In the vast and hollow cave dwelling, only the Patriarch of the Qian Family was left.
He looked down at his hands that resembled dried sticks, noticed the brown age spots on the back of his hands, and the occasionally peeling dead skin, his eyes numb.
“Am I about to die…”
The Patriarch of the Qian Family muttered, his voice hoarse beyond measure.
After speaking, he began to cough violently, as if he were about to cough out his heart and lungs.
The old Qian Family Patriarch quickly took a jade bottle from his bosom, shakily poured out a pill, and placed it in his mouth with great care, closing his eyes to assimilate the medicine’s strength.
Once the medicine took effect, the coughing subsided.
Only then did the Patriarch of the Qian Family slowly open his eyes, which faintly showed traces of blood.
“But… I still don’t want to die…”
After leaving the Patriarch’s cave dwelling, Qian Hong immediately had people inquire who had spoken to the Patriarch and what had been said.
At night, someone reported to him:
“It was the Court Leader from the Taoist Court who specifically visited the Patriarch, seemingly advising the Qian Family not to trouble the Junior Formation Master.”
Qian Hong frowned, “With no kinship or obligation, why would the Court Leader speak up for that Junior Formation Master?”
He also recalled what the Patriarch had said, “If that Junior Formation Master were killed, just how many people would I be offending…”
Qian Hong went over the list of people Mo Hua knew and had someone inquire around, eventually receiving a piece of paper.
Qian Hong glanced at it and then slumped into his chair.
How could it be like this?
The sheer number of names on the paper gave Qian Hong an unbearable headache:
The Court Leader from the Taoist Court intended to protect Mo Hua, and Supervisor Zhang Lan from the Taoist Court was acquainted with Mo Hua, with the Zhang Family standing behind Court Leader Zhang.
Among the Monster Hunters, it goes without saying that Elder Yu is overprotective.
Regardless of their level, most of the Monster Hunters have been benefitted by the young man and were willingly safeguarding him.
Among the Loose Cultivators, the majority of Artifact Refiners and Alchemists also knew Mo Hua.
Especially the widely connected Old Mr. Feng, who had watched Mo Hua grow up.
The young master of the An Family was friends with Mo Hua. Old Master An was inherently at odds with the Qian Family, and naturally, he would side with Mo Hua in any issue. Moreover, as a leading Formation Master, it made even less sense for Old Master An not to help.
Among the Formation Masters of Tongxian City, the leading Formation Master Luo had made it known that the city’s Formation Masters should not trouble Mo Hua.
Even within the Qian Family, Master Qian was unwilling to oppose Mo Hua.
And the three visiting members of the Bai Family from afar, especially the pair of siblings, also seemed to have a good relationship with Mo Hua. Some had seen them strolling through the streets together during the Monster Hunting Festival…
Qian Hong counted these connections one by one, unable to suppress the tingling sensation on his scalp.
Mo Hua was just a teenager, how did he end up knowing so many Cultivators?
If he truly killed Mo Hua, wouldn’t he instantly create a massive problem?
Qian Hong was both shocked and fearful inside.
As the saying goes, even a mighty dragon does not suppress the local serpent.
By all accounts, the Qian Family was the legitimate “local serpent” of Tongxian City.
But now it seemed, if the Qian Family were the local serpent, then this lad Mo Hua was a genuine “Local Dragon.”
Given this situation, how could he possibly lay a hand on him? And how could he dare to do so?
How could things have developed to this point?
Qian Hong’s head throbbed with pain, and it took him a while to finally exhale a breath of relief. He massaged his forehead, and despite his reluctance, he could only helplessly say:
“Given the current circumstances, we can only plan in the long term, and bear with it for now…”
He didn’t want to let Mo Hua off the hook, but at this point, he had no choice but to bear with it.
Just endure for now, there will always be an opportunity…