Immortality Through Array Formations

At dusk, as 5 p.m. arrived, Mo Hua reached the big tree on West Street.

Bai Zisheng had not yet arrived, and Mo Hua, out of boredom, picked up a twig and started to play with drawing formations on the ground.

The formation Mo Hua practiced was still the Earth Fire Formation, an attacking formation that differed from the others, necessary to contemplate over for longer and aim to improve proficiency.

Just when Mo Hua thought Bai Zisheng wasn’t going to come, she looked up and saw Aunt Xue leading Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi over.

Mo Hua waved her hand and said politely, “Aunt Xue, long time no see!”

“Long time no see!”

Aunt Xue’s pale hand couldn’t help but touch Mo Hua’s head. Mo Hua was somewhat reluctant but didn’t refuse.

“Zisheng and Zixi have been working hard on their cultivation. Since today is also a festival, let them relax a bit. We’ll have to trouble you to show us around,” Aunt Xue said in a gentle voice.

“It’s no trouble at all,” Mo Hua shook her head and then beckoned with a small hand, “Follow me, today is the last day of the Monster Hunting Festival, it’s very lively!”

Bai Zisheng uttered a soft exclamation, then ran to Mo Hua’s side, curiously looking around, asking Mo Hua about anything novel that he saw.

The cultivation world is vast and boundless, with great differences in customs and local products. Coupled with strict family constraints, many things were new to Bai Zisheng.

Bai Zixi, on the other hand, followed quietly beside Aunt Xue, also wearing a hat similar to Aunt Xue’s but much smaller in size, a white gauze veil covering her peerless face, leaving only a small section of her delicate and fair chin exposed. She didn’t talk much along the way, but she listened intently to every word of Bai Zisheng and Mo Hua’s conversation.

The streets were brightly lit, not exactly bustling but filled with the clamor of worldly life.

Both sides of the street were occupied by vendors selling pills, spiritual artifacts, jewelry, snacks, formations, miscellaneous items, toys, medicinal herbs, spiritual ink, as well as monster beasts’ fur, bones, and inner cores—A dazzling array of goods were available for all.

The crowd flowed along the stalls, slowly moving toward the distance, the flickering lanterns stretching out into the unseen far away.

Not just Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, even Aunt Xue was momentarily taken aback.

She was born into a noble clan and had seen more prosperous cities of immortals, but such a lively and bustling street and market town, this was her first encounter. It seemed as if these cultivators were truly alive and breathing.

Following the noisy stream of people, even an immortal who doesn’t partake in earthly pleasures could taste the joy of the mundane world.

Bai Zisheng shopped along the way, buying many things such as a fire-breathing bull, a blinking monkey, a dog that could stand on its tail—all wooden toys painted and colored to look lifelike, presumably with simple formations carved inside. Infuse them with a bit of spiritual power, and they’d start moving on their own.

In addition to these, there was also an ostentatious broadsword, engraved with dragons and phoenixes, shining with a rainbow sheen, purely for show and without any practical use, not even qualifying as a spiritual artifact. Bai Zisheng, however, adored it immensely.

Mo Hua was holding a pile of things as well, all purchased by Bai Zisheng and entrusted to Mo Hua to carry. Later, Mo Hua could choose something she liked to take.

Bai Zixi received a tiny white rabbit, only the size of a fingernail. Placed in the palm, it would pick up its little legs and run, thump-thump-thump-thump. It was a gift Mo Hua bought for her.

Because at the stall, she had been staring at the little white rabbit the whole time, yet said nothing. And Mo Hua, feeling indebted for taking advantage of Bai Zisheng, spent a spirit stone to buy the little white rabbit for Bai Zixi.

Bai Zixi simply expressed her thanks and it wasn’t clear if she liked it, but whenever there was a chance along the way, she would open up her palm, like white jade, watching the little white rabbit run around in her hand.

In addition to shopping, Bai Zisheng also enjoyed watching plays.

One type was the shadow puppet play, which used a large screen that displayed the shadows of puppets; the characters included men, women, the elderly, and the young, as well as various ghosts, demons, and Monster Beasts. Cultivators used Spiritual Power to control the puppets’ movements and recited stories, bringing to life one tale after another.

The stories of the shadow puppet plays featured both humans and monsters, typically with a male Cultivator heroically rescuing a beautiful female Cultivator in the wilderness, leading to their swearing eternal love and privately deciding on a lifetime commitment.

The male would even defy the Sect and his mentors to elope with the female Cultivator, but when they reached a secluded and uninhabited place, she would shed her clothes, transform into a Monster Beast, and devour the male.

This was a story that Mo Hua particularly liked, finding it very instructive and never tiring of it.

But Bai Zisheng didn’t share the same interest; he preferred the simpler and more lively beast-fighting plays.

The beast-fighting plays depicted Monster Hunters hunting Monster Beasts. They set up a large stage, and several Cultivators acted as Monster Hunters—although they might not even be acting, as they could well be real Monster Hunters—while other Cultivators concealed themselves inside puppets made from Monster Beasts’ bones and fur to play the beasts. Then the Monster Beasts would breathe fire, Cultivators would cast spells, and they would noisily play-fight to everyone’s delight.

Mo Hua felt it was somewhat fake because as a Monster Hunter himself, Mo Shan had told him that real Monster Hunting was tense and dangerous; even when facing weak Monster Beasts, one could not be careless, or one might suffer injuries, or worse, lose their life.

However, this type of entertainment was just for fun, and no one took it seriously—well, except for Bai Zisheng.

He dreamed of going into the mountains to fight Monster Beasts one-on-one, though Aunt Xue would not allow it.

As they wandered around, they also ran into Zhang Lan.

Zhang Lan was walking with a group of very elderly Cultivators with little hair but evidently high status, likely high-ranking Cultivators from the Taoist Court and Clan Heads or Elders from several families of Tongxian City.

The procession of Cultivators was grand, with Cultivators in Taoist Court robes clearing the path ahead and a group of young Cultivators respectfully following behind.

These young Cultivators, allowed to accompany the Elders on their outing, were probably highly regarded within their Clans. Mo Hua had seen a few of them before; they were the true heirs of both the Qian Family and the An Family, with top-ranking achievements at Tongxian Gate.

Zhang Lan, with his mismatching youthful appearance among the grey-haired Cultivators, was maintaining a stiff, forced smile as he made awkward small talk.

Mo Hua saw Zhang Lan, but Zhang Lan, preoccupied with networking, likely didn’t see him.

Suddenly, after saying something to a particularly old Cultivator with the least hair, Zhang Lan excused himself with a bow and discreetly departed. By the time Mo Hua turned his head, he saw Zhang Lan not far off, waving at him.

“Don’t you need to accompany them? Those are all big shots from the city, right?” Mo Hua couldn’t help but ask.

“Don’t remind me; I was actually on leave, sneaking out for a stroll, only to get caught red-handed by the Court Leader and forcefully spent the day accompanying all these Family Heads and Elders.”

“Oh, I originally thought you were shirking your duties, but I didn’t expect you to handle those Elders so well, even if it was a bit fake,” Mo Hua remarked with newfound respect for Zhang Lan.

Zhang Lan casually tousled Mo Hua’s hair, “What do you know, kid? It’s all just playing the part. I may be lazy, but I’m not stupid.”

Mo Hua was somewhat disdainful.

“Oh well, I have things to do; go enjoy yourself,” Mo Hua dismissed him.

Zhang Lan laughed, “What could you possibly have to do?” But as he turned his head, he spotted the not only young but also strikingly good-looking Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, and their presence was overshadowed by the indistinct but distinguished figure of Aunt Xue behind them.