Chapter 373: Tongxian Festival

Mo Hua, having passed his assessment, officially became a First Grade Array Master.

When the news reached Tongxian City, everyone was overjoyed.

Up until now, he was the first and only First Grade Array Master to originate from among the loose cultivators in Tongxian City.

Elder Yu decided to hold a celebration.

It was a celebration of Mo Hua becoming a First Grade Array Master and also of Tongxian City's united efforts to kill the great demon Feng Xi.

Furthermore, Elder Yu had another purpose: to see off Mo Hua.

Mo Hua was about to travel and leave Tongxian City.

And in killing the great demon and protecting the stability of Tongxian City, Mo Hua could be said to have the greatest merit.

Elder Yu had no way to repay him, so he thought of holding a city-wide festival to send Mo Hua off.

Elder Yu specifically found Zhou Zhangsi, and after several discussions, they set November 1st as the Tongxian Festival.

After Mo Hua returned from Cangyun Sect, he saw Tongxian City adorned with lanterns and colorful decorations, an atmosphere of a festival in the making.

After learning the backstory, Mo Hua was extremely happy.

After all, celebrating a festival is very lively.

Although Qingshan City is big, it is obviously not as lively as Tongxian City, and naturally not as interesting as Tongxian City.

Only Mo Hua still had a little worry:

"We built a large array, and the spirit stones are almost used up. Do we still have spirit stones to celebrate the festival?"

Elder Yu calmly said, "We were even poorer before, didn't we still celebrate festivals as usual?"

Mo Hua was slightly startled and felt it was very reasonable.

Elder Yu laughed: "No matter what, festivals always need to be celebrated. It's just that in good times we celebrate more extravagantly, and when there's no money, we celebrate more frugally."

"Although we used up most of the spirit stones building the large array, the remaining spirit stones are still enough for us to use."

"Moreover, the foundations of the tool refining workshop and the pill refining workshop are still there. Now there's even a mountain road, making travel convenient. In a few years, Tongxian City will become more and more prosperous."

Mo Hua nodded, only then did he relax.

Immediately, he said somewhat expectantly: "Will the future days become better and better?"

Elder Yu nodded, "Rest assured. Loose cultivators are not afraid of hardship. As long as they are not oppressed, their days will always get better and better."

As long as they are not oppressed...

Mo Hua's mood was complex when he heard this.

The human way is to damage the insufficient to offer to the sufficient.

In this world, there should still be many cultivators who suffer oppression and exploitation, and Tongxian City after that...

Elder Yu saw Mo Hua frowning slightly, not knowing what he was thinking, then patted his shoulder and laughed:

"No need to think so much, cultivate diligently, don't lose your Dao heart, just do what you can do well."

Mo Hua's eyes brightened slightly, and he nodded:

"Okay!"

Afterwards, they happily celebrated the festival.

He also invited Zi Sheng and Zi Xi to play together.

Mr. Zhuang agreed to take in disciples, and Xue Yi, having completed this task, specially gave the siblings a holiday.

Moreover, not long after, they would have to leave Tongxian City, and whether they could return again was still an unknown.

So Xue Yi also did not restrict the two children, wanting them to play to their heart's content and leave no regrets.

Bai Zi Sheng was extremely happy, and Bai Zi Xi's eyes were also bright like the stars in the sky.

On the day of the Tongxian Festival, Mo Hua somewhat fulfilled his duty as a "host" and took Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi to walk around for a day.

During the day, the streets were extraordinarily lively, and in the evening, the lights were dazzlingly bright.

Mo Hua led the way, with Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi following behind him.

Bai Zi Sheng looked left and right with great interest, and whenever he encountered something new, he would ask:

"Mo Hua, what is that?"

"Mo Hua, is that delicious?"

"Mo Hua, this bamboo dragonfly can actually fly..."

Mo Hua, as the little junior brother, could only patiently answer.

Bai Zi Xi didn't say as many words; only when she saw pastries she hadn't eaten before would she stop and look silently.

Mo Hua then understood, bought a few pieces, and gave one to Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi each, eating as they walked.

Although he said "bought," Mo Hua didn't need to pay spirit stones.

Because even if he paid, others wouldn't accept them.

Almost all the cultivators on the whole street knew Mo Hua and knew that Mo Hua was the little array master who built the large array and killed the great demon, and now he was even a First Grade Array Master recognized by the Dao Court.

So basically no one collected spirit stones from Mo Hua.

Some stall cultivators would even pick out a few good items from what they were selling and specifically give them to Mo Hua.

If Mo Hua declined, they would even be unhappy.

The three walked all the way, collecting a pile of things, but not spending a single spirit stone.

Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi were very surprised.

Bai Zi Sheng secretly said: "Mo Hua, if I didn't know you, I would even suspect that this whole street is owned by your family..."

Mo Hua couldn't help but laugh.

During the day, the streets were bustling with people and noise.

When night fell, the night curtain was drawn, lanterns were hung, and the points of light reflected each other, extending far away. Tongxian City was another scene entirely.

There were relatively many interesting activities in the evening.

For example, the traditional Tongxian City demon-fighting performance.

Because it was to celebrate the hunting and killing of Feng Xi, the "demon beast" in the "demon-fighting performance" became a pig demon, which was huge and looked stupid and silly.

The pig demon was played by demon hunters.

Because the pig demon was huge, there were also many demon hunters pretending to be it.

In addition to Da Hu and the other two, several youths like Da Ping and Da Zhu, and even the two adults Yu Chengyi and Yu Chengwu, joined in the fun.

After watching the "demon-fighting performance," they started eating "killed pig dishes."

Feng Xi had already been collapsed into black ash by Mo Hua using the large array. The killed pig dishes here were from other herbivorous pig demons.

The demon hunters killed quite a few pig demons and handed them over to Fu Shan Lou to cook, specifically for eating on the day of the festival.

To celebrate the killing of a pig demon, naturally, they wanted to eat pork.

Every cultivator in the entire Tongxian City received a portion.

This also became a custom of Tongxian City afterwards. From then on, every year on November 1st, the Tongxian Festival, to celebrate the killing of the pig demon Feng Xi, all the cultivators in Tongxian City would eat a portion of pork.

After eating the killed pig dishes, they released fireworks.

This time, the fireworks array was also drawn by Mo Hua.

He added a new array based on the original duplicate array.

Combining the experience gained from the Five Elements Slaughter Demon Big Array, utilizing the principle of mutual generation and restraint of the five elements, and using divine sense to derive calculation methods, he made the colors of the fireworks richer, the trajectories clearer, and the consumption of spirit stones also less.

Before releasing the fireworks, Mo Hua took Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi to climb onto a roof.

"This roof belongs to Elder Yu's house, and it's very suitable for watching fireworks."

Mo Hua said to Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi.

Bai Zi Sheng was startled and secretly said: "You climbed onto Elder Yu's roof, won't he find trouble with you?"

"No." Mo Hua shook his head, "I mentioned it to Elder Yu beforehand."

At most, a few tiles might be damaged, it's not worth much money.

Bai Zi Sheng nodded, then relaxed.

Thus, the three of them, one little senior brother, one little senior sister, and one little junior brother, sat side by side on the roof, their legs swinging, waiting to watch the fireworks in the sky.

Mo Hua was also very expectant.

Although this array was drawn by him, he used a different drawing method. He hadn't seen what it would look like after lighting up.

On the roof of Elder Yu's house, the three of them sat shoulder to shoulder.

Mo Hua and Bai Zi Sheng each held a skewer of roasted pork in their left and right hands.

Bai Zi Xi held a box of pastries. Inside the box were white, sticky, little rabbit-shaped pastries.

All three were somewhat expectant.

After a while, the fireworks bloomed.

First, there was a clear cry, and a streak of fire light cut through the night sky.

Then, five-colored array lights rushed into the sky, gathered in the air, blooming into five-colored fireworks, then scattering open, blooming successively, one after another, layer by layer, weaving into a five-colored, ten-light sky curtain, colorful and dazzling, covering the entire night sky.

It was as if the big array was activated, a grand scene of light filling the sky.

Only in this grand scene, there was no killing aura, only prosperity and peace.

Mo Hua and the other two also looked up at the sky together.

This sky full of gorgeous, five-colored, colorful fireworks was imprinted into their clear eyes and would forever remain in their memories.

At this moment, all the cultivators in Tongxian City raised their heads, looking at this indescribably beautiful fireworks display, lost in thought.

And all the array masters in Tongxian City were similarly shocked by this scene of fireworks. At the same time, they couldn't help but mutter in their hearts:

"Just for a fireworks display, is it necessary to use such a complex array..."

The Tongxian Festival ended in a lively and joyful atmosphere.

After the Tongxian Festival, Mr. Zhuang had to leave.

Early one morning, Mo Hua said goodbye to his father and mother outside the city.

Also there to see him off were Elder Yu, Old Man Feng, Master Chen, Zhou Zhangsi, Zhang Lan, and Da Hu, Da Zhu, Da Ping, and the others...

There was a large crowd of people outside the city.

Everyone looked at Mo Hua, feeling reluctant.

"You must respect your teacher and value the Dao, and listen carefully to Mr. Zhuang's words," Liu Ru Hua exhorted, "Also, you must take good care of yourself..."

Mo Hua nodded seriously, his eyes a little sore.

Mo Shan didn't say anything, just stroked his head, looking at him with a gentle expression.

Everyone else also sent him off, saying words of concern and entrustment.

After a while, the Bai family carriage arrived.

Mo Hua boarded the carriage, then poked his small head out from the window, waving goodbye to everyone.

He was waving goodbye to his father and mother, to so many elders, friends, acquaintances, and companions.

He was also waving goodbye to his hometown where he was born and grew up.

Thereafter, he would embark on a long Dao journey, go to see the hundred states of this world, go to explore the profound mysteries of arrays, and he didn't know when he could return again.

The carriage carried Mo Hua and gradually went far away.

Liu Ru Hua stood in her original spot, reluctantly watching Mo Hua, always looking at his back until it disappeared at the end of the road, disappeared into the heavy mountains, disappeared into the lingering clouds, until she could no longer see.

She then silently shed tears of parting.

Half a year later, at the foot of Dahei Mountain.

A huge demon-镇 stele was completed.

This demon-镇 stele was personally supervised by the old master of the An family and built with top-grade stone materials, which can withstand wind and sun without being damaged.

Engraved on the stele were the names of the cultivators who made outstanding contributions in the battle where Tongxian City killed the great demon Feng Xi.

Killing a great demon was the biggest merit of Tongxian City in hundreds, even nearly a thousand years.

This stele was similarly the biggest demon-镇 stele in nearly a thousand years.

As long as Tongxian City exists, the demon-镇 stele will exist, and the names on the stele will also exist.

At the beginning of the demon-镇 stele, in a prominent position, was engraved the name of the old master of the An family.

The characters were vigorous, ancient, and powerful, clear at a glance from a distance.

And above the name of the old master of the An family, there was an even more prominent name engraved:

"Mo Hua".

(End of Volume One: Black Mountain Volume)

Volume One is finished.