Chapter 801: The Little Immortal Child
Who exactly was this Little Immortal Child?
Where did he come from?
Mo Hua had no recollection of anything like that.
"When did this happen?"
Old Yu replied,
"It's been over a year. After little Shunzi and Shuizi were rescued, the villagers built a small shrine behind the village, sculpted a statue, and started offering incense."
Mo Hua's eyes flickered.
"Can you take me to see it?"
"Of course… but," Old Yu hesitated,
"Benefactor, weren't you in a rush?"
"I'll just take a quick look, then leave."
"Alright."
Old Yu nodded and told his grandsons, Shunzi and Shuizi, to watch the house. Then he led Mo Hua to the back of the village.
The rear of the village was still just as quiet as before, with very few homes.
The well that led to the Blood-Soaked Fishing Village was still there—though of course, the formation used to activate the entrance had long since been erased by Mo Hua.
Not far from the well, carved into the mountainside, was a small shrine.
In front of it was a simple offering table, with fruits and sacrifices laid out. At the center stood a clay statue.
Mo Hua stared at the statue, falling into thought.
The clay figure depicted a "Little Immortal Child." It was crudely made—obviously sculpted by the villagers themselves—but not without charm. The figure carried a golden sword on its back, seated upright in a stately pose, exuding an aura of righteous majesty.
The thing was… the statue's facial features and expression looked very familiar to Mo Hua.
His expression grew complex, and he asked Old Yu:
"Why did you all make a statue of this Little Immortal Child?"
Old Yu's face turned solemn as he slowly began to explain:
"To be honest, Benefactor… not long after the children were saved, all of us in the village had the same nightmare."
"In that dream, there was a monstrous fish demon—its head as large as a temple, whiskers as thick as tree trunks, blood dripping all over its body, fangs gleaming white… terrifying. It went about devouring people everywhere."
"Then, at the height of its rampage, a small celestial being descended from the heavens."
"The little immortal radiated golden light, stepping through the air, holding a golden sword. With a single stroke, he subdued the fish demon, then with a flash of golden light, chopped off its head—ending the disaster. Thanks to that, our fishing village was spared from a terrible calamity…"
Old Yu sighed with a look of deep gratitude.
"But that little celestial being only appeared in the dream. He came without a trace and vanished just as suddenly. Once he killed the fish demon, he disappeared."
"To express our thanks, we built this shrine, sculpted his statue, and on holidays we make offerings."
"When the weather's bad, or strange things start happening, we come here to burn a stick of incense to the golden-sword-bearing little celestial, praying for calm winds and smooth waters, for peace in the village…"
Mo Hua was dumbfounded.
Everything Old Yu described— Wasn't that exactly what Mo Hua had done?!
So after all this time…
He himself was the little celestial?!
Mo Hua's expression turned… complicated.
He was still curious, though, and asked sneakily, "So when you pray to me—to this little celestial—does it actually work?"
Old Yu nodded enthusiastically. "It works, it really works!"
"Really?"
"Of course," Old Yu replied, eyes full of reverence.
"If there's endless rain, a prayer to the little celestial and the sky clears up in days. If the fishing's bad, praying turns our luck around. Just the other day, Old Yu's second son was pulled underwater by a water demon—nearly got dragged to the bottom. Miraculously, he survived, and he swears it was because he prayed before going into the river."
"And Old Zhao's wife at the village entrance—difficult childbirth. They came and prayed, and both mother and child came through safe and sound!"
Mo Hua: "…"
He hadn't known he was this amazing. Able to safeguard pregnancies too…
"Was there ever a time it didn't work?" he asked.
Old Yu thought about it.
"Occasionally. But that's definitely because we weren't sincere enough, or maybe we were too greedy—asking for too much. That's when the little celestial doesn't respond."
"He's definitely very busy—he can't always be looking after us. When he helps, it's a kindness. When he doesn't, that's his right. We shouldn't complain."
"A greedy heart swallows like a snake. Those who ask for too much… will suffer retribution."
Old Yu's face was full of solemn understanding.
Mo Hua nodded.
He had to admit… Old Yu's explanation was actually pretty airtight.
Mo Hua glanced again at the shrine—the little celestial, bearing a golden sword, seated proudly, bathed in incense smoke…
And then a strange question floated into his mind:
"Can I really eat incense?"
He remembered Huang Shan-jun once said—only gods could eat incense offerings.
But he was a living, breathing human. How could he eat incense?
And besides, ever since the villagers started worshipping this "little celestial," he hadn't noticed anything different about himself.
So if he wasn't eating the incense…
Who was?
Was the incense being redirected somewhere else?
Some hidden karmic force?
Mo Hua couldn't make sense of it. He looked at the clay statue again. Suddenly, his divine sense moved slightly, and his eyes flickered with surprise. But he didn't say anything.
Instead, he turned to Old Yu and said: "I've seen enough. It's getting late—Grandpa Yu, I'll be heading back now."
"Safe travels, Benefactor," Old Yu said. "Let me walk you out."
He personally escorted Mo Hua to the village entrance, watching him leave before returning home. There, he told his grandsons:
"Take good care of the items the Benefactor gave you."
The two boys carefully hung the water-repelling jade pendants around their necks.
Old Yu nodded,
"Don't be fooled by the Benefactor's age—he's a disciple of a great sect. He carries a powerful legacy, has incredible knowledge, insight, and skill—all top-tier."
"You must remember every word he said. Never forget it."
Then he sighed deeply and added: "We may be poor rogue cultivators, living a hard life, but we still need to hold to righteousness."
"I'm old now—this life is what it is. I don't have the ability to repay the Benefactor's kindness. But you two are different. You're young. You still have a long road ahead."
"If you grow strong in the path of cultivation someday, you must find a way to repay this great kindness."
The two boys nodded seriously:
"Yes, Grandpa. We'll remember!"
"Good."
Old Yu beamed with pride and satisfaction.
...
Meanwhile, in the back of the small fishing village…
Before the shrine of the little celestial, the incense curled upward into the air. No one was around.
But then, the figure of Mo Hua, who had already left, gradually reappeared.
His gaze was deep and penetrating as he stared at the shrine for a while longer, then slowly said:
"Come out."
There was no response from the shrine.
Mo Hua frowned slightly.
Just as he was beginning to lose patience, a faint silver light shimmered within the shrine. A small, pure-white silver fish slowly swam out, trembling as it moved. It bobbed its head toward Mo Hua repeatedly, as if kowtowing.
At the same time, a clear, delicate voice sounded in Mo Hua's mind:
"Greetings, Benefactor…"
Mo Hua blinked in surprise.
He had sensed something sneaky hiding in the shrine, but he hadn't expected it to be… a silver fish?
And surprisingly, the silver fish's divine sense was pure—completely free of demonic taint or evil aura.
Thinking back on everything, Mo Hua suddenly understood.
"You're… the river god I cut down before?"
The little silver fish trembled and spoke softly:
"Yes, Benefactor…"
"That's odd," Mo Hua frowned.
"Old Yu calls me Benefactor because I saved him. But I chopped you up. Why are you calling me that?"
The silver fish replied meekly: "Though Benefactor killed me, you also saved me. You showed mercy… and spared my life…"
"Showed mercy?"
Mo Hua paused, and then it clicked— When he had slain the corrupted river god and was rifling through its altar, he had discovered a small blood-colored fish.
At the time, he instinctively tried to crush it.
But the little fish had thrashed around desperately, shaking off its tainted blood and revealing its clean silver-white scales.
Mo Hua had sensed that it bore no blood-taint or demonic aura. Feeling a spark of compassion, he had spared its life.
Then the little fish turned into silver light and swam away—he hadn't known where it went.
So… it was that little fish.
Mo Hua nodded in realization and asked,
"What's your true origin?"
The silver fish replied in a whisper: "To tell Benefactor the truth, I was once the river god of the Yanshui River, guardian of the waters, nourished by the incense and faith of the fishing cultivators… thereby sustaining my divine path."
"But one day, a terrifying evil god invaded my domain, polluting my divine sense. Eventually, the whole fishing village was slaughtered, my divine foundation was destroyed…"
"With no foundation left, I became a mere puppet of the evil god. Over the years, I was slowly corrupted… only a sliver of clarity remained."
"That last sliver of clarity was about to fade when Young Master appeared, slayed the evil god, and cut down my corrupted divine body. You even let me go free. Now I dwell in this very shrine—your shrine—and feed off your incense."
"To me, that is a rebirth… so of course, you are my Benefactor."
Mo Hua was speechless.
He hadn't even realized how many good deeds he had unintentionally done.
"You had your divine body cut away, and only your divine sense remains…"
Mo Hua's heart trembled.
It was just like Huang Shan-jun.
Back then, Huang Shan-jun had fallen to corruption, taken an evil path, and was slain by a senior of the Great Void Sect using a divine-sense-forged sword. Only a sliver of pure divine sense was preserved—allowing him to be reborn as a lowly mountain spirit.
This little silver fish… was the same.
Only difference being—Mo Hua was the one who did the cutting.
"So, are you still a river god now?" Mo Hua asked.
The silver fish nodded its tiny head.
"I retain a fragment of my river god authority, but most of my powers, and even my divine memories… were severed."
"Severed?" Mo Hua blinked.
"Then… do you still remember what happened? Your divine powers? Or anything about the evil god that corrupted you?"
The silver fish shook its head.
"Most of it was lost after the severing."
"Ah…"
Mo Hua felt a bit disappointed.
He had really wanted to know how evil gods corrupted divine beings, and more importantly, how divine beings cultivated their divine powers.
Especially that terrifying Blood Sea Divine Art used by the corrupted river god—it had left a deep impression on him.
But now, it seemed that chance had slipped away.
Divine beings were born from Dao.
And it appeared this Dao contained both abilities and memories. The two complemented each other, intrinsic from the start.
And when the Dao was cut, everything was lost.
Mo Hua silently pondered.
Then the silver fish suddenly looked a bit guilty and whispered:
"Benefactor, forgive me… I've been secretly eating your incense offerings…"
"It's fine," Mo Hua waved it off generously.
"Eat all you like."
After all… it's not like he could eat it.
"But since you're taking in incense and bearing the karmic debt, you must protect this fishing village."
"Don't bother with greedy folks, and don't force yourself beyond your limits… but for the things you can do, don't be lazy."
"And one more thing… don't fall back into the dark path."
Mo Hua warned seriously.
The silver fish, elated to be granted permission, wiggled its tail joyfully and nodded repeatedly:
"Thank you, Benefactor! I will remember your teachings well!"
Mo Hua nodded.
"Alright. I should be going."
The silver fish respectfully said:
"Safe travels, Benefactor."
Mo Hua glanced once more at the shrine of the little celestial, then turned and departed.
The silver fish, watching him go, quietly slipped back into the shrine, hiding behind the awe-inspiring statue of the little celestial and peacefully munching on Mo Hua's incense.
Most divine beings, once they fall to corruption and have their divine path severed, are destroyed completely.
The fact that it had survived at all was already a miracle.
Let alone having a shrine to dwell in, and incense to feed upon, to gradually restore its divine status—that was an immense blessing.
The silver fish chewed incense with a grateful heart.
Meanwhile, Mo Hua didn't linger.
He rode a carriage straight back to the Great Void Sect.
Upon returning, he sent a message to Gu Changhuai:
"Uncle Gu, is Guo Jianglong still alive?"
After a while, Gu Changhuai replied: "He's alive."
Mo Hua: "He's actually alive?"
Gu Changhuai:
"…You want him dead or something?"
Mo Hua: "No, I just figured… carrying that many secrets and leaking so much intel, someone would've silenced him in Dao Prison by now. Didn't expect him to be so resilient…"
Gu Changhuai: "I'm watching him."
He'll die when it's time to die—your 'watching' won't help… Mo Hua grumbled internally.
But he didn't say that aloud—Uncle Gu was petty and had a long memory for grudges.
Gu Changhuai suddenly got suspicious. "Why the sudden interest in Guo Jianglong?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then asked: "Uncle Gu, do you know anything about the incident at Hundred Flowers Valley?"
Gu Changhuai: "What incident?"
Mo Hua: "A senior sister committed suicide."
Gu Changhuai let out a deep sigh.
Does this kid have spirit-ears or what? How does he hear about everything…
He gave a noncommittal "Mm."
Mo Hua was surprised.
"Uncle Gu, you actually know about it?"
Gu Changhuai replied, a little defensively: "I'm still a Dao Court inspector!"
Mo Hua: "Weren't you sidelined though?"
Gu Changhuai paused, annoyed: "Even if sidelined, I'm still the inspector!"
Mo Hua asked: "Then… did you go investigate Hundred Flowers Valley?"
"No…" Gu Changhuai replied. "Men aren't allowed in Hundred Flowers Valley. Not even Dao Court officials."
"So Dao Court just ignores it?" Mo Hua asked.
Gu Changhuai: "We'll look into it."
Mo Hua was puzzled. "Didn't you say men aren't allowed to enter?"
Gu Changhuai couldn't help but retort, "Is it possible you've never considered that the Dao Tribunal also has female inspectors?"
Mo Hua was stunned. "There are female inspectors? Who?"
Gu Changhuai replied, "She was transferred in from elsewhere. You don't know her—even if I told you, you wouldn't recognize the name."
"Oh…" Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "Why was a female inspector suddenly—"
"Stop right there!" Gu Changhuai cut him off, annoyed. "Don't ask questions like that. It involves personnel movement in the Dao Tribunal. Even if you ask, I won't tell you."
"Okay, okay…" Mo Hua muttered.
Gu Changhuai asked, "You still haven't said why you suddenly brought up Guo Jianglong. Does it have something to do with the incident in Hundred Flowers Valley?"
"Yeah," Mo Hua said. "The senior sister who committed suicide in Hundred Flowers Valley had the surname Ye—she was from the Ye Clan in Yanshui City."
"And the Ye Clan had a young master who was killed last year."
"The one who killed that Young Master Ye... was Guo Jianglong."
"I suspect that the deceased Young Master Ye and the senior sister who committed suicide are somehow connected."
Gu Changhuai hadn't taken it seriously at first, but as he listened, his expression grew more solemn.
He hadn't expected Mo Hua to have already dug so deeply and mapped out the connections so clearly.
With this level of insight, he'd definitely be more than qualified to serve as an inspector in the Dao Tribunal in the future…
"So you want me to interrogate Guo Jianglong, find out why he killed that Young Master Ye, and at the same time use the Dao Tribunal's resources to investigate that Young Master Ye and the female disciple with the surname Ye from Hundred Flowers Valley—to see how they're related?"
Mo Hua nodded, praising, "As expected of Uncle Gu—too smart!"
Gu Changhuai: "…"
Mo Hua added with a hint of worry, "Uncle Gu, you've been sidelined… can you still conduct investigations?"
Gu Changhuai snorted coldly, "Sidelined doesn't mean dismissed. Just wait—I'll let you know when I find something."
"Mhm!" Mo Hua nodded.
After that, the message talisman went silent.
It seemed Gu Changhuai got busy.
Mo Hua still had to attend classes, so he could only wait patiently.
Though, outside of class, he had plenty on his plate.
After his trip to Withered Mountain and his chat with Lord Huangshan, Mo Hua gained a lot.
First was the matter of "Sword Manifestation through Divine Sense." From Lord Huangshan's descriptions, Mo Hua had some new inspiration.
Perhaps he could abandon the sword as a physical object and even give up sword qi—maybe he could try using his eyes to cultivate sword intent.
The eyes are the windows of the soul—and a key channel for externalizing divine sense.
With the right training, maybe he could develop a technique where his gaze itself drives sword-intent attacks.
Whenever he was alone, Mo Hua gave it a shot.
Unsurprisingly, every attempt failed.
No matter how hard he squinted, stared, or rolled his eyes… no sword light came out of them.
Still, he wasn't discouraged.
No powerful technique is mastered overnight.
The more profound a sword art, the more it requires years of relentless tempering and refinement.
Mo Hua resolved to practice it daily in his spare time.
Maybe one day, his eyes really would shoot out sword beams.
Another matter that piqued Mo Hua's interest was what Lord Huangshan called… "Divine Sense Dao-Transformation."
He had always believed he was walking the path of cultivating divine sense to attain Dao.
But after talking with Huangshan-jun, he suddenly realized—he might have accidentally wandered onto a very strange path.
His path of divine sense cultivation might be fundamentally different from that of other divine cultivators… even different from the route his master had planned for him.
Strictly speaking, his path shouldn't be called "cultivating Dao through divine sense."
It should be called "Divine Sense Dao-Transformation."
Using one's divine sense to initiate a transformation into divinity—a road of becoming a god through one's own consciousness.
Mo Hua let out a long sigh.
His master probably never imagined that after training the Tianyan Art and devouring a few evil spirits, his disciple would accidentally swerve onto the road to godhood.
Mo Hua couldn't help but worry.
"With Master gone, and I've already gone off track… who knows what the future holds…"
But the more he thought about it, the more he realized… this wasn't the only thing he'd learned "wrong."
He was already used to picking up unorthodox things here and there.
At this point, he'd already accepted it: he might as well keep moving forward, even if the path is crooked. Worrying wouldn't change a thing.
Mo Hua let the concern fade and tossed it out of his mind.
Take one step at a time.
Cultivation has always been about step-by-step perseverance. No one knows how far they'll go in the end.
As long as his Dao heart remained firm and he kept moving forward, that was enough—no need for excessive worry.
Mo Hua nodded to himself.
From then on, he focused on cultivation, continuing to experiment with using his eyes to release divine-sense swords whenever he had the chance.
He also kept waiting for news from Gu Changhuai.
But after several days, there was still no word.
Mo Hua couldn't help but frown.
If Uncle Gu couldn't uncover anything, then where should he start?
He couldn't seriously sneak into Hundred Flowers Valley… could he?
At the thought, Mo Hua's mind stirred—then he shook his head.
"…I probably couldn't sneak in, right?"
(End of Chapter)