Bai Zisheng was hearing these for the first time, and he found them utterly fascinating.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, had already heard some of them, and Bai Zisheng was listening to the rest from him.
But now that he had entered Big Black Mountain, he knew what Monster Hunting entailed.
The stories he once found interesting now revealed to him their hidden dangers and unpredictability, giving him a completely different feeling when he heard them again.
As time flew by, the sky gradually darkened, and Liu Ruhua invited them to stay for dinner.
Bai Zisheng was looking forward to it, but Aunt Xue declined politely:
“Thank you, Sister Liu, we have imposed long enough and should be heading back.”
Liu Ruhua found it hard to insist and walked them to the door along with Mo Hua.
Bai Zisheng felt reluctant to leave. He didn’t want to go back.
Here there was food, drinks, stories to listen to, and people to talk with. Back there, he would only have to cultivate and do dull homework.
Bai Zixi showed no emotion, but there was a faint hint of regret in the glances she exchanged with Mo Hua.
Mo Hua himself was carefree; though he had to practice cultivation and Formation daily, when he wanted to play, he could always do so. Unlike the Bai siblings, who had to follow a strict daily regimen of homework.
Seeing their dispirited expressions, Mo Hua’s eyes twinkled, and he invited:
“Aunt Xue, there will be lanterns and fireworks on the fifteenth, come and watch with us.”
Aunt Xue gave Mo Hua a warm smile, but still declined:
“We appreciate your kind offer, but we’ll skip the fireworks.”
Mo Hua smiled, “The fireworks are set off by the Formation, and I’m the one who drew it. They’re quite a sight.”
Aunt Xue was somewhat astonished, “You drew it?”
“Mm-hm,” Mo Hua nodded, “It took a lot of effort to draw it well!”
In fact, it hadn’t taken long, since they were just Formations for fireworks and weren’t too complicated.
Seeing Mo Hua’s confident demeanor, Aunt Xue couldn’t help but laugh, and after a moment’s thought, she nodded:
“Then, when you set off the fireworks, we’ll come to watch.”
Bai Zisheng was overjoyed, casting a grateful look towards Mo Hua; Bai Zixi’s eyes also brightened slightly when she looked at him.
On the fifteenth of the first lunar month, as night fell, the streets were festooned with brightly colored lanterns.
Mo Hua checked the Firework Compound Formation again to ensure there were no issues, and then he nodded his head in satisfaction.
The Firework Compound Formation consisted of ordinary Fireworks Formations in parallel and didn’t reach the First Grade; the number of Formation Patterns was also not many, so Mo Hua found it easy to draw.
The Firework Compound Formation was set up on both sides of the riverbank, using the riverbank stones as the Formation media. By crushing Spirit Stones and infusing them with Spiritual Energy, one could activate the Formation and shoot fireworks into the sky.
Mo Hua didn’t use paper as Formation media because paper is one-use; once the Formation is activated, Formation Paper wouldn’t withstand the Spiritual Power and would also be destroyed.
But using earth and stone as Formation media allows the Formation to be activated multiple times.
In this way, not only on the fifteenth of the first lunar month but in future festivals as well, the Formation could be activated to launch fireworks in celebration.
Mo Hua went to Elder Yu to get reimbursed for the Spirit Stones used in the fireworks Formation.
Since the Formation was not complicated and the consumption of Spirit Stones wasn’t high, Elder Yu readily agreed.
At the hour of the Dog, Mo Hua activated the Formation.
Then he dashed onto the stone bridge with his parents, Bai Zisheng, Bai Zixi, and Aunt Xue to watch the fireworks.
After the Formation was activated, fifteen breaths later, the Formation Patterns activated.
The colorful Formation Patterns on both sides of the riverbank lit up one by one, then converged into dazzling rays of light that shot up suddenly, soared into the pitch-black night sky, and burst into breathtaking fireworks, cascading over one another, rising and falling like thousands of blooming trees and streaming stars.
The dark night sky, like a canvas, was embellished with the brilliant fireworks, weaving a vibrant and spectacular tapestry upon it.
It was a spectacle of dazzling splendor that was too beautiful to behold.
For a moment, countless Cultivators all looked up into the night sky, towards those splendid fireworks, as they bloomed and illuminated the streets and alleys of Tongxian City.