Chapter 1570: Just Average

Chapter 1570: Just Average

Bai XiaoSheng took another look at the hideous Ghost-Head Stone Gate before him. A chill still crept up from the bottom of his heart. Looking up at Mo Hua, he asked,

"You don't want me to chop this door open too, do you?"

Mo Hua asked, "Can you?"

"Don't you try to trick me," Bai XiaoSheng replied.

Just a moment ago, he had listened to Mo Hua and, completely in the dark, chopped open a clay figurine. It had burst with a torrent of bloody, liquefied flesh, giving off a putrid stench that almost made him vomit.

Setting aside whether he even could cleave this tomb gate open, even if he did, who knew what disgusting filth might pour out from inside?

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Falling for Mo Hua's tricks once was excusable. Falling for them a second time would just be plain stupidity.

Mo Hua felt a twinge of pity, but said, "Then come on up."

Bai XiaoSheng frowned. "Come up? Are you just going to leave this tomb gate alone?"

Mo Hua replied, "Or would you rather stay down there?"

Bai XiaoSheng sneered. "It's freezing, gloomy, and it stinks. As if I'd want to stay down here."

Mo Hua felt rather helpless with him. The man was two or three hundred years old, yet lacked any steady temperament and talked in erratic circles. Heaven only knew where all those years of cultivation had gone...

With a sudden leap, Bai XiaoSheng transformed into a streak of Sword Light. In the blink of an eye, he sprang out of the deep pit.

Digging through the filthy earth for so long had been miserable. Even though his protective Sword Qi had kept his clothes spotless and free of the vile blood, he still felt deeply unsettled.

Now back on solid ground, Bai XiaoSheng finally exhaled a long breath. Turning toward Mo Hua, he frowned and asked,

"Is that a tomb down there?"

"Likely so..." Mo Hua replied.

Bai XiaoSheng's brow furrowed. "Who's buried in it?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "How should I know? I'm not a fortune-teller."

Surprised, Bai XiaoSheng asked, "You don't know how to tell fortunes?"

Mo Hua sighed. "Fortune-telling is mere superstition. But cause and effect are different; cause and effect are the patterns through which the Great Dao Heavenly Secrets operate in the mortal world. I merely understand a bit of cause and effect; I don't tell fortunes."

Bai XiaoSheng nodded. "Keep making things up..."

Who could ever tell whether what came out of this kid's mouth was true or false?

Bai XiaoSheng asked again, "What was that clay figurine? What kind of thing was it? Why couldn't I see the tomb gate at first, but the moment I cleaved the figurine open, it appeared?"

"Was it an illusion, a Bewildering Formation, or something else entirely?"

Mo Hua's gaze sank slightly. He guessed that the clay figurine was likely something far more sinister than a mere Bewildering Formation...

However, its exact underlying principles were truly difficult to say.

Mo Hua asked Bai XiaoSheng, "What was packed inside that clay figurine?"

"What else could it be?" Bai XiaoSheng replied. "Bloody water, rotten flesh, and some unrecognizable dregs, all blended together. Heaven knows how long it was soaking in there..."

"What kind of flesh was it?" Mo Hua asked.

"How would I know?"

"You're the one who cut it open, how could you not know?"

Bai XiaoSheng snapped, "I only cut the thing open; I didn't stick my tongue out to taste it! How am I supposed to know what flesh it was? A single glance at something that nauseating was more than enough..."

Mo Hua sighed. "If Uncle Gù were here, he would definitely be able to tell."

"Nonsense, he's an Archive Officer, of course he would," Bai XiaoSheng said.

Mo Hua fell into deep thought.

Bai XiaoSheng pondered for a moment as well, before suddenly asking Mo Hua:

"Which means, even you, Esteemed Master Mo, don't know who is buried in this tomb, nor do you know what that clay figurine was used for..."

"Then how in the world did you find this tomb?"

Bai XiaoSheng looked around in all directions, finding no markers, nor any suspicious signs. He pressed,

"No matter how you look at it, this is just the most ordinary farmland. How did you know that something suspicious was buried beneath it?"

Mo Hua hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly:

"It was... the earth that told me..."

By now, Bai XiaoSheng had already caught on and would no longer dismiss these words as a joke or some childish, ridiculous remark.

In fact, his expression changed completely. His gaze turned grave, his lips pressed tightly together, and after hesitating repeatedly, he finally asked in a low voice:

"Could you... really... be able to sense the Great-Earth [Dao Essence]?"

The words [Dao Essence] seemed to weigh a thousand catties, each syllable drawn out with great difficulty.

Mo Hua's eyes flickered slightly. "What is Dao Essence?"

"Dao Essence is naturally..."

Bai XiaoSheng froze, suddenly at a loss for words.

In the Bai Clan's ancestral teachings, the term [Dao Essence] truly did exist. It was described as vast and ethereal, boundless and arcane, nearly identical to the Dao itself.

Yet if he were asked to actually explain what such an existence was, Bai XiaoSheng's mind went blank, utterly failing to find the words.

The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao.

If he were truly capable of explaining clearly what Dao Essence was, he would have already ascended in pursuit of the Dao. Why would he still be lingering here in Qingchou Prefecture, playing the beggar to comprehend the suffering of the Dao of All Living Beings?

Seeing that Bai XiaoSheng seemed ignorant as well and that he had failed to pry any useful information out of him, Mo Hua said with a trace of disappointment:

"I don't know what [Dao Essence] is either. I merely sensed a bit of the earth's presence just now and realized there was an anomaly in the flow of the Earth Qi. And the crux of the problem lay deep beneath the ground right under my feet..."

"Sensed the earth's presence..."

Bai XiaoSheng's heart jolted, his expression shifting rapidly.

Even if it wasn't truly sensing [Dao Essence], merely perceiving the earth's presence meant that the boy had essentially crossed the threshold of sensing the world's [Dao Essence]. It carried the initial signs of Heaven-Human Unity.

That alone was already astonishingly formidable.

Bai XiaoSheng's brow furrowed tightly.

Watching Bai XiaoSheng's grave expression, Mo Hua pondered for a moment before suddenly asking,

"Is my ability to sense the earth very impressive? Can ordinary people usually not do it?"

"In your Bai Clan... is there anyone who can?" Mo Hua asked curiously.

Bai XiaoSheng was taken aback, his face turning rather sour.

Theoretically speaking, the Bai Clan possessed immense influence and terrifyingly deep foundations. Throughout their history, peerless geniuses and monstrous talents had been as numerous as carp crossing a river.

Among them, there surely had to be geniuses who could communicate with [Dao Essence]; it was simply that such geniuses were not necessarily known to ordinary cultivators.

Moreover, many of them were likely now grand figures of the True-Person or Ancestor level.

As for the younger generation, Bai XiaoSheng had hardly heard of any.

In fact, it wasn't just the Bai Clan; across all the major aristocratic Clans, rarely could any chosen prodigy even brush against something like [Dao Essence].

This was not a matter of one or two individuals, but an issue spanning hundreds of years and many generations.

The current cultivation world prioritized Dao techniques and skills, chasing after fame, profit, and material desires. Minds were cluttered and chaotic; though cultivators lived between heaven and earth, they knew nothing of what heaven and earth truly were.

Bound by material gain and bodily desire, almost no one possessed a mind pure enough to still feel the presence of the earth.

Bai XiaoSheng cultivated the Dao of All Living Beings, so his realization of this was the keenest.

The bustling world was driven by nothing more than profit, and all mortal pursuits were for fleeting pleasure. Even Bai XiaoSheng himself was not immune.

Because of this, Mo Hua, this little freak, appeared all the more exceptional.

His mental fortitude, his emotions, and even his thought process were glaringly different from ordinary people.

Then Bai XiaoSheng thought again:

Wait, this doesn't make sense...

The Earth's capacity is vast;  it Bears All Things with Profound Virtue.

To perceive the Great-Earth Dao Essence—even a superficial sensing of the earth—was a feat achievable only by someone of profound virtue...

Did the phrase "Profound Virtue Bears All Things" match a crafty, treacherous little rascal like Mo Hua in the slightest?

Was the earth blind?

Bai XiaoSheng grumbled inwardly, then cast a sideways glance at Mo Hua, speaking with an aloof tone:

"It's just so-so. Someone of your level is a dime a dozen in our Bai Clan..."

"You merely felt a tiny bit of the earth's presence; you haven't even touched the threshold of [Dao Essence] yet. There's nothing worth boasting about."

"If you let this go to your head, your vision is far too shallow."

"If you ever have time in the future to visit the Bai Clan, I'll let you see what it truly means for peerless prodigies to be as countless as carp crossing a river..."

"Someone like you is honestly just average..."

Mo Hua blinked, initially thinking Bai XiaoSheng was spouting nonsense.

Yet, after mulling it over, he felt it wasn't unreasonable.

The Bai Clan was, after all, a Sixth-Rank major clan that had endured for ten thousand years.

Their foundation was terrifyingly profound, and they had produced countless supreme prodigies.

Under such circumstances, anything was possible; no matter how unmatched a genius might be, it wouldn't be surprising if they came from the Bai Clan.

Little Senior Sister's Clan was truly extraordinary...

Filled with awe, Mo Hua nodded and said with heartfelt sincerity,

"If I have the chance in the future, I must certainly visit the Bai Clan to broaden my horizons..."

Bai XiaoSheng nodded, adopting a profound posture and speaking in an earnest tone:

"Indeed. Knowing that there are always skies beyond the sky and people beyond people, your mindset is commendable..."

Yet inwardly, he wiped away a cold sweat.

You little monster, you'd better not go to the Bai Clan...

You'd best never go in your entire life. Just waste away here in Qingchou Prefecture...

Bai XiaoSheng cleared his throat lightly and said, "There's no rush to visit the Bai Clan. Especially now, when your realm is only at the Golden Core. Your cultivation isn't high enough, and your comprehension still lacks a bit."

"Dao Essence is something grand and boundless, not something you can comprehend at your current stage. The earth's presence you felt just now is merely scratching the surface of its power. It is far too shallow to touch the essence of the Dao."

"You must cultivate more and work harder; you are still a long way off..."

Bai XiaoSheng forced himself to deliver these words with a straight face.

Hearing this, Mo Hua pondered for a moment and then nodded.

"Indeed."

His current level was indeed still far from sufficient.

Seeing that Mo Hua believed him, the heavy stone in Bai XiaoSheng's chest finally settled. He also felt a surge of secret delight, believing he had successfully upheld the Bai Clan's prestige before Mo Hua.

However, he dared not let Mo Hua dwell on it too long.

Mo Hua's mind was rather terrifying; it was dangerous to let him ponder a single matter for too long.

Bai XiaoSheng promptly shifted the subject. "Speaking of which... what do you plan to do about this tomb?"

Only then did Mo Hua snap back from his thoughts of [Dao Essence]. After a moment's consideration, he said, "Go fetch Great General Chang."

Bai XiaoSheng nodded and turned to leave. But halfway through, he suddenly realized something, turned back, and said to Mo Hua:

"I've told you before, I am not your—"

Mo Hua nodded sincerely. "Thank you for your hard work, Lord Protector Bai."

Only then was Bai XiaoSheng willing to run Mo Hua's errand. Entering Qingchou City, he found Great General Chang busy with military affairs and brought him directly before Mo Hua.

Great General Chang looked at the deep pit in the ground, then at the filthy clay figurine remnants and the sinister Ghost-Head Stone Gate within it. His brow furrowed deeply.

Mo Hua asked, "Old General, do you recognize whose tomb this might be?"

Great General Chang was a prominent local cultivator of Qingchou Prefecture. At the Late Golden Core Stage, his cultivation was high and his lifespan long; naturally, his network was vast and he knew of many things.

Deducing many of these matters through divination was simply too exhausting; it was far easier to just ask someone who might know.

Great General Chang examined the tomb gate closely for a moment. He seemed somewhat incredulous, his words hesitating on his tongue. "This..."

Mo Hua asked, "Old General, do you know something?"

Great General Chang frowned and said, "To be frank with you, Esteemed Master, this... bears a striking resemblance to the tomb of Lü Chongshan..."

Mo Hua's eyes flickered slightly. "Lü Chongshan?"

Great General Chang nodded. "He was once the most famous Golden Core Cultivator within hundreds of miles of Qingchou Prefecture. With vast wealth and great estates, he spent his entire life performing acts of charity, and his benevolent reputation spread far and wide. He befriended countless like-minded cultivators and performed innumerable good deeds. Throughout Qingchou Prefecture, from the highest officials to the common folk, everyone praised him as the 'Great Philanthropist'..."

"A great philanthropist?" Mo Hua asked.

Great General Chang nodded. "As the Great General of Changshan, I had some acquaintance with Brother Lü Chongshan. I know his character well; he was truly generous and righteous, widely cultivating good karma. In this day and age, he could be considered a rare 'truly good man'..."

"Many cultivators in Qingchou City, even the beggars, have received charity from the Lü family."

"Brother Lü's benevolent reputation was profoundly influential. Even when the recent riots broke out in Qingchou Prefecture, with most of the rioters burning, killing, looting, and utterly defying the law, none of them dared to storm the Lü family estate, fearing retribution from the heavens..."

Mo Hua was surprised. "His influence was... that immense?"

Great General Chang inclined his head. "Indeed."

"Then where is this Great Philanthropist Lü now...?" Mo Hua asked in a low voice.

Great General Chang sighed. "Brother Lü Chongshan passed away fifty years ago..."

"How did he die?" Mo Hua asked.

Great General Chang replied, "The causes of death for cultivators are myriad and bizarre, and most involve the secrets of personal cultivation that are not easily disclosed to outsiders. I only heard that... it seemed Brother Lü Chongshan suffered a mishap during secluded cultivation. His meridians reversed, and unable to regain control in time, he lost his life."

A mishap during secluded cultivation...

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened slightly. Feeling somewhat puzzled, he asked the old general:

"Old General, this tomb has neither a stele nor a plaque, nor is there any inscription. How do you know this is Philanthropist Lü's tomb?"

Great General Chang pondered for a moment, then pointed at the ghost heads on the tomb gate. "To tell the truth, Esteemed Master, I have seen these ghost-head patterns before..."

"You've seen them?" Mo Hua was slightly surprised.

"Yes," Great General Chang nodded. "Back then... perhaps over a hundred years ago, I visited Brother Lü Chongshan. In his study, I inadvertently caught sight of a painting that left a deep impression on me. Depicted in the painting were several Little Ghosts baring their heads, looking just like the ones on this tomb gate..."

"However..."

Great General Chang glanced at the tomb gate once more, his brow furrowing deeper.

"The ghost painting back then wasn't so sinister; in fact, it looked rather festive. Those ghosts wore human clothes, draped in gold and jade, appearing somewhat auspicious."

"Now, the ghosts on this tomb gate have torn away their human garments, revealing ferocious visages, and their aura is far more malevolent..."

Mo Hua asked, "Old General, are you certain it's the same painting?"

Great General Chang's brow locked tightly. "In my memory, it seems to be the very same thing... But back then, I only caught a hurried glance before Brother Lü put the scroll away, leaving me no time to inspect it closely. Over a century has passed since, so relying solely on these patterns, I cannot say for certain..."

"It is possible that my old eyes are mistaken."

"Furthermore, there is another issue..."

Great General Chang said with a look of utter bewilderment, "After Philanthropist Lü passed away, his body was encoffined and buried in the Lü family ancestral graves. A spirit tablet was erected, and he has received an Incense Offering ever since."

"Logically speaking, it is impossible for him to be buried elsewhere, let alone in an underground place as gloomy, cold, and rotting as this..."

"If the Lü family ancestral graves hold the Great Philanthropist Lü, then who is buried in this tomb?"

"And if this tomb holds the Great Philanthropist Lü, then who is buried in the Lü family ancestral graves?"

"Besides, why on earth would Brother Lü choose to bury himself in such a frigid, foul, and decomposing place?"

Great General Chang shook his head, his confusion deepening by the second.

Mo Hua nodded slightly. "It seems that if we want to get to the bottom of this, our only choice... is to dig up the tomb and have a look..."

Great General Chang nodded out of habit, but halfway through the motion, he suddenly froze.

Realizing what Esteemed Master Mo had just said, panic struck his heart, and he blurted out in alarm:

"Esteemed Master, we absolutely cannot dig that up!..."

(End of Chapter)