Chapter 145: The Unknown Faction

Inside the Hu Residence, Hu Mo looked at the Huang brothers with a grave expression. The sudden news had instantly made the situation extremely troublesome for him.

"Boss Hu Mo, that is how things stand. My eldest brother and I employed the 'Soul-Test' technique, yet Huang Kun refused to speak the truth. Alas, not only did we fail to expose his true colors, but we also played right into their hands. Even the few businesses I controlled were temporarily taken back by Grandfather. Boss, what should we do now?" Huang Sheng looked at Hu Mo with a distressed expression, pouring out all his bitter grievances.

Hu Mo’s face sank, a trace of doubt and chill flashing between his brows. Huang宗 stood beside Huang Sheng; compared to Huang Sheng, his expression was much calmer. However, his heart was in violent turmoil, and the events of yesterday were simply unbearable to him.

Huang Kun had completely played the role of the victim. Once he regained consciousness, he began alternating between feigning death and playing the weakling, making Huang宗 so furious he had almost felt like finishing him off on the spot. The outcome of this affair left the two brothers chilled to the bone. Huang Yuanshan had directly stripped Huang Sheng of all the businesses he managed, and the profits that should have rightfully belonged to Huang宗 were completely revoked as well. In the end, rather than exposing the truth, the one who truly benefited from this incident was none other than Huang Kun.

"The Soul-Test failed? What on earth is going on here?" Hu Mo mused, various possibilities flashing through his mind.

Suddenly, his expression changed, and he exclaimed in shock, "Could it be that Huang Kun has the backing of a major faction as well? When you were performing the soul-testing secret art, if a being with profound divine powers—such as a powerhouse above the Saint Warrior level—interfered, it is highly likely that the soul test would fail. If such people acted, your soul power would never have detected it."

"Above the Saint Warrior level? Young Master Hu, do you mean people from the Five Great Sects or the Heavenly Saint Palace?" Huang宗, who had remained silent all this while, suddenly spoke up, his expression immediately growing much tenser.

Hu Mo nodded and said, "They are the prime suspects right now. Apart from them, there shouldn't be any other Saint Warrior-level powerhouses in Flame City. However, the main issue now is: which faction have they actually aligned with, and what exactly do these major factions intend to achieve? That is what we must consider."

Hearing Hu Mo say this, Huang宗 and Huang Sheng immediately lowered their heads in deep reflection. Seeing their somewhat discouraged appearance, Hu Mo smiled faintly and said, "Actually, we haven't come away empty-handed this time. At the very least, some of Huang Kun's trump cards have been exposed. Although I cannot guess all of them, if we start with a certain person, we will undoubtedly find some answers!"

"The Boss means... my second mother?" Huang Sheng said softly, a hint of doubt in his tone.

Hu Mo nodded, uttered an affirmative, and said, "Indeed, she is the most suspicious. Furthermore, it is possible that even your grandfather knows nothing of this. Elder Huang has always been extremely cautious throughout his life and would never dare to collude with a foreign nation. Your father is even less likely to do so; you both know his temperament well. Besides, Huang Kun was raised by your second mother since childhood. Thus, the most probable culprit is your second mother. If we start from her end, the likelihood of finding the answer is extremely high!"

Huang宗's eyes lit up, and he immediately declared, "Good! Then we shall start investigating that woman. Not just this matter, but many other things I need to uncover as well! Young Master Hu, leave this matter to me and Little Sheng! We will take our leave for now, and once it's done, we'll come to pay our respects!"

Huang宗 said loudly, cupped his fists, and made to depart. At that moment, Hu Baimei suddenly skipped over, bounded forward, and in front of everyone present, threw her arms around Hu Mo.

"Master, my strength has recovered quite a bit. Are you happy?" Hu Baimei's delicate voice was laced with utter seductiveness. The moment the words left her lips, Huang Sheng's expression went blank first, drool dripping all over the floor.

As for Huang宗, beads of sweat broke out profusely on his forehead as he desperately fought to resist being seduced by Hu Baimei.

Hu Mo let out a helpless, bitter laugh. As the Saint Water King Monarch subtly circulated within him, he casually waved his hand, enveloping the entire courtyard in a bone-chilling frost. Huang Sheng gave a start and instantly snapped back to his senses, while Huang宗's pressure eased significantly, leaving him panting heavily as if on the verge of collapse.

Hu Baimei, however, acted completely unconcerned as she pouted and acted spoiled. Due to her increased cultivation base, the impact of Hu Mo's water battle-energy upon her had diminished considerably.

"Hehe, happy, very happy. But Mei'er, you should get down first. What does it look like to hug me like this?" Hu Mo chided gently, chuckling twice toward Huang宗 and the others. Huang Sheng seemed to catch his drift, breaking into a lewd grin as his usual arrogant playboy persona instantly returned.

"Hehe, Boss Hu Mo is truly amazing. No sooner did he snatch the princess than he quietly keeps such a pretty little younger sister hidden away. It looks like I must follow closely in the Boss's footsteps; acting as a widower is truly pitiful! Hehe, Big Brother, you should find one too. Before, it was because of your physical condition, but now your body... uh, pretend I didn't say anything, pretend I didn't say anything..." After receiving a glare from Huang宗, Huang Sheng slipped away submissively to the side, his eyes still casting mischievous, lewd glances at Hu Mo and Hu Baimei while he chuckled obsequiously.

Hu Baimei pouted her lips and reluctantly released Hu Mo's waist, though she continued to cling stubbornly to his arm.

Ever since Hu Baimei's life-soul had been claimed by Hu Mo, she could sense the aura of the wood-fire chaotic battle-energy within Hu Mo's body with even greater clarity. It was precisely because of this that Hu Baimei felt a strong, compulsive urge to hug Hu Mo even in her sleep. If not for the fact that she needed to spend several hours a day on cultivation, coupled with Hu Mo's recent heavy workload, she probably would have clung to him without ever letting go.

Hu Mo glared at Huang宗's brother and said irritably, "Stop spouting nonsense here! I am nowhere near as lewd as you! Brother Huang宗, it's settled then. I will only feel at ease if the Huang family remains firmly in your hands; I believe you understand that yourselves."

Huang宗 nodded solemnly, grabbed the still-grinning Huang Sheng by the collar, and dragged the struggling fellow out of the courtyard. It was only after the two of them had departed that Hu Mo let out a long sigh of relief and asked, "Mei'er, can you let go of me now?"

"No release, no release! You are a precious treasure; hugging you increases my strength, so I'm not letting go!" Hu Baimei brazenly threw a tantrum, hugging Hu Mo's arm tighter and refusing to budge.

Seeing Hu Baimei's utter stubbornness, Hu Mo could only let out a soft sigh and said helplessly, "Not letting go, are you? Then don't blame me for lacking chivalry!"

The moment Hu Mo's words fell, the Saint Water King Monarch slowly drifted out from the Baihui acupoint atop his head. The instant it appeared, Hu Baimei let out a shrill shriek. Like a cat dropped into water, she leaped straight into the air; the deterrent power of the chaotic water was no trifling matter.

Hu Baimei cowered piteously in a corner, trembling as she looked at Hu Mo and whimpered in a timid, frightened voice, "Master, how can you treat me like this? Mei'er hasn't done anything wrong and has always been very obedient."

Tears shimmered in Hu Baimei's eyes as she put on a deeply wronged expression. Truth be told, even Hu Mo felt a strong sense of guilt rising within him; this seemingly simple weeping carried a formidable, hypnotic allure.

Hu Mo shook his head, and the dizzy sensation instantly vanished. Sighing, he said, "I have no time to waste with you. I'm going to check on my troops; you can go play by yourself."

Without paying any further heed to the pitiful Hu Baimei, Hu Mo left the courtyard alone. Rubbing her eyes, Hu Baimei continued to sniffle and cry there. Only a few moments after Hu Mo departed did she lift her head, a trace of a smile touching the corners of her mouth as she let out a soft huff. "You won't let me pester you, yet I will pester you all the more. I simply don't believe you can truly ignore me."

Wearing a mischievous smile, Hu Baimei stealthily trailed behind Hu Mo all the way to the Hu Residence's drill grounds.

Standing at a distance, she watched Hu Mo without making the slightest sound. As usual, the moment Hu Mo appeared, he engaged in a ferocious, brawling combat with them. Every single time the members of the Starry Brigade thought they could defeat Hu Mo, what awaited them was a merciless beating.

Despite this, they showed not the slightest bit of discouragement; instead, they cultivated with even greater frenzy. Hu Mo was their god, and even when defeated by him, their hearts swelled with honor.

Watching the group of warriors panting as they lay sprawled across the ground from his beating, Hu Mo inwardly sighed and thought to himself, "It seems my speed is still too slow. Although their cultivation techniques are powerful, their physical constitutions are far too inferior. At this rate, it would take decades for them to reach that tier."

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, a bold notion suddenly welled up within him.

"If I use the three types of chaotic energies to temper their bodies, perhaps I can alter their physical constitutions. Even if that fails, their cultivation speed should at least increase by a tier. Wood, water, fire—these three energies are already sufficient. As for the pain... I'm afraid it will be quite a trial for them." Hu Mo's lips curved upward slightly. Looking at the fervent warriors with their blazing gazes, he shouted aloud, "Brothers, your rate of progress has been fast—of that there is no doubt. However, at your current speed, the time required to meet my demands is simply too long. I cannot wait that long, and I believe none of you can either. Therefore, I have a method with remarkable results. I wonder if everyone would like to give it a try?"

Hu Mo looked at everyone with a solemn expression. Although he spoke casually, everyone could sense that the method Hu Mo mentioned was by no means simple.

"We want to!" Without a moment's hesitation, all the warriors roared in unison. The shockwave of their battle-cry shook even the newly erected boundary barrier.

Hu Mo smiled faintly, his tone shifting as he lowered his voice. "I'm only afraid the brothers won't be able to endure the agony. If anyone has concerns, speak up now; I have no wish to see you all suffer too much hardship."

"Marshal, stop joking around. What kind of hardship have we never seen? What kind of pain have we never endured? Marshal, if you keep nagging like an old woman, we'll start saying you're a woman instead. Hahaha..." Tie Hei laughed heartily, a few words that instantly set all the warriors off into loud, booming laughter.

Hu Baimei, who had been hiding in the shadows all along, watched Hu Mo with immense curiosity. For reasons unknown, as she continued to watch, she found herself completely entranced.

"Haha, good! Since none of you are afraid, we shall begin immediately. If you can't bear it, just scream out loud!" Hu Mo laughed heartily as three hazy phantoms materialized around him. In a flash, the wood, water, and fire energies across the entire drill ground surged violently, and the complexions of the Starry Brigade warriors finally shifted.