Xun Ziyou solemnly took the jade pendant, feeling a heavy weight in his heart.
Though itâs a third-grade state boundary, barring any unexpected crises, as a late Golden Core stage Sword Cultivation Elder of the Taixu Gate, he should be able to handle it.
But thereâs always the possibility of things going awry.
If things did indeed go wrong, and Mo Hua got hurt, even if he sacrificed his life afterward, it wouldnât undo the situation.
"Ancestor, what if the situation is beyond control... and I canât protect it?" Xun Ziyou asked with a frown.
Elder Master Xunâs expression was solemn. He pondered for a moment and then slowly said, "If the situation is beyond control, you should... crush the Void Sword Order."
Xun Ziyouâs heart skipped a beat.
This was the second time the ancestor had mentioned the Void Sword Order.
The need to use the Void Sword Order demonstrated Mo Huaâs status in the eyes of the ancestor.
Or rather, it showed Mo Huaâs importance to Taixu Gate.
Yet, Xun Ziyou remained somewhat puzzled, "Even with the realm restrictions of a third-grade state boundary, using the Void Sword Order might not tear open the void, right..."
"You donât need to worry about that. I have my arrangements," said Elder Master Xun indifferently.
Xun Ziyou was unaware of the ancestorâs arrangements and did not dare to ask further.
Elder Master Xun slightly clasped his fingers, his eyebrows furrowing, then he said, "Itâs getting late, you should set off soon, follow in secret, youâre familiar with the task..."
Afterward, Elder Master Xun added, "Donât repeat what happened before, being a late Golden Core stage elder, yet getting caught watching over a Foundation Establishment disciple..."
Xun Ziyou felt somewhat embarrassed, "Yes, this time I will be careful..."
Elder Master Xun waved his hand, "Off you go."
Xun Ziyou took the order and left.
In the Elderâs Residence, only Elder Master Xun remained.
He looked at the Heavenly Mechanism Compass in front of him, chaotic and unclear, with the threads of cause and effect tangled, frowning deeply, and after a long while, he slowly sighed and said:
"I can only protect you up to this point...
"Whether this journey brings great fortune or misfortune, it will all depend on you..."
...
On the mountain path of the Qian Learning State Boundary, Mo Hua rode a carriage toward the remote Solitary Mountain City.
About half a day later, Mo Hua arrived at Solitary Mountain City.
The run-down city was built against the mountain, with dark hills and desolate woods, seemingly normal from a distance, yet Mo Hua always felt something odd was hidden within the mountain.
Entering Solitary Mountain City, Mo Hua first sought out Shen Xiuyan.
In a concealed teahouse private room, Shen Xiuyan handed a storage bag to Mo Hua.
"Everything the young master wanted is in the bag. But time is tight, and my authority is limited, Iâve only managed to find some marginal items, some of which are fragmented and may not be of use." Shen Xiuyan said in a low voice to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua took the storage bag, glanced at it, then cupped his hands, "Thank you."
"Glad I could be of help," Shen Xiuyan replied, his face showing some apology, "I canât stay long."
He was an elder of the Shen Family, and Mo Hua was a prodigy of Taixu Gate.
Although the Shen Family and Taixu Gate werenât exactly enemies, being seen together would still invite suspicion.
Especially since, in a way, Shen Xiuyan was indeed "betraying" the Shen Family.
If discovered, it would be impossible to explain.
Mo Hua understood this point too, he cupped his hands, "Elder Xiu, please feel free to go, I wonât see you off."
Shen Xiuyan let out a sigh of relief, stood up, bowed, and then took his leave.
In the teahouse, Mo Hua was left alone.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and decided not to leave; instead, he opened the storage bag directly, drinking tea while reading the dossiers Shen Xiuyan had given him.
The teahouse was quiet, undisturbed.
Mo Hua, with his strong Divine Sense, was very focused and within an hour, he had roughly perused all the dossiers, and then fell into contemplation.
The dossiers recorded the details of the Shen Familyâs mining operations in Solitary Mountain, spanning hundreds of years, covering aspects such as cultivator mobilization, project arrangements, spiritual machine structures, spirit pact standards, mineral flow, Spirit Stone pricing, copper ore reserve estimation, loose cultivator surname registers, etc.
It even included several incidents of conflict between the Shen Family and the loose cultivators.
These documents were broad in scope but relatively fragmented, spanning hundreds of years across various periods, capturing segments of events at the mines.
Through them, Mo Hua got a preliminary impression of the mineâs matters.
But the deeper truth remained unreachable, making it impossible to glimpse the full picture.
The only aspect that caught Mo Huaâs attention was the "orphans" of Solitary Mountain City.
Mo Hua flipped through the dossiers, discovering that there was a period when the number of orphans in Solitary Mountain City surged, yet the documents did not record what had happened during that time.
It was unclear whether itâs the circumstance of the loose cultivators, being neglected with no records.
Or whether there were records sealed by the Shen Family.
Or perhaps... directly destroyed?
Mo Hua frowned slightly, his heart filled with growing doubts.
"What exactly did the Shen Family do in Solitary Mountain?"
"Could the Shen Familyâs matters be related to the Evil Embryo?"
"A cunning rabbit has three burrows, one mountain, one water, one person... is there really an Evil Embryo hidden in Solitary Mountain?"
"If there is, then where would this Evil Embryo be hiding?"
For the remainder of the time, Mo Hua meticulously examined these dossiers, hoping to find some clues within.
But after going through them repeatedly, he discovered nothing.
Mo Hua decided to personally visit the mountain peak owned by the Shen Family for a look.
He didnât call upon Master Gu, opting instead to go alone.
He was capable of using the Concealment Technique, making it more convenient to investigate alone, and he didnât want to involve Master Gu.
With Taixu Gate as his backing, he had no attachments in Solitary Mountain City, allowing him to come and go freely.
But Master Gu was different, his status within the Gu Family wasnât high, and he had to manage the livelihood of the apprentices and disciples in the refinery shop. Like monks fleeing their temple, truly opposing the Shen Family would definitely invite revenge, leading to great trouble.