Chapter Forty-Six: The Sinister Hand

As soon as Mo He finished speaking, he stretched out his hand and pointed forward. Instantly, the ground around the man in black began to tremble, and wooden stakes burst forth from the earth, twisting like agile serpents as they darted toward him.

The man in black, having just retrieved his flying needles, reached into his spatial ring and withdrew a white longsword, tossing it into the air. The sword split in two, then four, then eight... until it multiplied into sixty-four flying swords, swirling protectively before him.

He formed a seal with his fingers and shouted, "Go!" The sixty-four white swords surged forward to meet the wooden stakes.

A cacophony of clashing rang out as the swords struck the stakes, splintering wood in all directions. The flying swords pressed forward with unstoppable momentum, cutting down the stakes summoned by Mo He.

Mo He frowned. "Blood Gourd, flying needles, flying swords—every artifact this fellow wields is of the highest grade. Who is he, really?"

The Blood Gourd Mo He referred to was the crimson sky that Shi Qi and his companions had seen overhead. The Blood Gourd compressed the space around Shi Qi, explaining why the three had run for so long without reaching Yongzhou City. No matter how far they traveled, they remained trapped within the gourd's domain.

The sword assault from the man in black was not over. The flying swords whirled through the air, forming a tornado that swept toward Mo He with murderous force.

Mo He dared not be careless; he drew a yellow-earth longsword and rushed to meet the oncoming storm.

Clashing sounds echoed as Mo He engaged all sixty-four flying swords at once. He moved with astonishing speed, thrusting his sword into the vortex, from which the clatter of colliding weapons could be heard. After several exchanges, the brilliance of the flying swords faded under Mo He's relentless strikes, disappearing one by one until only a single sword returned to its master's side.

Mo He sneered. Ordinary cultivators might never encounter a high-grade artifact in their lifetime, yet this man in black wielded them with abandon. But the drawback was clear: he possessed many, but mastered none.

High-grade artifacts were arduous to refine, containing immense spiritual power and resisting forced refinement. Heart-refining was time-consuming and demanding, and the man in black clearly lacked the time and energy to do so for each item.

Thus, despite his abundance of high-grade artifacts, their power was limited. In this duel, the man's flying sword was only at the first stage, while Mo He's own sword had reached the third.

Artifacts may be similar, but their stage determines their strength.

"The Mo family truly lives up to its reputation," the man in black praised, though anxiety began to creep into his heart.

He had intended to swiftly kill the three juniors, seize the prize, and leave before attracting attention. Yet Mo He's sudden intervention had disrupted his plan.

He thought, "I can't drag this out any longer. We're too close to Yongzhou City; if the old man from the Allied Society senses anything, I'll be in trouble."

With that, the man in black declared, "I'll remember what happened today. We'll settle accounts another time!"

He formed a seal and vanished into a cloud of black smoke.

Above Shi Qi's head, the sky returned from blood red to blue. It seemed the man in black had withdrawn the Blood Gourd.

No sooner had he left than Shi Qi heard the sound of something slicing through the air from the north. In an instant, an elderly man in white appeared before Shi Qi.

"President Ouyang!"

Shi Qi bowed. The newcomer was the president of the Yongzhou branch of the Allied Society, Shi Qi's mentor—Ouyang Qun.

Mo He, seeing Ouyang Qun arrive, landed from the sky and approached, clasping his hands in greeting. "Brother Ouyang, you came a moment too late—the villain just departed."

Ouyang Qun stroked his beard. "That scoundrel is cunning. As soon as I left Yongzhou's gate, I sensed a surge of true energy here and rushed over, but he was already gone. Who was he?"

Mo He replied, "I do not know. He did not reveal his technique, so I cannot deduce his sect. His attacks relied entirely on artifacts—and all of them were high-grade."

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Ouyang Qun frowned. "High-grade artifacts? This manner of action is reminiscent of... Brother Mo, are you familiar with the Evil Hand?"

Mo He pondered briefly. "I've heard of them, but weren't the Evil Hand wiped out?"

The Evil Hand was a private organization that existed thousands of years ago on the Twelve Provinces Continent. Its members were all experts at the Nascent Soul stage and above. Though few in number—only four to six—their skills were unmatched.

They roamed the Twelve Provinces, specializing in murder and theft. If a low-level cultivator happened upon rare treasures or high-grade artifacts, they were as good as dead—the old adage, 'the innocent suffer for their treasures,' held true.

For powerful cultivators, the Evil Hand would set traps or ambushes, but the outcome was the same: death and the transfer of artifacts.

In the early years of their activity, cultivators across the Twelve Provinces lived in constant fear, afraid to die on the road or in seclusion.

Later, the righteous and demonic factions joined forces to hunt the Evil Hand.

But the identities of the Evil Hand's members were a mystery, with rumors that top experts from major sects were among them.

Because their identities were unknown, the campaign against the Evil Hand lasted centuries.

Eventually, in a joint ambush by the factions, the Evil Hand was annihilated. Indeed, several members turned out to be prized disciples of the major sects of the era.

For a time, the righteous and demonic factions were thrown into chaos, but the Evil Hand was finally eliminated.

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Ouyang Qun said, "This man's style closely resembles that of the Evil Hand."

Mo He replied, "Hearing you say this, he does seem like one of them."

Ouyang Qun said, "I must report to the leader. If this really is the Evil Hand, we must eradicate them before they gain strength."

Mo He agreed, "You are absolutely right."

Ouyang Qun turned to leave, then suddenly slapped his forehead and turned back. "My mind must be failing me. I got so caught up in the Evil Hand business, I forgot why I came here."

He pointed to Shi Qi. "This young man belongs to our Allied Society, and was personally selected by me. He is bound to accomplish great things. From what I saw of your young lady and your conversation, it seems there is some conflict between you."

Mo He smiled. "You exaggerate, Brother Ouyang. Though my family is not strictly righteous, we conduct ourselves with integrity. I would never bully a junior. In fact, to my shame, my young lady's husband, Bai Qiu—third son of the famed Bai Xiaosheng—has recently gone missing. She is searching for him, and this young friend has had dealings with Bai Qiu, so she wished to ask after him. If I meant harm, why would I save him?"

Ouyang Qun nodded. "Then I need not worry."

Shi Qi stepped forward. "President Ouyang's personal concern for my safety fills me with shame!"

Shi Qi was mischievous, but knew proper etiquette. Though he had joined the Allied Society, it was a relatively free organization; its members and the Society had a cooperative relationship, not a tight bond. That Ouyang Qun would come personally to intervene touched Shi Qi.

Mo He said, "Speak of the devil, and he appears."

Hearing the wind above, the group looked up to see Mo Jingjing flying in from Yongzhou City.

Mo Jingjing landed, greeted Ouyang Qun, then ran straight to Shi Qi.

"This child..."

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Ouyang Qun and Mo He exchanged smiles. Ouyang Qun turned into a beam of white light and flew toward Yongzhou City.

Mo He walked up behind Mo Jingjing and stopped.

"Little brother, you must tell me where Bai Qiu is!" Mo Jingjing pleaded anxiously to Shi Qi.

"Well..." Shi Qi scratched his head, glancing at Mo Jingjing and then at Mo He behind her.

He thought for a moment and said, "All right, all right. Senior Mo saved our lives; I can't ignore such kindness."

Shi Qi thought to himself, "Little Bai, don't blame me. I'm only doing what I must. If anyone's to blame, it's you for your own mischief! After all, a wife's search isn't a bad thing, is it?"

Shi Qi said, "When Bai Qiu and I parted, he told me he was returning to the Bai Xiaosheng main hall."

Mo Jingjing exclaimed, "He went back?!"

Shi Qi continued, "Wait, let me finish. Later, Bai Qiu sent me a message from the main hall, saying he was headed to Little Eastern Province."

Mo Jingjing asked, "So he's going to Little Eastern Province? How did you two keep in touch?"

Shi Qi replied, "Oh... He sent me a message via flying sword."

Shi Qi deliberately concealed the matter of the Jade Ruyi. First, the fewer people who knew they could communicate through Jade Ruyi, the better. Second, if Mo Jingjing asked him to contact Bai Qiu immediately, he'd really become a tool for betraying his friend.

A trap is a trap, but there are ways and means.

"Little Eastern Province... Are you sure you're not lying to me?" Mo Jingjing muttered, looking at Shi Qi.

Shi Qi glanced at Mo He and said, "To borrow Senior Mo's words: Though I'm not strictly righteous, I conduct myself openly, repay enmity and kindness alike. Senior Mo just saved us; I can't deceive you now."

Mo Jingjing considered Shi Qi and made up her mind. She turned to Mo He and said, "Let's go, Uncle Mo. No time to lose—we must head to Little Eastern Province!"

Mo He looked helplessly at Mo Jingjing, then nodded.

The two bade farewell to Shi Qi, rose into the air, and, without pausing to rest or returning to Yongzhou City, flew eastward.

Shi Qi and his companions were left alone.

Shi Qi scratched his head and sighed, "Ah, the affairs of men and women are truly inscrutable."

He turned to Su Xiaomu and asked, "Xiaomu, where should we go next?"

Su Xiaomu looked at Shi Qi, patted her stomach, and said, "After all that action, I'm hungry. I want to eat!"

Shi Qi laughed, "I knew it. Let's go back and eat!"

"Wait!"

Just as Shi Qi and Su Xiaomu were about to head to Southern Province City, a woman's voice called out from behind.

It was Yuan Feixue, stopping Shi Qi.

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