The big man took a big step forward and reached for the storage bag at his waist as if he wanted to draw a blade and kill this meddlesome cultivator.
The leading man's gaze turned sharp.
The big man felt a cold sweat break out on his back, and then he remembered that they shouldn't cause any unnecessary trouble. With an awkward smile, he retracted his hand and cursed at the nosy cultivator:
Knowing he was no match, the cultivator left in anger and resentment.
The other tea guests, seeing the bad situation, also dispersed.
The teahouse owner, worried, glanced at Mo Hua and sighed, helpless to do anything but hide in the distance.
In a small place like the Second Grade State Border, a cultivator in the late stage of Foundation Establishment was simply not someone they could afford to provoke.
Now only Mo Hua and the four men of uncertain identity remained in the teahouse.
Mo Hua looked tense and asked timidly,
"Are you... bad guys?"
The big man licked his lips and chuckled ominously,
The other big man and the gloomy skinny man also showed amused smiles.
"Don't mention it, this kid's got fair, tender skin, and a fine appearance... Not bad at all..."
Just then, the leading man's gaze sharpened and he spoke indifferently,
"Little cultivator, stop pretending. You're not afraid of us."
At these words, the three big men froze, appearing somewhat astonished.
Mo Hua dropped the "frightened" act and asked with curiosity,
"Did I not act well?"
The leading man's brow furrowed.
The two big men felt mocked and could hardly contain their anger.
The demeanor of the skinny man turned even darker.
At that moment, the big man scoffed coldly, "Well, well, the gutter is a hard place to walk, little devils are hard to deal with. To think that after all these years on the Dao, I would misjudge today..."
"You've got guts, kid."
"Tell us, did you recognize us?"
Mo Hua shook his head and honestly said, "I don't know you."
He guessed that the leader might actually be the infamous Fire Buddha, but as for the other three, he truly didn't know who they were.
The leader's gaze sharpened as he looked at Mo Hua, deep in thought.
Mo Hua's expression did not seem to be feigned; he apparently did not recognize them.
Right then, the gloomy skinny man sneered,
"Qiao Laowu, stop wasting words. Just capture this kid. Kill him if we have to, sell him if we can, or keep him as a plaything..."
The big man spat, "You schemer, if you want to catch him, do it yourself."
One "Qiao" character, one "Yin" character.
Mo Hua checked the list and quickly recognized them.
The one with the "Qiao" was called Blood Woodcutter on the list.
The one with the "Yin" was called Yin Thunder Child.
And there was another big man...
Mo Hua caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye. His face was covered in woll, and when he was angry, he looked ferocious as an Evil Ghost, instantly reminding him:
Fire Buddha, Blood Woodcutter, Yin Thunder Child, Ghost Face Sha!
These four, indeed, were all on Boss Jiang's list.
And they were all Sin Cultivators with blood on their hands!
Mo Hua's expression revealed a moment of realization, and his eyes also brightened a bit.
In that moment of realization, Fire Buddha instantly caught the subtle expression on Mo Hua's face.
Fire Buddha's gaze suddenly turned piercing, disbelief in his heart.
Recognized by this brat...
All of us were recognized?!
Just how did this kid manage to recognize us?!
Even a Supervisor from the Taoist Court wouldn't likely be able to identify all of us.
Just from this brief encounter and a few words of conversation, he was able to identify all four of us?!
What on earth was his background?
Fire Buddha's affable demeanor suddenly turned cold.
Some relationships must not be brought to light.
Now that things had come to this point, this brat couldn't be left alive!
"Qiao Laowu," Fire Buddha commanded in an unquestionable and chilling voice. "Kill this kid!"
Qiao Laowu was taken aback.
At the word "kill", Mo Hua, quick to sense danger, slickly made his escape, leaving behind only a faint water shadow where he had stood.
Seeing this, Qiao Laowu was furious, "Good for you, you little devil!"
He pulled a long, hook-ended cleaver stained with mottled bloodstains from his storage bag and swung out a flash of bloodlight, chasing and slashing at Mo Hua's waist.
But Mo Hua's movements were fluid like water, ghostly in nature, easily evading the attack.
Qiao Laowu struck again.
Like drawing a sword to sever water, but the water's flow continued unabated.
No matter how he slashed, he could not touch Mo Hua at all.
Fire Buddha remained seated, deep in thought, not making a move.
The other two watched the struggle with glee, seeing Qiao Laowu and Mo Hua locked in a stalemate for over a dozen exchanges, still unable to capture Mo Hua, and laughed mockingly,
"Qiao Laowu, are you even capable?"
"A single kid, and you can't catch him?"
"All these years of cultivating the Dao, was it all bullshit?"
Qiao Laowu, driven by rage, swung his blade even fiercer.
Mo Hua was "sweating profusely" and floundering, looking quite desperate, but he always managed to dodge Qiao Laowu's attacks just in time.
Fire Buddha was surprised.
"Ghost Face Sha" and "Yin Thunder Child" wore serious expressions.
"This kid's movement technique is something else..."
Although Qiao Laowu had only recently made his breakthrough, he still possessed the strength of the late Foundation Establishment stage, yet he couldn't subdue this brat in a short time.
Granted, it was because Qiao Laowu focused solely on offense, lacking in movement techniques.
On the other hand, it was also because this kid's movement technique was too exquisite.
Fire Buddha gave a signal with his eyes.
The other two nodded, moving swiftly like the wind, pouncing forward like malevolent wolves, flanking Qiao Laowu to corner Mo Hua together.