Chapter 214: Chapter 214 Court Leader_1

Mo Hua’s recent life had suddenly become much more exciting.

There were always cultivators from the Qian Family, or those hired by the Qian Family, who wanted to cause him trouble, yet every move they made was already within Mo Hua’s watchful eyes.

In most cases, before they could act, they would be discovered by Monster Hunters and thoroughly beaten up.

In a few instances, they hid well and evaded the nearby Monster Hunters, but they didn’t escape Mo Hua’s Divine Sense.

Mo Hua would then call over a few uncle Monster Hunters, point his little hand, and one by one identify the Qian Family cultivators following him, and then they couldn’t avoid a ruthless thrashing.

Mo Hua would watch the show from the sidelines.

This made Mo Hua’s days of cultivating techniques and studying formations much less tedious.

That day, as Mo Hua chewed on the wild fruits Aunt Jiang had given him, he chatted with An Xiaofu at the eatery.

Ever since Mo Hua treated An Xiaofu to a meal that day, An Xiaofu had been running over every two or three days.

Mo Hua was somewhat puzzled, “Doesn’t your family have a Food Building?”

“I’ve grown tired of that place; it’s not as tasty as here, and besides, it’s livelier here,” An Xiaofu said.

During his first few visits, An Xiaofu was a bit restrained.

The other cultivators, seeing his unusual attire, didn’t talk to him either.

Later, as he came more often and became familiar, and also because he was Mo Hua’s friend, the other cultivators started chatting with him.

Whether An Xiaofu was talking about food with great interest, or listening attentively to others talking about Big Black Mountain or neighborhood matters, he enjoyed the conversations.

As time passed, An Xiaofu became less restrained than before.

Occasionally, he would bring some wine brewed by the An Family to share with everyone, and in return, they would offer him wild fruits, cakes, and the like to try.

The flavors might not be the best, but they were unique, and the sentiment was genuine.

An Xiaofu grew even fonder of coming to this place.

Staying at the An Family, he always felt somewhat oppressed.

He preferred being in the eatery, chatting with ordinary cultivators, drinking wine, and enjoying a relaxed and comfortable time.

Seeing him enjoying himself, Mo Hua also breathed a sigh of relief.

An Xiaofu, after hearing some strange and interesting stories, would sometimes embellish or exaggerate them when recounting to Mo Hua; regardless of their truth, Mo Hua would listen with relish.

As it grew late, An Xiaofu left reluctantly for home.

Mo Hua saw him off, then turned to see Zhang Lan approaching from another cobblestone path.

“Uncle Zhang? What brings you here now?”

Zhang Lan sighed, “Busy, I’ve just got some free time.”

Mo Hua clearly didn’t believe it.

Zhang Lan, resigned, “Go on, order some food for me. Later, come over, I have something to tell you.”

“Order whatever is expensive?”

“Yes, anything you like.”

Mo Hua didn’t really order anything too extravagant, just slightly more expensive items than usual that he found delicious but didn’t often eat.

There was a type of mutton with a slight gamey taste, but it was very fragrant when chewed.

There was also a type of spicy and delicious dog meat.

Both of these monster beasts were herbivores; although they killed people, they didn’t eat them, so their Blood Qi was relatively clean.

There were also some seasonal vegetables, cut fruits, and the like.

A total of four or five dishes, both meat and vegetables, looking quite appealing, were laid out on Zhang Lan’s table.

Zhang Lan picked up a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Mo Hua, “You sit down and eat too.”

Mo Hua didn’t stand on ceremony, took the chopsticks, and started eating.

The dishes were all delicious, not only because they were made by his mother, but also because he was the one who ordered them.

After a few bites, Mo Hua couldn’t help but squint his eyes in enjoyment. Remembering that Zhang Lan would be paying with Spirit Stones, he declared generously:

“I’ll give you a 20% discount!”

Zhang Lan couldn’t help but laugh, “Alright, twenty percent discount! Many thanks, young shopkeeper!”

“You’re welcome.”

Mo Hua also smiled and took another bite of mutton before asking,

“You said you had something to discuss with me, what is it?”

Zhang Lan got straight to the point, “The Court Leader wants to see you.”

Mo Hua was taken aback, “The Court Leader? The Court Leader of the Taoist Court?”

“That’s right.” Zhang Lan also tasted the meat, nodded, and continued, “He heard that your Formation paintings are good, so he wants to meet you.”

“Just for that?”

Zhang Lan sighed.

It wasn’t just because the Formation paintings were good, but because they were too good.

He didn’t know when Mo Hua became capable of painting First-grade Formations. It surprised him when the Court Leader mentioned it.

“Being good at painting Formations naturally garners respect, and since you’re also so young, the Court Leader definitely wants to meet you,” Zhang Lan said.

“There’s another reason as well,” Zhang Lan said. “It’s because you helped build the Refinery Shop and the Alchemist’s Business in the south of the city, which are now the biggest industries for Tao Cultivation in Tongxian City.”

“What does that have to do with the Court Leader?” Mo Hua asked, puzzled.

“The Taoist Court also values achievements. Maintaining stability, collecting taxes from Spirit Stones, constructing projects for Tao Cultivation—all count as achievements. The biggest Refinery Shop and Alchemist’s Business in Tongxian City were built under his governance, so naturally, they are considered his achievements.”

Mo Hua suddenly realized.

Zhang Lan took a sip of wine and then said, “In his youth, the old Court Leader was diligent and earnest, but he didn’t have many achievements. Now that he’s older and his ambitions have waned, he was thinking of retiring, when unexpectedly, a huge achievement like this fell into his lap.”

Zhang Lan shook his head and said with a chuckle, “It’s like a windfall, I guess. That’s why the old Court Leader is so grateful to you.”

Mo Hua smiled sheepishly, “I didn’t do much, just painted some Formations.”

Zhang Lan gave him a look, “That’s enough, being too modest is just arrogance.”

You call that “some” Formations?

From the buildings to the Artifact Furnaces and Alchemy Furnaces, didn’t you paint all those Formations?

Thinking this, Zhang Lan couldn’t help but sigh again.

He had no idea how Mo Hua’s little head worked, how he could possess such powerful Divine Sense.

The entire Refinery Shop and Alchemist’s Business, all those Formations, he had completed them all by himself…

Mo Hua then expressed his concerns, “Meeting the Court Leader, is there anything in particular I should be aware of? Does he have any taboos?

Zhang Lan shook his head.

Mo Hua asked again, “By the way, the Court Leader’s surname isn’t Fu, right?”

Zhang Lan was startled, “What about surname Fu?”

“With the surname ‘Fu,’ if demoted a level, one would become a Deputy Court Leader. So, if his surname is Fu, he could only be called Court Leader, not Fu Court Leader.”

Zhang Lan couldn’t help but laugh and cry at this, “Where did you hear that from?”

“That’s part of the experience of Tao Cultivation, don’t worry about where I heard it,” Mo Hua said.

Zhang Lan said helplessly, “The Court Leader’s surname is Zhou, he’s a decent person, and he has no particular taboos. You’re young, so even if you say something inappropriate, he won’t blame you. Don’t worry about it.”

“Mm-hmm.” Mo Hua nodded.

Two days later, Mo Hua followed Zhang Lan to the Taoist Court to meet Court Leader Zhou.

The Taoist Court was quite impressive, but it clearly appeared somewhat old, with some rooms tightly shut, their contents unknown.

The rooms they could enter were mostly used by the court cultivators for official duties, decorated in a stable and not overly luxurious manner, filled with various Cultivator Registrations, archives, and Jade Slips of different designs.

It all seemed a bit uninteresting and different from what Mo Hua had imagined.

This was the upper construction, and it was said that underneath there was a Taoist Prison.

The so-called Taoist Prison was where cultivators who had violated the Taoist Law were imprisoned.

Mo Hua was curious to see it and broaden his knowledge, but Zhang Lan wouldn’t allow it.