Arrays of Immortality

Chapter 13: The Lamp

For the next few days, aside from eating, Mo Hua shut himself in his room to practice drawing the Bright Fire Array. After five days, Mo Hua used up all ten sets of materials. Unfortunately, he only successfully completed eight diagrams—one due to carelessness and another because of a penmanship mistake he hadn't previously noticed.

The Bright Fire Array was already the simplest and most basic formation in the cultivation world, yet Mo Hua still occasionally made mistakes, some even being repeats of earlier ones.

"Formations are indeed vast and profound. There's no room for carelessness!" Mo Hua reminded himself silently.

He took time to deliver the completed diagrams to the manager at Fated Pavilion. This time, the manager was somewhat more satisfied, believing Mo Hua—his "brother"—to be diligent, and the penwork was visibly more refined than before. Pleased with the progress, the manager handed Mo Hua six spirit stones and gave him another ten sets of materials.

Mo Hua had already earned twelve spirit stones. At this rate, he could complete another order before the New Year and earn at least six more.

Mo Hua became more focused in his work. He grew more proficient with the Bright Fire Array, and his spiritual awareness improved significantly. He no longer exhausted himself while completing a single diagram, greatly reducing the time required for each.

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

Mo Hua opened the door and saw two people standing outside.

One was a teenage boy dressed neatly in a clean daoist robe, exuding a refined manner and seemingly possessing a decent cultivation level. The other was a middle-aged cultivator with faint knife scars on his face. His expression was calm, but his gaze carried a sharp edge. The spiritual energy surrounding him was thick and powerful, suggesting he was likely at least at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refining.

"Little friend, does a man named Mo Shan live here?" the man asked.

"You're looking for my dad?" Mo Hua tilted his head curiously.

The middle-aged cultivator's expression softened. "You must be Mo Hua."

Mo Shan came out to greet them, cupping his hands. "Brother Ji!"

The middle-aged man cupped his hands in return. "Brother Mo, sorry to bother you so late! My son and I have come from Heishan City, traveling overnight to get here."

"Do you have a place to stay?" Mo Shan asked.

"We do. It's a family friend from my father's generation. I'll visit them shortly. I came to talk about what we discussed earlier…"

"Come in," Mo Shan invited.

He led them into the house. Liu Ruhua quickly tidied the table and brought tea. Mo Shan introduced them to Mo Hua:

"This is your Uncle Ji Qingbai, and this is your older brother Ji Li."

Mo Hua politely greeted them, "Hello, Uncle Ji. Hello, Brother Ji."

Ji Qingbai smiled warmly and nodded. He wanted to praise Mo Hua but hesitated after looking at Mo Shan's tall, imposing figure and then at the slender, fair-skinned, and well-mannered Mo Hua. The usual compliment, "Like father, like son," didn't quite fit.

Ji Qingbai, a seasoned beast hunter, usually stuck to that line when praising children. But faced with Mo Hua, he found himself at a loss for words.

"This child…" Ji Qingbai paused for a moment, then finally said, "Looks great!"

To avoid seeming insincere, he added, "Handsome, very much like Brother Mo, but with a gentle demeanor resembling his mother. I haven't seen such a good-looking child in ages."

Mo Shan didn't think too much about it—any compliment toward Mo Hua made him happy.

After exchanging pleasantries, Mo Shan turned to Mo Hua and said, "Your Uncle Ji and I have some matters to discuss. Go back to your room and play."

"Alright!" Mo Hua bowed again and returned to his room.

Ji Qingbai was likely also a beast hunter, so he was probably discussing something related to hunting with Mo Shan. Mo Hua knew his father was well-known among cultivators in Tongxian City. With his robust physique and experience hunting beasts, he was a respected figure, especially in the Qi Refining stage.

"If Ji Qingbai is here, they're likely planning a beast hunt in the inner regions of Daxue Mountain after the New Year," Mo Hua thought. "The inner mountain must be dangerous…"

He sighed. These were things beyond his current ability to help with. At only Qi Refining stage two, with no knowledge of martial arts or spells, all he could do was focus on improving his skills in formation drawing.

Mo Hua retrieved his tools, prepared the ink, and began working on the Bright Fire Array, hoping to complete one more before heading to sleep.

The faint red ink flowed across the paper as Mo Hua expertly guided his brush, etching the array patterns. The Bright Fire Array had become so familiar that he could draw it effortlessly.

Suddenly, as he worked, the light from his lamp flickered and went out, plunging the room into darkness.

"The lamp broke?" Mo Hua muttered.

Unwilling to stop, he grabbed the lamp and peered through the door crack. Seeing his father still chatting with Ji Qingbai, Mo Hua hesitated to interrupt.

Before he could retreat, Mo Shan called out, "Hua'er, what's the matter?"

Mo Hua sheepishly replied, "Dad, the lamp broke."

"Bring it here," Mo Shan said.

Mo Hua handed him the lamp. Mo Shan twisted it open, examined the base, and said, "The formation's faded from overuse. I'll buy you a new one tomorrow. Go to bed early tonight."

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

Somewhat surprised, Mo Shan handed the lamp to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua examined the faded formation at the base of the lamp. The patterns looked familiar—similar to the Bright Fire Array, but cruder and with fewer lines, clearly a cheaper version to save costs.

"I can fix this," Mo Hua announced.

He rushed back to his room, grabbed his tools, and carefully traced over the faded patterns. After studying the base, he made a few adjustments, reapplying the formation with precise strokes.

Mo Shan and Ji Qingbai watched silently, observing every move.

Soon, Mo Hua finished. "Try it now, Dad."

Mo Shan reassembled the lamp and activated it. The light flickered back to life, glowing even brighter than before.

"It's fixed?" Mo Shan murmured, a hint of surprise in his tone. He patted Mo Hua's head with a smile. "Good job! Take it back and don't stay up too late."

"Okay!" Mo Hua said cheerfully. He bid Ji Qingbai goodnight and hurried back to his room with the lamp.

As Mo Hua disappeared, Ji Qingbai stared at the closed door, deep in thought. After a moment, he asked, "Mo Hua is only Qi Refining stage two, right?"

(End of Chapter)