Chapter 26: Advancement
Every day after class, Mo Hua would go to Instructor Yan for lessons in array theory and to ask questions about formations. With Instructor Yan's guidance, he picked up the Goldstone Array quickly. Thanks to being able to practice repeatedly on the stele in his Sea of Consciousness, he managed to finish drawing all five Goldstone Arrays in just over ten days.
Since he had ample time, Mo Hua drew carefully and only failed one of the arrays. After subtracting the cost of materials, he made about twelve spirit stones in profit.
During the rest day at the end of the ten-day cycle, Mo Hua handed the formations to Manager Mo, who examined them and nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Your… elder brother's arrays are getting more and more refined."
Mo Hua gave Manager Mo a suspicious look.
Somehow, under that stare, Manager Mo seemed a little guilty. He coughed and waved his hand. "If there's nothing else, get back to the sect. I've got lots to do here."
Mo Hua glanced around the utterly empty Youyuan Zhai, then asked curiously, "There's not a single customer here. What exactly are you busy with, Manager?"
Manager Mo believed his style was "Zen-like business management"—totally different from simply being bad at business.
But well… no customers was something anyone could see at a glance.
Manager Mo got a bit annoyed. "What do kids know? I deal in big business. Whether there are customers or not, I'm busy! If I say I'm busy, then I am busy!"
"Alright then, you be busy. I'll be going now."
Mo Hua took a few steps, then suddenly turned back and asked,
"By the way, Manager, are you and Instructor Yan close?"
Manager Mo hesitated a bit. "Not that close. We're just fellow disciples. That guy's got a bad temper—real stubborn. Most people can't stand him. We haven't kept in touch for years. Just happened to bump into him the other day and had some tea, caught up a little."
"Oh…"
Mo Hua dragged out the "oh" meaningfully.
Said you're not close, but that tone sounded very familiar. So clearly you are close—at least not strangers.
Manager Mo quickly waved his hand. "Go on, go on. Don't bother me while I'm doing business!"
Mo Hua left Youyuan Zhai, thinking to himself:
"Looks like Manager Mo and Instructor Yan really are up to something behind the scenes…"
After that, Mo Hua returned to his usual boring yet peaceful sect life. Daily lessons, post-class questions with Instructor Yan, drawing formations back at his residence, and then midnight practice on the broken stele in his Sea of Consciousness.
Simple, but fulfilling.
His formation skills steadily improved, and his spiritual sense deepened as well. By now, drawing Goldstone Arrays with four formation lines was easy, and he no longer felt strained or lacking in spiritual power.
Manager Mo's formation commissions changed several times too. Every time, the excuse was: "Market trends changed; the previous formations aren't needed anymore. Draw these new ones instead." And then he'd hand over new diagrams.
Whenever Instructor Yan taught formation theory, he'd "casually" explain the exact formations Manager Mo had given Mo Hua. For Mo Hua, it was basically like having the answers spoon-fed into his mouth.
Which pretty much confirmed his suspicions—Manager Mo and Instructor Yan definitely had some sort of deal going on. They both clearly knew about Mo Hua doing commissions for Youyuan Zhai.
But no one said it aloud, and Mo Hua played along like he didn't know either.
What puzzled him, though, was why they treated him so well. Instructor Yan answered every question about formations without holding back, and Manager Mo made things ridiculously convenient for him.
Was it really just because he showed some talent in formations?
Later, Mo Hua thought it through and figured he was probably overthinking it.
Instructor Yan was a meticulous and upright person, strict both in teaching and cultivation. He never withheld knowledge when teaching disciples. His special attention to Mo Hua likely came from a desire not to let talent go to waste—to help a gifted youth avoid a life of mediocrity.
Manager Mo, being an old acquaintance of Instructor Yan, was probably just following his lead—gradually giving Mo Hua arrays to draw and learn from.
Mo Hua quietly kept their kindness in mind.
It was just that, at the moment, he was still just a small cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining. He couldn't do anything to repay them yet. All he could do was wait for the future.
Two more months passed. Aside from the Goldstone Array, Mo Hua had now learned the Mud-Sand Array, the Flowing Sand Array, and the Ventilation Array. With the spirit stones he'd earned from drawing formations, he'd saved up over 180 in total.
Mo Hua planned to save up to 200 spirit stones and then choose a low-tier mid-grade cultivation technique, which would help ease the burden on his parents.
Once he had the spirit stones and picked the technique, he'd tell his parents. Hopefully, they'd be a little happier.
But before he could finish saving up, something happened at home.
One day during an alchemy class, Instructor Yan suddenly called Mo Hua out, his expression unusually serious. He told Mo Hua that his mother was gravely ill and that he should hurry home to check on her.
Mo Hua froze, then felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head. His heart chilled.
He quickly asked for leave and rushed home.
But when he got there, the door was locked. Mo Hua knocked several times with no response. Just as he was growing anxious, a neighbor aunt came out upon hearing the noise.
"You must be Mo Hua!"
"Auntie Yang, my mother—?"
"I was just about to tell you—your mother is seriously ill. She's being treated at Xinglin Hall by Old Master Feng. Go see her quickly!"
Mo Hua thanked her repeatedly and rushed to Xinglin Hall.
Xinglin Hall was the only alchemy hall nearby.
Alchemy halls were staffed by alchemists. If a cultivator got injured or sick, they'd go there to be diagnosed and have medicine refined.
Old Master Feng of Xinglin Hall was a well-respected alchemist in Tongxian City. He had spent most of his life studying alchemy and, in his later years, passed the official examination to become a first-grade alchemist, one of the few in the entire city with certified ranking.
More impressively, he was the only first-grade alchemist in Tongxian City who still chose to operate a clinic in a market for wandering cultivators.
When Mo Hua arrived, Old Master Feng was in the middle of a consultation.
Wearing a clean but faded black-trimmed robe, Old Master Feng had white hair and beard and a kind face. When he saw Mo Hua, he said a few more words to the current patient, then waved Mo Hua over.
Mo Hua hurriedly stepped forward and greeted, "Good day, Grandpa Feng! My mother—?"
Old Master Feng nodded. "Good child. I've already examined your mother's condition. It's a bit serious, but her life isn't in danger. You can rest easy."
Mo Hua finally let out a breath of relief. But now that he was calm, he felt parched—his throat was burning.
He had always been weak. Rushing over in such a panic had drained him, and now sweat poured from him.
Old Master Feng gently placed his hand on Mo Hua's back. A soft azure glow flashed between his fingers, transferring a bit of spiritual energy into Mo Hua. Mo Hua immediately felt as if a spring breeze swept through his limbs, and his breathing became clear again.
Old Master Feng poured a shallow cup of tea and instructed, "Drink it slowly, just a little at a time."
Following his advice, Mo Hua slowly sipped the warm, misty tea, and his breath finally steadied.
(End of Chapter)