Chapter 181: The Formation Master
The construction of the Artifact Refining Workshop was progressing steadily, just as Master Ban had planned.
With the end of the year approaching, he was eager to see the project completed early. The sooner the workshop was finished, the sooner he could settle the payment in spirit stones, properly account to his craftsmen and disciples, and let everyone return home to celebrate the new year.
Master Ban took the project very seriously. He spent nearly every day at the site, supervising his craftsmen, giving orders to the Demon Hunters who came to help, and even stepping in personally when his disciples failed to perform a task properly.
During this period, he often saw Mo Hua as well.
The boy would stroll around with his hands clasped behind his back, looking here and there, occasionally muttering to himself, jotting something down on a piece of paper.
To the uninformed, he might have seemed like a young apprentice craftsman.
Master Ban remembered Elder Yu's words: "Let him do as he pleases." So he never interfered.
Now and then, Mo Hua would ask him questions. If Master Ban had the time, he answered them patiently. In return, Mo Hua would bring fine food and wine from his family's restaurant as payment. After one meal, Master Ban could never forget the taste.
Tender yet chewy, spicy with a hint of wild flavor.
He had eaten meat before, of course, but never anything this delicious. Usually, he worked long hours and ate without much thought, but that meat had such a distinct flavor it lingered in his memory.
Master Ban quietly memorized the name of Mo Hua's restaurant. Once the workshop was complete and his payment received, he planned to buy more to bring home for his grandchildren to taste.
...
About a month and a half later, the rough structure of the Artifact Refining Workshop was complete.
The next step was for a Formation Master to inscribe arrays on the walls, interiors, and key foundation stones. Afterward, the craftsmen would seal the formations with wood, earth, and stone, polish the structure, and complete the final refinements.
Master Ban began to worry.
It was time for the Formation Master to start his work, but where was the Formation Master?
He had spoken with Elder Yu many times, yet had never seen even a shadow of such a person.
Ordinarily, a Formation Master would survey the terrain and layout before construction began, and during the building process would visit frequently to ensure everything aligned with the formation blueprints.
But all this time, Master Ban had never once seen a Formation Master.
If the Formation Master did not understand the building's layout, how could he draw the formation properly?
Moreover, the formation diagrams he had seen were intricate and numerous. Even though he was not trained in formation arts, he could tell at a glance that these were far beyond the skill of ordinary Formation Masters, certainly not work that one or two could complete alone.
If the formations were poorly drawn, the project could not be completed.
If they were drawn too slowly, the workshop would miss its deadline. A delay could easily stretch indefinitely, and if the work was not finished by year's end, payments could not be settled, a dreadful prospect.
The thought filled Master Ban with deep anxiety.
Unable to contain himself, he went to Elder Yu and said with clear worry, "Elder Yu, our part of the work is done. About those formations…"
"No need to worry," Elder Yu said calmly, showing no urgency at all.
You're not worried, but I am… Master Ban thought. Then he asked, "Have you hired a Formation Master yet?"
"Already done," Elder Yu replied.
"That's good," said Master Ban with relief, though he could not help asking, "Then why haven't I seen them?"
Elder Yu smiled faintly. "You have seen them."
Master Ban blinked. "When did I see them?"
"You'll know tomorrow," Elder Yu said. "The formations begin then."
Master Ban frowned. He could not recall ever meeting a Formation Master, but if Elder Yu said so, he would find out soon enough.
...
The next morning, Master Ban arrived early at the site.
He had barely slept, plagued by fears that Elder Yu might have deceived him.
The workshop was a massive undertaking. If anything went wrong, and payments were delayed, he would have no way to explain things to his workers and disciples.
In theory, Elder Yu was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a decent man who would not deliberately cause him trouble, but one could never be too sure of another's heart.
As dawn broke, around the hour of the hare (5 a.m. – 7 a.m.), Elder Yu arrived.
Master Ban looked him over, then glanced behind him, and finally asked, "You came alone? Where's the Formation Master?"
Seeing his anxious expression, Elder Yu reassured him, "Don't worry. They'll be here soon."
So Master Ban waited.
Not long after, just before sunrise, Mo Hua appeared, carrying a storage pouch and eating a large steamed bun as he walked toward the site.
The morning sun spilled through the clouds, gilding his figure in a faint golden light.
After struggling to finish his bun, Mo Hua looked up, spotted them, and waved cheerfully.
Master Ban stared in confusion. When the boy came closer, he could not help but ask, "Mo Hua? What are you doing here?"
Mo Hua patted his storage pouch and grinned. "Here to do proper work."
Before Master Ban could ask what he meant, Elder Yu smiled and asked, "All prepared?"
Mo Hua nodded. "All set."
Then he walked into the workshop, with Elder Yu following.
Baffled but unable to resist, Master Ban went after them, his mind full of questions. Proper work? What kind of work could this kid possibly be doing?
He soon found out.
Mo Hua went to one of the foundation stones, unrolled a formation blueprint covered with intricate lines, then took out three kinds of formation brushes: fine, medium, and large, from his storage pouch. He ground five colors of spiritual ink representing the Five Elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, and began to paint.
Holding the brush in his small hand, he dipped it in the ink, glanced once at the blueprint, and began tracing formation lines across the stone.
His expression was calm, his movements fluid and precise, his brushwork confident and steady.
He looked every bit a master at work.
Master Ban was dumbstruck.
This... this was the Formation Master Elder Yu had mentioned?
This ten-year-old child?
His mind churned in disbelief.
Then, as he thought back, the pieces fell into place. Elder Yu had said he had "seen the Formation Master." Of course he had, Mo Hua had been wandering around the site all along, sometimes crouching to inspect the foundation stones, sometimes watching the layout, sometimes chatting with him over a drink.
Come to think of it, the first time they met, Mo Hua had been lying on the ground studying the stones, that must have been his survey. His repeated visits afterward were likely to check whether the building matched the formation layout.
Indeed, everything he had done fit the duties of a Formation Master perfectly, Master Ban had simply never considered the possibility.
His emotions were difficult to describe. Who could blame him? Anyone in his place would have thought the same.
He looked again at Mo Hua.
The boy's expression was serious and composed, his gaze sharp and focused. Each stroke of his brush was orderly and confident, every line intricate and flowing, merging into a complex, profound formation.
The childlike smile from days before was gone, replaced by a quiet authority that seemed to reshape the air around him.
Master Ban sighed softly. After living so many years and meeting countless cultivators, he had not expected that one day he would fail to see through a mere child.
(End of Chapter)