The Quest for Immortality

Mo Hua asked, ”What kind of person was your mother?”

Shuisheng looked somewhat defensive, glanced at Mo Hua, saw his clear eyes and gentle demeanor, no ridicule, no mockery, then he slowly said:

”My mother, she... she had a low status...”

It was somewhat difficult for him to talk about his mother being a woman from the brothel.

”I know that, born in poverty, she had no choice...” Mo Hua continued, ”What else?”

Shuisheng was caught off guard, then he relaxed, and his face showed a smile mixed with yearning:

”My mother treated me very well!”

”She made Hundred Flower pastries and crystal pork hocks for me to eat.”

”She had a lovely smile, spoke very gently, liked to stroke my head...”

…

Shuisheng talked about many bits and pieces from life with his mother.

This might have been his only warm memory from childhood.

So when Shuisheng spoke of his mother, his face was smiling, innocent and full of longing.

”And your father?”

The expression on Shuisheng’s face instantly fell, and there was a trace of disdain in his look.

It was as if his father couldn’t even be compared to his mother.

”I... my master, he...”

He didn’t even want to call Elder Su ”father.”

Shuisheng said, ”He was pretentious...”

”He knew everything, but he never told me, thinking I didn’t know.”

”I actually knew everything, but since he didn’t say anything, I didn’t say anything to him either...”

Mo Hua thought to himself:

These two really are father and son...

Both pretending to be confused when they understood everything, each knowing in their heart but refusing to speak.

”Master also wants me to learn Formation...”

Shuisheng looked down and said, ”But I... with my low status and no talent, Formation isn’t something people like me should learn...”

”Moreover, Formation is very difficult, and I simply can’t learn it well.”

”Among Master’s disciples, I am the slowest learner, what they know, I don’t; what they understand, I don’t; the Formations they can draw, I can’t draw...”

”Master would scold me, the worse I learned, the angrier he became.”

”But he values me highly, always keeps me by his side, the worse I learn, the more effort he puts in.”

”The other disciples, when they look at me, there is envy and rejection in their eyes...”

”I don’t like staying here...”

Shuisheng’s expression was somewhat downcast.

Mo Hua nodded, showing understanding for Shuisheng’s difficulties, and asked:

”Do you want to learn Formation?”

Shuisheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded, ”I do.”

”It doesn’t matter to me personally, but I want to make my mother happy. Her wish was for me to become a dignified Formation Master like my... master.”

”That way, no matter my background, no one would look down on me.”

”My mother is gone, I can’t see her anymore, but whenever I am learning Formation, whenever I think of becoming a Formation Master, I feel like my mother’s spirit in heaven is silently watching over me, being with me...”

Shuisheng choked up a bit, his eyes reddening.

Mo Hua thought of his own mother as well.

Even though he was now drifting, unable to eat the meals made by his mother or stay by her side,

His mother was still waiting for him.

After his journey, after mastering Formation, he could still go back and see his mother.

But it was different for Shuisheng; he would never see his mother again in this lifetime...

Mo Hua felt a little emotional, then patted his shoulder, encouragingly saying:

”Don’t worry, you can learn Formation well.”

Shuisheng was grateful and felt undeserving of such encouragement, stammering:

”I, my talent is too poor...”

”Elder Su’s talent wasn’t much better than yours,” Mo Hua whispered.

Shuisheng’s eyes widened, ”No way... my master is a top-tier Formation Master.”

Mo Hua whispered, ”You’re father and son, how different could your talents be? If he can become a top-tier Formation Master, surely you can too.”

Shuisheng wouldn’t have believed this statement normally.

Even among fathers and sons, talents can differ greatly.

But coming from Mo Hua, who became a top-tier Formation Master in his teens, the credibility suddenly shot up.

Shuisheng looked forward with some hope, mumbling:

”I... can I really become a top-tier Formation Master?”

Mo Hua nodded, ”Yes, but your foundations are weak, you need to work harder, take more time...”

”If not in twenty years, then in thirty years; if thirty years are not enough, then fifty years; if not in fifty, then a hundred years...”

”As long as you stay focused and keep going, you will definitely become a top-tier Formation Master, and your mother’s spirit will be happy.”

”Top-tier Formation Master...”

Shuisheng’s eyes began to shine.

”Yes.” Shuisheng nodded earnestly.

Mo Hua smiled with satisfaction.

Shuisheng’s talents, compared to Elder Su, were indeed lacking somewhat.

But not to the extent that he couldn’t learn Formation.

Moreover, he had a master and father who was a Sect Elder with Foundation Establishment cultivation and a top-tier Formation Master.

With inheritance and guidance, as long as he put a lot of effort and hard work into it, it wasn’t too difficult to become a top-tier Formation Master in the future.

The problem with Elder Su was that he was too eager for his son’s success, and therefore lost his equanimity, which inevitably led to some overly aggressive teaching methods and improper education.

As for Shuisheng, he was just a bit reclusive and stubborn.

With a poor foundation and relentless rote learning without asking questions, it’s natural that one would not learn well.

This father and son have made simple matters complex, and that is why they are displeased with each other.

Elder Su has a relatively clear mind, but when it comes to his only beloved child, it’s inevitable to be trapped within the situation without realizing it.

Mo Hua thought for a while and then instructed:

”Just remember, focus on learning the Formation, and do not concern yourself with anything else.”

”Whether your master praises you or scolds you, you don’t need to mind either.”

”If there’s something you don’t understand, ask. If he’s unwilling to explain, keep asking. Don’t feel embarrassed; keep asking until you understand.”

”If he nags, complains, or reproaches you, take it as the wind by your ear.”

”The most important thing is just one, and that is, you must learn to master the Formation!”

Shuisheng suddenly saw the light and looked at Mo Hua, nodding solemnly.

Seeing that he had understood, Mo Hua also narrowed his eyes and smiled.

A moment later, Mo Hua thought of something, reigned in his smile, and said slowly:

”Shuisheng, I want to ask you a question.”

Shuisheng smiled and said, ”Gentleman Mo, feel free to ask me anything you want to know.”

Mo Hua, with a hint of apology, asked:

”How did your mother die?”

Shuisheng was stunned; his smile disappeared from his face, and his expression turned gradually to pain, then firmly said:

”My mother was murdered!”

Mo Hua frowned slightly, ”Have you told your master this?”

Shuisheng nodded, ”I’ve said it many times. I’ve always told him that my mother was murdered.”

”At first, he believed it, but gradually, he stopped believing...”

Mo Hua’s eyes narrowed slightly, ”Do you know who killed her?”

Shuisheng shook his head, his expression one of disappointment, ”I don’t know...”

Then his gaze became hateful, ”But I know it must be the Lu Family!”

Mo Hua was slightly shocked, ”The Lu Family?”

”It’s the Lu Family!”

Shuisheng said with a sad expression, ”Hundred Flower Tower is run by the Lu Family, not just my mother; many of the aunties and sisters there have sold themselves to the Lu Family.”

”The Lu Family would hit and scold them whenever they wanted.”

”Even if someone was tortured to death, the Taoist Court wouldn’t care.”

”My mother, like the other aunties and sisters, definitely died at the hands of the Lu Family!”

Shuisheng’s eyes were red, his anger growing as he spoke.

Mo Hua, feeling sympathy, then asked, ”Did you see it with your own eyes?”

Shuisheng shook his head.

”Then do you have any evidence?”

Shuisheng dropped his head, also shaking it silently, ”I have no evidence, and I don’t have the ability to look for any. The master also forbids me from looking...”

Elder Su was probably afraid he would face danger.

Mo Hua frowned in contemplation.

The Lu Family built Jinhua Street, compelled the Mining Cultivators to sell their daughters, and established Hundred Flower Tower, not only for their own pleasure and to earn Spirit Stones, but primarily to use sexual bribes to pull Cultivators from various powers to their side.

The powers they enticed included the Taoist Court, the South Yue Sect, and other Clans and Sects.

In this way, they were all in the same boat.

Shuixian was just a bargaining chip.

And Elder Su, being a Sect Elder with real power in the South Yue Sect, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and a first-grade Formation Master, was naturally a target for their enticement.

It’s just that it was unexpected for Elder Su to be so deeply in love.

And yet Shuixian also met her fate due to her beauty.

But is that really all there is to it?

Could it be that Shuixian knew some secret of the Lu Family, which led to her death?

Mo Hua thought for a while and then took out several portraits.

These portraits were of the people Mo Hua suspected were the traitors from the Minor Hidden Spirit Sect.

Lu Huaiyi, Lu Huaisheng, Lu Huaiyi, Shen Cai, and Jiang Long.

”Do you recognize these people?”

Shuisheng looked at them and frowned, ”They seem vaguely familiar, but I don’t know them...”

”Is there one that particularly stands out to you?”

Shuisheng looked again for a while, then shook his head, ”No...”

He asked in confusion:

”Gentleman Mo, what’s the issue with these individuals?”

Mo Hua said, ”Someone committed a serious crime, and all of these men are suspects. I want to investigate further.”

Shuisheng asked quietly, ”What did they do wrong?”

Mo Hua replied, ”It’s dangerous, something I can’t discuss with you.”

”Oh,” Shuisheng nodded.

Suddenly Shuisheng looked puzzled again, ”These people don’t seem to be of the same sort, so why are they all suspects?”

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then said:

”Basically, they all understand the Formation, have married into power, hold positions within the Lu Family, and have overseen mining operations...”

Shuisheng nodded, muttering softly:

”Oh, just like the Lu Family Head...”

Mo Hua’s heart skipped a beat.

Just like the Lu Family Head?

He asked swiftly, ”In what way are they similar?”

”It’s just that... they’re almost all alike,” said Shuisheng, counting, ”understanding the Formation, marrying into power, holding status, controlling the mines...”

Mo Hua drew in a sharp breath, his face filled with disbelief:

The Lu Family Head, married into the family?!