Chapter 1566: Rotten Earth

Chapter 1566: Rotten Earth

Atop the high walls of Qingchou City, Mo Hua looked at his fair, clean palm, pondering where the 'toy' he had taken a fancy to could have run off to.

Suddenly, the presence of someone approaching rose from below. Mo Hua looked down and saw two black figures ascending the towering ramparts step by step.

It was none other than his Left and Right Protectors.

When Bai XiaoSheng and Gu Changhuai reached the top of the wall, Mo Hua asked:

"My two Lord Protectors, have you finished tending to business?"

Bai XiaoSheng let out a cold snort.

Gu Changhuai nodded. "All done. We did as you instructed. We've compiled a roster of the various factions currently in the city. As for that Fortune Pavilion, we've gathered some intelligence, though it might not be complete..."

Mo Hua nodded. "Good."

Uncle Gù was always someone one could rely on to handle things.

Bai XiaoSheng, on the other hand, grew a bit impatient and said, "Mo Hua..."

Mo Hua promptly shushed him, scowling in displeasure.

"Why are you calling me by my real name?"

Bai XiaoSheng was rendered speechless. Was his real name branded in gold or something?

There was no one else around; could he not even call him by his name?

Mo Hua pointed to his ear, then toward heaven and earth.

"Walls have ears, and heaven and earth harbor cause and effect."

Defeated, Bai XiaoSheng cupped his hands.

"Yes, Esteemed Master Mo, everything you say is entirely correct."

Only then did Mo Hua nod in satisfaction and ask, "What is it?"

Bai XiaoSheng sighed. "It's about time, isn't it? The rebellion in Qingchou City has been quelled; it's high time we pulled ourselves out."

"We can't stay in Qingchou City any longer."

Mo Hua asked, "Weren't you going to comprehend the Aspects of All Living Beings?"

Bai XiaoSheng replied, "Not anymore."

"Not anymore?" Mo Hua frowned. "Do you have any Dao Heart at all? Giving up just like that? Haven't you heard that 'the Dao may not be departed from for an instant'?"

Bai XiaoSheng stood firm. "I'm going home."

Mo Hua was slightly taken aback. "Which home?"

Bai XiaoSheng said, "The Bai Clan."

Mo Hua was puzzled. "Why are you heading back to the Bai Clan now?"

Bai XiaoSheng said, "The year is unlucky. I need to go back and lay low."

Mo Hua was even more bewildered. "Lay low from what? What's there to avoid?"

Bai XiaoSheng silently looked at Mo Hua, thinking:

Who else would I be laying low from...

Naturally, from a jinx and troublemaker like you.

In his past life, he must have owed this Mo Hua something, which was why the boy had come to collect his debt in this life.

As long as Mo Hua was within a hundred—no, a thousand—miles, he would bring trouble straight to his doorstep, leaving him no escape.

The only way out was to hide back in the Bai Clan and lie low for a while.

Bai XiaoSheng refused to believe this little menace could actually track him all the way to the Bai Clan.

Of course, Bai XiaoSheng couldn't say the specific reason out loud.

Mo Hua was petty-minded; if Bai XiaoSheng offended him, he was terrified Mo Hua would scheme him to death.

Bai XiaoSheng said solemnly, "I've been away from home for too long and miss my elders. I'm going back to pay them a visit."

He then pointed at Gu Changhuai beside him. "Your Uncle Gù... the Left Protector, also needs to return and report on his duties."

Gu Changhuai nodded as well.

After all, Gu Changhuai was an Archive Officer of the Dao Court Division. Remaining completely out of contact for so long required an explanation.

He had already lingered in Qingchou City far too long.

Had the rebellion escalated, he naturally would have stayed to do his part.

But now, under Mo Hua's control, the rebellion in Qingchou City had subsided, so he had to return to the Dao Court Division to handle the aftermath.

Mo Hua understood this, except...

"It's not over yet," Mo Hua sighed. From atop the high wall, he pointed across the vast expanse of Qingchou City at the ragged beggars and refugees filling the streets.

"Take a look at them. Aren't these people still starving?"

"Famine is the breeding ground of rebellion. As long as people are starving, rebellion will inevitably sprout again sooner or later."

"Suppressing the revolt and pacifying the military disaster is only the first step."

"Only by ensuring everyone has a full stomach can we truly resolve the issue of rebellion at its root..."

"If they can always eat their fill, they will never rebel."

"Conversely, as long as they go hungry for even a single day, rebellions will happen again..."

Mo Hua spoke slowly.

Gu Changhuai froze slightly upon hearing this, staring at Mo Hua in a daze.

Bai XiaoSheng was also somewhat taken aback, but soon his brows knitted tightly. "Eating their fill... that's far too troublesome, isn't it?"

Fighting and killing, while dangerous, were straightforward. But making sure everyone was fed was a massive headache.

Mo Hua said, "A good deed must be seen through to the end. We've already come this far; we can't quit halfway."

Bai XiaoSheng pondered for a moment and shook his head.

"I still don't understand. You aren't from Qingchou Prefecture. What does it matter to you whether others have enough to eat? You've quelled the rebellion, and you've more than done your part. Why poke your nose into so much?"

Mo Hua sighed and said, "There's no grand reason. It's just that I have a kind heart. I can't bear to see people suffer, and I can't stand watching others starve..."

Bai XiaoSheng's eyes rolled up once more.

You, kind-hearted?

You black-hearted little monster.

Mo Hua said displeasedly, "What kind of look is that?"

Bai XiaoSheng sighed. "Who killed those Green-Faced generals? Over a dozen Golden Core cultivators, every single one of them missing arms or legs, necks twisted into pretzels, eyeballs bulging, faces frozen in terror, dying in the most gruesome ways imaginable..."

"And you tell me you're kind-hearted?"

Mo Hua fell silent.

Bai XiaoSheng sneered, "Don't tell me their deaths had nothing to do with you?"

Mo Hua nodded. "A wicked person's deeds bring about his own destruction. It truly had nothing to do with me. I didn't lay a finger on them..."

Bai XiaoSheng frowned. "It wasn't you?"

Mo Hua said, "I'm just a frail Formation Master who couldn't even truss a chicken. From so far away, how could I have killed so many Golden Core cultivators?"

Hearing this, Bai XiaoSheng's gaze narrowed slightly.

It was true that Mo Hua was frail.

Yet being frail did not mean one was incapable of killing, especially someone like Mo Hua, who possessed far too many bizarre tricks.

The grotesque and horrifying scene from that night resurfaced in Bai XiaoSheng's mind.

Had he witnessed with his own eyes Mo Hua slaughtering those Golden Core Green-Faced generals one by one with a blade, a sword, formations, or even his bare fists, he might not have been so utterly stunned.

After all, that was something the eyes could observe.

The problem was, he had seen nothing at all.

That night, he and Magistrate Gu had guarded Mo Hua's side the entire time, never leaving for a single moment. By the time they followed Mo Hua to the main camp of the Green-Faced Multitude, those dozen or so Golden Core cultivators were already dead in horrific fashion.

If one claimed it was connected to Mo Hua... Mo Hua hadn't even been present, nor had his hands been dirtied.

Yet if one claimed it had nothing to do with Mo Hua, that was absolutely impossible.

The crux of the matter was that there were eleven Golden Core cultivators, they weren't just radishes and cabbages.

More importantly, quite a few of them were at the Late Golden Core Stage. To have them all slaughtered in a single night—dying so gruesomely and bloodily without anyone even knowing how they died—was unthinkable.

What's more, it didn't even look like they had perished under Great Void Sect's Divine Sense Transforming into Sword...

Bai XiaoSheng's brow furrowed tightly. Gu Changhuai also looked at Mo Hua, his gaze grave.

After a moment's contemplation, Bai XiaoSheng's expression turned stern, and he said to Mo Hua:

"Give me the truth on this."

"If you don't tell the truth, I won't help you anymore. Tonight, I'll leave Qingchou Prefecture and head back to the Bai Clan..."

"You can stay here and play all by yourself..."

It's not that I can't hang around a monster, but at least let me know what breed of 'monster' you are...

Bai XiaoSheng thought to himself.

Seeing Bai XiaoSheng's stubborn face and Uncle Gù's suspicious gaze, Mo Hua deeply lamented how difficult it was to build an enterprise when the founding members threatened to disband at any moment. He sighed and said:

"I really didn't kill anyone."

Bai XiaoSheng sneered.

Mo Hua continued, "I'm not lying to you. I treat people with benevolence; I truly cannot kill."

"Those Green-Faced generals genuinely weren't killed by me..."

"I merely... played a tiny little trick, that's all..."

Mo Hua pinched the tip of his pinky finger to demonstrate.

Played a tiny little trick... and ended up killing eleven mid-to-late stage Golden Core Cultivators?

Bai XiaoSheng and Gu Changhuai exchanged a glance, their eyelids twitching violently.

They knew Mo Hua was bizarre, but they hadn't anticipated he could be bizarre to this extent...

Even if those Golden Core cultivators were mere ruffians from the Great Spirit Field Realm who lacked any profound heritage, they weren't supposed to be killed like that.

Seeing that he had seemingly terrified Bai XiaoSheng and Uncle Gù, and fearing they might misunderstand him, Mo Hua sighed:

"Actually, it wasn't that exaggerated; it was just a stroke of fortune. Under normal circumstances, it's impossible to harm so many Golden Core cultivators."

"The main thing was that Wang Liangzi, that Unorthodox Demon Practitioner , had rather deep cultivation and was a ruthless killer."

"I only played a small trick on his body, so that trick just ended up appearing rather powerful."

"Normally, the power of my little trick is very limited. The conditions are also extremely harsh, strong when facing the strong, weak when facing the weak..."

Mo Hua spoke with humility.

Furthermore, he was indeed telling the truth.

He couldn't kill anyone himself, so when borrowing a knife to kill, the power entirely depended on the knife.

It just so happened that this knife, Wang Liangzi, was exceptionally sharp, slaughtering over a dozen Golden Core cultivators in one go.

Bai XiaoSheng looked at Mo Hua, entirely unable to tell whether the kid was speaking the truth or lying.

It sounded real, yet it could be false.

Perhaps it was false, yet it seemed real.

He couldn't tell them apart.

Bai XiaoSheng frowned. "Your little trick... what is it exactly?"

Mo Hua looked at Bai XiaoSheng quietly and asked in a low voice, "Do you really want to know?"

Bai XiaoSheng paused.

Mo Hua said, "Once certain secrets enter your ears, there's no taking it back, and you'll never be able to forget them..."

Mo Hua's words sent a chill down Bai XiaoSheng's spine. He hastily waved his hands.

"Forget it, forget it! I yield to you. Don't tell me; I don't want to know a thing..."

Hear more, err more; hear less, err less; hear nothing, err never.

Gu Changhuai let out a helpless sigh as well.

Not having seen Mo Hua for so many years, he truly had no idea what the boy had experienced, whom he had met, or what he had learned. Mo Hua was becoming more and more incomprehensible...

Mo Hua then asked, "Then what about Qingchou City..."

Bai XiaoSheng resigned himself to his fate, waving a hand. "Whatever you say. Whomever you want to feed, go ahead. But..."

After thinking for a moment, Bai XiaoSheng said solemnly:

"This is the last thing. Once we finish this one final matter, ensuring the refugees of Qingchou City can have a full meal to 'resolve the rebellion at its root' as you put it... after that, no matter what, we are truly heading home..."

Gu Changhuai also sighed. "Same for me... I have official duties and cannot delay for too long."

Mo Hua nodded. "Alright, it's a deal."

...

Three days later.

In the fields outside Qingchou City.

Mo Hua, Bai XiaoSheng, Gu Changhuai, and Great General Chang, accompanied by several personal guards, strolled across the land that had been corroded by a bloody hue, resembling oozing pus.

Mo Hua walked in the lead, looking around from time to time to survey the surface, deep in thought.

Great General Chang did not dare disturb Mo Hua's contemplation. Yet seeing the desolate land, the utter devastation, and the thousands of miles of blood-soaked soil, he ultimately could not hold back from asking in a low voice:

"Esteemed Master, is there truly a way to solve this land's problem?"

Mo Hua crouched down slightly. Twisting the soil—mingled with blood-water and near rotting—between his fingers, he sensed the nearly extinguished vitality of the earth. He shook his head and sighed:

"It will be very difficult..."

He had yet to find the root cause of the soil's rot.

On the surface, the calamity in Qingchou City had begun with small-scale pollution of water and soil, causing soil degradation and subsequent poor harvests of Spiritual Grain.

The failure of Spiritual Grain crops bred famine. As the famine expanded, it spawned rebellions, and the rebellions plunged the common people into misery.

The dead, their corpses, blood, and water, all stewed together and fermented under the blazing heat, creating an even greater rot that spread across the entire Prefecture Realm.

Ultimately, it led to this scene of thousands of miles of scorched red earth, festering pus, and completely dead crops.

In the understanding of local cultivators like Great General Chang, this was how events had unfolded.

The dossiers in the Dao Court Division would likely record it in a similar fashion.

Yet Mo Hua knew in his heart that the truth visible to the vast majority of people was bound to be nothing more than a facade.

Within such seamless coincidences, there was bound to be far more intricate scheming.

The reason behind the rotting earth of Qingchou Prefecture and the true nature of this disaster certainly concealed another secret.

Mo Hua had a few guesses in mind, but for now, clues were too scarce and concrete evidence was lacking, making it impossible to draw conclusions based purely on speculation.

Mo Hua turned to ask Great General Chang, "How much longer will the rations last?"

Great General Chang's pale brows furrowed deeply. "If only the Changshan Army eats, there is enough for over three months. If we distribute relief to the refugees in Qingchou City, it will only last two months. If we open the gates to provide for all the famine victims, I'm afraid it will be eaten clean in less than half a month..."

The situation was already exceedingly grim.

Though it seemed they could hold out for some time, a single misstep could cause the situation to deteriorate instantly.

Not to mention, in this current world, accidents could easily occur.

Once an unexpected event arose, subsequent developments would become utterly unpredictable.

Bai XiaoSheng suggested, "Can we find a way to ship some provisions in from neighboring prefecture realms?"

Great General Chang replied, "We're trying, but... this happens to be a year of disaster, with Qingchou suffering the worst famine. The situations in neighboring regions like Huangrang and Nansui aren't optimistic either; they can barely feed themselves."

"Prefecture realms further away are simply too distant. Even if we managed to pool provisions together, we wouldn't be able to transport them in."

Bai XiaoSheng frowned, then looked toward Mo Hua and asked, "Esteemed Master Mo, what do you plan to do?"

Mo Hua pondered for a moment and sighed, "Provisions can only solve the immediate crisis; they treat the symptoms, not the root cause."

"At the root of it, we must still find a way to solve the issue with the soil..."

"If we don't fix the soil, crops won't grow in the ground. Even if we gather provisions, the disaster victims in Qingchou City will still starve to death sooner or later."

"Not just the victims, but everyone in Qingchou City. As long as they stay here, their Blood Qi will eventually wither away, and they will starve to death..."

Mo Hua's tone was calm yet heavy.

Great General Chang nodded, his aged eyes brimming with sorrow and distress.

Bai XiaoSheng and Gu Changhuai wore equally solemn expressions.

Glancing at the soil soaked in rotting blood-water before them, and then looking out toward the thousands of miles of scorched, scarred earth in the distance, they instantly realized that this problem was far more severe than they had previously imagined...

The phrase 'eating one's fill' seemed simple, even trivial.

Yet to truly bring it to fruition required pouring out one's heart and soul.

Especially now, in Qingchou Prefecture, where the soil was rotting and blood-water flowed unchecked.

Cleansing the soil, planting grain, harvesting, and feeding people.

Layered atop a famine year, disasters, and an environment rife with riots, all these circumstances compounded together meant that helping people eat their fill was truly as difficult as ascending to heaven...

(End of Chapter)