Chapter 13 Lamp_1

Over the next few days, apart from meals, Mo Hua confined himself to his room, focusing on drawing the Bright Fire Formation.

Five days later, Mo Hua used up all ten sets of materials, but managed to successfully draw only eight formations. One failed due to his carelessness, and the other due to an unnoticed brushstroke mistake.

Although the Bright Fire Formation was the simplest and most basic formation in the Tao Cultivation World, Mo Hua still made occasional errors after drawing it so many times, some of which were mistakes he had made before.

"Formations are truly vast and profound, not something one can afford to be careless with!" *Mo Hua silently admonished himself.*

Mo Hua took some time to deliver his completed formations to Fatty Steward at Fated Gathering.

The steward was slightly more satisfied this time, noting that Mo Hua's... elder brother had an industrious attitude and that Mo Hua's brushwork had clearly become much more refined since before. Happy to continue their collaboration, he handed Mo Hua six Spirit Stones and provided him with another ten sets of materials.

Mo Hua had already earned twelve Spirit Stones. At this rate, he could complete another batch before the year's end, earning at least six additional Spirit Stones.

Mo Hua devoted himself even more diligently to his work. He became even more adept at drawing the Bright Fire Formation, significantly strengthening his Divine Sense in the process. He no longer needed to exhaust his Divine Sense to complete one full formation, drastically reducing the time required for him to complete a formation.

A few days later, after finishing dinner, Mo Hua was preparing to return to his room when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

Mo Shan stood up to answer it and found two people waiting outside.

One was a young man, dressed in clean and neat Taoist robes. Judging by his bearing and cultivation level, he seemed polite and cultured.

The other was an older cultivator, his face marked with shallow knife scars. His calm gaze nonetheless hinted at sharpness, and his aura was thick with Spiritual Power—he was likely at least an eighth- or ninth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator.

"Young one, does a Brother Mo Shan live here?"

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

The older cultivator's expression softened upon seeing Mo Hua, "You must be Mo Hua!"

Mo Shan also stepped forward and greeted them, bowing, "Brother Ji!"

The older cultivator returned the salute, "Brother Mo, my apologies for disturbing you at such a late hour! My son and I journeyed here overnight from Black Mountain City, only arriving just now at this hour."

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"We do—a brother from my father's generation. I came to visit and rest temporarily. I'm here to discuss the matter you mentioned earlier..."

"Come in and let's talk."

Mo Shan ushered them inside. Liu Ruhua tidied the table before serving tea. Mo Shan invited the two to sit, then introduced them to Mo Hua:

"This is your Uncle Ji, named Qingbai, and next to him is your Brother Ji, whose name is Li."

Mo Hua bowed in a proper manner and said, "Hello, Uncle Ji. Hello, Brother Ji!"

Ji Qingbai smiled and nodded. He had intended to offer some praises, but after seeing Mo Shan, whose tall stature and heroic demeanor were matched by his sword-like brows and starry eyes, and then glimpsing Mo Hua, whose delicate and fair appearance exuded charm and decorum, he found himself unable to utter the familiar phrase, "A tiger father raises no dog son."

Normally, when a father was tall and strong, it would make sense for his son to be similarly rugged. This phrase was more fitting for such occasions.

But as a Monster Hunter, Ji Qingbai was accustomed to dealing with monster beasts and seemed out of place when it came to praising children. His go-to compliment was usually just "A tiger father raises no dog son," but that didn't apply here. For a moment, Ji Qingbai felt at a loss for words.

"This child..." Ji Qingbai hesitated for a moment before finally coming up with a suitable comment, "Looks very good!"

To avoid sounding perfunctory, Ji Qingbai added, "Handsome in appearance, with features resembling Brother Mo and an elegant temperament similar to Sister-in-law. Cultured and well-behaved—I've never seen such a fine-looking child."

Mo Shan didn't overthink it. He was pleased to hear compliments about Mo Hua, regardless of what they were.

Mo Shan exchanged a few courteous remarks before addressing Mo Hua, "Your father and Uncle Ji need to discuss some matters. Go back to your room and play for now."

"Alright!"

Mo Hua bowed to Ji Qingbai before returning to his own room.

Ji Qingbai was most likely a Monster Hunter, visiting Mo Shan to discuss monster hunting.

Mo Shan had a burly physique, excellent talent for Body Refinement, and an eighth-layer Qi Refinement cultivation level. He practiced several powerful Body Refinement martial arts, such as Cracked Gold Claw and Fiery Flaming Fist, and had ample experience in monster hunting. Combined with his righteous personality, Mo Shan held a fair amount of renown among Qi Refinement Realm Demon Refining Masters in Tongxian City.

"Ji Qingbai probably wants to discuss plans for monster hunting in Big Black Mountain's Inner Mountain after the New Year..."

The Inner Mountain was likely very dangerous...

*Mo Hua thought for a moment, then sighed.*

*These are matters beyond his concern for now. With a cultivation level of only Qi Refinement Stage Two, he couldn't learn Body Refinement martial arts, hadn't chosen a cultivation technique, and wasn't capable of casting spells. He was entirely unable to provide any assistance.*

*Better to focus on drawing formations.*

Mo Hua took out his paper and brush, poured ink into the inkstone, and dedicated himself to drawing a formation, hoping to complete a Bright Fire Formation Diagram before falling asleep and entering his Sea of Consciousness.

Using his brush, he dipped into the ink. Stroke by stroke, the light reddish ink outlined formation patterns that gracefully emerged under his steady movements.

The Bright Fire Formation had become second nature to him. Mo Hua completed each stroke effortlessly.

After several incense sticks' time, the flame of his lamp suddenly flickered and extinguished, plunging the room into darkness.

Did the lamp break?

Mo Hua paused and, using the light from the main room, picked up the lamp to inspect it closely, turning it over and over. Muttering to himself, he said, "Could it be from overuse?"

There was still a long time until 1 p.m. Mo Hua had intended to draw formations for a while longer.

What should he do?

Mo Hua held the lamp and walked to the door. Through the crack, he saw the main room, where Mo Shan and Ji Qingbai were still chatting.

Mo Hua didn't want to interrupt his father during this moment. He was about to pull his head back when Mo Shan called out, "Huar, is something the matter?"

Only then did Mo Hua realize he'd been noticed.

With a cultivation level of Qi Refinement Stage Eight, Mo Shan's Divine Sense was undoubtedly sharp, and Uncle Ji must have had even higher cultivation. Peeking through the door crack surely didn't escape their senses.

Mo Hua had no choice but to say, "Dad, the lamp broke."

Mo Shan waved him over, "Bring it here and let me take a look."

Mo Hua handed the lamp to his father.

Mo Shan took the lamp, twisted it forcefully, opened the base, and looked inside, saying, "It's been used for too long. The formation inside has faded. I'll buy you a new one tomorrow; for tonight, it's best to go to bed early."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up, "Dad, let me take a look."

Mo Shan blinked in slight surprise but handed the lamp over to Mo Hua.

Inspecting the base, Mo Hua noticed a vaguely familiar formation pattern resembling the Bright Fire Formation's. However, it was obviously cruder, with only two lines of patterns.

It was probably an economical imitation of the Bright Fire Formation, cutting corners to save costs.

The Bright Fire Formation—Mo Hua was very familiar with this!

"Dad, wait a moment."

Mo Hua ran back to his room, brought his brush and ink, and traced over the faded formation on the base, carefully adding strokes here and there as needed.

Mo Shan and Ji Qingbai said nothing but stood by quietly, watching him intently.

After a short while, Mo Hua finished, "Dad, try it now."

Mo Shan took the lamp, reassembled the base, and slid the lever on the lamp. The lamp reignited, illuminating the room brighter than before.

"It's fixed?" Mo Shan blinked in amazement, then dotingly ruffled Mo Hua's hair. "Good work! Take it back to your room now, but remember not to stay up too late studying."

Mo Hua nodded and said, "Dad, Uncle Ji, you can continue chatting. I'll go back to my room now." With that, he grabbed the lamp and scurried off.

Mo Shan turned to Ji Sihai, "Apologies, Brother Ji. Let's continue."

Ji Qingbai, however, seemed entirely unphased, his gaze lingering on Mo Hua's retreating figure, lost in thought. After a long moment, he carefully commented, "Mo Hua—this child—he's likely only at Qi Refinement Stage Two, right?"