Chapter 120: This Matter Has Something to Do with Eighth Master

Chapter 120: This Matter Has Something to Do with Eighth Master

Observing their attire, Mo Jiuya suddenly recalled the pirate that the Innkeeper Liu mentioned in the tavern earlier today.

"You don't resemble the notorious pirates who've been causing trouble in Xiangyang County recently, do you?"

Upon hearing this, they scratched their heads in embarrassment.

"Not hiding anything from Ninth Master, we did indeed carry out some acts of robbing the rich to help the poor in Xiangyang County."

Mo Jiuya raised an eyebrow, encouraging them to continue.

"When we first arrived here, we planned to wait for you on the main road during the day and find an inn to stay in Xiangyang County at night. However, we soon heard that there were several wealthy families in the city who abused their wealth and acted unethically. Since we had nothing to do here, we decided to do something for the common people, and that's how the rumors outside came about."

Mo Jiuya couldn't help but laugh. "I must say, you've made quite an impact. I've heard that many merchants from other regions have been too scared to conduct business in Xiangyang City because of you, which has even affected the inn where I stayed tonight."

Upon hearing this, Liang Hao and the others found it hard to believe.

"No way? We only stole a few times, and we haven't acted for quite a few days now. If not for Song Chao saying he couldn't sleep, we wouldn't have come out tonight. Who would have thought that our outing would be so fortuitous, allowing us to meet Master Ninth."

Mo Jiuya glanced at the sky; he had been chasing after them for almost half an hour. He knew that He Zhiran must be worried about him, so he didn't intend to stay any longer.

"I reside in the inn you just passed by. Tomorrow morning, the officials will go out to purchase supplies before we continue on our journey."

Seeing Mo Jiuya's intention to leave, Li Mingrui hurriedly reminded Liang Hao, "We have something very important to tell Master Ninth."

Mo Jiuya looked at Liang Hao upon hearing this. "What is it?"

"Master Ninth, this matter concerns Eighth Elder Brother."

Mo Jiuya furrowed his brow. "You mean my Eighth Brother?"

Liang Hao nodded. "Yes, when we first heard about the incident at the Mo family, we immediately thought of the old Marquis's and Eighth Elder Brother's graves still being there. We were worried that the imperial court might send someone to desecrate them, so we planned to go and inspect the situation first.

Upon arrival, we discovered Eighth Elder Brother's tomb had been excavated. The coffin lid was open, and it was empty inside.

We patrolled the area ten days ago, and everything was fine back then. Thus, I can conclude that the disturbance to Eighth Elder Brother's tomb occurred no more than ten days ago."

This news was undoubtedly shocking for Mo Jiuya.

Losing one's father and elder brothers in battle was already hard to accept, but now someone had dug up Eighth Brother's grave. He couldn't fathom the motive behind such an act.

"Did you continue investigating after that?"

Liang Hao nodded. "After discovering Eighth Brother's grave, my brothers and I checked on it almost every day. We found no clues until we left. The old Marquis's and the other seven elders' tombs remained undisturbed."

Mo Jiuya drew a sharp breath, memories of his Eighth Brother flooding his mind.

Eighth Brother, Mo Chuhan, had perished alongside Sixth and Seventh Brothers on the same day. At the time, he was commanding troops to defend another city gate.

When their lifeless bodies were brought back, they were unrecognizable, identifiable only by their attire.

Mo Jiuya was devastated then, with new battles to face. After arranging their affairs, he buried his brothers.

If his memory served him correctly, there was still blood flowing from Eighth Elder Brother's legs when they prepared his body for burial, making him momentarily believe that Eighth Elder Brother might not have actually died.

However, after multiple military doctors confirmed Eighth Elder Brother's death, Mo Jiuya's doubts were finally put to rest.

Recalling this, he asked Liang Hao and the others, "Did you see any signs of blood in Eighth Elder Brother's coffin?"

Liang Hao shook his head. "No, Eighth Prince's casket was very clean. I even wondered at the time, since Eighth Prince had been buried for so many years, why wasn't there even a shred of rotten cloth left in the coffin?"

Mo Jiuya felt countless questions arise in his heart.

Based on Liang Hao's description, that coffin couldn't have been the one used to bury Eighth Elder Brother back then.

Moreover, why did the grave robber only exhume Eighth Elder Brother's tomb?

What purpose could the grave robber have had for taking away both Eighth Elder Brother and his original coffin?

Question after question popped into Mo Jiuya's mind, leaving him feeling suffocated.

Mo Jiuya had already made up his mind. After settling his family in the northwest, he planned to personally investigate the matter.

He raised his gaze to the group and said, "It's getting late. You should all return and rest early. Tomorrow, you can follow as you see fit."

Liang Hao and the others were unsure why Master Ninth was urging them to leave, but they didn't inquire further.

"Alright, we'll be waiting for you at the city gate tomorrow, Master Ninth."

Mo Jiuya acknowledged with an "mm," then leaped away using light body techniques. In no time, his figure vanished from their sight.

Inside the inn.

He Zhiran assumed that Mo Jiuya had chased after someone from Nanzhui, which was why he had left. Seeing that he hadn't returned for so long, He Zhiran grew worried about his safety and decided to go look for him.

Just as he pushed open the door, he collided head-on with the hastily returning Mo Jiuya.

Instinctively, Mo Jiuya reached out to draw He Zhiran into his embrace, saying softly, "Be careful."

He Zhiran promptly pulled him back into the room.

"Where have you been? Did someone from Nanyue send a message?"

Mo Jiuya gently pushed He Zhiran onto a chair and caressed her head.

"No, it was someone from our own side..."

Then, Mo Jiuya recounted in great detail to He Zhiran the events of Liang Hao and the others appearing in Xiangyang County.

Upon hearing this, He Zhiran shared the same questions as Mo Jiuya.

Unfortunately, when she had previously studied historical records, she found no additional information about the rest of the Mo family.

Especially after Mo Jiuya's death during his exile, there were no further mentions of anyone related to the Mo family in the annals.

As such, she was unable to determine the true reason behind Mo Chuhan's grave being excavated.

Though the matter was perplexing, both knew they could do nothing at this moment.

They could only follow Mo Jiuya's plan and, after settling their family in the northwest, make a trip to the border.

After chatting for a while, they both lay back down in bed.

The next morning, He Zhiran accompanied the officials on their mission to purchase supplies.

To guard against potential assassins sent by Nanrui, Mo Jiuya had voluntarily stayed behind to ensure the family's safety. Thus, only He Zhiran ventured out for the shopping trip.

Upon reaching the market, the officials purposefully distanced themselves from He Zhiran.

He Zhiran found it more economical to buy supplies through Taobao, and her outing with the officials was merely a cover to avoid suspicion.

So, she led the cart to a secluded area and proceeded to purchase the necessary items through Taobao. When she deemed it an appropriate time, she rejoined the officials with her cart.