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In the following days, Mo Hua spent all his time sequestered in his room drawing the Bright Fire Formation, except for when he ate his meals.
After five days, Mo Hua had used up the ten sets of materials but, regrettably, only succeeded in drawing eight complete formations. One was spoiled by carelessness, and another by a brushwork error he hadn't noticed before.
The Bright Fire Formation was the simplest and most basic formation in the Tao Cultivation World, yet even after so many attempts, Mo Hua still made occasional mistakes, some of which he had made before.
"Formations are truly profound and intricate, not to be taken lightly!" Mo Hua reminded himself sternly.
When he found the time, Mo Hua handed over the successfully drawn formations to the Fatty Steward of Fated Gathering.
This time, the steward was slightly more satisfied, acknowledging Mo Hua's... elder brother's diligent attitude and noticeably improved brushwork compared to before. He was very willing to continue their cooperation and, after giving Mo Hua six spirit stones, supplied him with ten more sets of materials.
Mo Hua had already earned twelve spirit stones and, at this rate, could complete another transaction before the end of the year, earning at least six more spirit stones.
Mo Hua became even more meticulous in his drawing, handling the Bright Fire Formation with greater ease. His divine sense had also strengthened considerably. Now he could complete a full Bright Fire Formation without exhausting all his divine sense, significantly reducing the time it took to draw a formation.
Several days later, after finishing his dinner, Mo Hua was preparing to return to his room when he suddenly heard a knock at the door.
Mo Shan stood up to open the door and found two people standing outside.
One was a young man wearing a clean and tidy Taoist robe who seemed to be quite cultivated and behaved very politely.
The other was a middle-aged cultivator with some shallow scars on his face, whose eyes looked calm but held a sharpness within, and whose spiritual power was clearly much more robust, indicating he was at least at the eighth or ninth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.
"Young friend, might there be a brother named Mo Shan living here?"
"Are you looking for my dad?" Mo Hua asked, tilting his little head.
The middle-aged cultivator's eyes softened as he looked at Mo Hua, "You must be Mo Hua!"
Mo Shan also came out to greet them, clasping his hands in respect, "Brother Ji!"
The middle-aged cultivator returned the greeting, "Brother Mo, I'm sorry for intruding so late! My son and I have traveled from Black Mountain City, rushing through the night, and have only just arrived at this hour."
"Do you have a place to stay?"
"Yes, it's with a brother from my father's generation. It happens that I'm visiting him, so we can lodge there temporarily. I came to discuss with you the matter we spoke of before..."
"Come in to talk."
Mo Shan welcomed them in, while Liu Ruhua tidied up the table and brought over some freshly brewed tea. Mo Shan then invited the two men to take a seat and introduced Mo Hua, saying:
"This is your Uncle Ji, Ji Qingbai, and next to him is your Brother Ji, with the given name Li."
Mo Hua bowed formally, "Hello Uncle Ji, hello Brother Ji!"
Ji Qingbai smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. He wanted to compliment, but seeing the tall and burly Mo Shan with his heroic eyebrows and starry eyes, then looking at the delicate and handsome Mo Hua beside him with fair skin, he felt that the phrase "like father, like son" didn't quite fit.
Normally, when a father is tall and robust, the son also tends to be strong and bear a resemblance, and that's when the phrase is most apt.
But as a Monster Hunter who was accustomed to battling monster beasts, and who only used the common compliment "like father, like son", Ji Qingbai suddenly found himself at a loss for words now that the phrase wasn't applicable.
"This child..." Ji Qingbai hesitated for a moment, then managed to find the words, "is very well-grown!"
To avoid seeming perfunctory, Ji Qingbai added, "Handsome, resembling Brother Mo, with gentle eyes and a temperament similar to the sister-in-law, well-read and sensible—I've never seen such an attractive child before."
Mo Shan wasn't bothered by the particulars; he was delighted with any praise for Mo Hua.
After exchanging some pleasantries, Mo Shan said to Mo Hua, "Your father and Uncle Ji will discuss some matters, you go and play in your room."
"Okay!"
Mo Hua bowed to Ji Qingbai, then returned to his room.
Ji Qingbai was likely also a Monster Hunter, coming to his father probably to discuss Monster Hunting matters.
Mo Shan, with his robust build, had excellent talent for Body Refinement. In the Qi Refinement Realm, he had reached the eighth level, practiced several powerful Physical Martial Arts such as Cracked Gold Claw and Fiery Flaming Fist, and also had extensive experience with Monster Hunting. Additionally, being a man of integrity, he was quite well-known among the Qi Refinement cultivators in Tongxian City.
"Ji Qingbai coming to see my dad, it's probably about discussing the Monster Hunting expedition into the Inner Mountain of Big Black Mountain after the New Year..."
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The Inner Mountain must be dangerous...
Mo Hua thought about it and then sighed.
These were not things he could be concerned with now, with only the second level of Qi Refinement, unable to practice Physical Martial Arts or even choose a Cultivation Technique, not knowing a single Spell; he couldn't help much.
He might as well focus on Drawing Formation.
Mo Hua took out his paper and brush, poured ink into the ink stone, and concentrated on drawing the Formation, hoping to complete a full Bright Fire Formation Diagram before falling asleep and entering the Sea of Consciousness.
With his brush dipped in ink, he commenced his strokes; the pale red ink followed the tip of the brush, outlining one Formation Pattern after another.
The Bright Fire Formation was so familiar that he had no difficulty drawing it.
A few incense sticks worth of time later, the light on the lamp suddenly flickered and went out, leaving the room pitch-black.
Is the lamp broken?
Mo Hua stopped his brush and, using the light from the hall, picked up the lamp on the table to examine it, muttering to himself, "Could it be it's been used for too long?"
It was still a long time till the hour of Zi; Mo Hua wanted to draw the Formation for a while longer.
What should he do?
Holding the lamp, Mo Hua walked to the door and peeped through the crack, seeing Mo Shan and Ji Qingbai still chatting inside the hall.
Mo Hua didn't want to disturb Mo Shan at this time. Just as he was about to withdraw his head, he heard Mo Shan say, "Huar, is there something you need?"
Only then did Mo Hua realize he had been noticed.
With Mo Shan's Cultivation probably at the eighth level of Qi Refinement, and Uncle Ji's even higher, a glance through the crack in the door would naturally not escape their Divine Sense.
Mo Hua had no choice but to say, "Dad, the lamp is broken."
Mo Shan beckoned, "Bring it here, let me take a look."
Mo Hua handed over the lamp.
Mo Shan took it, twisted it forcefully, and opened the base of the lamp, looking inside before saying,
"It's been used for too long, and the Formation inside has faded. I'll buy you a new one tomorrow. For tonight, you should go to sleep early."
"Formation?" Mo Hua's eyes lit up, "Dad, let me see."
Mo Shan was slightly taken aback, but still handed the lamp to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua took the lamp and realized that the Formation at the base looked somewhat familiar; it was very similar to the Bright Fire Formation Patterns but was clearly cruder and only had two lines.
It must be a cheaply made Bright Fire Formation to cut costs.
The Bright Fire Formation, Mo Hua knew it well.
"Dad, wait a minute," he said.
Mo Hua ran back to his room, brought his brush and ink, traced over the faded Formation on the base, checked it, then found another spot and sketched a few more strokes.
Mo Shan and Ji Qingbai stopped talking and solemnly watched him work.
After a while, Mo Hua finished, "Dad, try it now."
Mo Shan took the lamp, screwed the base back on, and flicked the small mechanism on the lamp; the lamp reignited and the room became brighter.
"It's working?" Mo Shan was surprised, then affectionately patted Mo Hua's head, "Not bad, take it back, and remember to rest early, don't study too late."
Mo Hua hummed an agreement, "Dad, Uncle Ji, continue your chat, I'm going back to my room." Having said that, he ran back to his room with the lamp.
Mo Shan turned to Ji Sihai, "Sorry, Brother Ji, let's continue our conversation."
However, Ji Qingbai seemed to have heard nothing, staring at the back of Mo Hua as he went back to his room, he was zoned out for a long while before finally saying thoughtfully, "Mo Hua, this child, should only be at the second level of Qi Refinement, right?"