The Quest for Immortality

Mo Hua looked up and saw the tall, handsome but displeased face of Gu Changhuai, as if someone owed him money.

”Uncle Gu?”

Mo Hua felt guilty, instinctively wanting to stash away the storage bag.

But halfway through, he realized something.

Why is he feeling nervous?

Mo Hua smugly said, ”These are the New Year gifts given to me personally by the elders of the Gu Family, and out of politeness, I accepted them!”

Gu Changhuai heard this and couldn’t help but twitch his forehead.

This little rascal Mo Hua is getting along better and better in the Gu Family.

Even better than him, a direct member of the Gu Family.

At least in celebrations, he never received so many ”gifts” from so many elders.

Gu Changhuai’s feelings became complex for a moment.

Mo Hua ignored him and continued examining his ”little gifts,” when suddenly he looked up and asked in confusion:

”Uncle Gu, when did you return?”

”What return? I never went out.” Gu Changhuai said.

”Never went out?” Mo Hua was stunned, ”Then how come I didn’t see you at the banquet?”

”No appetite.” Gu Changhuai’s face showed unhappiness.

Mo Hua looked at him suspiciously and couldn’t help but sigh:

”Uncle Gu, I must say, you’re so old now, and your cultivation has reached the Golden Core stage, yet you still act like a child, sulking with your family...”

Gu Changhuai felt his teeth itch, and he rubs Mo Hua’s head in irritation, ”You’re just a little brat with less than two decades of cultivation, what do you know?”

Mo Hua rubbed his forehead and tidied his hair, muttering softly:

”Less than two decades, I’ll be twenty after the New Year!”

Gu Changhuai sneered, ”I’m over two hundred years old.”

”That’s why I say, you’re over two hundred years old, you should be as mature as I am...” Mo Hua said earnestly.

Gu Changhuai was annoyed.

Were it not for Mo Hua’s weak constitution and lack of body refinement, he would have ”sparred” with him vigorously.

Currently, he can’t hit, can’t scold, and there’s also a cousin protecting him.

The group of elders in the Gu Family also treat him with respect.

Gu Changhuai’s face darkened, and he shook his sleeve saying, ”You play here by yourself, I’m leaving.” .

If I can’t provoke him, can I at least avoid him?

As Gu Changhuai turned to leave, Mo Hua suddenly remembered something and hurriedly shouted, ”Uncle Gu, I have some serious business to discuss with you.”

”Serious business?” Gu Changhuai paused, frowning slightly, ”What serious business?”

Mo Hua looked around and saw no one else, then beckoned Gu Changhuai closer.

Gu Changhuai stood still for a while before reluctantly walking over and sitting down beside Mo Hua.

The two sat side by side on the steps.

Mo Hua whispered, ”It’s about the Yu family’s water fort.”

Gu Changhuai’s gaze tightened slightly.

Mo Hua said, ”This case has dragged on for a long time, is there any progress over at the Taoist Court?”

”This is the Taoist Court’s business, don’t meddle in it,” Gu Changhuai said.

This answer from Gu Changhuai was expected by Mo Hua.

Uncle Gu’s personality is sometimes quite coy; when asked, he might obfuscate, hesitating to share.

This character trait is quite troublesome.

Mo Hua then asked, ”What about ’Water Yama’?”

”That’s also the Taoist Court’s...”

”This time it isn’t!” Mo Hua said.

Water Yama was a name he deduced while calculating causality from that blood oath list.

He could assert that Water Yama was surely related to the massacre at the Yu family’s water fort.

But currently, there’s no obvious linkage between the two.

This matter isn’t included within the Taoist Court’s investigation scope.

Gu Changhuai paused and said helplessly, ”I can only say a little about Water Yama...”

”Hmm hmm,” Mo Hua nodded.

Gu Changhuai thought for a moment and then slowly said:

”In the past half year, outside the Qianxue state boundary, the name ’Water Yama’ has indeed appeared in some smaller state boundaries.”

”But this Water Yama’s whereabouts are equally secretive, and their appearance and origins are unknown.”

”But there are some clues...”

Gu Changhuai frowned, ”Several murder cases showed victims drowned by unknown Water Series spells, seemingly tortured before death, restrained by unknown chains while kneeling, dying like sinners bearing guilt...”

”This manner of death closely resembles that of the Fish Cultivators massacred at the Yu family’s water fort.”

”Based on this, these cases might very well be perpetrated by Water Yama...”

Gu Changhuai’s expression turned somewhat grave.

Mo Hua said, ”And then?”

”There’s no ’and then’.” Gu Changhuai said.

Mo Hua was taken aback, ”No ’and then’?”

Gu Changhuai sighed, ”It’s not within my control, how would I know the ’and then’...”

”Not within your control?” Mo Hua didn’t understand, ”Uncle Gu, aren’t you a Supervisor?”

Gu Changhuai’s face looked unpleasant, ”There’s more than one Supervisor in the Taoist Court.”

Mo Hua wanted to say something but suddenly hesitated, realizing, and exclaimed in shock:

”Uncle Gu, you’ve been ’dismissed’!?”

Gu Changhuai felt a headache coming on and said with slight anger:

”I wasn’t dismissed!”

Without committing any major mistake, a Supervisor isn’t so easily ’dismissed.’

”Oh,” Mo Hua understood, ”then you’re ’sidelined’!”

Gu Changhuai didn’t want to admit it.

But strictly speaking, Mo Hua wasn’t wrong.

Mo Hua nodded and said, ”Someone doesn’t want you to investigate the case further, or maybe it’s purely targeting you, not wanting you to continue in the Taoist Court...”

Gu Changhuai’s expression turned icy.

Obviously, what Mo Hua said was correct.

Mo Hua sighed again and asked, ”If you aren’t allowed to investigate, who is handling the Yu family’s water fort case?”

Gu Changhuai just wanted to answer but suddenly realized that they circled back to the original topic because of Mo Hua.

This kid’s mind is so engrossed with all these twisting turns.

But since things have reached this point, Gu Changhuai decided not to hide it anymore.

Gu Changhuai said, ”It’s handed over to the Xiao family.”

”The Xiao family?” Mo Hua said, ”The ’Smiling Tiger,’ and that ’Howling Celestial Dog’?”

Gu Changhuai said irritably, ”Don’t randomly assign nicknames!”

”Hmm hmm,” Mo Hua agreed readily, then asked, ”Did the Xiao family find anything?”

Gu Changhuai said, ”I don’t know.”

It’s possible they found something but haven’t disclosed it, thus Gu Changhuai doesn’t know. .

Or perhaps, the Xiao family worked ineffectively, discovering nothing.

In any case, once the case is handed over to the Xiao family, Gu Changhuai can’t interfere temporarily.

Moreover, he’s ”sidelined” now.

Mo Hua sighed.

The trail has gone cold.

Uncle Gu can’t interfere, and Mo Hua has even less means to probe the Xiao family, needing to think of another plan.

Mo Hua stole a glance at Gu Changhuai, thinking it’s no wonder Uncle Gu is in a bad mood, even skipping dinner, no blame on him.

Presumably, he faces more targeting within the Taoist Court.

He just never said it out loud.

”Uncle Gu, have a break, I won’t bother you anymore,” Mo Hua said considerately.

At times like these, one needs a moment of solitude.

Mo Hua stood up, ready to leave, when a clear voice suddenly rang out:

”Changhuai, why are you here? I’ve been looking for you all day...”

Mo Hua looked up to see a female cultivator in red garments with fair skin, surprisingly, Uncle Gu’s aunt, Elder Gu Hong.

Elder Gu Hong said to herself, ”This time you can’t escape, you’re all grown up, after the New Year, go matchmaking for me...”

Matchmaking?!

Mo Hua, who was about to leave, paused and silently sat back down, quietly pricking up his ears.