Chapter 97: Little Formation Master
About ten days later, thanks to Elder Feng's pills, Da Hu and Xiao Hu's injuries had completely healed, and they went back into the mountains to hunt demons again.
For a demon hunter, injuries and blood were inevitable. Da Hu and the others weren't that old yet—still novices—but from the moment they received their Demon Hunting Tokens and stepped into the mountains, they had to begin adapting to this kind of life.
That was how all the demon hunters of Tōngxiān City lived. Every day, someone went into the mountains; every month, someone came back wounded; every year, someone never returned at all.
Mo Hua could only silently wish them good fortune in his heart.
Unfortunately, his wish didn't seem to work. Half a month later, Da Hu was carried back down from the mountain, covered in blood.
Mo Hua had been at home drawing formation diagrams when he heard the commotion outside. When he went to ask what had happened, he learned that Da Hu had been seriously injured while hunting, a matter of life and death.
It was as if someone had doused Mo Hua in cold water; his hands and feet went numb.
He rushed to the Apricot Medicinal Hall and found Elder Feng treating Da Hu with a grave expression.
Da Hu lay on the bed, eyes closed, his face pale as paper, uncertain if he still breathed. Blood covered his chest, staining his robe crimson.
Mo Hua's heart thudded painfully at the sight.
When Elder Feng saw him, he picked up a set of vine armor and asked seriously, "These formation patterns on it... did you draw them?"
The vine armor was soaked in blood, with a puncture hole on one side, clearly pierced by a beast's fang or claw. Inside were faint traces of array runes.
Mo Hua nodded.
Elder Feng was silent for a moment, then exhaled in relief. "Good thing he was wearing this vine armor. Otherwise, this boy's life would've been forfeit…"
Mo Hua froze for a second, then finally relaxed. A weight lifted from his heart.
If Elder Feng said that, then Da Hu's life wasn't in danger. As long as he was alive, everything else could be dealt with.
They'd played together since childhood. Da Hu had always stood in front of Mo Hua, protecting him, taking the hits for him. The thought of losing him twisted Mo Hua's insides with dread.
Shuang Hu and Xiao Hu arrived soon after, crying as they ran. When they heard Da Hu would live, they wiped away their tears in silence.
Uncle Meng, who'd also been out hunting, rushed back as soon as he heard the news. Though his face was calm, his hands trembled faintly.
Aunt Meng, who'd been working in the east of the city to earn spirit stones, came running the moment she heard. She stopped at the door, hesitating for a long time before finally forcing herself to go in. When she heard her son was safe, her strength gave out completely, and she sank to the floor, burying her face in her sleeves as she wept.
Elder Feng said it was thanks to the vine armor Mo Hua had given Da Hu that his life was saved.
That day, the three brothers had gone into the mountain to hunt a Rift-Claw Wolf Demon. Just as they were locked in battle, a long-tailed demon beast suddenly lunged out of the grass.
Da Hu had stepped forward to shield his two younger brothers, facing the new threat head-on. But his cultivation was too low, he was no match for it. The beast's tail was covered in sharp spikes, fast and vicious. It lashed toward his chest in an instant, too quick to dodge, and struck him squarely.
Fortunately, the vine armor he wore bore the Iron-Armor Formation, making it far tougher than ordinary armor. It didn't shatter immediately. Da Hu also managed to twist slightly, making the tail spike glance off-center. It pierced the armor and stabbed into his chest, but missed his heart.
Though his chest wound bled profusely, his heart pulse remained intact, and with Elder Feng's timely treatment, his life was spared. He'd wake up after a time.
Aunt Meng thanked Elder Feng again and again, then grasped Mo Hua's hand tightly, her gratitude choking her silent.
Life was full of hardship... and some people bore far more than others.
Looking at Aunt Meng's haggard face, Mo Hua's chest ached with sorrow.
Thankfully, the Iron-Armor Formation had worked. Da Hu would live, and Mo Hua's heart could finally rest.
...
Ten days later, Da Hu's wounds had fully healed, and he and his brothers were ready to head back into the mountains to hunt once more.
Mo Hua went to see them off.
Da Hu's face was still pale, but his eyes shone with resolve. Shuang Hu and Xiao Hu looked serious, yet unafraid.
Even after all the blood they'd shed, after nearly losing their lives, there was no hesitation or fear in them. Once their wounds healed, they returned to the mountains without complaint.
"Father and Mother spent so many spirit stones to heal us, we need to repay that debt quickly."
"I don't want Mother to suffer anymore."
"Me neither…"
They bid farewell to Mo Hua and disappeared down the path into the vast, shadowed mountains.
Mo Hua watched their figures grow smaller and smaller, until they vanished into the endless expanse of the Black Mountain Range.
In the days that followed, Mo Hua lived extremely frugally.
Other than practicing freely in the Dao Stele within his Sea of Consciousness at night, he now calculated every single drop of spirit ink by day.
He refused to use spirit ink on arrays he already knew, it would be wasteful. He also refused to use it on formations he hadn't learned yet, also wasteful.
Even for half-learned arrays, he picked carefully, only using spirit ink on those with rare properties or unusual structures that were worth studying deeply.
After some time like this, one evening during dinner, Mo Shan suddenly said: "Hua'er, someone's asked me to have you draw a few formations for them…"
Mo Hua blinked in surprise, while Mo Shan's expression looked oddly complicated.
Mo Shan had never interfered much in Mo Hua's formation studies.
Partly because demon hunting was hard work, he was captain of a hunting team, responsible for leading cultivators into the mountains, killing beasts, keeping everyone safe, and dividing rewards. Dangerous and busy work, leaving him no energy for other things.
Also, he didn't understand formations. His knowledge barely extended to recognizing a few common types and sensing where traps might be laid. The inner workings of formation masters were a mystery to him.
And finally, Mo Hua had always been self-disciplined. Whether cultivation or array study, he did everything properly without being told. Mo Shan never needed to push him, and didn't want to burden the boy with pressure.
Mo Hua was still young, with shallow cultivation. Even with talent, true mastery in the formation arts would take time.
It was hard enough to learn arrays, becoming a formation master was harder still. Mo Shan knew this well.
Every renowned formation master in Tōngxiān City was either gray-haired or bald from age and effort.
In his mind, if Mo Hua could become even an ordinary, low-ranked formation master by the age of thirty, that would already be more than enough. He'd be able to live off his skill. Mo Shan would be content, so long as he himself didn't die in some beast's stomach before then.
But just yesterday, a demon hunter had come to him, very politely asking if Mo Hua could draw a few arrays, and the man hadn't sounded uncertain at all about Mo Hua's ability to do it.
That's when Mo Shan realized something was off.
Being sought out to draw arrays… wasn't that the kind of treatment reserved for formation masters?
Could it be… this kid of his… was already one?
...
Author Notes: "My fingers are numb… Good night, everyone."
(End of Chapter)