The lantern festival was approaching, and Mistwater City was bustling with activity.
The streets were packed with people and vehicles, cultivators of all kinds crossing paths, the market town was dense, and the sounds of people filled the air.
Mo Hua and a few others found a small tavern, requested a private room, and only after confirming no one was eavesdropping, did they begin to converse quietly.
"At this critical moment, the sect above seems reluctant to set sail..."
"But thereās quite a commotion below, as everyone is counting on this for some extra cash."
"Moreover, the furor has already passed, the Taoist Court has withdrawn, thereās no visible action."
"As for the higher Taoist Court, they always put on a show, and when something goes wrong, a little Spirit Stone here and there smooths things over."
"Several other noble families are also exerting pressure, after all, itās not just us... itās not just the Gui Water Sect in this, others also need to earn their keep..."
"Therefore, this time the ship will still set sail, though it will be more discreet."
...
Wang Chen told Mo Hua everything he knew about the inside story.
Mo Hua nodded, seeing Wang Chenās worried expression, he said:
"Donāt worry, I left a record for you at the Taoist Court, you were coerced by the sect into doing this. As long as you remain loyal and donāt make any major mistakes, when the Gui Water Sect incident breaks out, you can be exonerated."
Wang Chen was overjoyed and saluted: "Thank you..."
He glanced at Mo Hua, unsure of how to address him.
Hao Xuan promptly reminded him: "Junior Brother."
"Oh," Wang Chen confusedly followed suit, "Thank you, Junior Brother."
Mo Hua nodded, accepting it.
"All the Gui Water Sectās ships dock during the day, and after sunset, around 5 p.m, they will set sail all at once, heading into Mistwater River."
"Some of the ships are just regular pleasure boats for tourists to release lanterns and enjoy the scenery; while others, externally identical, have different destinations and purposes entirely..."
Wang Chen said to Mo Hua.
"Wait for sunset..." Mo Hua murmured.
Wang Chen nodded, "But you can board early, Iāve spoken to the senior brother in charge, you can head over in advance. You can spend some time on the ship, familiarize yourself with the situation, and naturally, when itās 5 p.m, youāll sail to your destination with the ship."
"Is your senior brother reliable?" Cheng Mo asked.
Wang Chen considered, "Heās not very reliable, but heās very greedy. I gave him some Spirit Stones, with that, he should be reliable."
"Alright." Mo Hua nodded.
After finalizing the plan, Wang Chen led Mo Hua and the others to a large, luxurious pleasure boat.
There were Gui Water Sect disciples guarding the entrance, tourists needed tokens to board.
"Junior Brother, hang on a second."
Wang Chen said to Mo Hua and the others, then ran ahead to speak with a senior brother from Gui Water Sect.
The senior brother glanced at Mo Hua and the group from a distance, nodded slightly, then waved them over.
Mo Hua and the group walked forward.
"Come with me..."
This Gui Water Sect senior brother said, and then led the way ahead.
However, he didnāt take Mo Hua and the others onto the ship but brought them to a secluded little storeroom nearby. As soon as he opened his mouth, he said:
"A hundred thousand Spirit Stones per person."
Mo Hua was shocked, "So expensive?"
The Gui Water Sect senior brother sneered, "Do you know where youāre going? What a place of intoxicating pleasures it is? A hundred thousand Spirit Stones is already a discount, thanks to Junior Brother Wangās face, otherwise, it would be at least a hundred and ten thousand."
Mo Hua hesitated, finally, with reluctance, he said: "Alright then..."
This is all for the sake of the investigation, if it were up to him, heād never spend this kind of unjust Spirit Stone.
And he planned to ask Uncle Gu for "reimbursement" later. <subtex>.</subtex>
Hao Xuan and the others also felt the pinch, but they were noble familyās sons, not to the point of not being able to afford it, and Mo Hua said this was a commission from the Taoist Court, capable of earning a lot of merit points.
Merit points canāt be bought with Spirit Stones.
As long as they could earn merit points, spending some Spirit Stones was worth it.
If they didnāt have enough Spirit Stones, they could also use some equivalent valuable Spiritual Artifacts to offset.
They all handed a storage bag filled with Spirit Stones or containing a Spiritual Artifact to the Gui Water Sect senior brother.
But when it was Mo Huaās turn, the Gui Water Sect senior brother scrutinized Mo Hua, left and right, pondered for a moment, then suddenly changed his mind, shaking his head:
"Heās not allowed."
"Why not?" Wang Chen asked, puzzled.
The Gui Water Sect senior brother looked serious, "Do you know where Iām taking you to?"
"Look at him," he pointed at Mo Hua, lowering his voice, "...does he look like heās going to a brothel?"
Mo Hua couldnāt take it anymore.
Being refused once was bad enough, but being refused twice?
Mo Hua angrily said: "Why donāt I look like someone who would go to a brothel?!"
Situ Jian quickly tugged his sleeve with a helpless expression.
This isnāt exactly a good thing...
No need to argue over this.
But the Gui Water Sect senior brother just wouldnāt let Mo Hua on the ship, no matter what, not even for more Spirit Stones.
Wang Chenās plea was also ineffective.
"Though I have this minor hobby of liking to earn Spirit Stones, I canāt break the rules from above, at least not make it too obvious."
"He looks too young, itās just no good, really no good..."
Ultimately, with no resolution feasible, Mo Hua had no choice but to be excluded, watching helplessly as Cheng Mo, Situ Jian, and Hao Xuan boarded.
Mo Hua was a bit angry but also worried for Hao Xuan and the others.
Luckily he had prepared some measures beforehand.
Cheng Mo and the other two each had formations prepared by him for self-defense, in case of unexpected events.