiming in disbelief: "You guys... Brother Xuan?!" Behind him, Hao Xuan replied helplessly, "I told you, the masks were a bit unnecessary. He was bound to recognize us." "Whether he recognizes us or not doesn’t matter, it’s about respect." "Take pride in your work." "One must follow the industry standards..." Wang Chen was stunned for a moment, then angrily said, "Brother Xuan, we’ve done nothing to each other, why are you harming me?" Hao Xuan sighed and used the "explanation" Mo Hua taught him: "It’s not me, it’s... my big brothers here think you are messing with them. You promised to take them to something exciting, but it ended up being a huge letdown..." "Exactly," Cheng Mo, tall and burly, grabbed Wang Chen by the neck, growling, "You punk, are you mocking us? Just a few women writhing up there, plain as water, is that all you’ve got? Do you think this noble family’s son can’t enjoy himself?" Recognizing his fault, Wang Chen couldn’t blame Hao Xuan and quickly pleaded: "Please, Sir, forgive me. It’s not that I didn’t want to take you, it’s just... something unexpected happened, and the venue was shut down. I had no choice." Mo Hua’s eyes slighted as he gave Cheng Mo a look. Cheng Mo got the hint and tightened his grip slightly: "Still trying to deceive us? Does it suddenly happen just because I’m here? Am I that unlucky?" "Really! I swear! I wouldn’t dare lie!" Wang Chen swore. "Alright," Cheng Mo relaxed his grip a bit, "Tell us, what exactly happened that ruined our fun?" "Well..." Wang Chen hesitated. Cheng Mo tightened his grip on his neck again, "What’s wrong? Can’t make up an excuse?" "No, it’s not an excuse," Wang Chen, uncomfortable from being choked, hurriedly said, "It’s, it’s the Taoist Court." "The Taoist Court?" Cheng Mo was a bit surprised. "Yes..." Wang Chen was short of breath. Cheng Mo eased his grip slightly, "Explain yourself." Wang Chen gasped for air, coughed a few times, then slowly began to speak: "Senior brothers said... the Taoist Court is investigating, the venue was closed, and we were told to keep a low profile, to send off all the guests." Cheng Mo couldn’t help but glance at Mo Hua. Mo Hua frowned slightly, speaking in a deep voice, "Why would the Taoist Court investigate? Don’t think we don’t know about the close relationship between your Gui Water Sect and the Taoist Court. Why would they investigate you?" Wang Chen gave a bitter smile, "I don’t know either, but I heard this time it’s not the local Taoist Court, it’s higher up investigating..." "Higher up?" Wang Chen trembled and said, "The Taoist Court."