Chapter 6: Spirit Stones

Mo Hua sat in his room for a while, thinking. After Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua finished their conversation and Mo Shan changed into his everyday clothes, Mo Hua pretended not to know anything and cheerfully walked out of the room. The family of three ate together. Though Mo Shan had already eaten, Mo Hua kept pestering him to tell stories about hunting demons. Mo Shan picked a few lighter stories to share. He talked about a one-eyed wolf, a two-headed tiger, and a three-legged boar. There was one tale about a team that killed a mature demon beast but forgot to take its demon core. They only skinned the less valuable parts, and by the time they realized their mistake and went back, someone else had already taken the core. The team leader was so upset, he coughed up blood and fainted. In another story, someone caught a rare beast with ancient bloodlines, and a major sect bought it for a high price, making the hunter wealthy for life—but soon after, the person mysteriously disappeared… Mo Hua listened eagerly, knowing that beneath these stories lay violence, danger, and cruelty—details his father deliberately left out. Parents always want to shield their children from harsh realities, hoping they can enjoy a simple, happy childhood. Just as Mo Hua finished listening to the stories, three small heads peeked around the door, their black, shiny eyes glancing into the house. When they saw that Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua were home, they all stood in unison and politely greeted them: “Hello, Uncle Mo! Hello, Aunt Liu!” The three children were from the Meng family, who lived on the same street. Like Mo Shan, the Meng family earned their living hunting demons. Their parents were close friends with Mo Shan, and since they lived nearby, Mo Hua had grown up playing with them. The three kids had similar names, ranked by birth order as Meng Dahu (Big Tiger), Meng Shuanghu (Double Tiger), and Meng Xiaohu (Little Tiger). Among the demon beasts near Tongxian City, tigers were the most powerful. Giving children names with “Tiger” was a way of wishing for them to grow up strong and fierce like the animal. The three Meng brothers certainly lived up to their names, with their sturdy, tiger-like appearances. Since Mo Hua was the youngest and had been sickly since birth, Mo Shan didn’t think he would grow up to be as fierce as a tiger. Noticing Mo Hua’s delicate features and fair, porcelain-like complexion, Mo Shan decided to name him "Mo Hua" by taking the "Hua" from his mother’s name, Liu Ruhua, which means “painting.” Seeing the three kids, Liu Ruhua handed each of them a bun. Though they politely said they didn’t need it, their hands immediately reached out to take the buns, stuffing them into their mouths. With their cheeks puffed out, they mumbled, “Thank you, Aunt Liu!” Liu Ruhua’s cooking was the best in the neighborhood, and the three children often envied Mo Hua for it. Mo Shan waved his hand. “Go play together, but be sure to come back by noon for lunch!” Mo Hua and the three kids all nodded and ran out the door like a gust of wind. Among the Meng brothers, Dahu was the honest one, Shuanghu was clever, and Xiaohu was the talkative one. They were all older and taller than Mo Hua, so they usually took the lead when playing together. As they walked, Dahu, Shuanghu, and Xiaohu couldn’t stop chatting. They talked about dragon dances, fireworks, where the biggest crowds were, and where to see dancers dressed in colorful, flowery costumes... They had so many ideas that they didn’t know where to go first. In the end, they decided that since the grown-ups could choose, they’d do it all and visit every place! With the New Year approaching, many disciples returned home from the sect, and cultivators who worked away came back to Tongxian City, making it livelier than usual. The streets were packed with people. Some Qi Refining body cultivators were showing off their martial skills, swinging swords and spears, while spirit cultivators performed flashy but mostly useless spells that impressed the children. There were also artisans skilled in crafting magical items. They made toys like wooden rabbits, dogs, and cats that could run along the ground with just a little spiritual energy. The variety of things on display was dazzling. Dahu, Shuanghu, and Xiaohu were having the time of their lives, finding everything exciting and yelling in delight. Meanwhile, Mo Hua played along but was also scanning the bustling market, keeping an eye out for ways to earn spirit stones. After observing for a while, Mo Hua realized that all the profitable trades were already being handled by others. As for the things no one was doing, he simply didn’t have the skills or ability to tackle them. Seeing the many cultivators working hard to sell their goods and put on performances, Mo Hua sighed to himself. Making a living is not easy. Shuanghu noticed Mo Hua didn’t look happy and asked, “Mo Hua, is something bothering you?” Dahu immediately chimed in, “Is someone bullying you? I’ll go beat them up!” Xiaohu nodded furiously. “Yeah, beat them up! Beat them up!” The Meng brothers’ parents had always told them to look out for the sickly Mo Hua. And since Liu Ruhua always set aside food for the Meng brothers, they felt indebted to the family. Whenever someone tried to pick on Mo Hua, the three brothers would roll up their sleeves and charge in to fight, no questions asked. Mo Hua couldn’t help but laugh at their eagerness to brawl and said, “No one’s bullying me. I’ve just been thinking about how I could earn some spirit stones.” Earn spirit stones… The three brothers immediately became serious. They didn’t know much about that. They were great at helping with fights, but when it came to earning spirit stones, they were clueless. An idea struck Mo Hua, so he asked, “Do you know how formation masters earn spirit stones?” The world of cultivation was vast, and Mo Hua spent his days practicing and drawing formation diagrams. His exposure to the wider world was limited. He knew that becoming a formation master could guarantee financial stability, but he wasn’t sure how ordinary or low-level formation apprentices made a living. Since the Meng brothers wandered all over the city, they might know things Mo Hua didn’t. Dahu thought for a moment, then shook his head. “The certification exam to become a ranked formation master is hard. No one on our street has passed to become a Grade One formation master, so I don’t know…” “Not just our street—there aren’t many formation masters in all of Tongxian City. Even fewer have passed the certification to become Grade One formation masters. My family has a distant uncle who’s been studying formations for twenty years but still hasn’t passed,” Xiaohu added, shaking his head in disbelief. “You got that wrong,” Shuanghu said, smirking. “Uncle Meng is only an apprentice. He wants to become a disciple of a formation master and study formations properly, but when they test him, he always fails. No one has accepted him as a student.” Then Shuanghu began counting on his fingers: “Apprentice, ordinary formation master, Grade One formation master… Uncle Meng isn’t even close to taking the certification. To take that test, you have to already be a somewhat famous formation master. He’s far from it!” Curious, Mo Hua asked, “So how does he make a living?” “I heard he makes money by drawing simple formations for businesses. He uses those spirit stones to buy more ink and paper to practice his formations. Then he fails to get a master's again, and the cycle repeats,” Shuanghu explained. “Businesses, huh…” “Yep. Even if you don’t pass the certification and don’t become a Grade One formation master, just being an ordinary formation master can earn you plenty of spirit stones by working for businesses. You wouldn’t have to worry about food or shelter,” Shuanghu said. Then he turned to Mo Hua and asked, “Do you want to become a formation master?” “Yeah,” Mo Hua admitted, not hiding his ambitions. “I’m too weak to be a demon hunter. If a demon beast swiped at me, I’d probably lose half my life. I need to find a way to make a living that suits me. But that’s something for the future. For now, I’m just thinking about how I might earn some spirit stones. If I do, I’ll buy you guys some cakes!” The three brothers immediately cheered up at the mention of cakes. “Great, great!” “You’re so smart—you’ll earn some spirit stones. I’m sure you’ll become a formation master in the future too!” “Cakes, cakes!” For children from ordinary loose-cultivator families, even simple street cakes were a rare treat. After wandering around the marketplace for a while longer, the group didn’t manage to see any flower dancers, but they explored everything else. By noon, they all went home for lunch. After eating lunch, Mo Hua told his parents he was going out to play, but instead, he headed to North Street of Tongxian City. The North Street was prosperous, while the South Street was lively. South Street had more stalls, mainly catering to street vendors, while North Street was filled with proper businesses selling talismans, pills, and spiritual tools of higher quality and at higher prices. Mo Hua wasn’t there to buy anything—he didn’t have the spirit stones for that. He walked from one end of North Street to the other, surveying all the shops. Finally, he chose one that had an array of formation diagrams hanging outside. It looked the most modest, with the shabbiest appearance and the least amount of business. Then, he walked inside.