Mo Hua originally thought that Zhang Lan's words, "I'll find you to play when I'm free," were just polite talk, but he didn't expect Zhang Lan to be serious.
After that day, Zhang Lan often went to the food stall, ordered a pot of wine and a plate of meat, and watched the bustling street all morning. Occasionally, he would see Mo Hua and complain:
"You're a little kid. Where do you go every day? I've been here a few times and haven't seen you."
Mo Hua replied seriously, "I'm not like you. I'm very busy."
"What could you possibly be busy with?" Zhang Lan didn't believe him.
Mo Hua started counting on his fingers:
"Daily routine cultivation, drawing formation diagrams when I have time, reading formation books when I'm tired, delivering food to my teacher and asking him questions, and helping the neighbors repair their formations…"
Zhang Lan's head started to spin, "Alright, alright, I give up."
Mo Hua, an eleven or twelve-year-old little cultivator, was busy every day. Zhang Lan, a cultivator working for the Dao Court Division, was spending his days drinking. Compared to Mo Hua, Zhang Lan even felt a bit guilty.
He remembered his father scolding him furiously, but his heart had remained unmoved.
"By the way, are there any fun places in Tongxian City?" Zhang Lan asked.
"I'm a good kid, I'm not playful, how would I know."
Mo Hua refused to answer. Who knew what kind of fun Zhang Lan was talking about? He was still a child and should avoid inappropriate things.
"Then, where are the lively places?" Zhang Lan settled for less.
"The east side of South Street is lively."
"I've been there. There aren't many cultivators, and the market isn't bustling. It's boring," Zhang Lan wasn't very interested.
"Of course, it's not lively during the day. Not everyone is as idle as you. People have to earn a living," Mo Hua said.
Zhang Lan couldn't respond. Thinking it over, he realized Mo Hua was right. He was indeed idle, and he accepted it.
"When is it lively?" Zhang Lan asked.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and said, "The day after tomorrow. The day after tomorrow is the Demon Hunting Festival, the liveliest time of the year."
"What kind of festival is the Demon Hunting Festival?"
Mo Hua explained, "It's a festival where demon hunters celebrate their harvest. October is the peak season for demon hunting. After that, demon activity decreases, and the earnings from hunting drop. Demon hunters usually hunt more demons in October. During the Demon Hunting Festival, they sell their catches and then rest for a while. The market is full of everything. It's very lively."
Zhang Lan was surprised, "You really know a lot."
"Of course," Mo Hua patted his chest. "I'm a bit of a local expert."
Zhang Lan laughed but was also quite interested in the Demon Hunting Festival, "Alright, I'll go have a look the day after tomorrow." He then waved his sleeve and prepared to leave.
Mo Hua looked at him curiously, "Haven't you paid the bill yet?"
"I placed several dozen spirit stones on the counter and deducted them directly," Zhang Lan said casually.
Mo Hua clicked his tongue, thinking that Zhang Lan's demeanor had a touch of someone willing to be taken advantage of.
He continued to focus on his formation book, planning to learn a few more formations in the next couple of days. During the Demon Hunting Festival, he could take a break and spend some time playing with Da Hu and the others.
Bai Zisheng heard that Mo Hua was going to the Demon Hunting Festival and couldn't help feeling envious.
The Bai family had strict rules—even though they weren't in the family anymore, Aunt Xue still demanded daily cultivation. Besides that, they had to excel in alchemy, formations, artifact refining, and other studies, all clearly arranged.
Perhaps because they weren't in the family, Aunt Xue feared they might fall behind compared to other family disciples, hence the stricter requirements. Many books on alchemy, artifact refining, or cultivation that Mo Hua glanced at seemed incredibly obscure and complex, beyond his understanding.
Luckily, he could understand books on formations and found them not too difficult.
However, Mo Hua had always had a question: as named disciples of Master Zhuang, what were Bai's siblings learning exactly?
So far, Master Zhuang didn't seem to have taught them anything special.
The things they learned, Mo Hua could learn as well, and the things they sought advice on, Mo Hua listened in on, though some things were too obscure for Zhuang to guide.
Moreover, even if Master Zhuang didn't teach them anything, their cultivation was arranged by the family down to the last detail, without needing Zhuang's involvement.
Only Mo Hua regularly visited Master Zhuang's library, bringing some food and seeking answers to his questions.
Bai's siblings were only practicing in the small pavilion. According to Mo Hua's impressions, besides the routine greetings and consultation, they had not individually sought out Master Zhuang.
This puzzled Mo Hua greatly.
Or perhaps Master Zhuang wouldn't teach named disciples, only passing on the technique to direct descendants?
Mo Hua persisted, wondering if Master Zhuang would accept him as a direct disciple.
Mo Hua made a simple comparison of his skills, spiritual roots, talents, and family background with Bai's siblings and instantly calmed down. It's not so important to aspire to higher goals.
Mo Hua thought about it and silently dismissed this unrealistic idea.
Two days later was the Demon Hunting Festival.
The Demon Hunting Festival was one of the biggest festivals in Tongxian City, even bigger than the Lotus Festival.
All the cultivators in Tongxian City, whether poor wandering cultivators or wealthy family cultivators, had long prepared for the Demon Hunting Festival. The festive atmosphere began in the morning and intensified into the night.
During the Demon Hunting Festival, the streets were crowded, and the eateries were bustling, so Liu Ruhua stayed at home to manage the business with Aunt Jiang and a few hired aunties.
Mo Shan had to contact buyers to sell the demon beast hides, bones, or cores that the demon hunting team had hunted in the past month because the next few months were the off-season for demon hunting and the income would be low. Many cultivators relied on these spirit stones to survive until next year.
Mo Hua could only wander the streets with Da Hu and the others.
However, Da Hu and the others had another matter: participating in the Demon Hunting Ceremony.
Every year during the Demon Hunting Festival, there was a ceremony for young cultivators at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer or above to become demon hunters.
The Qi Refining Sixth Layer was a watershed for wandering cultivators in Tongxian City. It was not only the peak of mid Qi Refining but also held hopes for breaking through to late Qi Refining.
At mid Qi Refining, they could learn some simple spells or martial arts, and their spiritual power and physical bodies were strong enough to protect themselves from demon beasts.
Stepping forward to late Qi Refining was a big step in Tongxian City, where mid Qi Refining was mainly focused.
But this step had many variables, and many cultivators, due to spirit stones, spiritual roots, techniques, etc., spent their entire lives unable to move forward.
Therefore, for wandering cultivators, reaching the Qi Refining Sixth Layer meant they could truly become demon hunters. And becoming a demon hunter meant relying on hunting demon beasts to make a living.
(End of the Chapter)