Chapter 399: Journey During the New Year

On the mountain path, Dabai pulled the carriage steadily, neither fast nor slow, heading toward the destination Mister Zhuang had set.

According to Mister Zhuang, the place they were going to was a sect with which he had old ties.

Mo Hua asked what sect it was.

Mister Zhuang, keeping a secret, only said that they would know when they arrived.

Mo Hua didn’t ask further.

Along the way, Mister Zhuang also instructed Mo Hua to carefully observe with his Divine Sense, using derivative calculations to search for traces of formations.

Indeed, Mo Hua sensed some formation auras along the route. Using his Divine Sense to calculate, he deduced the formation patterns and presented them to Mister Zhuang for inspection.

Mister Zhuang mostly nodded in approval.

Occasionally, he would point out mistakes for Mo Hua to note.

Some of these mistakes came from Mo Hua’s limited experience in formations, miscalculating the arrangement of formation pivots;

Some came from carelessness, missing a few formation lines;

And some arose from incorrect derivative calculation methods, causing the spiritual energy traces of the formation to go astray…

Mo Hua carefully memorized all these issues, repeatedly pondering them to avoid making the same mistakes next time.

In this way, he traveled, perceived, calculated, and verified all at once.

Thanks to this, Mo Hua’s mastery of Divine Sense derivative calculations became increasingly refined.

Unfortunately, the formations he deduced, though some were unfamiliar to him, were mostly not rare.

The number of formation lines ranged only from seven to nine.

There were no second-grade formations.

Within second-grade regions, usually only first-grade formations were used.

Second-grade formations consumed too many spirit stones, so most families or sects below second-grade couldn’t afford them.

And formation masters capable of creating second-grade formations generally wouldn’t stay in second-grade regions.

Moreover, there were none of the Absolute Formations that Mo Hua was seeking.

At first, Mo Hua thought he might have missed something.

But since Mister Zhuang didn’t stop the group, it likely meant there weren’t any.

Mister Zhuang wouldn’t have overlooked it.

Mo Hua thought about it and agreed.

If Absolute Formations were everywhere, they would be commonplace.

And formations that are commonplace can hardly be called “Absolute Formations,” right?

Besides, Mo Hua had already learned the Profound-Earth Formation.

The Profound-Earth Formation is an eleven-line Absolute Formation.

Mo Hua’s Divine Sense now also had eleven lines, perfectly suited for using the Profound-Earth Formation to hone his perception.

Whenever the carriage stopped for a break,

Mo Hua would jump down, release his Divine Sense, and gather some fresh grass to feed Dabai.

Then, while watching Dabai eat, he practiced the Profound-Earth Formation on the ground.

This was the only way to practice the Profound-Earth Formation.

Mo Hua had overloaded the Dao Monument with his visualization of the Earth’s Dao essence and it hadn’t recovered yet.

He had even thought it was broken.

Fortunately, after observing it for a few days, he found the monument had only faded to a grayish-white color; the surface remained ethereal with no other abnormalities.

Its aura was gradually recovering, seemingly requiring some time to fully restore.

Only then did Mo Hua feel relieved.

However, he couldn’t use the Dao Monument to practice formations for the time being.

And the Profound-Earth Formation couldn’t be drawn on paper.

So Mo Hua had to wait for breaks to find a patch of land and squat to draw formations.

He would practice formations, comprehend the Dao essence, and strengthen his Divine Sense simultaneously.

Each time he completed a Profound-Earth Formation on the ground, he felt his Divine Sense merge a little more with the Earth, and his understanding of the Earth’s Dao essence deepened.

With this unique insight, the growth of Mo Hua’s Divine Sense wasn’t slow.

Still, he was some distance away from reaching a twelve-line Divine Sense.

…

That day, everyone sat in the carriage.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi were reviewing the formations Mister Zhuang had taught them,

The formations that Mo Hua himself couldn’t learn.

Mo Hua was curious but restrained himself from looking.

Mister Zhuang always had a purpose in his actions, and this probably involved certain causalities Mo Hua couldn’t touch.

Mo Hua contented himself with studying the formation manuals while practicing Divine Sense derivative calculations.

Mister Zhuang rested with his eyes closed.

After a moment, he suddenly opened his eyes and said,

“It’s New Year.”

The three disciples were momentarily stunned.

Mo Hua calculated the time; indeed, it was New Year’s Eve.

In the past, in Tōngxiān City, during New Year, streets were decorated with red lanterns, markets displayed a dazzling array of goods, people came and went, and every home smelled of food…

But now, there was no village ahead, no shop behind.

Only a remote mountain path, with cliffs on both sides and wild grass along the road.

Thinking of Tōngxiān City, Mo Hua sighed lightly.

“I wonder how everyone there is doing…”

“Are they celebrating the New Year in their usual lively way?”

“And father and mother, are they healthy and safe?”

“I wonder if they miss me…”

Mo Hua murmured quietly to himself, feeling a little homesick, his expression somewhat low.

Seeing him, Mister Zhuang looked at Mo Hua with a touch of pity and said,

“When you’re away from home, keep things simple. But since it’s the New Year, we should still celebrate it simply.”

Mo Hua was a little surprised. “We’re going to celebrate too?”

“Yes,” Mister Zhuang nodded gently.

“But… we have nothing,” Mo Hua murmured.

“Whatever you want, you can ask Old Kui,” Mister Zhuang said.

Mo Hua was momentarily stunned and glanced at Old Kui.

Old Kui nodded, “Whatever you want, you’ll have it.”

Mo Hua immediately brightened.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi also looked excited.

The three children’s eyes sparkled.

Contagiously, a small smile appeared on Mister Zhuang’s face.

…

So everyone, mainly Mo Hua, began preparations.

He counted on his fingers and listed to Old Kui,

“Grandpa Kui, I want lanterns, firecrackers, abundance every year, fish, promotion every step, cakes…”

Mo Hua counted them all one by one.

Old Kui nodded, “Wait a moment.”

Then, right before Mo Hua’s eyes, he vanished.

Half an hour later, Old Kui reappeared quietly, dropping several storage bags on the ground.

Mo Hua opened them and found everything he had requested, all neatly provided.

Many items were new, seemingly freshly bought from some festive city.

“Thank you, Grandpa Kui!”

Mo Hua smiled brightly.

Old Kui nodded, then handed him another storage bag.

Mo Hua was slightly puzzled and opened it.

It was full of pine nuts, hazelnuts, and torreya nuts, mostly raw.

“Roast some for me, I finished the previous batch,” Old Kui said softly.

Old Kui traveled with the carriage every day and, with nothing else to do, nibbled on pine nuts.

So the batch Mo Hua had roasted earlier was already finished.

Since it was New Year, he decided to treat himself.

He had eaten plenty of pine nuts and wanted a change of taste, so he bought a mix of nuts.

Being at the Qi-Refining stage, he hadn’t eaten much before and didn’t know exactly what they were, but he figured they’d be similar when sold together, so he bought them all.

He was just unsure if they’d be crunchy.

Old Kui watched Mo Hua with anticipation.

Mo Hua smiled and nodded,

“Great!”

That afternoon, they stopped traveling.

The carriage parked by the roadside.

Mo Hua tied bright red lanterns to it, pasted some “Fortune” characters, and hung a large red flower on Dabai’s neck.

Dabai wasn’t entirely willing but couldn’t resist Mo Hua.

After all, the mouth that eats doesn’t argue.

It had eaten so much grass fed by Mo Hua.

Mo Hua also set up firecrackers and drew a fireworks formation to be used at night.

Next came preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Mo Hua first roasted the pine nuts and hazelnuts for Old Kui.

Some were plain, some seasoned.

Old Kui placed some on the table for everyone, slipping the rest quietly into his sleeves.

Then came cooking.

Some ingredients were bought by Old Kui, while others were provided by the spirit farmers of Qianjia Town.

Bai Zisheng watched eagerly, occasionally suggesting,

“Mo Hua, cook this, it’s tasty.”

“This one should be fried, not boiled.”

“This one is better spicy, add more…”

Mister Zhuang didn’t mind much; he could eat anything, but still ordered a “Steamed Bass” to balance out Bai Zisheng’s preference for spicy dishes.

Finally came steaming pastries.

There were New Year cakes and various other pastries and snacks.

Bai Zixi helped Mo Hua knead the dough, and as she kneaded, she pinched a small piece into a shape.

Her fair little hands shaped the white dough into something peculiar.

Mo Hua curiously asked,

“Little Senior Sister, what are you making?”

Bai Zixi held a strange little dough shape in her palm, saying crisply,

“A rabbit!”

Mo Hua froze.

Bai Zixi frowned, “Doesn’t it look like one?”

“It does…” Mo Hua lied.

“Just… a bit… chubby.”

The little rabbit had turned into a tiny pig.

Bai Zixi looked at her “rabbit” and wondered, “It’s not chubby…”

She still thought it was cute.

Mo Hua spent the whole afternoon cooking, finally finishing the dishes.

The morning glow had faded, and night deepened.

It was time for fireworks.

Before setting them off, Mo Hua worried, “I hope it won’t scare the mountain beasts…”

Old Kui glanced around calmly, “It won’t.”

Mo Hua relaxed.

The fireworks formation was simple, due to time constraints; he didn’t make it complicated.

Moreover, this formation was drawn directly on the ground.

It was Mo Hua’s first time creating a formation using the “earth” as the medium, apart from the Profound-Earth Formation.

Under the night sky, fireworks glittered brilliantly.

Then it was time to eat.

Everyone sat on the ground.

Soft grass was covered with silk cloth, upon which the dishes were laid.

The meal was abundant, and Mo Hua’s skills had improved.

Mister Zhuang ate most contentedly, Bai Zisheng most joyfully, Bai Zixi most gracefully, and Old Kui kept crunching pine nuts and hazelnuts, focused as ever.

Amid the cool moonlight and tranquil mountains, there was a lively festive atmosphere, both noisy and warm.

Full and satisfied, Mo Hua no longer felt homesick.

He lay on the grass, counting the stars.

For Mo Hua, this wasn’t the busiest New Year, but it was his first celebrating it with his master, senior brothers and sisters, and Grandpa Kui.

It was already quite lively.

For Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, their family New Year celebrations in large households appeared prosperous but felt emotionally cold,

Full of worldly rules and etiquette.

Not as simply joyful as this.

Bai Zisheng lay on the ground chatting casually with Mo Hua, occasionally teasing him.

Bai Zixi looked calm and gentle, yet she wondered if what she had just shaped was really a rabbit.

Why had it turned into a little pig after steaming?

Mister Zhuang, surrounded by his three disciples, felt comforted, though a fleeting tinge of melancholy passed across his expression.

This was probably the liveliest New Year he had experienced in hundreds of years of solitary life.