The Quest for Immortality-Chapter 864: Kneel Down (2)

Ouyang Feng chuckled, "Indeed, but be careful with those words. Don't let a Sever Gold Sect disciple hear you calling them 'petty,' they can't stand hearing that..."

Mo Hua smiled and nodded in acknowledgement.

Half a day later, the trio arrived at Bishan City.

Bishan City lived up to its name with steep cliffs thousands of feet high, where the mountains and ridges crisscrossed.

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Most of the cave dwellings were built upon the sheer cliffs, presenting a sight both peculiar and splendid.

However, Bishan City was now under lockdown, allowing entry but no exit.

This was because a traitor from the Sever Gold Sect had stolen from the Xie family's clan treasury, and the Xie family had reported the matter to the Taoist Court.

The Taoist Court had sealed off the city, conducting a thorough search for the traitor, making quite a commotion.

Mo Hua expressed his curiosity, "What exactly did the Xie family have stolen from them?"

Murong Caiyun shook her head, "I don't know. The Xie family didn't say, and it's not our place to pry..."

"To lockdown the city in such a grandiose manner, involving quite a number of people, yet to offer such paltry reward points, the Xie family really is stingy..." Mo Hua said, somewhat disgruntled.

He was in need of merit points at the moment, so the Xie family's "stinginess" left him feeling rather "resentful."

And there was something strange about this Xie family...

Logically, a treasury theft followed by a city lockdown and investigation should count as a "major incident" and hence, the bounty offered should be considerable.

Murong Caiyun stated, "We earn our merit points by completing tasks; we don't need to concern ourselves with other matters."

Ouyang Feng also added, "The sooner we finish, the sooner we can return."

"Alright," Mo Hua nodded.

Their mission was to assist the Xie family in capturing the Sever Gold Sect's traitor.

The Xie family was searching the city, but "searching" merely meant deploying clan disciples to patrol the streets and look for suspicious cultivators.

The Xie family lacked the courage and strength to search every household.

Even though Bishan City was only considered a Little Immortal City, within Qian State, it was still possible to encounter a tea-sipping True Man or a wine-drinking Great Cultivator in any teahouse or tavern...

After searching with Murong Caiyun and the third person for a while and finding nothing, they split up to continue their search.

Walking down the streets of Bishan City, Mo Hua secretly extended his Divine Sense to spy around.

He wasn't trying to invade privacy, but rather looking for any peculiar individuals.

Bishan City's cultivators came from all walks of life, a wide array of characters.

Mo Hua's Divine Consciousness had undergone a transformation, and he could perceive most cultivators quite clearly. Nevertheless, he refrained from prying too deeply out of respect for others, merely glancing over them superficially to determine if they were the traitor.

There were some cultivators with obscure and profound auras; Mo Hua immediately withdrew his Divine Sense upon brushing over them.

These Great Cultivators were at least at the Golden Core level or above, not someone he dared to "offend" at his current stage.

However, there were also some cultivators who appeared unremarkable, yet were inexplicably strong. Even with a brief touch of his Divine Sense, they still detected his presence.

Their gaze sharp as a sword, they turned towards Mo Hua, but upon seeing that he was just a boy around ten years of age, they faltered for a moment.

Mo Hua bowed respectfully as an apology.

Seeing his gesture, they did not take offense and responded with a slight nod.

Mo Hua let out a slight sigh of relief but also marveled inwardly:

"The Cultivation World really is a place filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Especially in Qian State, encountering so many experts in such a small Immortal City..."

After a few rebuffs, several bows, and numerous apologies, Mo Hua had become more adept.

Even without the use of Divine Sense to spy, he could discern by "intuition" which cultivators were not to be trifled with.

Just one glance and he knew his limits.

With just the use of his Divine Sense, Mo Hua became much more "circumspect," no longer infringing upon True Men or Great Cultivators...

After searching for most of the day, using the depth of his Divine Sense and acute perception, Mo Hua had swept through nearly half of Bishan City, yet still found nothing.

He had no choice but to look in places that had not been searched before...

Mo Hua thought for a moment and went to a "Brothel."

At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary tavern, but based on his sole experience drinking floral wine at the Hundred Flower Tower in South Yue City, brought there by Elder Su, he could determine:

This was not a tavern, but a Brothel!

The front served as a tavern, but at the back, there lingered an air inappropriate for minors, hinting at decadence.

The Taoist Court forbade dual cultivation, especially replenishing from others.

To put it bluntly, the ban on "dual cultivation" was mostly to prevent "replenishing from others," stopping people from using the guise of dual cultivation to actually engage in such activities.

This was what Zhang Lan had told Mo Hua a long time ago.

Hence, the Taoist Court enforced strict regulations on places like "Brothels."

Of course, while the Taoist Court was strict, and Taoist Laws were stringent, the execution by local Court Officials varied.

In different Immortal Cities, the reality could be even more complex.

For instance, in South Yue City, the Lu Family relied on Brothels to win people's hearts, to earn Spirit Stones, to exploit Mining Cultivators, and to draw in the Taoist Court Officials.

In such situations, many of the Court's Cultivators were regulars of the Brothels themselves, outright indulging in corruption, making enforcement impossible.

But Qian Xue State Boundary was an exception; within the entire state boundary, Brothels were strictly forbidden.

Qian Xue State Boundary was a flourishing ground for Tao Cultivation, attracting the talented Sect Disciples of the Nine States.

Sects did not wish for their disciples to be diverted by sensual pleasures, risking the foundation of their cultivation, wasting precious time, or damaging their Taoist Heart.

Furthermore, they feared that Demon Cultivators might use seduction and charm to lure Sect Disciples, leading them astray, clouding their judgment between good and evil, and sinking into indulgence.

Therefore, not only within Qian Xue State Boundary was there a prohibition against the Land of Fireworks, but the rule also extended to the surrounding state boundaries, including many Immortal Cities.