Tuan Luo akhirnya merasa lega dan mengangguk. 'Baiklah.'
Tetapi mereka tidak terus melewati gerbang barat laut, agar tidak menimbulkan kecurigaan.
Sebagai gantinya, mereka berputar sekali lagi melewati pegunungan, memanfaatkan angin gunung untuk menghapus Qi Darah dan aura pembunuhan di tubuh mereka, menenangkan suasana hati, baru kemudian berpura-pura seolah tidak terjadi apa-apa, memasuki Kota Canglang dari gerbang utara.
Di gerbang kota, masih ada Murid Sekte Canglang yang memeriksa semua orang.
Konvoi itu dihentikan.
Tuan Luo merasa sedikit gelisah, tetapi Mo Hua sudah mengubah ekspresinya, kepala terangkat tinggi, wajah penuh kesombongan, dengan santai melempar Token kepada seorang Murid Sekte Canglang.
Murid itu masih agak kesal, tetapi begitu melihat Token, wajahnya berubah drastis. Ia dengan hormat menangkupkan tangan kepada Mo Hua dan berkata:
'Aku tidak tahu Anda adalah tamu terhormat Pemimpin Sekte. Mohon ampun.'
Begitu kata-kata itu keluar, orang banyak pun gempar, dan kulit kepala Tuan Luo merinding.
Tamu terhormat... Pemimpin Sekte?
'Kenalan' Tuan Muda Mo ini ternyata adalah Pemimpin Sekte Canglang.
Jadi, Pemimpin Sekte Canglang sendiri yang mengundang Tuan Muda Mo ini untuk bertugas di Sekte Canglang?
Tuan Muda Mo ini ternyata punya latar belakang seperti itu?
Tapi...
Ekspresi Tuan Luo sejenak menjadi sangat rumit.
Tak lama kemudian, seorang Tetua Sekte Canglang datang sendiri, menangkupkan tangan kepada Mo Hua dan berkata:
'Tuan Muda, silakan pindah ke aula belakang untuk minum teh. Sebentar lagi, Pemimpin Sekte akan datang sendiri untuk menyambut Anda.'
Pemimpin Sekte akan datang sendiri untuk menyambutnya?!
Ekspresi Tuan Luo terkejut.
Mo Hua, sebaliknya, tampak sama sekali tidak peduli, seolah sudah biasa dengan acara besar. Ia hanya mengangguk sedikit dengan sikap sombong, lalu menunjuk ke arah Tuan Luo dan yang lainnya:
'Mereka semua temanku. Jangan sampai kalian meremehkan mereka.'
Tetua Sekte Canglang menangkupkan tangan. 'Baik.' Lalu ia mengulurkan tangan. 'Silakan.'
Mo Hua dan rombongan Tuan Luo mengikutinya masuk ke kota dan ditempatkan di aula utama untuk minum teh.
Tetua Sekte Canglang hanya bertukar beberapa basa-basi rutin, lalu mundur, tidak mengganggu Mo Hua.
Melihat aula itu luas dan sunyi, tidak ada orang lain di sekitar, Tuan Luo beberapa kali ingin berbicara, tetapi rasa was-was menahannya, dan setiap kali ia terpaksa menelan kata-katanya.
Mo Hua menyapu Kesadaran Ilahi ke sekeliling, lalu menoleh dan berkata kepada Tuan Luo:
'Tidak ada orang lain di sekitar, juga tidak ada telinga di balik dinding. Kalau ada yang ingin kau katakan, Tuan Luo, bicaralah dengan bebas.'
Tuan Luo ragu sejenak, lalu perlahan berkata, 'Tuan Muda Mo, kau... mengenal Pemimpin Sekte Canglang?'
Mo Hua mengangguk. 'Pemimpin Sekte mereka yang mengundangku ke sini.'
Ekspresi Tuan Luo berubah menjadi agak aneh tak terlukiskan.
Mo Hua lalu berkata, 'Tak perlu khawatir, Tuan Luo. Aku mengenal Pemimpin Sekte mereka. Dua Tetua mati—selama kau dan aku tidak membicarakannya, tak ada yang akan menuntut kita.'
'Tidak,' Tuan Luo berkata dengan suara rendah, 'kau tahu apa marga Pemimpin Sekte Canglang?'
Mo Hua tertegun.
Tuan Luo tersenyum pahit. 'Marga Pemimpin Sekte Canglang adalah Duan. Tetua Duan tadi... adalah keponakannya sendiri.'
Ekspresi Mo Hua seketika berubah menjadi cukup ajaib.
'Kenapa kau tidak bilang dari tadi...'
'Kau juga tidak bertanya dari tadi, dan aku tidak tahu ada kaitan di balik semua ini...' Ekspresi Tuan Luo pahit.
Mo Hua menghela napas tak berdaya.
Pemimpin Sekte Canglang mengundangnya untuk datang bertugas di Sekte Canglang.
Tapi begitu ia sampai di gerbang kota, ia malah membantai keponakan orang itu sendiri?
Mo Hua merenung sejenak, lalu ekspresinya tenang kembali. Ia berkata dengan datar:
'Tidak masalah. Lagi pula bukan kita yang membunuhnya. Siapa pun yang mati sebenarnya tidak begitu penting...'
Tuan Luo tidak tahu apa yang seharusnya ia katakan.
Diam-diam ia mengangkat kepala dan melirik Mo Hua.
Tuan Muda Mo ini, setelah membunuh keponakan Pemimpin Sekte Canglang yang ber-Inti Emas, masuk kota dengan angkuh, bahkan diperlakukan oleh Sekte Canglang sebagai tamu terhormat, dan sebentar lagi akan bertemu langsung dengan Pemimpin Sekte.
Tuan Luo terkejut di dalam hati dan penuh kekaguman.
Yang terpenting, dari awal sampai akhir, sikapnya tenang, ekspresinya tidak berubah sedikit pun, dan sungguh tidak ada jejaknya apa pun di wajahnya.
Dalam peristiwa besar, orang harus tetap tenang.
Begitu muda, namun dengan sikap setenang dan sekukuh itu—dia pasti orang yang ditakdirkan untuk hal-hal besar.
Tuan Luo mengagumi dalam hati.
Yang tidak ia ketahui adalah Mo Hua sudah meraba titik spell dari Menanam Iblis di Taoist Heart: ia tidak hanya bisa mempermainkan pikiran orang lain, tetapi juga pikirannya sendiri.
Jika kau ingin menipu orang lain, kau harus lebih dulu menipu dirimu sendiri.
Selama ia percaya bahwa ia tidak membunuh siapa pun, maka ia benar-benar akan menganggapnya seolah tidak membunuh siapa pun.
Karma tetap ada, tetapi setidaknya kau tidak bisa melihat riak emosi apa pun
Luo Master finally felt relieved and nodded. "Alright."
But they didn’t keep going through the northwest gate, so as not to arouse suspicion.
Instead, they looped once more through the mountains, using the mountain wind to wash away the Blood Qi and murderous aura on them, calming their mood, and only then did they pretend to be as if nothing had happened, entering Canglang City from the north gate.
At the city gate, there were still Canglang Sect Disciples checking everyone.
The convoy was stopped.
Luo Master was feeling a bit uneasy, but Mo Hua had already changed his expression, head held high, face full of arrogance, casually tossing a Token to a Canglang Sect Disciple.
That Disciple was still a bit annoyed, but the moment he saw the Token, his face changed drastically. He respectfully cupped his hands to Mo Hua and said:
"I didn’t know you were the Sect Leader’s honored guest. Please forgive me."
As soon as these words came out, the crowd burst into an uproar, and Luo Master’s scalp tingled.
The Sect Leader’s... honored guest?
This Young Master Mo’s "acquaintance" turned out to be the Sect Leader of Canglang Sect.
So it was the Canglang Sect’s Sect Leader who personally invited this Young Master Mo to come serve in Canglang Sect?
This Young Master Mo actually had such a background?
But...
Luo Master’s expression was, for a moment, extremely complicated.
After a while, a Canglang Sect Elder personally came over, cupped his hands to Mo Hua and said:
"Young Master, please move to the hall at the back to have some tea. In a while, the Sect Leader will personally come to receive you."
The Sect Leader will personally come to receive him?!
Luo Master’s expression was alarmed.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, looked utterly nonchalant, as if used to grand occasions. He only nodded slightly with an air of arrogance, then pointed at Luo Master and the others:
"These are all my friends. You mustn’t slight them either."
The Canglang Sect Elder cupped his hands. "Yes." Then he extended his hand. "Please."
Mo Hua and Luo Master’s group followed him into the city and were arranged in the main hall to drink tea.
The Canglang Sect Elder only exchanged a few routine pleasantries, then withdrew, not disturbing Mo Hua.
Seeing that the hall was spacious and quiet, with no one else around, Luo Master wanted to speak several times, but scruples held him back, and he forcibly swallowed the words each time.
Mo Hua swept his Divine Sense around, then turned his head and said to Luo Master:
"There’s no one else around, nor any ears behind the walls. If you have something to say, Luo Master, feel free to speak plainly."
Luo Master hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "Young Master Mo, you... know the Canglang Sect Sect Leader?"
Mo Hua nodded. "It was their Sect Leader who invited me over."
Luo Master’s expression turned a bit indescribably strange.
Mo Hua then said, "No need to worry, Luo Master. I know their Sect Leader. Two Elders died—so long as you and I don’t speak of it, no one will hold us accountable."
"No," Luo Master said in a low voice, "do you know what surname the Canglang Sect’s Sect Leader has?"
Mo Hua was stunned.
Luo Master gave a bitter smile. "The Canglang Sect Sect Leader’s surname is Duan. That Elder Duan just now... was his own nephew."
Mo Hua’s expression immediately turned rather marvelous.
"Why didn’t you say so earlier..."
"You didn’t ask earlier either, and I didn’t know the connections behind all this..." Luo Master’s expression was bitter.
Mo Hua let out a helpless sigh.
The Canglang Sect Sect Leader had invited him to come work in Canglang Sect.
And yet the moment he reached the city gate, he went and butchered the man’s own nephew?
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then his expression calmed again. He said blandly:
"No matter. It wasn’t us who killed him anyway. Whoever died doesn’t really matter..."
Luo Master didn’t know what he was supposed to say.
He secretly lifted his head and glanced at Mo Hua.
This Young Master Mo, after killing the Canglang Sect Golden Core Sect Leader’s own nephew, swaggered into the city, and was even treated by Canglang Sect as an honored guest, soon to meet the Sect Leader in person.
Luo Master was shocked in his heart and filled with utmost admiration.
Most importantly, from beginning to end, his bearing was calm, his expression didn’t change in the slightest, and there really wasn’t the least trace of anything on his face.
In great events, one must remain calm.
So young, yet with such a composed, unruffled demeanor—he was surely someone destined for great things.
Luo Master marveled inwardly.
What he didn’t know was that Mo Hua had already groped out the spell point of Planting Devil in Taoist Heart: he could not only toy with others’ minds, but also with his own.
If you want to fool others, you must first fool yourself.
As long as he believed he hadn’t killed anyone, then he would truly take it as if he hadn’t killed anyone.
The karma was still there, but at least you couldn’t see any ripple of emotion on his face.
Mo Hua was utterly composed, but Luo Master was not.
He couldn’t help feeling guilty, and moreover, whenever he thought of the person he was about to meet—a Third Grade Canglang Sect, that Golden Core Realm Sect Leader Duan like a ferocious tiger, a ravenous wolf, whose very name struck fear—his legs began to tremble, and cold sweat ran down his back.
Mo Hua said, "Relax a little, don’t be nervous. This is all small stuff."
Luo Master’s expression was taut with nerves. "Young Master Mo, what should I say later?"
Mo Hua said simply, "You don’t need to say much later. Just say you escorted me all the way to Canglang City."
Luo Master was still uneasy. "Will that really work?"
Mo Hua nodded. "Rest easy. He not only won’t suspect you, he might even thank you."
Luo Master could only smile bitterly.
Like this, another hour passed. Just as Luo Master was sitting as if on pins and needles, a string of footsteps came from outside the hall.
A man wearing a wolfskin cloak, with dense Cultivation, a stern and gloomy demeanor, and eyes that opened and closed like a hawk and a wolf, strode into the hall.
The atmosphere of the entire hall instantly grew oppressive.
Mo Hua rose and saluted. "Sect Leader, long time no see."
The Canglang Sect Sect Leader showed a smile that was dignified yet not without warmth. "Brother Mo, I failed to welcome you from afar."
Mo Hua also smiled. "I’ve come to disturb you without warning. I hope Sect Leader won’t take offense."
The Canglang Sect Sect Leader shook his head. "For Brother Mo to come in person, I, Duan, couldn’t ask for more. Tongxian City is too small a place. For a dragon among men like Brother Mo, how can you dwell in a corner and waste such great talent?"
Mo Hua cupped his hands. "Sect Leader flatters me."
The two chatted and laughed freely, leaving everyone present, including quite a few Canglang Sect Cultivators, inwardly astonished.
After all, the Sect Leader had always been ruthless and almost never showed a smile.
Those who could make him treat them with such courtesy were few and far between even in all of Canglang City.
The Canglang Sect Sect Leader reminisced with Mo Hua for a bit, then took the seat at the head. His sharp gaze swept once over Luo Master.
Luo Master’s whole body shook.
The pressure of a Golden Core was not something a Cultivator at Foundation Establishment Early Stage like him could bear.
Let alone that just outside the city, he had killed a Canglang Sect Elder and six Disciples.
The Canglang Sect Sect Leader said mildly, "This is... the chief escort of the Luo family’s escort agency?"
Luo Master hurriedly stood up and bowed. "Yes."
The Canglang Sect Sect Leader’s gaze tightened slightly in some confusion, and he asked, "Luo Master, why are you together with Young Master Mo?"
"Young Master Mo... doesn’t know the way. By chance, he met me at the state boundary of the Small Realm Market, and then returned to Canglang City together with the convoy of our escort agency."
Luo Master was nervous, but still followed what Mo Hua had taught him.
The Canglang Sect Sect Leader gave Luo Master a once-over. Seeing him cowed by his aura and looking uneasy, he only felt that was normal. After a moment’s thought, he slightly nodded and said approvingly:
"In that case... I must thank you, Luo Master."
Thank... me...
Luo Master froze, not knowing for a moment what reaction he was supposed to have.
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