Chapter 1574: A Tomb Raiding Titan?

Chapter 1574: A Tomb Raiding Titan?

Back then, he was merely an exceptionally clever little disciple of the Great Void Sect, yet he had now grown into something truly terrifying...

And it was the kind of 'terrifying' that defied words.

Ordinary cultivators were strong in their talent, their cultivation, and their lethal methods, all of which were tangible strengths.

Mo Hua, however, was strong in ways that were hard to explain, obscure, and nearly impossible to describe. Even if spoken aloud, others might not believe it.

Tangible might was, after all, visible, touchable, and traceable.

Intangible might, on the other hand, was shrouded in mist, like a deep abyss into which one could not gaze...

That was the impression Mo Hua gave.

Gu Changhuai frowned deeply, standing there lost in thought.

Seeing Gu Changhuai staring at the jade slip in silence, Mo Hua asked, "Is there an issue with the Decree?"

Snapping out of it, Gu Changhuai shook his head.

"No... It is very good... I will reformat it slightly to match the Dao Court Division's official style, then have men post it..."

Mo Hua nodded. "Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Gù."

Hearing that 'thank you for your trouble,' Gu Changhuai was stunned again, a strange illusion rising within him.

It felt as though he had truly become Mo Hua's Protector, bound to run errands for him from now on.

Even though he had handled plenty of matters for Mo Hua over the years, a peculiar feeling lingered in his chest.

Gu Changhuai almost forgot that he was...

An Archive Officer of the Dao Court, wasn't he?

Was he?

Gu Changhuai shook his head with a sigh.

...

The situation was tense, leaving no time for overthinking. Gu Changhuai suppressed the strange feeling, lightly edited Mo Hua's Decree, and issued it under the name of 'Esteemed Master Mo of the Tongxian Cult,' posting copies throughout the streets and alleys of Qingchou City.

When the starving masses, refugees, and common cultivators of Qingchou City saw it, they were stunned. The news spread like wildfire, instantly stirring up a whirlwind of discussion:

"So that was it..."

"I knew it! Great Esteemed Master Mo follows Heaven's mandate to carry out the Dao, possessing an elevated and pure Dao Heart. There was no way he would do something so obstinate, cruel, and overbearing..."

"There must be villains spreading rumors and slander to ruin Esteemed Master Mo's good name and besmirch the Tongxian Cult's reputation..."

"It makes sense. Great Esteemed Master Mo is compassionate, and Great Philanthropist Lü was charitable. How could Esteemed Master dig up Great Philanthropist Lü's tomb for no reason?"

"Turns out Esteemed Master Mo couldn't bear to see Great Philanthropist Lü suffer after death, buried in foul ground. He is relocating Great Philanthropist Lü's tomb so that a good man receives his due reward, ensuring a good beginning and a good end..."

"Esteemed Master Mo's heart is truly kind..."

"I went to see Great Philanthropist Lü's tomb before. It was sinister, damp, bloody, and foul-smelling... The living couldn't bear that place for even a moment, let alone using it to bury someone..."

"If the tomb isn't moved, wouldn't Great Philanthropist Lü be tormented for all eternity amid malicious winds and foul waters?"

"Esteemed Master Mo is farsighted; he planned a step ahead of everyone else..."

"Esteemed Master Mo is benevolent and generous. He truly is a great man..."

...

A single Decree reversed black and white, swaying the hearts of the people.

In less than half a day, the "overbearing and cruel," "obstinate and opinionated," "tyrannical and arrogant," "unreasonable," and "deaf to reason" Esteemed Master Mo had once again transformed into a benevolent figure who "lamented the state of the world," "held boundless compassion," "helped others achieve virtue," and "bore Heaven's virtue."

Meanwhile, the expressions of the local families, landlords, and gentry darkened.

Inside the Lü Family study.

Holding the Decree issued by the Esteemed Master, Lü Jingxiu's face went pale, trembling with fury. "This is outrageous!"

Lü Jingxiu wanted to curse, but his late father, Lü Chongshan, had held him to strict standards, telling him to cultivate his character and temper. As a result, he couldn't even think of many curses.

A soft sigh echoed through the room.

"Worthy nephew, calm yourself."

Lü Jingxiu looked up at the white-haired elder sitting across from him.

Lü Jingxiu said with deep anguish, "Elder Uncle, how could I not be anxious? That Mo... that fiend wants to dig up my Lü Family's tomb..."

"Please, Elder Uncle, think of another way..."

The white-haired elder shook his head, frowning. "It's no longer possible. Previously, I only thought this Esteemed Master Mo was skilled in warfare, victorious in a hundred battles."

"I never imagined his ability to manipulate words, invert right and wrong, and bewitch the masses would be even more formidable..."

"Now that this Decree has been released, not only the Qingchou families, but even your main Lü Family branch can no longer rashly stop him from opening the tomb."

Lü Jingxiu froze. "Why?"

With murky eyes, the white-haired elder said slowly, "Lord Lü was buried in foul earth and malicious waters, suffering himself to avert calamity for the Lü Family and Qingchou City."

"Esteemed Master Mo is doing a good deed by relocating Lord Lü's tomb."

"If you stop him, does that mean you wish for your biological father to be trapped in evil winds and foul waters forever?"

"That is the crime of being unfilial and disrespectful."

"If you stop him, does that mean you want Lord Lü's burial to ward off disaster for the Lü Family for all eternity?"

"That is an act of pure selfishness."

"Once the labels of 'selfish' and 'unfilial' are pinned on your head, the Lü Family's reputation will be utterly ruined."

The white-haired elder looked at Lü Jingxiu. "We are in troubled times. The Lü Family has remained safe and intact solely relying on your father's benevolent reputation."

"To put it pragmatically, that benevolent reputation is a Golden Body Lord Lü forged for the family."

"However, your father is your father, and the Lü Family is the Lü Family. You must realize this."

"Once branded as 'unfilial' and 'selfish,' your good name ruined and this Golden Body shattered, the Lü Family will be in grave danger from then on..."

"Anyone would be able to make a move against your Lü Family..."

Hearing this, Lü Jingxiu's hands and feet instantly went cold.

"Then, Elder Uncle... what should I do?"

The white-haired elder sighed. "As matters stand, you can only let bygones be bygones. Claim it was all a misunderstanding, and openly support—even welcome—Esteemed Master Mo digging up your father's tomb."

Lü Jingxiu's expression changed drastically, finding it utterly absurd:

"He digs up my father's tomb, and I have to welcome him?"

Could there truly be such a preposterous thing in the world?

The white-haired elder was equally helpless. "The situation is what it is, and nothing else can be done..."

He then felt a wave of admiration and dismay.

This Esteemed Master Mo was truly a master of bewitching rhetoric.

With a single piece of paper, he had spun the act of digging up someone else's ancestral tomb into a great act of benevolence...

"Then..." Lü Jingxiu's expression contorted slightly. "Must things really end like this? We simply let Esteemed Master Mo open my father's tomb?"

The white-haired elder was silent for a moment before his eyes flickered. He asked, "Worthy nephew, that tomb... is it truly your father's?"

Hearing this, Lü Jingxiu's gaze turned complicated, and he sighed. "To be honest with you, Elder Uncle... I truly do not know..."

The white-haired elder was taken aback. "Even you don't know?"

As his son, he didn't even know where his own father was buried?

Lü Jingxiu seemed to have unspeakable difficulties, unsure of how to explain.

Concealing his gaze, the white-haired elder resumed a calm expression and said casually, "Aren't your father's funerary objects in the main family's ancestral tomb?"

"Logically speaking, your father shouldn't have been buried elsewhere..."

Lü Jingxiu sighed. "When my father was alive, his ways differed from ordinary men. There are many things even I am unaware of..."

The white-haired elder nodded slightly and pressed no further, but frowned:

"This matter is strange... The Five Ghosts Bringing Wealth tomb entrance was buried so deeply and inconspicuously. I wonder how this Esteemed Master Mo discovered it."

"And why is he so determined to open this tomb? What could he possibly want from inside..."

After pondering for a long time, Lü Jingxiu shook his head solemnly with a sigh:

"This Esteemed Master Mo possesses vast Divine Powers, capable of turning clouds into rain with a flip of his hand. His schemes are treacherous and manifold; his ambitions are likely far from small. He might very well be coming after my Lü Family's estate..."

Lü Jingxiu looked up at the white-haired elder and cupped his hands.

"Elder Uncle, you and my father were bosom friends, and the Pei Family and my Lü Family have been on good terms for generations. You must save my Lü Family..."

"If my father's bones truly lie within that tomb, I beg you, Elder Uncle, to uphold justice..."

"Under no circumstances can we allow that fiend to desecrate my father's coffin and ruin the Lü Family's foundation."

A faint light flashed in the elder's murky eyes, and he nodded. "Rest assured, worthy nephew. I shared a deep friendship with Lord Lü... I will naturally do everything in my power..."

...

The next day, at the Qingchou Division Office.

Holding a Lü Family jade slip in his hand, Mo Hua asked:

"The Lü Family agreed?"

"Yes," Gu Changhuai nodded. "Not only did they agree, but they also respectfully requested you dig up their family tomb. They are begging you, Esteemed Master Mo, to save Great Philanthropist Lü's remains from dire misery..."

Even Gu Changhuai found it bizarre just saying it aloud.

In his entire life, he had never encountered someone inviting another to dig up their ancestral tomb while thanking them for it.

"What about the refugees before the tomb?" Mo Hua asked again.

"They've all dispersed," Bai XiaoSheng said. "Upon hearing that the immensely capable Esteemed Master Mo intends to relocate Great Philanthropist Lü's tomb so he may have a good end, they are all grateful to you, calling you the righteous and boundless compassionate Great Esteemed Master Mo..."

The boundless compassionate Great Esteemed Master Mo...

Bai XiaoSheng glanced at the pitch-black Mo Hua, complaining inwardly:

As expected, most people in this world are blind, utterly unable to see the truth. They only know how to blindly follow the crowd.

Bai XiaoSheng curled his lip, then recalled the previous unrest and sighed:

"Indeed, nothing in this world comes easy, especially when it involves so many ordinary cultivators..."

"The human heart is complicated. The more people there are, the more constraints arise. The slightest rumor can ruin everything..."

Mo Hua nodded. "It's true that more people make it easier for things to go wrong..."

He then added, "Conversely, the more people there are, the greater the power..."

"If one can win the trust of more people, uniting them with one heart and mind like a fortress, only then can true, great feats be achieved..."

Hearing this, Gu Changhuai's gaze shifted slightly.

With a deeply complex expression, Bai XiaoSheng deliberated before asking, "The great feat you speak of... it wouldn't happen to be... 'rebellion,' would it?"

Mo Hua frowned. "Why do you bring up rebellion every time you open your mouth?"

"You're a member of the Bai Clan, after all. Do you not possess a shred of loyalty toward the Dao Court?"

Bai XiaoSheng was speechless. "You're criticizing me? Have you looked at yourself?"

You, the widely renowned Esteemed Master Mo of the Tongxian Cult.

"What about me?" Mo Hua said. "I haven't done anything to betray the Dao Court."

"And what are you doing right now?" Bai XiaoSheng asked.

"Helping the Dao Court quell the rebellion and improving the people's livelihoods," Mo Hua replied righteously.

Bai XiaoSheng retorted, "Then the Dao Court truly owes you a debt of gratitude..."

"It is merely my duty, no need to be polite," Mo Hua said with a nod.

Bai XiaoSheng was truly no match for Mo Hua in an argument.

Gu Changhuai also massaged his temples with a sigh.

Seeing that Esteemed Master Mo and Protector Bai seemed ready to bicker endlessly, Gu Changhuai could only intervene: "Let us discuss serious matters first. Weren't we going to open the tomb?"

Mo Hua said, "Right, opening the tomb."

"That tomb..." Recalling the various scenes he had witnessed earlier, Gu Changhuai frowned. "It exudes Yin Evil Qi, with clay effigies and ghostly heads, and its design is peculiar. It probably won't be easy to open, right?"

Mo Hua nodded. "Indeed."

Bai XiaoSheng asked, "Should we... find someone to open it, hire a professional Tomb Raider? After all, none of us are familiar with tomb raiding."

Mo Hua said, "No need, I can open it myself."

Bai XiaoSheng froze. "You even understand tomb raiding?"

"Opening a tomb, not robbing it," Mo Hua corrected, then added modestly, "I only know a little."

Having spent so much time together, how could Bai XiaoSheng not know Mo Hua's temperament? This kid was a master at playing the pig to eat the tiger. When he said he knew 'a little,' it usually meant he was deeply proficient.

If he truly only knew a little, he generally wouldn't even bring it up.

Bai XiaoSheng nodded, then pondered for a moment before suddenly freezing. He said:

"Wait, that's not right... This is tomb raiding, hardly a respectable trade. It involves Yin and Yang, Feng Shui, mechanisms, and tomb architecture... Without the practical experience of robbing dozens or hundreds of graves, there's no way one could understand it."

Bai XiaoSheng looked at Mo Hua with a mix of disbelief and disdain. "Kid, have you been robbing graves on a regular basis?"

Mo Hua said solemnly, "How could that be? Do not besmirch my innocence."

How could he rob graves regularly? It was only occasional, purely occasional.

Just earning a tiny bit of extra cash...

Bai XiaoSheng stared at Mo Hua with suspicion.

On the contrary, Gu Changhuai, who had been staring at Mo Hua, suddenly froze and exclaimed in shock:

"You couldn't possibly be... the Black-Faced Fiend, could you?"

Mo Hua was also taken aback. "Uncle Gù, you actually know about the Black-Faced Fiend?"

With an utterly peculiar expression, Gu Changhuai recited slowly, as if reading from an official dossier:

"Black-Faced Fiend, the peerless prodigy of Houtu City's tomb-raiding circles, the new generation's 'Lead Big Brother.' Well-connected across both the righteous and underhanded worlds, upright in action, chivalrous and unrestrained, hating evil like a personal enemy."

"Proficient in formations, adept in Fāng Arts, capable of slaying evil ghosts, suppressing corpse wraiths, surveying Feng Shui, and breaking open tombs, an expert in all aspects of Qimen Eight Trigrams..."

"Wearing a ferocious Ghost Mask, clad in black, his figure like a ghostly phantom, walking the underground year-round away from the light of day. None know his name, and none have seen his true face."

"Known only as an underground Taisui who commands life and death. Those who follow him survive, entering the earth with all taboos lifted; those who oppose him perish, finding only certain death in the tombs."

"It is often said on the streets that underground Tomb Raiders fall neither under the domain of Ksitigarbha nor the judgment of King Yama; only Big Brother Black-Faced Fiend determines fortune and disaster with a single word, deciding life and death with a single thought."

"His illustrious name is peerless. Though he may not reach the heavens, he can pierce the earth. Above ground, he leaves no trace; below ground, he is omnipotent. Universally acknowledged on the streets as an unmatched big brother, a titan of the tomb-raiding world..."

"...The Black-Faced Fiend!"

With a complicated gaze, Gu Changhuai looked at the 'titan of the tomb-raiding world' beside him.

Bai XiaoSheng stood to the side, his gaze somewhat dull, having been stunned into silence by what he'd heard.

Not only Bai XiaoSheng, but even Mo Hua himself was stunned. Then, realizing what happened, he cursed Iron Mountain Tiger and those other blockheads in his heart.

Those loose-lipped fools had bragged so outrageously, blowing his reputation straight into the heavens!

What did they mean by falling neither under Ksitigarbha nor King Yama, taboos lifted for those who follow, and certain death for those who oppose...

Was that something a human could even do?

Those big donkeys must have gone drinking with others again and drunk so much they lost their minds, doing everything they could to boast him to high heaven...

(End of Chapter)