Chapter 140: Broken Leg
The Evil cultivator's pale right hand lunged for the back of Mo Hua's neck.
Everything had been within his plan.
He had faked defeat to conserve spiritual power, waiting for the Dao Court's dogs to lower their guard before suddenly striking, killing the two men and keeping the woman for dual cultivation.
By draining her dry, he could restore his blood energy and spiritual power.
His youthful, handsome appearance would also return.
Then, with that charming face, he could trick another naïve young girl, feeding off her slowly while hiding away until the pursuit died down.
After that, he would once again roam free.
If not for that little brat!
Talking about breaking his legs, crippling his meridians, and shattering his Qi Sea!
If it weren't for him, his plan might already have succeeded.
When the Dao Court officer tried to cripple his meridians, he knew he couldn't just sit and wait for death. Even with all his tricks, once his meridians were severed and his spiritual power gone, he'd be nothing more than a cripple.
So he struck first.
The two cultivators with blades were manageable, but the one with the sword, he was troublesome.
At first, he'd thought it would only be slightly troublesome.
He hadn't expected it to be this troublesome.
His signature movement technique couldn't gain the upper hand.
The swordsman was uninjured and unbleeding; his evil energy couldn't affect him.
On top of that, his own body was riddled with wounds. He was a spent arrow, if this dragged on, he'd die for sure.
Even if he escaped, in this Black Mountain wilderness, starving and without a female cultivator to drain, he'd die sooner or later anyway.
So he went for the next best thing, grab the brat to use as leverage.
His hand shot toward the back of Mo Hua's neck.
In his eyes, this kid had no chance of dodging.
Even a late-stage Qi-Refining cultivator, caught off guard, couldn't evade it…
But... he grabbed air.
Mo Hua had sensed something. His head ducked, body dropped, and he rolled sideways like a nimble cat, tumbling several zhang away.
The Evil cultivator froze, dumbfounded.
Mo Hua had dodged, and Zhang Lan finally breathed out in relief.
If Mo Hua had been caught, there'd have been no way out, only a dead end.
Either some would die, or all would die.
Thankfully, Mo Hua was sharp.
To sense danger and react so quickly, it chilled Zhang Lan just thinking about it.
Then his eyes turned cold. He summoned sword qi and charged at the Evil cultivator.
He had to kill this beast before more trouble arose.
The Evil cultivator regained his senses, glared at Mo Hua, and sneered coldly.
"Little brat… lucky, aren't you."
He didn't believe Mo Hua had truly dodged him... just luck, pure luck.
Mo Hua stood at a distance and sighed.
"Looks like I'll have to cripple your meridians, shatter your Qi Sea, and break your legs… Otherwise, you'll just keep doing evil."
Then he added seriously:
"All three legs."
Zhang Lan froze, then blurted, "Don't provoke him!"
He turned his head just in time to see the Evil cultivator's eyes turn blood-red.
Enraged beyond reason, the Evil cultivator burst forward.
Zhang Lan's heart sank.
Damn it, this was a ninth-layer Qi-Refining Evil cultivator! Mo Hua couldn't handle that!
He'd just been relieved Mo Hua escaped; if the boy ran farther, he'd be safe.
Then Zhang Lan could push the Evil cultivator back and plan their next move.
But no, Mo Hua just had to taunt him.
Now, with his pride torn apart, the Evil cultivator was beyond calming down.
Zhang Lan panicked, sending out sword qi as fast as he could, hoping to slow the man.
But he was too far, and the enemy was too close.
His spells took time to form; his sword qi could only stall, not hit.
The Evil cultivator twisted through the strikes, darting toward Mo Hua again.
And once more... he missed.
Mo Hua's body drifted backward, just out of reach, like a leaf fluttering in the wind.
The Evil cultivator's brows twitched. He turned sharply, left hand clawing upward... And again, Mo Hua somersaulted lightly away, neither bracing nor exerting, as if weightless, slipping through his grasp.
Again and again, he reached out; again and again, he missed.
Mo Hua's movement flowed like water, formless, changing, untouchable.
So near, yet so impossibly far.
The Evil cultivator nearly spat blood.
He was a flower thief! His whole life depended on speed and technique!
It was one thing to lose to that Dao Court dog, but now even this tiny brat was toying with him?!
And worse, he was losing to him!
Every strike almost landed, but never quite did.
The more frenzied his attacks grew, the calmer Mo Hua's movements became.
Then suddenly, Mo Hua stepped back and raised two fingers, channeling qi.
The Evil cultivator froze.
What was he doing now?
Trying to cast a spell?
"Hah! Courting death!"
At this range, he'd snap his neck before any spell could form!
With a sneer, the Evil cultivator lunged... but before he reached Mo Hua, a fireball burst forth, smashing right into his face.
The impact sizzled against his skin.
His eyes went wide in disbelief.
"So fast?!"
The Fireball Technique wasn't strong, but burning right on the face, his world spun.
He staggered.
And in that instant, Zhang Lan seized the opening, sending a jet of water-formed sword qi straight through the Evil cultivator's heart meridian.
The Evil cultivator's eyes dimmed as he collapsed to the ground.
The forest fell silent.
Zhang Lan stood motionless, emotions swirling.
What had he just witnessed?
A ninth-layer Qi-Refining Evil cultivator's attacks... dodged by a child?
All his attacks... dodged?
And that movement…
Fluid yet elusive, simple yet profound…
Wait.
That looked familiar.
Right, Flowing-Water Step.
…Wait a second, that's the one I taught him!
Mo Hua looked down at the fallen Evil cultivator, swept him with Divine-Sense, and said calmly:
"Uncle Zhang, come quick, he's not dead yet."
Zhang Lan blinked, snapped back to focus, and rushed over.
He checked the body. "Still alive, but his spiritual power's gone, and his blood energy drained. He can't stir up any more trouble."
His sword qi had pierced the man's heart meridian, but just slightly off-center, leaving him clinging to life.
The Evil cultivator groaned weakly, hatred burning in his eyes.
"Stubborn, aren't you," Mo Hua sighed.
After feeding Situ Fang and Situ Xiu some pills and letting them meditate to recover, Zhang Lan prepared to drag the Evil cultivator back to the Dao Court.
"Wait," said Mo Hua.
They all turned to him.
Mo Hua stepped up beside Zhang Lan and carefully pulled the sword from his belt.
Holding it in both hands, he walked to the Evil cultivator.
"Yes," Mo Hua said seriously, "I'm the one who said I'd break your legs."
Then, slash!
The sword came down.
One leg snapped clean.
(End of Chapter)