Chapter 13: The Lamp

For several days, except for meals, Mo Hua stayed shut in his room, drawing the formation for the Ming Huo Array.

Five days later, Mo Hua had used up ten sets of materials. Unfortunately, he had only successfully drawn eight copies. One copy was due to carelessness, and another was due to a penmanship error he hadn't noticed before.

The Ming Huo Array was already the simplest and most basic formation in the cultivation world, but Mo Hua had drawn it so many times and still occasionally made mistakes. Some errors were even ones he had committed before.

"Formations are indeed profound and vast. One cannot be careless for even a moment!" Mo Hua secretly warned himself.

Mo Hua took the time to hand over the completed formations to the fat manager at You Yuan Zhai.

The manager was slightly more satisfied this time. He thought Mo Hua... no, his older brother's attitude was diligent, his penmanship was obviously much more proficient than before, and he was also very willing to continue cooperating. After giving Mo Hua six spirit stones, he again gave Mo Hua ten sets of materials.

Mo Hua had already earned twelve spirit stones. At this rate, he could make another deal before the end of the year and earn at least six more spirit stones.

Mo Hua drew even more carefully, becoming even more skilled with the Ming Huo Array. His divine sense also improved significantly. He no longer needed to exhaust his divine sense to draw a complete Ming Huo Array, which greatly reduced the time it took him to draw formations.

Several days later, after finishing dinner, Mo Hua was just about to return to his room when he suddenly heard a knock at the door.

Mo Shan got up and opened the door, discovering two people standing outside.

One person was a young man wearing a clean and neat dao robe. He looked like his cultivation was not low, and his manner was also very polite.

The other person was a cultivator already past middle age. His face had several shallow knife scars, his eyes looked calm, yet there was sharpness between glances. His entire body's spirit power was obviously much thicker; he should be at least a Qi Refining eighth or ninth layer cultivator.

"Little friend, is there a brother named Mo Shan living here?"

"Are you looking for my dad?" Mo Hua tilted his small head and asked.

The middle-aged cultivator's eyes became gentle at the sight of Mo Hua. "You must be Mo Hua!"

Mo Shan also came out, cupped his hands and said: "Brother Ji!"

The middle-aged cultivator also cupped his hands in return. "Old Brother Mo, sorry for disturbing you so late! My son and I came from Hei Shan City, rushing overnight all the way. We just arrived."

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"Yes, he is my dad's generation's brother. It just so happens that I was going to visit him, and also temporarily find a place to stay. I came to find you to discuss the matter you mentioned before..."

"Come in and talk."

Mo Shan welcomed them into the door. Liu Ru Hua tidied the table and brewed and served tea. Mo Shan invited the two people to sit down. Then, he introduced them to Mo Hua:

"This is your Uncle Ji, his name is Qing Bai. Beside him is your Brother Ji, his given name is Li."

Mo Hua performed the ritual in a proper manner and said: "Greetings Uncle Ji, greetings Brother Ji!"

Ji Qing Bai smiled and nodded. He originally wanted to praise him with a couple of sentences, but he saw the tall and sturdy Mo Shan with sword eyebrows and star-like eyes, and then looked at the delicate and obedient Mo Hua with fair skin beside him. The phrase "A tiger father has no dog son" just didn't come out.

Generally, if the father is tall and strong, the son is also energetic and robust. That phrase would be suitable in that case.

But he was a demon hunter, who only knew how to fight with demon beasts every day. When praising someone's child, a universal phrase like "A tiger father has no dog son" was enough. Now that this phrase didn't apply, Ji Qing Bai was instantly a bit at a loss for words.

"This child..." Ji Qing Bai hesitated for a while, only managing to think of one sentence: "He grew up really well!"

To avoid seeming perfunctory, Ji Qing Bai added: "He has a handsome appearance, very similar to Brother Mo. His eyebrows and eyes are gentle and moist, and his temperament is also similar to sister-in-law's. He is knowledgeable and sensible. I have never seen such a good-looking child."

Mo Shan, on the other hand, didn't think so much. As long as someone praised Mo Hua, he was happy to listen.

Mo Shan exchanged pleasantries for a few sentences, then said to Mo Hua: "Dad and your Uncle Ji are discussing some matters. You can go back to your room and play for now."

"Okay!"

Mo Hua performed the ritual to Ji Qing Bai, then returned to his own room.

Ji Qing Bai should also be a demon hunter. Coming to find his father must be to discuss hunting demons.

Mo Shan's body was tall and sturdy, and his body refining talent was very good. He was at the Qi Refining eighth layer realm and cultivated several powerful body refining martial arts like Pie Jin Zhao and Lie Yan Quan. His experience in hunting demons was also very rich. Furthermore, being a righteous person, he had quite some fame among the Qi Refining stage demon hunters in Tong Xian City.

"Ji Qing Bai came to find Dad, probably to discuss hunting demons in the inner area of Da Hei Mountain after the new year..."

The inner area should be very dangerous, right?

Mo Hua thought for a bit, then sighed.

These were all things he couldn't worry about now. He was only at the Qi Refining second layer, couldn't practice body refining or learn martial arts, hadn't even chosen a cultivation method yet, and didn't know a single spell. He couldn't help at all.

He should still concentrate on drawing formations.

Mo Hua took out paper and pen, poured ink into the inkstone, and then concentrated on drawing the formation, hoping to successfully draw a complete Ming Huo Array diagram before falling asleep and entering the sea of consciousness.

Dipping the pen in ink, rising, bearing, turning, combining – the light red ink outlined array patterns one after another with the tip of the pen.

The Ming Huo Array was already intimately familiar to him. Mo Hua drew it effortlessly.

He drew for several incense sticks of time. The flame on the lamp suddenly flickered and went out, and the room became dark.

The lamp is broken?

Mo Hua stopped writing. Borrowing the light from the main hall, he picked up the lamp on the table and turned it over to look, muttering to himself: "Could it be that it's been used for too long?"

There was still a long time until bedtime. Mo Hua still wanted to draw formations for a while longer.

What to do?

Mo Hua held the lamp and walked to the door. Through the crack in the door, he saw Mo Shan and Ji Qing Bai still chatting in the main 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: "Hua Er, what's the matter?"

Mo Hua then knew he had been discovered.

Mo Shan was probably at the Qi Refining eighth layer cultivation, and Uncle Ji would only be higher. Looking through the crack in the door, of course, he couldn't escape their divine sense.

Mo Hua had to say: "Dad, the lamp is broken."

Mo Shan waved his hand, "Bring it here and let me see."

Mo Hua handed over the lamp.

Mo Shan took it, twisted it open with force, opened the base of the lamp, looked inside, and said:

"It's been used for a long time, the formation inside has faded. Dad will buy you a new one tomorrow. Just go to bed early tonight."

"Formation?" Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "Dad, let me see."

Mo Shan was slightly surprised, but still handed the lamp to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua took the lamp and found the formation at the base somewhat familiar. The array patterns were very similar to the Ming Huo Array, but obviously cruder, and there were only two paths.

It should be a cost-saving, cut-corners version of the Ming Huo Array.

The Ming Huo Array, Mo Hua was very familiar with it.

"Dad, wait."

Mo Hua ran back to his room, brought out his pen and ink, and traced a few strokes according to the faded formation on the base. Then he looked for a bit, changed places, and drew a few more strokes.

Mo Shan and Ji Qing Bai both didn't speak, watching seriously from the side.

After a while, Mo Hua finished drawing. "Dad, try it again."

Mo Shan took the lamp, twisted the base back on, then adjusted the small mechanism on the lamp. The lamp relit, and the room became a bit brighter.

"It's good?" Mo Shan was slightly surprised. He immediately touched Mo Hua's head with a bit of doting affection. "Not bad. Take it back. Remember to rest early and don't study too late."

Mo Hua hummed in agreement and said: "Dad, Uncle Ji, you all continue chatting. I'll go back to my room first." After saying that, he grabbed the lamp and ran back into his room.

Mo Shan turned to Ji Qing Bai and said: "Sorry, Brother Ji, let's continue talking."

Ji Qing Bai, however, seemed to have heard nothing. He gazed at Mo Hua's retreating figure entering the room, lost in thought, for a long time. Only then did he speak deliberately: "Mo Hua this child, should be just Qi Refining second layer, right?"