Chapter 111: Completion
The little cat demon had accompanied Mo Hua in practicing his movement technique, so in a sense, they were even. Mo Hua had saved its life, and it had repaid the favor.
Now that his movement technique had reached minor mastery, Mo Hua was preparing to find Bai Zisheng for another sparring session when he happened to see several demon hunters in vine armor walking down the street. His heart skipped a beat.
Vine armor?
Mo Hua's expression froze.
Oh no, he'd forgotten!
The Iron Armor Array Elder Yu had asked him to inscribe wasn't done yet…
Originally, he'd planned to complete the hundred sets within a month, drawing a few each day. But ever since Zhang Lan had taught him the Flowing-Water Step, all his attention had gone into that movement technique.
First, he'd practiced dodging falling fruits under the trees, then sparred with Bai Zisheng, and later even used a little cat demon as his training partner.
Now, more than a month had passed. His Flowing-Water Step had become smooth and refined, but only thirty-some Iron Armor Arrays were finished!
Mo Hua immediately dashed home, took out the vine armor, ground his spiritual ink, and began drawing at full speed.
For the next few days, he shut himself in his room, devoting himself entirely to inscribing the Iron Armor Arrays.
Sunlight streamed through the window as Mo Hua bent over his small desk, brush moving swiftly across the vine armor.
He worked with full focus, yet his brush still moved like a dragon in flight. With every flick of the wrist, strokes of array patterns emerged in gleaming arcs, resonating with one another to form intricate, mysterious formations.
When his Divine-Sense was exhausted, he used Meditation Technique to restore it, then continued.
After five days, all one hundred Iron Armor Arrays were complete.
Mo Hua handed the vine armor to his father, Mo Shan, asking him to deliver them to Elder Yu.
He had no personal contact with the elder and didn't know how to reach him directly. And since Elder Yu was the only Foundation Establishment cultivator among the demon hunters, he was always busy, not someone you could easily meet.
The work had taken nearly half a month longer than expected. Mo Hua could only hope Elder Yu wouldn't hold it against him.
Mo Shan visited Elder Yu's residence but found him in the study discussing matters with others, so he left the storage pouch with Elder Yu's eldest son, asking him to pass it on.
Elder Yu's eldest son, Yu Chengyi, was at Qi-Refining ninth level, one of Tōngxiān City's top demon hunters. His cultivation was second only to his father's Foundation Establishment realm. He was authoritative and well-respected among the hunters.
But there was one person he feared: his father.
Yu Chengyi carefully kept the pouch and waited until the meeting ended. Inside the study, Elder Yu was in a foul mood, shouting as usual:
"That old bastard Qian still isn't dead? Heaven's thunder should've struck him long ago! Always scheming, always sucking others dry, the day I'm dying, I swear I'll drag him to the grave with me!"
"And that son of his, Qian Hong, spineless coward! Doesn't do anything good, just inherited his father's filthy tricks!"
"Those vultures squeeze us dry, less spirit stones here, fewer spirit tools there… damn their whole family!"
"Keep this up, and none of us will survive, let's see how long their Qian Clan lasts!"
Elder Yu's rant went on like thunder.
The demon hunters made their living risking their lives to slay beasts, and they sold their spoils to the Qian Clan, which profited off their labor while exploiting them further.
As the backbone of the demon hunters' guild, Elder Yu had clashed with the Qian Clan countless times.
He'd always had a fiery temper. After a lifetime of hardship and endless provocations from the Qians—often underhanded ones—his resentment had hardened into a reflex.
In truth, the "meeting room" was used more for cursing the Qian Clan than for meetings.
Yu Chengyi was used to it.
He agreed, the Qian Clan were indeed scum.
If only he had his father's cultivation and guts, he'd join in the swearing too.
After a long tirade, Elder Yu finally cooled down, discussed a few matters with the old hunters, and dismissed the group.
Still grumbling, he poured himself a cup of tea.
That was when Yu Chengyi quietly entered.
"Father."
Elder Yu raised a brow. "What is it?"
"Brother Mo Shan came by. He asked me to give you this storage pouch."
"Mo Shan?"
Elder Yu frowned, thought for a moment, then relaxed. "Let me see."
A hint of anticipation crossed his face as he opened the pouch, and sure enough, it contained several sets of vine armor, each inscribed with arrays.
Elder Yu's eyes brightened.
Yu Chengyi blinked in surprise. His father's emotions were easy to read, but joy was rare, usually, he was angry or stern. Seeing him this pleased was almost unsettling.
"Father, what's inside?"
"Vine armor," Elder Yu replied casually.
"Vine armor?"
"Mm. With Iron Armor Arrays inscribed."
"Is it for A-Da and A-Er?" Yu Chengyi asked.
A-Da and A-Er were his sons, Elder Yu's grandsons. Though Elder Yu was strict with him, he doted shamelessly on those two boys.
"It's for them, but not only for them," Elder Yu sighed. "You seasoned hunters are all tough as old hides; a few bites from a beast won't kill you."
Being bitten by a beast definitely kills you… Yu Chengyi muttered inwardly, but didn't dare interrupt.
"But those new recruits are different," Elder Yu went on. "They're still children, even if they've learned a bit of Dao arts. If anything happens to them, I'd feel terrible. The future of the demon hunters depends on them."
Yu Chengyi nodded, then hesitated. "Father… who did you hire to draw these arrays?"
"A young lad, not sure if he counts as an official array master yet."
Elder Yu's expression softened, recalling the polite and earnest boy. "It's Mo Shan's son, Mo Hua."
"Ah, Mo Hua." Yu Chengyi nodded. He'd heard from other hunters that Mo Shan's son had remarkable talent in formation arts.
But he still had one question. "Father… how much did you pay him per piece?"
Elder Yu, who'd seen countless storms, suddenly looked a little sheepish. "Ahem… three spirit stones each."
Yu Chengyi winced. "Father… isn't that a bit too low…?"
Elder Yu immediately frowned. "What do you mean 'too low'? Cultivators at the bottom should support each other! Mo Hua's a good lad, has more integrity than you!"
Yu Chengyi wisely kept silent.
After a pause, Elder Yu sighed. "Still, you've got a point. I did take advantage of him a little. If his family ever needs help, I'll lend a hand."
Yu Chengyi was stunned. In his entire life, he'd never heard anyone make his father feel indebted.
"The Iron Armor Array isn't a simple one," Yu Chengyi said thoughtfully. "Can that boy really draw it?"
"Of course he can! Isn't this proof?"
Elder Yu proudly lifted a piece of vine armor. The array etched upon it gleamed faintly with golden light, elegant, intricate, and pulsing with a subtle aura of mystery.
Even Yu Chengyi's eyes lit up. "Father, you're right. This is beautifully done!"
"Naturally! I chose the lad myself!" Elder Yu said, full of pride.
"How many did you ask him to draw?"
"One hundred."
"One hundred?!" Yu Chengyi's jaw dropped. "That many? Are they all done?"
"Of course not. He's just a boy, how could he be that fast?"
Elder Yu chuckled, scanning the contents with his Divine-Sense. "Let's see… thirty… fifty… eighty…"
Wait—
His expression froze. He counted again. "Forty… seventy… ninety… one hundred!"
One hundred?!
Elder Yu sucked in a breath, staring wide-eyed. "He actually finished all of them?!"
(End of Chapter)