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Mo Hua quite liked the idea of being able to eat and drink blatantly for free, so naturally he turned no one away.
The next day at noon, Mo Hua set out to attend the banquet.
Leader Yang seemed to have invited quite a number of people, including officials from the Taoist Court and the Taoist soldiers Court, as well as many Monster Hunters.
Mo Hua’s father, Mo Shan, also went, but he arrived early, as he left with Elder Yu, likely because they had matters to discuss.
Mo Hua practiced his Formation Patterns a few times and calculated some Compound Formations before setting out, so he was a bit late, but he should arrive just in time for the start of the feast.
As Mo Hua walked along the road, who would have thought that he’d run into Zhang Lan.
Zhang Lan was swinging around with a reluctant expression, seemingly heading in the same direction.
Mo Hua greeted him, and upon hearing someone calling him and seeing it was Mo Hua, Zhang Lan perked up and joined him.
Mo Hua asked, "Uncle Zhang, are you also going freeload some food?"
Zhang Lan corrected, "It’s called attending a banquet, not freeloading!"
"You can say it that way too."
Zhang Lan clearly disagreed, but then he thought for a moment and realized that attending a banquet and freeloading seemed to be pretty much the same thing.
The streets were quite lively at noon.
They strolled and walked together.
Suddenly remembering something, Mo Hua quietly inquired:
"Is there any new news about Black Mountain Stronghold?"
Zhang Lan was a bit surprised, "What do you want to know?"
"Isn’t the second Householder arrested? Did he say anything?"
Zhang Lan looked around, noting the busy surroundings and that no one was eavesdropping, then whispered to Mo Hua:
"The second Householder is bloodthirsty and has lost his sanity. He only reacts to a few names, and knows nothing else. After inquiring for about ten days, we got nothing from him."
Mo Hua was somewhat disappointed.
Zhang Lan raised an eyebrow, asking in a low voice, "Do you still suspect something?"
Mo Hua released his Divine Sense to check for safety, then also whispered:
"I suspect there are people behind Black Mountain Stronghold..."
Zhang Lan’s eyes narrowed, but he was not surprised.
Mo Hua was taken aback. "Uncle Zhang, do you think the same?"
Zhang Lan nodded, "The power of Black Mountain Stronghold is too great, and it has been entrenched here so long. It’s hardly possible without local support."
Mo Hua directly asked, "Could it be the Qian Family?"
Zhang Lan queried, "Do you know what exactly the Qian Family has done?"
Mo Hua pondered for a while, then shook his head.
He had also thought about it when he had spare time, but after much consideration, he found no connection between the Qian Family and Black Mountain Stronghold.
There were no exchanges of Spirit Stones between the Qian Family and Black Mountain Stronghold, nor had the Qian Family hired Evil Cultivators of the stronghold to kill for them, and there were no cultivators from the Qian Family hiding in the stronghold.
Zhang Lan said, "In situations like this, anyone can be suspected, even the Taoist Court, Elder Yu, and even me, Zhang Lan. You should try to guess..."
"But when you come to a conclusion, you must be cautious and base your judgment on evidence, or else it’s easy to make mistakes."
Mo Hua knew Zhang Lan was guiding him, and he nodded seriously, "Uncle Zhang, I’ll remember that."
This child really catches on to things quickly...
Zhang Lan nodded slightly, feeling gratified yet a little bittersweet.
If it continued like this, he wouldn’t have much left to teach Mo Hua, and naturally, he wouldn’t have anything to show off in front of him either.
It seems like I really need to reach Foundation Establishment soon. Otherwise, I won’t just lose face in front of Mo Hua; even in front of that young fellow Yang Jiyong, I’ll hardly be able to hold my head high...
Zhang Lan lamented inwardly.
Mo Hua, unaware of Zhang Lan’s thoughts, was still troubled by the matter of Black Mountain Stronghold:
"If it’s not the Qian Family, who could it be? What dealings could they possibly have with Black Mountain Stronghold? What exactly have they done to help Black Mountain Stronghold?"
As Mo Hua walked and pondered, the two of them arrived at the Spiritual Meal Building.
Mo Hua temporarily set aside his questions and went up the building with Zhang Lan.
The farewell banquet was lavish, and many guests were present, most of them acquaintances of Mo Hua.
Feeling at ease, Mo Hua took a seat and waited for everyone to start using their chopsticks before he happily began to eat.
Leader Yang sat beside Mo Hua, leaned over and asked quietly:
"Mo Hua, have you given it some thought? Would you like to join the Taoist soldiers Court?"
Mo Hua glanced at his father, Mo Shan.