After a little while, Zhang Lan arrived, saw Mo Hua, and seemed hesitant to speak.
Mo Hua was slightly startled and then had a hunch, but still pretended not to see him.
Zhang Lan lingered awkwardly for a moment before he approached Mo Hua and coughed, asking, “Reading?”
Mo Hua nodded, chewing on a pastry and not speaking.
Zhang Lan hesitated for a while, not knowing how to begin.
Mo Hua pushed the pastries towards Zhang Lan and said unhurriedly, “Uncle Zhang, would you like to try one? My mother just made them, they’re really tasty.”
Zhang Lan wasn’t in the mood to eat, but he still tried a piece and his eyes lit up, finding them indeed delicious.
After the two had eaten some pastries, Zhang Lan finally started to speak somewhat hesitantly:
“Mo Hua, could you help me out?”
“I can,” Mo Hua replied briskly, his eyes slightly bright, and then asked, “But is there a benefit for me?”
Zhang Lan nodded, “There is, it will be counted as merit with the Taoist Court.”
“Deal!”
Mo Hua let his mother know and then left the eatery with Zhang Lan. They walked out of Tongxian City and entered the outer reaches of Big Black Mountain.
Zhang Lan didn’t say much on the way, and Mo Hua didn’t ask.
Zhang Lan stole a glance at Mo Hua, seeing him humming an indistinct tune, walking with a light step, his expression bright and eyes filled with anticipation, he couldn’t help but ask:
“You seem… quite happy?”
“Yes,” replied Mo Hua cheerfully.
“Why?”
“Aren’t you taking me to see the Taoist Soldiers?” Mo Hua answered.
Zhang Lan opened his mouth, unable to refrain from saying, “How did you know?”
Mo Hua thought for a moment and then listed the reasons to Zhang Lan:
“You hesitated at the door, clearly you had something to say, you previously refused, but now you seemed to have changed your mind.”
“I asked if there was any benefit for me, and you said it would count as merit with the Taoist Court, so it must be something related to the Court.”
“Elder Yu had told me that the Taoist Court had already allocated Taoist Soldiers.”
“You and Elder Yu both didn’t want me to enter Big Black Mountain, but now without saying a word, you’ve brought me to the outer mountain, and Taoist Soldiers act in secret…”
“After thinking it through, it could only mean the Taoist Soldiers dispatched by the Taoist Court have arrived at Tongxian City and are secretly stationed in Big Black Mountain, but they’ve encountered some difficulties and want to consult me.”
Zhang Lan’s expression was complex, the young brain was turning too quickly…
But Mo Hua was happy, “So we really are going to see the Taoist Soldiers?”
Zhang Lan replied helplessly, “Yes.”
Mo Hua looked delighted but then puzzled, “Did you and Elder Yu talk about this? He has been refusing to let me into the mountain recently.”
Zhang Lan sighed, “We talked.”
“Elder Yu actually agreed?” Mo Hua was somewhat surprised.
Zhang Lan sighed again. “Elder Yu was dead against it at first, so I had to invoke the authority of the Taoist Court, even the commander of the Taoist Soldiers, and guaranteed him that no matter what, your safety would be ensured. Left with no choice, Elder Yu then nodded in agreement.”
Zhang Lan looked at Mo Hua and continued:
“Originally, I was also reluctant to let you into the mountain. However, some matters are more urgent than others, and right now we indeed need your help. As long as you don’t enter the Black Mountain Stronghold and don’t run into those in charge, relying on your Concealment Technique and the Water Passing Step, you are actually very safe, perhaps even safer than most of us cultivators.”
After finishing, Zhang Lan felt somewhat emotional.
He had been worried about Mo Hua before and did not want him to enter the mountain or take any unnecessary risks, but after thinking it over, their concerns for Mo Hua were already “outdated.”
The most worrisome time for Mo Hua was when he had sneaked alone into the Black Mountain Stronghold, constantly causing trouble and even coming face to face with one of the leaders.
Now things had changed; Mo Hua’s Divine Sense had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, and it was likely that not even cultivators at that stage of Evil Cultivation could see through his Concealment Technique.
Given Mo Hua’s cleverness and familiarity with Big Black Mountain, together with his seamless Concealment Technique, he truly could be said to be like a fish in water there. Their current worries were, in fact, somewhat superfluous.