Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 939: Choosing Sides

Master Gu stared blankly at the man before him—grinning like a blooming autumn chrysanthemum, his smile brighter than the sun.

Was this really Fan Jin, the same Magistrate Fan?

He almost didn't recognize him...

Mo Hua smiled as well. "Magistrate Fan, long time no see."

"Long time, long time indeed!" Fan Jin laughed heartily, then bent his towering figure and gestured with a hand, "Young Master, Master Gu—please, come inside."

"You're too courteous," Mo Hua replied with a smile.

"No, no, not at all."

Fan Jin led the two into the inner hall. Once they were seated, he called out, "Attend us!"

The officer from before came over.

Fan Jin said, "Serve tea." Then, worried this subordinate might do something stupid again, he leaned in and added, "Serve the good tea."

The officer paused, then asked hesitantly, "Magistrate, you mean... the box in the top shelf? The same one we used when Master Gu last visited...?"

Fan Jin shot him a warning look and muttered, "Even better than that."

The officer scratched his head and mumbled, "I don't think… we have anything better..."

Fan Jin flushed with embarrassment and was silently seething.

This idiot's head really is made of wood. With subordinates like this, how's a man supposed to rise in the ranks?

He gritted his teeth. "Higher up—there's a small chest. Inside is a jade box..."

The officer nodded, then froze. "Isn't that the Director's personal stash...?"

If not for the esteemed guests, Fan Jin might've kicked him.

"Just go get it! Why the hell are you still talking?!"

Seeing that Fan Jin was truly losing his patience, the officer quickly said "Yes, sir!" and ran off to "borrow" the Director's tea.

Fan Jin sighed. When he turned around, he saw Mo Hua looking at him with those bright, clear eyes, and his face turned red again.

He laughed awkwardly. "Forgive me, Young Master. Backwater region, backwater staff… I hope we didn't embarrass ourselves too much."

"You're too modest, Magistrate," Mo Hua replied, then asked curiously, "But, won't your Director be upset if he finds out you served his tea to me?"

Fan Jin chuckled, "Nonsense. If the Director knew his tea was served to Young Master Mo, he'd be thrilled beyond belief."

After all, how could Fan Jin not know who this youth was?

A prodigy of the Eight Great Sects. The "little monster" from the Great Void Sect.

When he'd first heard Mo Hua's name, Fan Jin had already suspected something. He'd gone out of his way to confirm it—and sure enough.

At the Grand Dao Discourse, Mo Hua, with only mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, had overwhelmed four major sects, outshone all eight schools, and crushed thousands of Dao Courtyard disciples to take the top title of "Array Dao Leader."

Fan Jin didn't know a thing about arrays and had never cared about the Dao of Formations.

But a mid-Foundation cultivator becoming the undisputed champion of the entire realm? That was absurdly monstrous. So monstrous that even a remote magistrate like him, far removed from the cultivation world's power struggles, had heard of him.

If someone like that drank the Director's tea?

The Director would probably brag about it for the next three years.

A while later, the tea arrived—emerald green, rich in fragrance. It was indeed exquisite.

Mo Hua took a sip and nodded.

Fan Jin had been carefully watching his expression. Seeing Mo Hua nod, satisfied, Fan Jin finally relaxed. His smile grew even wider.

"May I ask what brings Young Master Mo and Master Gu here today?" he asked with a beaming face.

Mo Hua glanced at Master Gu and spoke. "We visited Lone Mountain earlier. On our way back, we noticed some traces—looked like tomb raiders. It seemed suspicious, so we came here to report it to you."

"Tomb raiders?" Fan Jin looked surprised. "Magistrate Fan, you hadn't noticed anything before?"

"No," Fan Jin shook his head, puzzled. He muttered to himself, "In a place like Lone Mountain? What are they even trying to steal—rocks? Their heads must be full of mud…"

But since Mo Hua had brought it up, he didn't dare brush it off. He immediately assured, "Don't worry, Young Master. I'll conduct a thorough investigation and ensure no petty criminals are scheming anything improper."

Mo Hua nodded, sipped his tea again. The warmth and sweetness of it lifted his mood.

But when he looked up, he noticed Fan Jin gulping tea like a cow chewing peonies—outwardly calm, but inwardly anxious, his soul uneasy.

Mo Hua's heart stirred slightly.

"Magistrate Fan… having trouble with your promotion?" he asked.

Fan Jin jumped, shocked. "How did you know?!"

Mo Hua simply took another sip, saying nothing.

Fan Jin didn't press. He sighed. "To tell you the truth… things haven't gone smoothly lately."

Mo Hua asked, "Didn't you earn quite a few merits during the purge against the Demonic Sect?"

A lot of the intelligence for that campaign had come from Mo Hua himself—dug up with his Thunder-Magnetic Array and then "leaked" to the Dao Court.

Fan Jin hadn't made any major achievements, true. But he was diligent, never complained, and all those little merits should've added up.

Mo Hua had calculated before—while it might not be enough for Fan Jin to jump straight to Grade Five Dao Court Magistrate, a promotion to Grade Four, or at least a transfer to a more prosperous Grade Three province, should've been no problem.

Fan Jin had kept this frustration bottled up, and now that someone finally asked, he spilled everything like beans:

"To be honest, Young Master, I should've qualified. I even consulted Magistrate Gu. According to Dao Court procedures, there shouldn't have been an issue. Even if not a promotion, I should've at least been reassigned."

"I was overjoyed. I stayed home waiting for the good news. But somehow, midway through the process, it all got stuck. In the end, they said I lacked experience and needed more observation—hell with that...!"

Fan Jin accidentally blurted out a curse.

Mo Hua asked, "Do you know who blocked your promotion?"

Fan Jin gave a bitter smile. "I'm just a small-time magistrate with no connections or influence—how would I know? I'm just a pawn to be shuffled around."

Mo Hua gave him a meaningful glance.

As far as he knew, Dao Court promotions usually relied on favors and connections, yes—but they wouldn't just block someone for no reason.

Maybe someone didn't want Fan Jin to leave Lone Mountain?

A quiet station was better than a shaken one.

Maybe someone wanted the Lone Mountain Dao Court… to remain unchanged.

"Magistrate Fan," Mo Hua asked suddenly, "Are you familiar with the Shen family?"

Fan Jin was startled. "The Shen family?"

"Yes."

Fan Jin thought for a moment. "I've had some dealings with them. But the Shen family's threshold is high—I don't have any real connection with them."

Mo Hua nodded again. "To the north of Lone Mountain, there's a whole stretch of territory owned by the Shen family. Are they still mining it?"

Fan Jin shook his head. "I don't know the specifics, but that mountain range is completely dried up. Back in the day, all the great clans descended like locusts and stripped it clean—there's nothing left. No way they're still mining."

"Then why are they still occupying it?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled. "Why won't they let anyone near it?"

"That…" Fan Jin frowned. "That is a bit strange. But they bought that land fair and square. They can do whatever they want with it. No one else can interfere."

Then, giving Mo Hua a wary look, he asked in a low voice, "Young Master… why are you asking about the Shen family?"

"It's nothing," Mo Hua blinked innocently. "Just passed by, got curious, figured I'd ask."

"Oh..."

Fan Jin still looked half-doubtful.

Mo Hua took another sip of tea, then stood up. "It's getting late. I should head back."

Fan Jin panicked and quickly said, "Young Master came from afar—please allow me the honor of being a proper host and treating you well."

"You're too kind, Magistrate Fan," Mo Hua declined politely.

Fan Jin pleaded, "Please, Young Master, grant me this honor."

He really didn't want this golden opportunity—this walking, talking good fortune—to just walk out the door. That would make all his efforts today meaningless!

At the very least, they needed to share a meal and build some rapport. Otherwise, if he missed this chance, who knew if he'd ever get another in this lifetime?

Mo Hua hesitated.

He wasn't pretending to be polite—his rest period was limited, and he truly had other things to investigate.

Seeing this, Fan Jin hurriedly added, "Young Master, allow me to host you at Hongyan Pavilion—the finest restaurant in Lone Mountain City."

The finest restaurant?

Mo Hua's mind moved. "This restaurant... it's not owned by the Shen family, is it?"

"It is," Fan Jin confirmed.

Mo Hua's gaze flickered slightly, and he nodded. "Then I'll trouble you, Magistrate Fan."

"Not at all!" Fan Jin beamed, hands clasped in joy. "Please, this way."

"Please."

Off to the side, Master Gu muttered to himself, "This big-headed Fan really knows how to spend when it matters… Still, with his eye for opportunity and tireless bootlicking, if he weren't so poor, powerless, and connection-less, he probably would've made it big already."

—

With Fan Jin leading the way, the group left the Dao Court Office and headed to Lone Mountain City's most bustling district—home of the grandest restaurant: Hongyan Pavilion.

Upon arrival, Mo Hua looked up... and was genuinely surprised.

This place was extravagant.

Even though Lone Mountain was a poor, remote Grade-Three Immortal City, this restaurant's opulence rivaled some of the high-end establishments in the Great Void Sect's home city—Grade-Five territories!

Sure enough, even in the poorest places… there are always the filthy rich.

Or to put it another way—the richer the rich get, the poorer the poor become.

"Shen family..." Mo Hua's gaze turned cold.

—

Fan Jin reserved a private room at Hongyan Pavilion and ordered a lavish feast for Mo Hua.

Throughout the meal, Fan Jin kept pouring drinks and offering dishes to Mo Hua. He might've looked like a towering Golden Core cultivator, but he was shockingly skilled at serving—no worse than when he smashed demonic cultivators with his warhammer.

Mo Hua even praised him as a rare talent.

After three rounds of wine, the small talk had warmed the atmosphere considerably.

Mo Hua casually asked, "Does the Shen family own a lot of businesses in Lone Mountain City?"

"Oh, absolutely," Fan Jin said, his face red from drinking. He pointed upward. "This Hongyan Pavilion is theirs. And on the way here, all those pill shops, artifact forges, merchant pavilions... all Shen family property."

There were also less savory establishments—Fan Jin kept those to himself.

Those brothels and smokehouses, full of vulgar courtesans, were where deals were made over wine and women. But someone like Young Master Mo, graceful and pure as moonlight, shouldn't be tainted by such filth.

Fan Jin explained, "All of this started back when Lone Mountain was flourishing. The Shen family bought up property here to support their mining operations for Bright Yellow Copper Ore."

"They bought up the mountains, mined them, made a fortune in spirit stones... and then used those profits to invest in dining, entertainment, and business—raking in even more wealth."

Mo Hua frowned, recalling something. "There's a saying—'rely on the mountain to eat from the mountain.' By Dao Court law, Lone Mountain's mines should belong to the cultivators of Lone Mountain City. Why were they sold to the Shen family?"

"That... gets a little complicated..." Fan Jin looked uncomfortable.

Mo Hua poured him another drink.

Fan Jin was caught off guard by this kindness, and after a stunned pause, he sighed. "Well, it's no secret—anyone with eyes can see it. No point hiding it from you, Young Master."

"The Dao Court's laws are just laws. On paper, yes, the mines belong to the people of Lone Mountain City. But in practice, who gets how much, who's entitled, who's not—that's full of unspoken rules."

"Local clans with ancestral land had claims on specific mountain areas."

"Scattered cultivators with the same surname or family origins could mine certain zones."

"There were even open mining zones for unaffiliated cultivators to earn a living."

"Of course, the Dao Court itself also held a share..."

"Despite being a bit chaotic, it was a relatively balanced system—enough for everyone to make a living. The Lone Mountain mines were enough to feed the whole city."

Fan Jin shook his head and sighed. "But then... the major clans came. Especially the Shen family. Everything changed."

"Most scattered cultivators are ignorant and short-sighted. The Shen family came offering high prices to buy mines. Many greedy fools sold immediately."

"And those who refused? Faced pressure from the Shen family."

"Some tried to band together and resist. But people have different goals—some wanted money, some wanted women, others sought favors. The Shen family took advantage, used divide-and-conquer tactics, and the resistance fell apart."

"One thing led to another... and most of the mountain ended up in the Shen family's hands."

Mo Hua frowned. "If they sold the mines, how do the local cultivators survive now?"

Fan Jin replied, "At first, the Shen family promised they'd still hire scattered cultivators for mining—offering decent pay."

He snorted bitterly, unclear whether at the Shen family or the gullible locals.

"But once the deal was signed, they ignored everyone. The Shen family is a massive aristocratic clan—they built spiritual machinery and array-powered drills to mine like flowing water. Why would they need a bunch of poor cultivators swinging pickaxes?"

"The scattered cultivators realized they'd been tricked. But by then, the contracts were signed—everything was clearly written in the spiritual deed."

"There were a few conflicts later—scattered cultivators clashed with the clans, but what could they do? A mob of loose cultivators can't fight an organized force."

"After a few bloody incidents and some deaths, the scattered cultivators were broken and scattered. The matter faded into silence."

"Then..."

Fan Jin gazed out the window at the desolate Lone Mountain.

"The clans drained the mines dry, took the wealth, and left. What remained was a hollow husk of Lone Mountain. The cultivators here lost their livelihoods—some died, some fled. The population plummeted. Lone Mountain City declined... into what it is now."

When he finished, Fan Jin looked deeply moved. Even Master Gu sighed quietly.

A heavy silence settled over the room.

After a moment's thought, Mo Hua's eyes glinted as he said to Fan Jin, "The Dao Court isn't blameless in all this, is it?"

The noble clans pressured and tricked the scattered cultivators, seized the mines through spiritual contracts, and later suppressed the backlash...

He didn't need to guess—clearly the Dao Court was complicit.

Otherwise, the Shen family wouldn't have been able to break so many rules so cleanly.

Mo Hua quietly stared at Fan Jin.

Feeling the weight of that gaze, Fan Jin panicked and quickly waved his hands. "I-I had nothing to do with it!"

Mo Hua said nothing, but didn't exactly look convinced either.

Fan Jin said helplessly, "That was all the doing of the previous Dao Court administration. Back then, I hadn't even joined the Dao Court yet—I honestly don't know the full story."

Mo Hua asked, "And what happened to those people from the previous administration?"

"They got promoted."

"Promoted?" Mo Hua's expression turned a little complicated.

Fan Jin sighed. "They helped the Shen family swallow up the mines, extracted so much ore, and made a fortune in spirit stones. On the surface, that looked like a massive achievement. With those 'contributions,' and with the Shen family pulling strings behind the scenes, the involved overseers and magistrates all got promoted—off to brighter futures."

"By the time I became a magistrate, it was already a mess. I didn't even get the chance to be complicit in evil."

He was surprisingly frank, saying exactly what he thought.

"And it wasn't just the Dao Court that rose," Fan Jin's gaze darkened. "The mines of Lone Mountain were the foundation of the Shen family's rise. It was thanks to the wealth they extracted here that they had the means to expand, paving their way to the top."

"Some of the Shen family's branch members also rode this wave—earning huge profits and becoming central figures in the clan."

As he spoke, Fan Jin kept shaking his head—it was hard to tell if he was more envious or resentful.

Master Gu remained silent, but the anger on his face was obvious.

The Shen family's power was simply too vast. Even if cultivators like them were unhappy, they didn't dare speak up.

Mo Hua, too, looked thoughtful.

Thus, the banquet ended on a rather heavy note.

Fan Jin let out a quiet breath—at least he had partially achieved his goal.

He'd hosted Young Master Mo for a meal, shared quite a few inside stories. That was enough to build some rapport. If he could find an opportunity to help the young master in the future, then layer by layer, they might become close.

And maybe—just maybe—he'd finally grabbed hold of a powerful backer.

—

After the meal, the three left the private room and walked down the lavish corridor toward the exit.

Just then, they ran into another group of people.

At the front was a richly dressed noble youth, followed by several attendants.

The two sides passed each other in the hallway. Mo Hua was deep in thought, only glancing at them without paying much attention.

But after just a few steps—

"Stop right there!"

The sudden shout caught everyone off guard.

Mo Hua turned his head and saw that the one who shouted was the noble youth from the opposite group.

The young man wore luxurious robes and had an arrogant expression.

Mo Hua blinked. He had no recollection of this person—didn't know why he was being called out.

"I know you. You're Mo Hua," the noble youth said.

"Oh..." Mo Hua answered indifferently.

He was getting used to being recognized these days—after all, he had gained some fame. Being recognized in public was nothing unusual now.

"You don't recognize me?" the noble youth's expression darkened.

Mo Hua was about to say no, but decided that was a bit rude. Instead, he replied tactfully, "You are...?"

Mo Hua's casual, dismissive tone made the noble youth's eyes flash with hostility.

"New Year's Eve, Qingzhou City—we met once. I was standing behind Young Master Linshu."

Mo Hua suddenly remembered. "Oh, you're that tag-along."

The noble youth's face turned instantly dark.

Sure, he was Shen Linshu's follower—but not just anyone had the right to call him that.

In this remote Lone Mountain City, where he was a Shen family scion with near-absolute control, no one had ever dared call him a tag-along.

"You blind little fool..." the youth growled. Then he barked at his attendants, "Rip his mouth open! Dig his eyes out!"

Immediately, one of his Golden Core followers stepped forward, releasing a wave of killing intent.

Master Gu's face turned cold. Without hesitation, he moved in front of Mo Hua, releasing his own Golden Core pressure.

"A Golden Core?" The noble youth sneered. "You think you can outnumber me in Lone Mountain City?"

As he spoke, another Golden Core cultivator stepped out from behind him—his hands sharp like claws, wearing a sinister grin.

Now two Golden Core experts stood opposite them.

Meanwhile, the third Golden Core on Mo Hua's side looked completely unsure—he didn't know whether to act or stay back.

"Wait—what is this situation?!"

Fan Jin was sweating bullets.

All he did was try to hitch himself to a powerful backer! They hadn't even done much—just shared some tea and a meal! And now, in the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of a cliff-edge, forced to make a life-or-death choice?!

On one side: Mo Hua.

On the other: the Shen family.

If he intervened—he'd offend the Shen family.

If he didn't—he'd offend Mo Hua.

Wasn't that basically a death sentence either way?!

Fan Jin's brain went numb.

This damn cultivation world... is too brutal.

He just wanted to grab a powerful thigh—why the hell was it this hard?!

(End of this Chapter)