Lord Yellow Mountain’s expression changed, but only for a moment before he returned to normal, smiling awkwardly at Mo Hua:
"This minor god is down on luck now and naturally has to hide from everything."
"Afraid of passing cultivators tearing down my clay sculpture; afraid of wolves and insects in the mountains stealing my offerings; afraid of unknown ghosts and evil spirits staining my temple and occupying my Taoist field..."
"This temple is built deep in the mountains; being a bit broken is fine, but if it’s too exquisite and luxurious, it’ll definitely be coveted by others."
Lord Yellow Mountain looked bitter as he spoke.
Mo Hua silently watched Lord Yellow Mountain, saying nothing.
With a glance, he could tell that Lord Yellow Mountain was lying.
However, Mo Hua did not blame him.
Whether one is a person or a god, who doesn’t have hidden difficulties?
The secrets on my own body are far more numerous than Lord Yellow Mountain’s.
For a friendship to last long, you must give each other space to keep secrets.
If he doesn’t speak of it, then don’t force him.
After all, it’s him who’s dining on the wind and drinking the rain in the broken temple, not me...
Mo Hua took a deep look at Lord Yellow Mountain and nodded, saying: "You’re right."
Lord Yellow Mountain, caught by Mo Hua’s deep eyes, felt a shiver run down his spine, and was very uneasy in his heart. Hearing this, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Mo Hua looked up at the broken temple, pondered for a moment, and said again:
"Mountain Lord, hiding like this isn’t good, do you want me to help you?"
"Help?"
Lord Yellow Mountain was taken aback, not understanding what Mo Hua meant.
"How would you help me hide?"
Mo Hua said: "I’ve learned some new formations; they can obscure Divine Thought perception. I can paint it on the divine statue, and if you hide inside, it will be hard for others to find you."
Lord Yellow Mountain was very surprised but did not want to reject Mo Hua’s kind offer, and bowed his hands, saying:
"Then many thanks, little friend."
Mo Hua surveyed the surroundings for a while and said:
"The clay sculpture in the temple is too conspicuous as soon as you enter. Even with a formation, it won’t work. Mountain Lord, do you have any other statues you use for hiding?"
"This..." Lord Yellow Mountain was silent for a while.
Mo Hua’s eyes lit up, "The little dog behind the temple, are you fond of hiding inside that one? I..."
Lord Yellow Mountain shook his head repeatedly, "No, no..."
To avoid Mo Hua, and reside in hiding inside a little dog statue.
Such an embarrassing event, he never wanted to mention it again in his lifetime.
No matter how down on luck he was, he was still a Mountain God, and a Mountain God also has pride.
Lord Yellow Mountain looked at Mo Hua, hesitating repeatedly before finally gritting his teeth and saying: "Little friend, come with me."
Mo Hua’s expression shifted slightly, and he nodded.
Lord Yellow Mountain gracefully drifted out from the clay sculpture, leading Mo Hua out of the broken temple to a cliffside behind the temple.
"A cliff?"
Mo Hua looked at Lord Yellow Mountain.
Lord Yellow Mountain, somewhat embarrassed, pointed downward, "There’s a cave below, this way, little friend..."
Lord Yellow Mountain moved towards the edge of the cliff.
Mo Hua followed, then noticed that the overgrown old vines at the cliff’s edge concealed a steep stone staircase.
Following the stone steps down for several feet, there was a cave.
The cave wasn’t large and was quite shallow.
Mo Hua entered the cave, only then discovering a divine statue hiding inside.
This divine statue was tall and majestic, with a narrow face, stern eyes, resembling Lord Yellow Mountain somewhat, and the entire statue was cast from fine bronze, with some parts even gilded, making it far superior to the clay sculpture in the broken temple.
Mo Hua was quite surprised, looking at Lord Yellow Mountain, "This wouldn’t be your lifebound divine statue, would it?"
Lord Yellow Mountain smiled slightly, not speaking.
Mo Hua thought it over and decided it couldn’t be.
No matter how much Lord Yellow Mountain trusted him, it couldn’t be so easy to reveal his lifebound divine statue.
Unless he had lost his mind.
People rely on fine clothes, gods rely on golden adornments.
This divine statue was likely his private treasure, used to "keep up appearances."