Chapter 803: Hua Qianqian

Baihua Valley strictly forbids all male cultivators from entering. Dao Court Department officials are not allowed to enter, let alone me, a mere disciple of Taixu Gate.

"Cannot enter, cannot enter..."

Mo Hua shook his head repeatedly, abandoning the idea.

Fortunately, after two days, news finally came from Gu Changhuai's side.

"We've reviewed it," Gu Changhuai said.

Mo Hua asked, "The Hegemon of the River didn't die, did he?"

Gu Changhuai was somewhat speechless. "Why are you always thinking about his death?"

Mo Hua replied, "It's not that. I just feel that if he's not careful, he might die just like that, so I asked a bit more."

These evil god's minions are the type who can die unexpectedly. Mo Hua has a lot of experience with this.

Gu Changhuai said, "Rest assured..."

"What did you find out?" Mo Hua asked.

"Hmm." Gu Changhuai sent a message. "We found out, but it's different from what you said."

Mo Hua asked, "What are the differences?"

Gu Changhuai said, "That young master who died was not surnamed Ye, but Lin."

"Surnamed Lin?" Mo Hua was startled.

"Yes."

How could he be surnamed Lin? Mo Hua frowned.

He had studied Tianji Derivation and had a very strong premonition that the Ye young master was the one who died on Yan Shui River, his throat slit by the Hegemon of the River.

But the Hegemon of the River said he killed someone surnamed "Lin", not surnamed Ye... Did the Hegemon of the River lie?

Mo Hua shook his head. At this point, with the Hegemon of the River's crimes, he would either go to the execution platform or stay in Dao Prison for life. He had no reason to lie about this small matter.

"Lin... Ye..."

Mo Hua's mind moved, and he said, "Could it be that the Ye young master used a false name? He went to places of pleasure and wine, afraid of being discovered, so he falsely claimed to be 'Young Master Lin'?"

Gu Changhuai said, "That's possible."

Mo Hua asked again, "What else did the Hegemon of the River say?"

Gu Changhuai replied, "He said, but there wasn't much useful information. He only said he was following orders to act, to kill a young master surnamed Lin, to silence him, and to kill everyone on the boat, leaving no traces."

"Killing for the Hegemon of the River is a daily routine. As for other matters, he doesn't ask, nor does he dare to ask."

Then there are no clues... Mo Hua frowned, hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "Uncle Gu, have you heard of 'Yanzhi Boat'?"

On the other side, Gu Changhuai, who was reviewing files in the Dao Court Department, saw the line sent by Mo Hua, especially the three words "Yanzhi Boat," and was startled.

He couldn't help but ask, "How much do you know?"

Mo Hua suddenly realized. It turned out Uncle Gu knew as well.

Mo Hua said, "Not much, just heard..."

Gu Changhuai didn't believe him at all, but he also had no way to force Mo Hua to speak. If Mo Hua didn't want to say something, he couldn't pry open his mouth.

Gu Changhuai could only admonish, "Be careful, don't be too curious. That place is very dangerous..."

Places of willow and smoke hide filth and evil. The people inside are not proper, with various preferences. For Mo Hua, it was very dangerous in many senses.

Pure Mo Hua obviously didn't understand the meaning of what Gu Changhuai said; he still thought it was just the general meaning of "dangerous."

"Rest assured, Uncle Gu, I have a sense of proportion," Mo Hua said.

No, you have no sense of proportion... Gu Changhuai wanted to speak but stopped, ultimately not saying anything.

Mo Hua asked again, "The Hegemon of the River definitely knows about the Yanzhi Boat matter. Did you ask him?"

Gu Changhuai replied, "I asked, but as soon as I said those three words, the Hegemon of the River looked terrified and shook his head desperately."

"He doesn't dare to say?"

"Yes, he should be under some kind of 'speech restriction' measure. It's fine if he doesn't speak, but if he opens his mouth to mention anything related to Yanzhi Boat, he'll probably die immediately," Gu Changhuai said.

Mo Hua then recalled that Gu Changhuai had mentioned a similar matter to him before.

"Is it a speech restriction curse?"

"It's hard to say. There are many ways to restrict speech. The Dao Court Department here can't easily determine it for now," Gu Changhuai said. "I was afraid it would really take his life, so I didn't ask any further."

Mo Hua frowned. The Hegemon of the River knew about Yanzhi Boat, but he didn't dare to say. Once he did, his life would be gone. No wonder those young masters used the Hegemon of the River to kill. It was because his mouth was sewn shut.

Then, just like this, the clues were broken...

"Has the identity of this Young Master Lin been confirmed?"

"No, the Dao Court Department couldn't find him," Gu Changhuai said.

Mo Hua was somewhat disappointed.

Gu Changhuai hesitated for a moment, sighed, and then sent a message to Mo Hua: "We couldn't find this dead 'Young Master Lin', but on the Ye family's side, I found a dead 'Young Master Ye'."

Mo Hua was stunned.

Gu Changhuai continued, "I had people from the Yan Shui City Dao Court Department transfer a copy of the files. According to the file records, about a year ago, the Ye family went to the Dao Court Department to cancel a household registration. The cultivator whose household registration was canceled was a direct descendant of the Ye family, named 'Ye Xiu'."

"Ye Xiu?" Mo Hua's gaze narrowed. "Ye Jin, Ye Xiu, Jin Xiu... could he be...?"

"Yes," Gu Changhuai said. "This person whose household registration was canceled is indeed Ye Jin's elder brother."

As Gu Changhuai spoke, he turned up the file in his hand and sent a message: "Ye Xiu, disciple of the Ye family in Yan Shui City, direct descendant, twenty-eight years old, in the mid-stage of Zhuji cultivation. When traveling by boat, he encountered a water demon attack and was hit by water poison. The poison was fierce, and he died after returning home without being cured."

"Through his father Ye Yun's application, the Dao Court Department approved the cancellation of his household registration."

Mo Hua suddenly understood. This was clear.

This Ye family member, Ye Xiu, whose household registration was canceled, was the older brother of the deceased Ye Jin shijie. He went to Yanzhi Boat for pleasure, didn't use his real name, but changed it to "Young Master Lin." Something happened on Yanzhi Boat. After that, Ye Xiu was killed by the Hegemon of the River to silence him.

But since Ye Xiu used the name "Young Master Lin," the Hegemon of the River didn't know his true identity and only thought he had killed a "Young Master Lin." And the Ye family, after discovering Ye Xiu's death, probably checked a bit, then were shocked to realize the water was too deep. They didn't dare to inquire further, could only let the matter rest, so they found an excuse, saying Ye Xiu was poisoned by water, died from the poison, and went to the Dao Court Department to cancel his household registration.

Thus, the "Young Master Lin" who died on Yan Shui River originally didn't exist, and the Dao Court Department naturally couldn't find him. The Ye family's "Young Master Ye" died, but they didn't know how he died, so they could only silently cancel the registration. Both sides had confusing accounts, naturally they didn't match.

If Mo Hua hadn't investigated Ye Jin's death, looked through old accounts, and carefully checked, it would have been fundamentally impossible to know that the "Young Master Lin" whose throat was cut on Yan Shui River and the "Young Master Ye" who "died of poison" from the Ye family were actually the same person.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly, also feeling somewhat fortunate. It was good to have Uncle Gu's help. Uncle Gu was an official and could check the Dao Court Department's files. Otherwise, the Dao Court Department would be like a mountain range separating them, and he wouldn't be able to figure out the twists and turns.

"This is basically confirmed..."

"Ye Jin shijie of Baihua Valley committed suicide."

"And her elder brother, Ye Xiu, was killed by the Hegemon of the River on Yan Shui River more than a year ago."

The cause of Ye Xiu's death must be related to Yanzhi Boat. Then the cause of Ye Jin shijie's suicide is very likely also inseparable from "Yanzhi Boat"...

Mo Hua's gaze deepened slightly. Gu Changhuai's face also wasn't looking too good. The involvement in this matter was deeper than he had thought...

"Are there any other clues?" Mo Hua asked again.

"None," Gu Changhuai said.

"Really?"

Gu Changhuai didn't pay attention to Mo Hua. Mo Hua also didn't want to press further. According to his experience, if he asked further and Uncle Gu was unwilling to answer, it generally meant there were truly no clues.

Gu Changhuai finally sent a sentence: "About the Yanzhi Boat matter, remember to tell me what you know. Don't take risks on your own."

"Hmm, definitely," Mo Hua promised.

Gu Changhuai also didn't know if Mo Hua's "definitely" was a true definitely or a false definitely. Mo Hua's actions were originally "unpredictable." At this moment, Gu Changhuai somewhat experienced the mood of their Dao Court Department head. The head's view of him and his view of Mo Hua were probably the same...

Gu Changhuai silently sighed. He again flipped out the file page for Ye Xiu, looking at the red seal of the Dao Court Department's Xiao family printed on it, his expression growing increasingly serious.

In Taixu Gate, Mo Hua remained in silent thought. The identity of the deceased was now roughly understood. But both Ye Jin and Ye Xiu were dead. On Ye Xiu's side, Uncle Gu had already checked. It was estimated that it would take a while for any significant progress to be made in finding out anything else. This clue was temporarily broken.

Then he could only start from the side of the suicidal Ye Jin shijie and see if he could find other clues. But Ye Jin shijie was a disciple of Baihua Valley. He couldn't enter Baihua Valley and could only ask others to inquire. In Baihua Valley, the person he was most familiar with was Shanshan shijie...

Mo Hua had a plan in his heart. He thought he would find time to ask Shanshan shijie. But he couldn't be like Hao Se, squatting at the entrance of Baihua Valley, otherwise he might be treated as a "suspicious cultivator" like Hao Se, and a beating would be inevitable.

Since he couldn't squat at Baihua Valley, he could only squat at Taixu Gate. Shanshan shijie and Murong shijie had a good relationship and often came to Taixu Gate to find Murong shijie to cultivate together, do bounties, or hunt demon beasts.

After that, whenever Mo Hua had free time, he would go to find Murong Caiyun under the pretense of "asking about arrays." But after several days of asking, he didn't encounter Hua Shanshan.

Instead, one day after class, as Mo Hua was going to the Taixu Gate mountain gate to pick up the array diagrams and pastries that Aunt Wan had entrusted someone to send to him and Yu'er, he saw Hua Shanshan wandering at the foot of the mountain.

Mo Hua's eyes brightened, and he immediately ran over, greeting, "Shanshan shijie."

Hua Shanshan was startled, looked up to see it was Mo Hua, and then showed a trace of a smile, "Mo shidi..." She seemed to have worries and was in a low mood, so this smile was somewhat forced.

Mo Hua then asked, "Shanshan shijie, are you here to find Murong shijie?"

Hua Shanshan nodded.

Mo Hua said, "Then I'll go call her for you."

Who knew Hua Shanshan would pull Mo Hua's sleeve and, with a hesitant expression, sigh, "Still... forget it, it's nothing important..."

Mo Hua's gaze flickered slightly. He roughly saw that Shanshan shijie had worries and wanted to talk to Murong shijie, but was somewhat hesitant, not knowing if she should, so she was wandering at the foot of the mountain.

Mo Hua's mind moved, and he then warmly asked, "Shijie, do you have some worries?"

His voice was clear and pure, like a clear spring, and within his voice, it contained a wisp of serene divine intent. Hua Shanshan listened, and her restless thoughts involuntarily calmed down. She looked up at Mo Hua, touched by his clear eyes, and her mood also stabilized significantly.

"I..." Hua Shanshan wanted to speak but stopped.

Mo Hua then said, "Shijie, if you have any trouble, just tell me, maybe I can help you."

Hua Shanshan was somewhat astonished. "You... help me?"

"Mm," Mo Hua nodded. "When I first entered the sect, I relied on you and Murong shijie to take care of me. Shijie and shidi should help each other. Now that you're in trouble, I naturally should also help you."

Hua Shanshan looked at Mo Hua with a sincere face, feeling warm in her heart, but still shook her head. "You are at a crucial stage of cultivation right now. Just cultivate peacefully and don't get involved in these unnecessary troubles..."

"Alright," Mo Hua sighed, then his eyes brightened, and he took a step back. "Shijie, why don't you tell me what happened first? Perhaps I can give you some ideas."

"This..."

Hua Shanshan pondered for a moment, and finally nodded. Her nature was lively, and her thoughts were shallow; she couldn't hide things easily. With this matter weighing on her heart, she couldn't eat or sleep well and really wanted to confide in someone, but it wasn't convenient to talk about it with her fellow disciples in Baihua Valley. She wanted to find Murong shijie, but she was also somewhat hesitant. Mo Hua had already said so much, and she also couldn't hide it anymore.

Moreover, she was quite familiar with Mo Hua and knew that although he was young, he was always clever, not afraid of danger, very resourceful, and sometimes even more reliable than her, a shijie.

Hua Shanshan took a deep breath and then opened her mouth to ask, "Do you still remember... that Ye shijie?"

"Ye shijie?" Mo Hua pretended not to know, recalled a bit, and nodded. "Is that Ye shijie with the goose-egg face, who was very fair and good-looking, and had a very elegant temperament? I still remember... what about Ye shijie?"

Hua Shanshan's expression was pained. "She..." Her voice choked slightly, she bit her lip, and then said, "...died."

In Mo Hua's eyes, a faint sorrow flowed. "Ye shijie... how did she die?" Mo Hua softly asked.

"She committed suicide..."

Mo Hua pretended to be surprised. "Suddenly, how could she commit suicide?"

Hua Shanshan felt pained in her heart. Some words, if hidden in the heart, would not be spoken at all. But once the mouth was opened, not a single sentence could be hidden.

Hua Shanshan then said, "All the elders say that Jin'er meimei committed suicide, but I don't think so, at least it's definitely not that simple..."

"Jin'er meimei... she was very introverted, her background wasn't considered good, but she was a very good person. Although she looked cold, she was very good at taking care of people. She really liked magnolia flowers, and usually, if she had free time, she would specially make pastries and invite us to eat."

"Usually everyone treated her very well."

"How could such a Jin'er meimei commit suicide without reason?"

"I want to find out clearly how Jin'er meimei died..."

"But everyone avoids it like a taboo. The elders insist that Jin'er committed suicide. I want to ask my fellow sisters to help investigate, but some are indifferent, some are perfunctory, and some even advise me not to meddle..."

Hua Shanshan's expression was somewhat sad at this point.

"So, you want to come find Murong shijie to help you investigate this matter?" Mo Hua asked.

Hua Shanshan nodded. "I want to ask Murong jie for help, but..." Hua Shanshan sighed, "...I'm afraid of disturbing her. Next year is the Lun Dao Assembly. Murong jie is not like me; her talent is good, and she is also entrusted with high hopes to rank in the Lun Dao Assembly. I don't want her to be distracted because of my matter..."

Lun Dao Assembly? Mo Hua was startled, then remembered that Murong shijie was one grade higher than him, and next year was indeed their turn to participate in the Lun Dao Assembly.

Hua Shanshan's expression was depressed.

Mo Hua thought for a bit, then said, "Shanshan shijie, how about... I help you investigate?"

Hua Shanshan was somewhat astonished. "You... how will you investigate?"

Mo Hua said, "You can tell me what clues you have, and you can also tell me what you want to investigate. I won't hide it from you..." Mo Hua leaned closer to Hua Shanshan and lowered his voice. "...I have people in the Dao Court Department. Shijie, whatever you want to know, as long as it doesn't violate the Dao laws, I can mostly help you find out."

Hua Shanshan was shocked. He had people in the Dao Court Department? You, a small shidi in the mid-stage of Zhuji cultivation, have people in the Dao Court Department of a fifth-grade Qian Xue state border?

"Really!"

Mo Hua was afraid she wouldn't believe him, so he secretly took out his Tong Xian City Dao Court Department waist badge, used it to "fill in the gaps" and pretend, and also showed her the Dao Court Department's special transmission order that Gu Changhuai had given him.

Hua Shanshan nodded dumbly. But she was still somewhat worried. "This matter might involve some trouble, you..."

"It doesn't matter," Mo Hua said. "My connections are very 'strong'. Old Mister Xun said that as long as I am upright and proper and don't do bad things, if anyone bullies me, he will support me."

Moreover, after experiencing the Wan Yao Valley matter, he was also very familiar with elders like Xun Zi You and Xun Zi Xian. Some small matters wouldn't even need to alarm Old Mister Xun.

Hua Shanshan had also heard Murong Caiyun mention Old Mister Xun of Taixu Gate, and she was immediately shocked in her heart. Her eyes looking at Mo Hua changed. She had no idea that the seemingly harmless Mo shidi originally had such great ability and such deep connections.

Hua Shanshan's expression was serious, and she nodded heavily. "Okay, then I'll trouble Mo shidi!"

"No need to be polite, this is what I should do." Mo Hua waved his hand, then relayed the plan he had long thought of. "Shijie, after you go back to Baihua Valley, don't let on, investigate secretly."

"Quietly record all matters related to Ye Jin shijie, including who she interacted with, where she went, and what she said."

"Did she have any grudges, did she have conflicts with anyone, etc..."

"Also..." Mo Hua spoke eloquently, listing a long string of things. Hua Shanshan's expression was somewhat dazed. Mo shidi, how are you so skilled... But considering his connections with the Dao Court Department and his familiarity with investigations, it seemed reasonable?

Hua Shanshan nodded. "Okay, Mo shidi, I remember."

Mo Hua then agreed, "If you find anything, we'll meet here. If I find anything, I'll also tell you."

"Okay!" Hua Shanshan's gaze was firm. She had to find out the true cause of Jin'er's death!

After that, Hua Shanshan returned to Baihua Valley, and Mo Hua returned to Taixu Gate. And Mo Hua also had a "spy" in Baihua Valley.

Several days later, the two met as agreed at the foot of the Taixu Gate mountain. Hua Shanshan secretly told Mo Hua the news she had inquired about: "Like other sisters, Jin'er meimei usually only contacted the sect's elders, instructors, or fellow disciples, nothing special..."

"I also haven't heard of her having any grudges with anyone."

"The words she spoke and the things she did were all as usual, but only one point was somewhat strange..."

Hua Shanshan's expression was doubtful. "According to one of my shijie, Jin'er once asked her a very strange question before."

"Strange question?"

"Mm," Hua Shanshan said slowly. "She asked... after people die, can they become ghosts?"

Mo Hua's pupils involuntarily shrank. Ghosts?!