Chapter 776: 583: Nightmare_3

Chapter 776: Chapter 583: Nightmare_3

It’s a fifth-rank noble family!

According to rumors swirling around the city, a young master from the Gu Family, of which branch remains unknown, was abducted by human traffickers and his whereabouts are still unknown to this day.

As for the young master’s full name and appearance, the Gu Family has not disclosed any information to the public.

Perhaps it’s because of his special status and certain taboos.

The Gu Family only announced that any information regarding missing cultivator children under ten years of age can be reported to them, and if the information is verified to be true, the Gu Family will offer a generous reward.

They could even provide a spot at the Qian Learning State Boundary…

...

A spot at the learning institution…

Mo Hua already had a Sect-Entering Order, so he had no need for such.

And as for that young master from the Gu Family, he had no idea where he might be.

What he needed to do now was to make sure Yu Er, the young master, was well taken care of and to find his family.

“Go directly to the Taoist Court?”

Mo Hua thought about it and shook his head.

He wasn’t familiar with the Taoist Court in Qingzhou City.

Moreover, given the current uproar surrounding the Gu Family’s situation, the majority of the Enforcement Leaders and Supervisors at the Taoist Court were preoccupied with searching for the missing Gu young master—it was unlikely that they would prioritize Yu Er’s case.

But that wasn’t the main issue.

Mo Hua suspected that within the Taoist Court, there likely were some cultivators who were colluding with the human traffickers…

This was something Uncle Zhang Lan had cautioned him about.

The Taoist Court wasn’t so clean; the web of interests within the various regional Taoist Courts was incredibly complex.

One can never peer into another’s heart; it was not the myriad possibilities he feared, but the one-in-ten-thousand chance.

All outsiders were deemed unreliable.

It would be best to hand over Yu Er to his biological parents.

“I have relatives in Qingzhou City…”

“Should I go door-to-door asking?”

Mo Hua shook his head again.

That wouldn’t work either.

Those who have established themselves in Qian State come from significant backgrounds and standing; he might not even be granted entry.

And it would be a great waste of time.

Similarly, if someone claimed to be Yu Er’s “relative” and acted affectionately, with Yu Er being so young, it would be very unlikely for him to discern whether they were true kin or harbor ulterior motives…

Deep down, Mo Hua felt that both methods were flawed.

Any involvement from strangers could lead to mishaps.

Ever since he learned the Heavenly Secret Calculation, fleeting warnings would sometimes emerge in his mind—though still faint and not always clear, they proved to be surprisingly effective as reference points when making decisions.

After much thought, Mo Hua finally decided to use the simplest, most foolish, but also the most direct method:

Stake out the main gate!

Entering and exiting Qingzhou City, the main gate was an inevitable passage.

Qingzhou City was the hub connecting Qian State to the Academic World.

Yu Er’s parents, should they wish to find him, would sooner or later pass through Qingzhou City and show up at the city gates.

As Mo Hua contemplated this approach, his heart suddenly leaped as if the cause-and-effect he anticipated in his mind would follow a certain divine pattern, becoming reality in the foreseeable future…

Mo Hua’s heart trembled.

Was this…

The actual Heavenly Secret Calculation?

No, or rather, was it the rudiment of the true Heavenly Secret Calculation…

In Mo Hua’s mind, the figure of Mr. Zhuang surfaced; he imitated his master, twirling his fingers in spell points, closing his eyes in meditation, engaging his Divine Sense…

A moment later…

Nothing happened…

Mo Hua touched his chin.

He started to suspect that his master’s hand-twirling spell points during calculations were just for show, giving the impression of a “transcendent Taoist aura,” but in reality, they were of no use.

Now, trying to imitate his master, his mind was blank and he couldn’t calculate anything.

Or perhaps, it was because what he had learned was only “Divine Sense Calculation,” which was far from reaching the level of “Heavenly Secret Calculation.”

It was just that with more Calculations, a tiny inkling of divine premonitions occasionally arose in his Sea of Consciousness.

After all, his master had never taught him how to “Calculate the Heavenly Secret”…

Mo Hua sighed.

What exactly was the Heavenly Secret, he was still not sure.

How to calculate it, he was completely clueless.

“Heavenly Secret Calculation…”

“If we encounter any other Heavenly secret spell points in the future, try to get them for study. See if we can draw parallels to gain an understanding of the real ‘Heavenly secret Calculation’…”

Mo Hua nodded.

You cannot only be calculated by others.

Sometimes, you also need to make calculations about others…

Mo Hua turned his head and glanced at Yu Er before instructing,

“We’ll wait here. Keep an eye on the main gate. If you see anyone you know: your parents, relatives, teachers, or your family’s carriages—let me know…”

“Mm!” Yu Er nodded.

Then the owner served up two bowls of noodles, one large and one small.

As Mo Hua ate, he pondered the matter of “Heavenly secret Calculation” in his heart.

Yu Er, imitating Mo Hua, “huffed” as she ate her noodles. Occasionally, she would lift her head, see Mo Hua by her side, feel a bit more at ease, and then continue to eat her noodles.

It seemed that as long as she was with Mo Hua, those bloody, cruel, and nightmarish demons would gradually fade away…

Thus, the two of them continued to squat at the main gate.

Qingzhou City’s gate was bustling, filled with a stream of carriages and horses and all kinds of cultivators coming and going.

But after crouching there for several days and having eaten noodles for five or six days, there was still not a single clue.

Mo Hua even started to doubt whether he had made a wrong guess…

“It shouldn’t be wrong…”

Mo Hua frowned, concentrating on his thoughts. In his mind’s eye, a carriage and a face started taking shape, leaving faint traces…

…

Meanwhile, in Qingzhou City, the Gu Family.

Inside a quiet yet lavish hall,

a regally attired woman with striking features swept her hand, and the richly furnished tables, chairs, porcelain, and screens in the room shattered to pieces. Even the Formation-reinforced walls began to show fine cracks.

The maids outside the room turned pale, lowered their heads, and quietly retreated.

Across from the woman sat a very handsome man in luxurious clothing, smiling bitterly.

“Wan’er, don’t be angry…”

Her beautiful eyes reddening with anger, the woman retorted, “How can I not be angry? The great Shangguan Family… A direct descendant has been kidnapped? Do you take me for a fool?”

The man tried to soothe her, “Wan’er, no one wanted…”

“Shangguan Yi!” the woman said with hatred, “Yu Er is my child, and even if you don’t cherish him, I do. He’s so young and well-behaved… he’s my life!”

Sorrow entered the handsome man’s eyes, “Yu Er is also my flesh and blood; how could I not care…”

“Then what has the Shangguan Family done?” the woman asked sharply.

The man responded bitterly, “Wan’er, you are now part of the Shangguan Family, don’t speak like that. If father finds out…”

“So what if he finds out? He never approved of our marriage in the first place, and he has always looked down on me…”

The woman’s eyes, which once held affection for the man, had turned icy and filled with deep hatred.

“He doesn’t like me; therefore, he doesn’t like his grandson Yu Er either.”

“Let me tell you, if something happens to Yu Er, I will hate the Shangguan Family for the rest of my life!”

Her voice trembling slightly, she displayed both determination and the pain of severing ties with a loved one:

“Including you… Shangguan Yi!”

The man felt an ache in his heart, “Wan’er…”

The woman demanded sharply, “Tell me the truth now. Who kidnapped Yu Er? What have you found out? Where is Yu Er?”

The man sighed, his face filled with worry.

He knew his wife was passionate and loved their son dearly. He hadn’t dared tell her the truth previously, fearing it would break her heart, so he concealed everything from her, claiming they knew the whereabouts of Yu Er and would find him soon.

But now he couldn’t hide it anymore and had to tell the truth:

“On the surface, this matter seems… merely a coincidence…”

“Yu Er went out to see the lanterns; there were so many people watching him, but in the blink of an eye, Yu Er was gone…”

“We investigated, but the Heavenly secret is like water, leaving no traces…”

“We have no idea who kidnapped Yu Er, or why. However, we were able to vaguely ascertain that after Yu Er was abducted, someone was transporting him out…”

“It was a gang of kidnappers…”

“They split into several groups and left Qingzhou City, seemingly to take Yu Er outside of Qian State to an unknown destination…”

“During these days, the Shangguan Family, the Gu Family, and the Taoist Court have mobilized many cultivators to carry out searches.”

“The Shangguan Family worked in the shadows, while the Gu Family and the Taoist Court worked openly. We would find a group and eliminate them, then another, and another… No matter how many we killed, some insignificant ones would always slip through, somehow managing to transport Yu Er out bit by bit…”

“It’s as if… everything has been calculated with precision…”

“So, the Elders speculate…” A chill surged through the man, and he said painfully, “That there’s an entity with complete insight into the Heavenly secret, cunning and inscrutable, secretly orchestrating a grand scheme to…”

He paused, taking a deep breath, his voice shaking.

“Kidnap Yu Er, the child born from the first direct union in a thousand years between the Shangguan and Wenren Noble Clans…”