Chapter 1530: The Secret Word

Chapter 1530: The Secret Word

Mo Hua stared at the chessboard, deep in thought.

Lu Zhenlong, for some unknown reason, felt a sudden chill. Whenever Mo Hua started thinking, she felt a sense of danger.

Lu Zhenlong asked, "By the way, why did you come to the Lu Clan?"

Mo Hua's train of thought was interrupted, and he looked up at Lu Zhenlong. "You don't know?"

Lu Zhenlong looked puzzled. "How would I know?"

I'm not a worm in your stomach.

Mo Hua's expression turned somewhat odd. "Your mother didn't tell you anything?"

Lu Zhenlong said, "My mother only said I should entertain the guest, that I didn't need to do much—just enjoy some fruit and play chess in the pavilion..."

Seeing Lu Zhenlong's utterly clueless expression, Mo Hua shook his head and asked again:

"Then you must know that your mother... has been worrying about arranging a marriage for you, right?"

Lu Zhenlong nodded. "Men should marry when of age, and women should wed when of age. Marriage alliances are a normal thing."

Mo Hua asked, "Then do you know who you're going to be married to?"

Lu Zhenlong grumbled inwardly, but after thinking it over, she didn't hide it from Mo Hua.

After all, she had just defeated the 'big demon king' Mo Hua, and she was in a very good mood, so she said:

"Many of the Lu Clan's direct descendants have married into the Earth Sect. I doubt I'll be any different."

"From what my father says, it seems I'm to be married to the Eldest Young Master of the Earth Sect..."

Mo Hua's gaze held an indescribable meaning.

The pearl of the Lu Clan marrying the most powerful Eldest Young Master of the Earth Sect—on the surface, it was indeed a well-matched union.

But...

Mo Hua asked Lu Zhenlong, "Then do you know what kind of person the Eldest Young Master of the Earth Sect is?"

"Uh..." Lu Zhenlong pinched her chin and pondered for a moment before saying, "How would I know? But... from what the elders in the clan say, the Eldest Young Master of the Earth Sect is handsome and mighty, with a Supreme-Grade Spiritual Root, noble blood, upright character, and steady conduct. He can handle responsibilities, holds great prestige in the Earth Sect, and is someone worth entrusting one's life to. He's also the top choice for a marriage alliance..."

Mo Hua's expression grew stranger by the moment.

Lu Zhenlong wasn't entirely dull, she did have some skill at reading people's expressions—so she immediately asked:

"What? Is something wrong?"

Mo Hua wanted to say something, but then he thought about how this was someone else's marriage, and it involved an alliance between the Lu Clan and the Earth Sect. He wasn't that familiar with Lu Zhenlong either, so he decided not to bother.

But Lu Zhenlong grew alert. "Do you know something?"

Mo Hua shook his head.

Lu Zhenlong said, "Tell me."

Mo Hua: "I can't say."

The more Mo Hua refused to speak, the more suspicious Lu Zhenlong became. She put on a cold expression and said:

"If you don't tell me, I'll pester you. From now on, I'll come find you every day and spread rumors about you..."

Mo Hua gently rubbed his forehead. Women really were troublesome.

Lu Zhenlong urged, "Hurry up and tell me!"

Marriage was a lifelong matter for her.

Mo Hua hesitated for a long time, then could only offer a brief hint. "That Eldest Young Master is a regular patron of brothels, infatuated with the courtesan of the Jade Spring Pavilion."

He could only say that much. The more serious things—like the Young Masters' Pavilion, the corrupted poppies, the rotting cause and effect—he left unsaid.

Even so, Lu Zhenlong's face turned slightly pale.

On the surface, he was the handsome, mighty, noble-blooded, upright, and prestigious 'Eldest Young Master' of the Earth Sect.

Behind the scenes, he was a regular at brothels, lingering in places of ill repute, infatuated with a courtesan.

Even if she were stupid, she would know what that meant.

Then Lu Zhenlong found it strange and asked Mo Hua, "How do you know he's a regular patron of brothels?"

"Oh," Mo Hua said casually, "I went there too, and happened to see him."

Lu Zhenlong: "..."

Her brain short-circuited for a long while, and then she looked at Mo Hua with an expression of utter disbelief. "Someone like you... actually goes to brothels?"

Lu Zhenlong was shocked. But the reasons for her shock were completely different.

She was shocked that the Eldest Young Master of the Earth Sect went to brothels... Because the so-called handsome, mighty, upright young master of a noble family turned out to be a hypocrite.

But Mo Hua going to a brothel was the exact opposite.

What shocked Lu Zhenlong was that someone like Mo Hua could actually be interested in women?

She had thought that a monster like Mo Hua, whose mind worked differently from ordinary people's, would never be interested in women.

After all, back at the Sword Debate Grand Tournament, he had thrown a fireball at her face.

Someone like that... actually went to a brothel?

Lu Zhenlong was baffled. "What did you go to a brothel for?"

Mo Hua paused for a moment, then said, "There were Demonic Cultivators in the brothel. I went to investigate."

Lu Zhenlong was stunned at first, then it clicked. "I see..."

Now it was Mo Hua's turn to be surprised. "You believe me?"

Lu Zhenlong nodded. "If you went to investigate Demonic Cultivators, that makes perfect sense."

A Demonic Cultivator was definitely more appealing to Mo Hua than a woman.

The key point was that Lu Zhenlong couldn't imagine a monster like Mo Hua actually liking women.

If a monster like him truly liked a woman, then the woman he liked would probably be terrifying, like some kind of freak...

That was what they called like attracting like—people with the same nature are drawn to each other.

Mo Hua's gaze darkened as he looked at Lu Zhenlong, displeased. "What are you thinking about in that head of yours?"

Lu Zhenlong was startled and quickly suppressed her inner complaints, speaking seriously, "It's nothing..."

As Lu Zhenlong was stammering, something seemed to cross her mind, and she suddenly let out a deep sigh.

Mo Hua asked, "What's wrong?"

Lu Zhenlong sighed, "I'm just lamenting... my Lu Clan's Ancestor really picked a fine marriage for me..."

A regular patron of brothels, a man infatuated with the top courtesan.

If she were to marry this Eldest Young Master in ignorance, her future days would truly be blessed with great fortune.

Mo Hua quietly took a sip of tea and said nothing.

The marriage alliance and the matter of the Young Masters' Pavilion were rather sensitive topics; he shouldn't say too much anyway. Having warned her to this extent was already the best he could do.

After all, Lu Zhenlong was, to some degree, half an acquaintance. If he could offer a warning, he would.

Lu Zhenlong looked at Mo Hua, thinking to herself that this Mo Hua didn't seem so bad after all —occasionally he could do some good deeds.

She wanted to say a word of thanks, but she had always been proud and aloof, and had long regarded Mo Hua as an enemy. The words "thank you" reached her lips but wouldn't come out.

Mo Hua's Divine-Sense was powerful, and he keenly detected Lu Zhenlong's emotions. Suddenly struck by a thought, he asked:

"Do the disciples of your Lu Clan absolutely have to form a marriage alliance with the Earth Sect?"

Hearing this, Lu Zhenlong nodded.

Mo Hua had helped her; there was no need to hide such a small matter from him.

Mo Hua asked again, "Was it the same before?"

"No, not before," Lu Zhenlong said. "Only for this generation."

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened slightly, and he asked, "Is it because... the Earth Sect and your Lu Clan have some deeper exchange of interests?"

This question was quite sensitive, and Lu Zhenlong fell silent.

Mo Hua looked at Lu Zhenlong's expression and roughly understood:

"Your Lu Clan and the Earth Sect... have some grand plan that requires a marriage alliance to consolidate your mutual interests, am I right?"

Lu Zhenlong's expression turned somewhat colder, and she said, "How could I possibly tell you something like that?"

Mo Hua said, "You don't know, do you?"

Lu Zhenlong sneered, "I am the eldest young miss of the Lu Clan, how could I not know?"

With her status, always accompanying the high-ranking elders, she would hear more than others even from just a bit of leaked information.

Mo Hua shook his head, "You're bluffing..."

Lu Zhenlong sneered, "Mo Hua, do you think I'm an idiot? Using such a low-level provocation..."

Mo Hua sighed, "You saw through me..."

Lu Zhenlong grew even angrier.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then said, "I told you the true nature of the Earth Sect's Eldest Young Master—doesn't that count as 'clearing the mines' for you?"

Lu Zhenlong was displeased, but she reluctantly admitted, "I suppose..."

Mo Hua nodded, "Exactly. I helped you; as a matter of reciprocity, it shouldn't be too much for you to reveal a tiny bit of information to me, should it?"

"This..." Lu Zhenlong frowned, but still shook her head, "Don't take me for a fool. I am the eldest young miss of the Lu Clan. When it comes to the interests of the Lu Clan—when one prospers, all prosper; when one suffers, all suffer. I cannot sacrifice the Lu Clan's interests to reveal information to you..."

Mo Hua said calmly, "You won't sacrifice the Lu Clan's interests—but what if the Lu Clan is willing to sacrifice yours?"

Lu Zhenlong was stunned.

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened as he continued, "Marriage is no trivial matter. Marrying the wrong person can ruin your entire life."

"You don't truly think I'm the only one who knows about the Earth Sect's Eldest Young Master's character, do you?"

"Your parents, the high-ranking members of the Lu Clan, the Lu Clan's Ancestor... They are well-informed—how could they not have heard?"

"Would they not know that marrying such a man of "upright" character would ruin your life?"

"They know, yet they still did it. They still pushed you into the fire pit for the sake of family interests..."

"Worse still, they even sent people to deceive you, whispering praises of the Earth Sect's Eldest Young Master in your ears, making you believe he was a good match."

"By the time you marry him with joy in your heart and discover it's a fire pit, it's already too late to jump out."

"Your lifelong marriage would be buried in that fire pit, utterly destroyed..."

The smile had completely vanished from Lu Zhenlong's face, and her complexion gradually turned pale.

She was a pampered young miss, accustomed to a comfortable environment, raised in the affection of her parents and elders.

In daily life, she wouldn't think about such things. But that didn't mean she couldn't understand.

Some things, she simply didn't want to think about.

She didn't want to think that her parents and elders, who were usually kind-faced and doted on her endlessly, could be so heartless as to push her into a fire pit...

Lu Zhenlong found it hard to accept at first, but Mo Hua's cold, realistic words were slowly eroding her heart.

"So..." Mo Hua said in a low voice, "You are a disciple of the Lu Clan, one with the clan's interests."

"But sometimes, you are the Lu Clan's interest."

"You're unwilling to sacrifice the family's interests, but once the family stands to gain even greater interests, they will sacrifice you..."

"Think it over carefully yourself—whether you want to... sacrifice yourself..."

Lu Zhenlong's expression shifted unpredictably, then she looked at Mo Hua and asked, "You... will you help me?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "Why should I help you?"

Lu Zhenlong was taken aback, then her face flushed with anger.

Mo Hua said, "I'm a busy man. I don't meddle in just anyone's affairs. Besides, you're a disciple of Purple Mist Gate, and I'm the Little Senior Brother of Great Void Sect. You're not even a disciple of my Great Void Sect, so why should I help you?"

Lu Zhenlong gritted her teeth, thinking to herself that this Mo Hua was truly detestable.

After a moment's thought, she steeled herself and said, "That matter... I'll tell you."

Mo Hua raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Lu Zhenlong nodded. "Anyway, I don't know much about it, so it won't hurt to tell you. Besides, anything I'm allowed to know probably isn't that secretive."

Mo Hua was taken aback, thinking that this Lu Zhenlong, though she looked rather foolish, occasionally had a surprisingly sharp mind.

Mo Hua nodded. "Fine."

Lu Zhenlong thought for a moment, then said, "I won't hide it from you. I'm not qualified to participate in the Lu Clan's major affairs, and my parents never tell me anything, let alone something as significant as a scheme between the Lu Clan and the Earth Sect..."

"But before, I happened to pass by my father's study several times and heard him talking with... several unnamed Feathered Ascension seniors from the Earth Sect."

"They spoke with great secrecy, even using Feathered-Ascension Spiritual Power to block sound and seal off cause and effect."

"But no matter how well one guards against outsiders, it's hard to guard against a thief within the house. I used..." Lu Zhenlong coughed lightly, not revealing her trump card, "...and still managed to overhear some of their conversation."

"Since these fragments were stolen from Feathered Ascension cultivators, they were cut into pieces, scattered and incomplete. I don't know exactly what they were discussing..."

"I only know that in these conversations, one word was frequently mentioned..."

"One word?" Mo Hua was startled.

Lu Zhenlong nodded.

Mo Hua asked, "What word?"

But Lu Zhenlong said, "I can't say it out loud."

Mo Hua's expression turned displeased.

"I can't say it, but that doesn't mean I won't tell you," Lu Zhenlong said with a frown. "'Words spoken can bring ruin.' Don't you understand even this basic principle of cause and effect?"

Being mocked by Lu Zhenlong for not understanding cause and effect, Mo Hua found himself momentarily at a loss for words.

Lu Zhenlong said, "Give me your hand."

Mo Hua hesitated.

Lu Zhenlong said impatiently, "Hurry up."

Mo Hua reluctantly extended his right hand.

Lu Zhenlong reached out with her slender, jade-white fingers, dipped them in the wine from the cup on the table, and wrote two crooked characters on Mo Hua's palm, stroke by stroke.

Mo Hua looked at the two characters written in wine, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Then he immediately clenched his fist, channeled his Fire Spiritual Power, and burned the wine on his palm to nothing, leaving not a single trace of moisture.

Seeing this, Lu Zhenlong nodded with satisfaction. "The lad is teachable."

As expected of the "Great Demon King" Mo Hua—he was quick-witted in his actions, not even needing her reminder.

Lu Zhenlong continued, "I've told you those two characters. I don't know anything more. Even if I did, I wouldn't say any more."

Mo Hua nodded gently, thinking of the two characters that had been cremated and erased on his palm, his gaze turning grave as he said:

"Thank you."

Hearing Mo Hua's thanks, Lu Zhenlong felt a strange sensation in her heart, but she still nodded with satisfaction, then said:

"I've helped you, so in the future, if I'm in trouble again, you have to help me too."

"Or if there's any crucial information concerning matters of great importance to my life—like the kind involving Eldest Young Master—you'll have to find a way to tell me as well..."

Mo Hua nodded. "It's a deal."

Lu Zhenlong nodded with satisfaction.

And so, the two formed a brief alliance.

Because the pavilion was meant for meetings between young talents of noble families, it was relatively "private."

So under the watchful eyes of everyone, many of the Lu Clan's relatives and elders watched these two young men and women playing chess and whispering to each other, their atmosphere harmonious to the point of being somewhat "intimate," yet no one could have guessed what the two were actually discussing.

Not long after, Madam Lu came over. Seeing Mo Hua and Lu Zhenlong having finished their chess game and chatting together while eating melon, her expression was somewhat strange.

She still remembered how her daughter, whenever she mentioned Mo Hua before, would grit her teeth in fury.

Yet in the blink of an eye, how had they become so "compatible" in conversation?

Seeing Madam Lu arrive, Mo Hua stood up and bowed with clasped hands. "Madam Lu."

Madam Lu put on a smiling face and nodded. "True Person Bai has finished his discussions and is ready to return to Little Luan Mountain."

Mo Hua nodded. "Then this junior will take his leave as well."

Madam Lu smiled. "This visit was short, and our hospitality was lacking. Next time you have the chance, do come visit the Lu Clan again, and I'll prepare a proper banquet to entertain Young Master Mo."

Mo Hua also smiled warmly. "I'm honored by Madam Lu's kindness. I'll be sure to come next time."

Madam Lu nodded, then led Mo Hua to find True Person Bai.

True Person Bai looked at Mo Hua with a rather strange expression, as if realizing she had underestimated Mo Hua before.

She hadn't expected Mo Hua to be so good at winning a girl's favor.

Bai Qingcheng's mood was complicated as she said to Mo Hua, "Let's return to Little Luan Mountain."

Mo Hua nodded, and his right hand subconsciously rubbed his palm again, wiping away the two characters Lu Zhenlong had written in wine, leaving no trace at all.

Yet in his eyes, there was a barely perceptible gravity.

(End of Chapter)