Chapter 944: The Old Man in Plain Clothes

On the lonely mountain, abandoned wells are everywhere, and it is a desolate place.

The thin orphans in the city, carrying bamboo baskets on their backs, bent over, and picked up rough ore piece by piece with their dirty little hands on the dark ground.

Only in this way can they survive.

Beside them, Mo Hua walked quietly in hiding, with a somewhat depressed look.

Fortunately, Master Gu remembered his instructions and drew a first-grade wind pattern on the bamboo baskets of these orphans, which somewhat reduced their burden and prevented these orphans from being oppressed by heavy ore and covered with bruises.

At present, this is all he can do.

Mo Hua sighed, walked through the orphans picking up ore, and went straight to the hilltop of Shen's family.

He basically visited the entire lonely mountain and other places, but the only hilltop of Shen's family was left, which he had not been to.

There must be something strange on that hilltop.

Mo Hua wanted to go invisibly to take a look.

After walking for a while, the vision suddenly opened up, and the continuous mines of the Shen family appeared in front of them.

These mines are large and magnificent, almost occupying half of the lonely mountain, and the planning is relatively neat, and the mines are wide and wide.

These are the traces left by the excavation of large spiritual machines.

The periphery of the Shen family mine is set up with a whole circle of formations for warning. Inside the mine, there are also some Shen family monks stationed, occasionally patrolling around.

The formation is of the second grade, and the Shen family monks are only at the foundation building stage.

This is an abandoned mine. It can't mine ore and it's no longer profitable. Naturally, it's impossible to send a Jindan elder to guard it.

Even having a foundation building garrison is already a luxury.

But the foundation building monks can't stop Mo Hua at all, let alone those second-grade formations.

Mo Hua drew his finger, and the ink color flashed. The formation at the border of the mine was cracked and a gap opened by itself.

Mo Hua passed through the gap and approached the Shen family mine.

As soon as he stepped onto the land of the mine, Mo Hua's eyes suddenly darkened, and there seemed to be countless desperate wails, but in a blink of an eye, they all disappeared. Mo Hua looked around, and there was nothing unusual around him.

The sun above his head was still bright.

But Mo Hua always felt that the sunlight shining on his body was a little cold.

Mo Hua's face was slightly gloomy. He walked on the rocks, avoiding the patrolling Shen family monks and the scattered traps and formations nearby, and walked around the Shen family mine.

He stepped on most of the hills.

The mines in the mountains were dug very deep, and most of them were closed, so he could not go deeper, and he could only take a rough look.

But after looking for a long time, he still found nothing.

With his spiritual sense and causal perception, he didn't see any clues.

"How can there be no clues at all..."

Mo Hua frowned.

Seeing that it was getting late and the sun was setting, he left the Shen family mine first.

When he reached the edge of the mine, Mo Hua pointed his finger, and the ink patterns intertwined again, repairing the broken formation and covering his own traces.

Then he came to a nearby mountain peak, climbed up and looked far away, and had a panoramic view of the Shen family mine.

Looking at it, Mo Hua suddenly remembered what Xie Ling said to him:

"Practice the art of geomancy, feel the qi of heaven and earth, distinguish the qi of mountains and rivers, and determine life and death and burials..."

"What exactly are the qi of heaven and earth, the qi of mountains and rivers?"

Mo Hua slowly closed his eyes, let go of his consciousness, calmed down, gave up his ego, and kept the belief of "harmony between man and nature" in his heart to feel the heaven and earth, and to find the so-called qi of heaven and earth and the qi of mountains and rivers.

All things in the world disappeared.

The sky looked down on the common people, and the earth was vast and boundless.

A sense of mystery arose spontaneously.

There was indeed a wisp of white qi between heaven and earth.

Mo Hua felt vaguely that he seemed to have realized something, but he didn't know if his realization was right.

With the thought of just in case, Mo Hua followed the aura and walked forward.

The aura rose and fell along the mountains, ethereal and uncertain.

Mo Hua also followed the aura and walked through the mountains.

After walking a full circle, the aura disappeared. Mo Hua looked carefully. The surrounding mountain scenery was unfamiliar, but still desolate and ordinary.

This aura brought him to a dead end.

Mo Hua shook his head.

"Sure enough, there is no such a cheap thing. You can learn anything without learning..."

Mo Hua turned around and prepared to leave, but just as he turned his head, he saw a person sitting at the bottom of the hill in the distance.

This person was an old man, wearing cloth clothes, and he didn't look like a mining cultivator.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, withdrew the invisibility technique, and walked towards the old man in cloth clothes.

When he got closer and saw it clearly, Mo Hua found that the old man was thin, his face was slightly dark, his eyes were full of brilliance, and his cultivation was probably at the peak of foundation building.

The old man was sitting cross-legged on a rock, looking at the distant mountains, wondering what he was thinking.

Seeing someone coming, he frowned, turned around and saw the handsome Mo Hua. After a little surprise, his eyes lit up and he said:

"It's fate that I can meet you in this mountainous place with no people."

His voice was hoarse, but it was kind.

Mo Hua seemed to be relieved and asked, "Senior, what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking at the mountains." The old man said.

"Looking at the mountains?" Mo Hua looked around, a little puzzled, "There are barren mountains and dry waters all around, bare, what's there to see?"

The old man shook his head, "Everything in the world has appearances on the outside and doors on the inside. High mountains, steep mountains, dangerous mountains and bad waters, barren mountains and dry waters are all appearances, the shape of the mountain. But under the shape of the mountain, there are still mountain forces, and under the mountain forces, there are ground veins."

Leylines...

Mo Hua was stunned and praised: "Old senior, you know so much."

"Excuse me." The old man said calmly, then he thought for a moment and then said, "I wonder where you are from, little friend? Why are you here alone in this barren mountain?"

Mo Hua cupped his hands and said: "I am a disciple of a small sect nearby. I am studying with my teacher. I passed by Gushan, so I went to the mountain to have a look. Unexpectedly, I was careless and took the wrong mountain road, so I ended up here and met my senior."

A smile appeared on the old man's wrinkled face, "In that case, my little friend and I are really destined to be together."

"It is indeed fate," Mo Hua nodded, and then sat down cross-legged, imitating the old man and looking into the distance, but there were only barren mountains and nothing else in the distance.

Mo Hua retracted his gaze, turned his head, and looked in front of the old man.

In front of the old man was a ball of sand, with several lines painted on the sand.

Mo Hua said in surprise: "Old senior, are you an array master?"

The old man raised his eyebrows and said, "Little brother, do you still know the formation?"

Mo Hua said shyly: "I know a little bit."

The old man became interested, "Where did my little brother learn from you?"

"I dare not say 'teacher'," Mo Hua said modestly, "I just learned a little bit from the sect's teaching place."

The old man nodded and praised: "Nowadays, people in the world are exaggerated, and they love false fame. They learn one point but only play ten points. Xiaoyou comes from a sect, and it is really commendable that he can be so humble."

Mo Hua was a little embarrassed, "Senior, you are so complimentary."

Then he looked at the formations on the sand in front of the old man and asked more humbly:

"Old senior, I seem to have never seen these formations before, and my sect has never taught them. They look very profound. Is there anything special about them?"

The old man took a deep look at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua also looked at the old man, his eyes clear.

I don’t know if it was influenced by this “clear” temperament, but the old man’s love for talents suddenly grew. He stroked his beard and said:

"We are destined to meet each other. Today I will teach you some secret formation inheritance that even the four major sects and eight gates may not be able to include."

Mo Hua opened his mouth, his innocent face full of shock.

The old man pointed to the lines on the ground and asked Mo Hua: "Can you tell what formation lines these are?"

Mo Hua thought about it for a moment, "It's a bit like the Five Elements Earth Element Pattern...but not exactly like it."

The old man nodded, "Yes, this is the ground formation."

Ground formation...

Mo Hua's expression changed, and he was really shocked now.

"Senior, what is this formation used for?" Mo Hua humbly asked for advice.

"There are many types of ground formations and they have many uses," the old man said, "but the most common ones are related to the earth."

The old man pointed to the abandoned mine ahead, "For example, there are many ground formations buried in the mountains ahead."

Mo Hua's heart was moved, and then he pretended not to know and asked: "Do you mean that we need to use ground formations to mine mines?"

"No." The old man shook his head.

"That's... to detect mineral veins, do you need to use ground formations?"

"No."

"Then..." Mo Hua frowned.

The old man looked solemn and said in a deep voice: "It's a tomb."

Mo Hua murmured: "Tomb..."

"Yes," the old man said with emotion as he looked at the mountains in the distance, "the earth tolerates all things, not only the living, but also the dead."

"When a person is alive, he is born on the earth, and after death, he sleeps under the earth."

"But the living do not leave the dead in peace."

"If the dead want to be at peace, they must build tombs and draw formations. With the power of formations, the tombs can be hidden in the earth's veins, blended with the earth, be close to the Tao Yun, and gain the protection of heaven and earth, thus staying away from the causal entanglements of living people."

"This type of formation is the ground formation."

"The ground formation..." Mo Hua was in a daze, then suddenly realized and said in surprise, "You said that there are ground formations buried in the mountains in front, doesn't it mean... that there are tombs buried in the mines in front?"

The old man nodded, "Not bad."

"But..." Mo Hua frowned, "There must be a mine ahead. There are so many mines, how can there be tombs?"

"Besides, those mountains are unremarkable. If there are tombs built, how could they not be visible at all?"

The old man said with a smile: "A layman looks at the excitement, an expert looks at the door. Under the impetuous appearance, there is a deep door. Outsiders know nothing about it, so naturally they can't see anything."

"Expert..." Mo Hua muttered to himself, and asked in a low voice: "Senior, what exactly do you do?"

The old man smiled softly and did not answer.

Mo Hua looked a little worried and wanted to get up quietly, but when he turned around, he found three people walking from a distance.

The three of them were all short in stature and were wearing cloth clothes with some earthy smell on them.

They all deliberately restrained their auras, but Mo Hua could sense that these three people were all of the same color, all of them were golden elixirs, and their spiritual energy aura was a bit weird.

Mo Hua then stood up, cupped his hands and said:

"I benefited a lot from listening to what my senior said. It's getting late, so it's time for the teacher to find me, so I'll leave first."

But the old man shook his head, "You can't leave."

Mo Hua's face changed slightly, "Senior, what do you mean?"

"For no reason, why do you think I have to tell you so many things?"

"Isn't this... because we are destined?"

The commoner old man laughed, "Little brother, you are young, I will teach you one thing: when walking in the world of cultivation, don't talk to strangers."

"The cultivation world is dangerous, you don't know who is talking to you."

"You don't know what they are planning either?"

"Just like now, you don't know who I am..."

The old man in plain clothes changed his aura, no longer kind, and his face showed a gloomy smile like a vulture.

Mo Hua wanted to run, but in a flash, three Jindan surrounded him and blocked his escape direction.

"Someone really walked into the trap."

"We searched outside for a long time, but didn't find any good stuff. But unexpectedly, there is a fool who came to the door by himself..."

"Mr. Pi is so lucky..."

"She is delicate and tender, and her cultivation is not low. She looks really good..."

Mo Hua looked flustered, "I... I am a disciple of the sect, and the elders of the sect are in the city. If you attack me, aren't you afraid of offending the elders?"

Several people were unmoved.

One of them sneered, "What good sects can there be near Gushan City? Also, looking at your spiritual power, at most you have a mid-level spiritual root. With this qualification, what good sect can you join?"

Mo Hua was a little unhappy.

However, if there were three Jindan and one at the peak of foundation building, he would definitely not be the opponent.

"Run away first, then call for help, find a way to catch these thieves, throw them into Dao Prison, torture them slowly, and find out their intentions..."

Mo Hua gradually made up his mind, but on the surface, he still looked panicked:

"I... I am just a foundation building disciple. It's useless for you to catch me."

Mo Hua released his spiritual sense, looking for the flaws of the few people, thinking of using the water shadow to escape.

"Why is it useless? You are very useful. Without you, we..."

"Shut up, what are you talking about? Catch him first."

The men were about to start fighting, but were stopped by the old man, "Wait, this kid is delicate and tender. Once he gets hurt or accidentally kills him, he will be useless..."

"I'll be careful."

"Being careful won't work... You guys are rough."

"It's really troublesome."

"Nonsense, there are a lot of requirements for offering that thing. It must be intact, with its spirit, blood, flesh and bones. It can't be damaged at all, otherwise it may not be able to open the door..."

"It's not easy to find one in this wilderness. If you accidentally kill him, where can you find another one?"

"That's right..."

Mo Hua paused and frowned slightly.

The old man in plain clothes looked at Mo Hua and said in a gentler tone:

"My friend, you are so young, we won't make things difficult for you. How about this, you just do us a favor, and after the task is completed, we will let you go and give you a generous gift, which will ensure that you will have no worries about food and clothing, no worries about spiritual stones, and success in cultivation."

Mo Hua shook his head: "I don't believe it."

"Boy, don't you understand the situation..." One person sneered and wanted to attack Mo Hua.

The old man stopped him with a stern look, then looked at Mo Hua and said slowly:

"Little brother, I'll tell you the truth. In this situation, you have no other choice..."

"Either we kill you now and throw your body into the mine, where it will be eaten by mountain monsters. Your parents and your sect elders will never find you."

"Or, you come with us and do us a small favor. After the job is done, I will keep you alive and give you benefits."

When Mo Hua heard that his body was going to be thrown into the mine, his face turned pale. After a while of fear, he finally seemed to accept his fate and asked:

"You... don't lie to me?"

"I won't lie to you."

"After the job is done, will you really give me benefits?"

The old man turned his head and said to one of the big men: "Take something out."

The big man was slightly stunned, "What?"

"Dig it out from below, just take it out." The old man said.

The big man was a little reluctant, but he still touched his sleeve and took out a small jade pendant and threw it to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua took it and found that the jade was black jade in color, cold to the touch, and stained with a damp and cold aura of yin and death.

"This is just a small amount. If you listen to me and work hard, there will be more benefits later." The old man said.

Mo Hua believed it now. He accepted the jade and nodded, "Okay."

The old man nodded with satisfaction, and then said to the big man next to him: "Take out a pair of shackles and handcuff him."

Mo Hua was shocked, "Why do you want to handcuff me?"

"Don't be afraid, this is just in case." The old man said, "If you are really obedient, I will untie you later."

"Oh..."

The big man took out a pair of heavy shackles and wanted to put them on Mo Hua.

Mo Hua's eyelids jumped.

Third-grade shackles? !

"No, if he is handcuffed, he will definitely not be able to escape. His life and death are in the hands of others..." Mo Hua's mind moved slightly, "I still have to escape first, and then act according to the situation."

But before he could really escape, the old man in plain clothes frowned and said, "Why are you using third-grade shackles? Do you want to tire him to death?"

"Didn't I say that there must be no damage to the skin, blood, bones and flesh? He has just established his foundation, so change him to a second-grade one."

"Okay." The big man said, and then changed to a second-grade one.

Mo Hua was silent for a moment, then stretched out his hand and let the group of people handcuff him obediently.

"Let's go." The old man said.

So the old man led the way in front, and the group of five walked towards an abandoned mine not far away.

Around the mine, there were half-new and half-old stone chips dug out, as well as narrow and long crane beak chisel marks.

Mo Hua's mind moved.

These traces were almost identical to what he had seen on Lonely Mountain before. It seemed that these people were indeed the group of tomb robbers.

"Did they really find a tomb in the mine?"

"Are they taking themselves with them to the grave?"

"But why do you have to take yourself with you? You also require spirit, spirit, skin, blood, flesh and bones, intact. Could it be..."

Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly.

Approaching the entrance of the mine, several people took out their spiritual weapons and prepared to dig something, but before they started, one of the golden elixirs said:

"Wait, there's someone!"

Everyone was shocked, turned around, followed the sound, and saw a group of people walking not far away.

The person in front of him was a young man, dressed luxuriously, with an arrogant face and an angry look on his face.

Mo Hua recognized this person as Shen Qingsheng.

Behind him, there were five or six Shen family monks.

Shen Qingsheng saw the ink painting from a long distance away, pointed his finger and said sharply:

"Mo! I finally caught you. You are dead today!"