The Quest for Immortality

On the mountain road, Big White pulled the carriage at a steady pace toward the destination predetermined by Mr. Zhuang.

According to Mr. Zhuang, the place he intended to visit was a Sect with which he had old ties.

Mo Hua asked what Sect it was.

Mr. Zhuang played coy and did not say, only mentioning that they would know upon arrival.

Mo Hua did not ask any further.

Throughout the journey, Mr. Zhuang also instructed Mo Hua to pay close attention and use Divine Sense Calculation to search for traces of Formations.

Along the way, Mo Hua indeed sensed some Formation auras and, utilizing Divine Sense Calculation, deduced the Formation Patterns, presenting them to Mr. Zhuang for review.

Mr. Zhuang often nodded.

Occasionally, he would point out some errors and advised Mo Hua to be mindful.

Some of these mistakes were due to Mo Hua’s lack of experience with Formations, incorrectly calculating the layout of the Formation Pivot;

Others were due to carelessness, missing a few Pattern lines;

And still, others were because the method of Calculation was incorrect, leading the trajectory of the Formation’s Spiritual Power to deviate...

Mo Hua took note of these issues one by one, repeatedly pondering them to ensure they would not be repeated next time.

In this way, while traveling, sensing, calculating, and verifying,

Mo Hua’s Divine Sense Calculation became increasingly proficient.

Regrettably, although some of the deduced Formations were new to Mo Hua, most were not rare as they only consisted of seven to nine Pattern lines.

There were no Second-Grade Formations.

Within a Second-Grade Prefecture Border, only First-grade Formation Methods were generally used.

Second-Grade Formations, which consume more Spirit Stones, were mostly unaffordable for Clans and Sects below Second Grade.

And Formation Masters capable of creating Second-Grade Formations mostly would not stay within the Second-Grade Prefecture Border.

Moreover, there was no sign of the Ultimate Formation that Mo Hua sought.

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

But since Mr. Zhuang did not have them stop, it was likely there wasn’t one.

It would be impossible for Mr. Zhuang to miss it.

Upon reflection, Mo Hua felt this made sense.

If Ultimate Formations were everywhere, they would be too common.

How could such common Formations be called ”Ultimate”?

Besides, Mo Hua had already learned the Thick Earth Formation.

The Thick Earth Formation was an eleven-pattern Ultimate Formation.

Mo Hua’s current Divine Sense was also at eleven patterns, just enough to use the Thick Earth Formation to refine it.

Whenever the carriage stopped for a break,

Mo Hua would jump off, release his Divine Sense to find some fresh tender grass, and gather it to feed Big White.

Then, while watching Big White eat, he would practice the Thick Earth Formation on the ground.

That was the only way to practice the Thick Earth Formation.

Using the Taoist Stele, Mo Hua contemplated the Earth Dao Meaning, causing the stele to overload, which had not yet recovered.

Mo Hua even thought it had broken.

Fortunately, after observing it for a few days, he noticed the stele just turned a bit grayer, its surface remained intangible, with no other abnormalities.

The aura of the Taoist Stele was gradually recovering, and it seemed it would be fine after some time.

This relieved Mo Hua.

But in the short term, he could not use the Taoist Stele to practice Formation Methods.

And the Thick Earth Formation could not be drawn on paper.

So Mo Hua could only wait for breaks to find a patch of land and squat down to draw Formations.

While practicing Formations to comprehend the Taoist Meaning, he also strengthened his Divine Sense.

Every time he drew a Thick Earth Formation on the ground, Mo Hua felt his Divine Sense merge more with the earth, deepening his understanding of the Earth Dao Meaning.

With such marvelous comprehension, the growth of Mo Hua’s Divine Sense was not slow.

It was just that there was still some distance to a twelve-pattern Divine Sense.

...

That day everyone was sitting in the carriage.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi were reviewing the Formation that Mr. Zhuang had taught them.

It was the Formation that even Mo Hua could not learn.

Mo Hua was somewhat curious, but he refrained from looking because of his curiosity.

Mr. Zhuang had his reasons for everything he did; it might involve some causes and effects that Mo Hua should not touch.

As for himself, Mo Hua looked at the Formation Books while practicing Divine Sense Calculation.

Mr. Zhuang was resting with his eyes closed.

A moment later, Mr. Zhuang suddenly opened his eyes and said,

”It’s New Year’s Eve.”

All three disciples were startled.

Mo Hua counted the days, and indeed, it seemed today was New Year’s Eve.

In the past, in Tongxian City, every festive season, the streets would hang red lanterns, the Market Town would display an array of goods, people bustled about, and every home wafted the scent of cooking...

But now, there was neither a village ahead nor a shop behind.

There was only a secluded mountain road, the cliffs on both sides, and the wild grass beside the road.

Thinking of Tongxian City, Mo Hua sighed softly to himself.

”I wonder how everyone in Tongxian City is faring.”

”Are they festively celebrating the New Year again?”

”And my parents, are they healthy and safe?”

”I wonder if they missed me...”

Mo Hua pondered to himself, feeling homesick, with a hint of melancholy in his expression.

Mr. Zhuang, seeing Mo Hua’s look, showed a trace of compassion and said,

”When you’re away from home, everything is simple. But since it’s a holiday, we should still celebrate it in a simple manner.”

Mo Hua was somewhat surprised, ”Are we going to celebrate too?”

”Mhm,” Mr. Zhuang nodded gently.

”But... we don’t have anything,” Mo Hua murmured.

”Whatever you want, you can get from Old Kui,” Mr. Zhuang said.

Mo Hua was stunned for a moment and turned to look at Old Kui.

Old Kui also nodded, ”I have whatever you need.”

Mo Hua’s spirits immediately lifted.

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi were also excited.

The eyes of all three children sparkled brightly.

As if touched by the mood, the corners of Mr. Zhuang’s mouth also curled into a smile.

...

So, with Mo Hua mainly leading the preparations,

He counted on his fingers, speaking to Old Kui:

”Grandpa Gui, I want lanterns, firecrackers, ’may there be surplus every year,’ there must be fish, ’may every step take you higher,’ there must be cakes...”

Mo Hua counted them one by one.

Old Kui nodded and said, ”Wait here for a moment.”

Then, right in front of Mo Hua, he disappeared.

Within half an hour, Old Kui reappeared as silently as he had left, throwing several storage bags onto the ground.

Mo Hua looked and found that sure enough, everything he had mentioned was there.

And many of them were new, seemingly just purchased from some festive Immortal City.

”Thank you, Grandpa Gui!”

Mo Hua said with a beaming smile.

Old Kui nodded and then handed over another storage bag.

Mo Hua was a bit startled but looked inside.

The bag was full of nuts like pine nuts, hazelnuts, and torreya nuts, most of which were raw.

”Fry some for me, I’ve finished all the ones from before,” Old Kui whispered.

Old Kui, who was always busy driving the cart and had nothing to do, liked to snack on pine nuts.

So the pine nuts that Mo Hua had fried for him before were all gone.

Thinking that since it was New Year’s, he might as well treat himself.

He had eaten plenty of pine nuts and wanted to try something new, so he bought a variety of them.

These Qi Refinement foods were new to him, and he didn’t know what they were, but since they were sold together, he guessed they were probably similar and bought them all.

He just wondered if they would be crunchy when he cracked them.

Old Kui looked at Mo Hua with some anticipation.

Mo Hua smiled and nodded:

”Sure!”

So that afternoon, they stopped traveling.

The carriage was parked by the roadside.

Mo Hua tied bright red lanterns on the carriage, pasted several ”Fu” characters, and even hung a big red flower around Big White’s neck.

Big White wasn’t very willing, but couldn’t resist Mo Hua’s insistence.

After all, ”one who takes the gift cannot refuse the asker.”

It had eaten so much grass fed by Mo Hua.

In addition, Mo Hua also prepared the firecrackers, set up the Fireworks Formation, and saved it for the evening display.

Next on the agenda was preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner.

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

There were plain ones as well as ones flavored with various spices.

Old Kui took out a portion, arranged them on the table for everyone, and sneakily stuffed the rest into his sleeves.

Then it was time to cook the dishes.

Some of the ingredients were bought by Old Kui, and some were gifts from the Spirit Farmers of Thousand Families Town.

Bai Zisheng watched eagerly on the side, occasionally suggesting:

”Mo Hua, make this one, it’s delicious.”

”This one should be fried, not boiled.”

”This one needs to be spicy to taste good, add more...”

Mr. Zhuang wasn’t so particular, he could eat anything, but he still requested a ”Steamed Bass” to prevent Bai Zisheng from ordering all spicy dishes.

Lastly, it was time to steam the pastries.

There were rice cakes, as well as various other pastries and sweets.

Bai Zixi helped Mo Hua knead the dough, and as she did, she began to shape small pieces of it.

Her fair little hands worked the pale dough, though it was unclear what she was making.

Mo Hua, curious, asked:

”Senior Sister, what are you shaping?”

Bai Zixi held an oddly shaped piece of dough in her palm and crisply said:

”A rabbit!”

Mo Hua was taken aback.

Bai Zixi frowned. ”Does it not look like it?”

”It does...” Mo Hua lied through his teeth.

”It’s just a bit... plump.”

The little rabbit had turned into a little pig.

Bai Zixi looked again at the ”little rabbit” in her hand, puzzled. ”It’s not fat...”

She thought it was quite cute.

Mo Hua was busy all afternoon and finally finished preparing the dishes.

The twilight faded, and the night began to deepen.

It was time for fireworks.

Before setting them off, Mo Hua was a bit worried, ”Won’t it frighten the Monster Beasts in the mountains?”

Old Kui glanced around and said lightly, ”It won’t.”

Mo Hua was then reassured.

The Fireworks Formation was simple, as there was limited time, and Mo Hua hadn’t made it too complex.

Moreover, this formation was drawn directly on the ground.

This was the first time besides the Thick Earth Formation that Mo Hua used the ”earth” as a Formation media for his Formation Painting.

In the dark of the night, the fireworks were brilliant.

And then it was time to eat.

Everyone sat down to dine on the ground.

Soft grass, covered with silk cloth, was laid out with a spread of food.

With a variety of dishes and Mo Hua’s improved culinary skills, the meal was delightful.

Mr. Zhuang enjoyed it the most, Bai Zisheng ate with the greatest glee, Bai Zixi ate with utmost elegance, and Old Kui was the most focused, persistently cracking pine nuts and hazelnuts.

Under the cool moonlight, amidst the tranquil mountains, there was a lively atmosphere of fireworks, noisy yet warm.

After a satisfying meal, Mo Hua no longer felt homesick.

He lay on the grass, counting the stars above.

For Mo Hua, it might not have been the most lively year, but it was the first time he spent New Year’s with his master, senior brother, senior sister, and Grandpa Gui.

It was quite festive enough.

For Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, from a big clan, the festival used to be glamorous yet personally cold.

Full of worldly concerns and strict rules.

Now, the simplicity and bustle were more appealing.

Bai Zisheng also lay on the ground, chatting with Mo Hua off and on, occasionally tripping over his words.

Bai Zixi looked serene and graceful, yet she doubted in her heart, whether what she shaped earlier was really a rabbit?

Why did it turn into a little pig after being steamed?

Mr. Zhuang, surrounded by his three disciples, felt comfort in his heart, but there was a fleeting moment of melancholy.

This was probably the most lively New Year’s he had celebrated in his few hundred years of solitary life.