Immortality Through Array Formations

Mo Hua's heart chilled, and he asked with a frown:

"Above the Iron Corpse... is it the Copper Corpse?"

Lu Chengyun did not confirm or deny, but just smiled inscrutably and asked:

"Junior Gentleman, what do you think?"

Mo Hua did not answer but furrowed his brows in thought before asking in return:

"Lu Family Head, how did you know that I knew?"

Mo Hua's words were somewhat convoluted, but Lu Chengyun still understood and chuckled lightly:

"Your eyes."

Mo Hua was taken aback, "My eyes?"

"Indeed," Lu Chengyun said, "When you see me on regular days, although you are polite and courteous, there is much caution in your expression, and your gaze also carries some doubt..."

"But today, it's different..."

"Before I came here, your attitude towards me was the same as usual."

"When you left, however, your look at me was unusually composed."

Lu Chengyun mocked himself, "Ordinary people might not notice anything, but I am naturally suspicious, and I take any trace to heart."

"The difference in your gaze before and after made me suspicious."

"I thought about it and then I understood."

"Your composed gaze indicates you no longer suspect me."

"Not suspecting could mean you trust me, but it could also mean that you've figured out my secrets, so there's no need for suspicion."

Lu Chengyun looked at Mo Hua, his smile tinged with ambiguity, "I needed to confirm."

"So I excused myself from Elder Su earlier and waited for you on your way back, as I wanted to have a private chat with you."

"But you took a longer route, seemingly not wanting to meet me."

Lu Chengyun sighed, "I'm quite disappointed and then I understood."

Mo Hua was speechless inside.

This Lu Chengyun, indeed a son-in-law who had married into the family, had such a suspicious and sensitive mind to this extent.

Even a slight difference in his gaze could make Lu Chengyun suspicious.

"Then what if I had left Elder Su's residence without saying goodbye and sneaked away?" Mo Hua asked him.

Lu Chengyun's eyebrows rose, "Wouldn't that be even more suspicious?"

"What if I didn't take the longer route?"

"If you didn't take the longer route, wouldn't it be the same as now?" Lu Chengyun said with a light smile, "You and I would sit down for tea, and I would ask the junior gentleman to lend me a helping hand."

Meaning, there was no escape either way...

Mo Hua sighed and said with an innocent face:

"Why must Lu Family Head focus on someone like me, a young cultivator with low cultivation, weak strength, a basic understanding of formations, and no ill intentions, just thirteen years old?"

Lu Chengyun's eyelid twitched.

In that sentence, probably only "thirteen years old" was true.

The rest were lies no one would believe.

Lu Chengyun poured a cup of tea and took a sip, saying slowly:

"Junior Gentleman, I knew of your arrival in South Yue City the moment it happened."

Lu Chengyun shook his head, quite nostalgic, "At such a young age, a first-grade Formation Master, even having lived so long, I've never seen with my own eyes. You truly broadened my horizons."

"There are always mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond people..."

"This Cultivation World, indeed, has all kinds of talents."

"A thirteen-year-old first-grade Formation Master, I knew your background must be no small matter, and you must have had a purpose in coming here."

"You inquired everywhere for an Instructor named Yan."

"To be frank, this Instructor Yan also has some acquaintance with me, and he has clues to an extremely secretive formation on him."

"You, being a Formation Master, inquiring about his whereabouts, it must be for this formation."

Mo Hua neither confirmed nor denied.

Lu Chengyun smiled faintly again, "I didn't care much at first, but you kept digging deeper, learning more and more."

"You investigated the mines, found Zhang Quan, even followed the trails to the Corpse Walking Stronghold, and together with the Situ Family, you eradicated the stronghold..."

"Meanwhile, you also discovered the formation on the zombies, and boldly took one back to study..."

"I could only activate the formation, letting the Iron Corpse go berserk, forcing you to destroy the formation..."

"And now, you've peeled away the layers and discovered the person behind Zhang Quan is me..."

At this point, Lu Chengyun sighed, saying with resignation:

"I've lived so many years, but I've never met a Formation Master as clever and troublesome as you."

Mo Hua's mind whirled quickly and he reviewed everything succinctly:

In Lu Chengyun's mind, he was a formidable young Formation Master with a significant background, inquiring about Instructor Yan to find the Spiritual Pivot Formation.

Investigating the mines, capturing Zhang Quan, destroying the Corpse Walking Stronghold, and in the end finding out that the cultivator behind Zhang Quan was him, the Lu Family Head.

All of it for the sake of the formation.

In other words, he didn't know about the relationship between himself and Instructor Yan, nor was he aware that he already knew about the past of the Minor Hidden Spirit Sect or that he was the son-in-law of the Lu Family...

Mo Hua breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It seemed that Lu Chengyun, who was merely astute, relied on the Lu Family's power to be fully aware of the movements in South Yue City.

But he didn't know everything.

Now there was a way to deal with this...

Seeing Mo Hua's eyes rolling around, Lu Chengyun wondered what he was thinking and asked:

"Junior Gentleman, have you made your decision?"

"What?"

"Are you willing to refine corpses for my Lu Family?"

Mo Hua spoke righteously: "I am a serious cultivator; I don't engage in such crooked and evil deeds."

Lu Chengyun replied with gentle and refined manners:

"On the surface, I too am a serious cultivator."

Mo Hua frowned slightly.

Lu Chengyun continued: "It is only convenient to carry out crooked and evil deeds when one appears respectable on the surface."

Mo Hua felt there was some truth to this.

He then asked, "What if I still disagree?"

The expression on Lu Chengyun's face gradually turned colder.

Mo Hua asked: "Does the Lu Family Head want to kill me?"

Lu Chengyun was momentarily stunned, then smiled warmly:

"Gentleman Mo is too talented for me to bear killing."

Now truly curious, Mo Hua proceeded to ask:

"Then, if I really don't agree, what does the Family Head plan to do?"

Lu Chengyun smiled and said:

"The best outcome, of course, is for Gentleman Mo to lend me a helping hand. Feel free to state any demands you might have."

"If you desire a title, I am willing to make you the actual power-bearing Elder of the Lu Family; you can act as you please, without restraint;"

"If you desire profit, I will give you a share of the mine's output, handfuls upon handfuls of Spirit Stones, ensuring a carefree path onwards;"

"If you desire combat power, you can command thousands of zombies; with a single command, enemies will be devoured to death, unmatched by anyone at the same level;"

"If you have a tender heart, yearning for the love of women, the female cultivators on Jinhua Street await to share your bed; you can also choose a lady from the Lu Family that pleases your heart, to be united in marriage and spend your life with..."

Lu Chengyun spoke fervently.

Mo Hua felt himself swayed.

With such a silver tongue, deceiving others would indeed be as easy as pie.

Lu Chengyun then changed his tone and said:

"If Gentleman Mo feels that our paths are different and cannot work together, then that's very unfortunate."

"Gentleman Mo comes from no ordinary background, and I would not wish to make an enemy of you."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"The best course of action would be to ask Gentleman Mo to leave and never set foot in South Yue City again, not meddling with the affairs of South Yue City."

"What you know should rot in your heart, never to be revealed."

"Let us part on good terms, and my Lu Family will even present you with a modest parting gift as a token of our sentiment."

"But if Gentleman Mo neither helps us nor leaves, then you are deliberately making things difficult for the Lu Family."

"When it comes to clan interests, no matter how influential Gentleman Mo might be, my Lu Family would have no choice but to fight to the bitter end."

Lu Chengyun sighed:

"If it comes to life and death, we won't be able to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea together anymore..."

There was regret and pity in Lu Chengyun's expression.

But to Mo Hua, it seemed insincere.

Lu Chengyun, a man who was outwardly gentle but inwardly profit-driven, surely wouldn't consider any emotional ties or feel any regret.

Mo Hua furrowed his brows.

At this point, he had to consider his options.

Falling out with the Lu Family was not a wise decision.

Leaving South Yue City would mean losing access to the Spiritual Pivot Formation.

Moreover, once he left, reentering would become troublesome.

After leaving, countless Mining Cultivators might die within the mines, and more Walking Corpses would likely arise;

On Jinhua Street, who knows how many tears would be shed amidst the paper-thin splendor...

After a moment of contemplation, Mo Hua nodded and said:

"I can agree to your request, but I have one condition."

Lu Chengyun's eyes brightened as he hastily responded, "Please speak, Gentleman Mo."

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened, revealing a fierce edge:

"I want that Formation! The one etched into the heart meridian of the Iron Corpse, the one that controls the Walking Corpses!"

Lu Chengyun was momentarily taken aback, then his smile grew even broader:

"Fine!"

Looking at Mo Hua, Lu Chengyun's eyes showed even greater appreciation:

"Fame and worldly profits are but passing clouds, and beautiful women are merely skins;"

"To a Formation Master, the Formation is the foundation of their existence and the Great Dao to immortality!"

"Gentleman Mo, capable of maintaining your Taoist Heart amidst worldly desires, it's no wonder you have achieved so much at such a young age..."

Lu Chengyun was generous with his praise.

Mo Hua pretended to be nonchalant.

Lu Chengyun said with a bow, "Please, Gentleman Mo!"

Mo Hua returned the gesture, "After you, Lu Family Head!"

Lu Chengyun was very pleased and led the way.

Mo Hua followed close behind him.

One moment, Mo Hua was considering wiping out the Lu Family, and the next, he transformed into a Junior Formation Master who was "helping the tyrant" and followed behind Lu Chengyun.