Chapter 7: Fate Pavilion

Hanging above the entrance of the shop was a sign that read "Fate Pavilion". Inside, the shop was small and somewhat shabby. The walls were covered with various formation diagrams, some of which had been there for a long time, as the ink had started to fade. Behind a tall counter sat a middle-aged, overweight cultivator with a pale, beardless face. He seemed to be the manager of the shop. A bell hung near the door, and as Mo Hua entered, it gave a crisp ring. The fat manager had been dozing off, his eyes half-closed. Upon hearing the bell, he glanced around but didn’t see anyone. Just as he was about to get angry, he looked down and noticed a small head peeking over the counter. The manager paused for a moment. Seeing that Mo Hua was alone, he finally spoke, “Little brother, where are your parents?” Mo Hua shook his head. “It’s not my parents who need you. I’m the one looking for you.” The manager blinked in surprise. “You? What for?” “Do you need someone to help you draw formations?” The manager found this amusing and teased him, “Oh? A little fellow like you can draw formations?” Mo Hua replied humbly, “I can draw a little.” The manager chuckled. “A little won’t do. To draw formations for us, you need to be at least at the sixth level of Qi Refining, have a sect-issued academic jade slip, and be a formation apprentice under a formation master. You’d also need to pay a deposit before we let you draw formations here.” Mo Hua was stunned. He hadn’t known there were so many requirements, and it seemed like he didn’t meet any of them. Thinking quickly, Mo Hua said, “Alright, I lied. I’m not that good at it. I’m just running an errand for my brother.” The manager didn’t seem to mind and asked, “What does your brother do?” “My brother is a formative apprentice. He studies under a formation master, and in his spare time, he helps shops by drawing basic formations to earn money for ink and paper. He’s too busy, so I’m doing this for him.” Mo Hua had borrowed this story from the identity of Meng’s distant uncle, tweaking it slightly for his use. The manager stroked his chin and thought for a moment before shaking his head. “No, that won’t do. Words are just words. If your brother wants to draw formations for us, he has to come here himself.” Mo Hua’s eyes shifted, and he asked, “You also require a deposit, right?” The manager nodded. “That’s correct.” “And the deposit covers the cost of the formation diagram and the materials used to draw the formation, right? So, even if I were to deceive you, it would only be like you selling a formation and its materials at cost. You wouldn’t make a profit, but you wouldn’t lose anything either.” In reality, the shop would still make a small profit, since the deposit was slightly higher than the cost of the materials. The formation diagrams were also simple, cheap ones that didn’t cost many spirit stones. The manager hesitated, realizing Mo Hua had a point. “Is business here not doing so well?” Mo Hua asked. It was true. They hardly had any customers throughout the day, meaning fewer formations were sold. As a result, they had few formation masters—or even apprentices—willing to work with them. Otherwise, the shop wouldn’t be so deserted. Of course, the manager wasn’t about to admit this, so he puffed up his chest, though a hint of guilt showed through his demeanor. Seeing this, Mo Hua pressed on. “My brother is good at drawing formations. People say that in a few more years, he’ll become a formation master. Once he becomes a master and spends another ten or twenty years working on his craft, he might even pass the certification exam to become a Grade One formation master. When that happens, he’ll be able to help you with higher-level formations, and then you’ll make a profit!” The manager snorted inwardly. Pass the certification? It’s not that easy. But as the saying goes, “Never look down on the young.” No one can predict the future. If Mo Hua’s brother did become a Grade One formation master, it would be wise to build a good relationship now—it might come in handy one day. Rules, after all, were just formalities. As long as the formations were well-drawn, nothing else mattered. “You make a good point,” the manager said. “But words alone don’t prove anything. You’re just a kid, and you don’t know if your brother’s work is any good. How about this—bring me one of the formations your brother has drawn. If it’s decent, I’ll agree to this deal.” Of course, Mo Hua didn’t have an older brother, so where would he find one of his brother’s formations? But he did have his own. In his storage pouch, Mo Hua carried several formation diagrams he had drawn. However, they were all assignments from his sect, consisting of broken-down basic formation patterns or combinations of patterns. They weren’t full formations, and anyone with experience would immediately see through it, exposing his lie. After thinking for a moment, Mo Hua’s eyes lit up. “I didn’t bring one of my brother’s formations, but he taught me a little. I can draw one for you now, and you’ll see for yourself whether his formations are good or not.” “You can draw formations, too?” The manager was surprised but intrigued. “Alright, let’s see.” Curious about the boy’s skill, the manager pulled out a formation diagram from under the counter, along with some paper and ink, then handed them to Mo Hua. The diagram was labeled “Bright Fire Formation,” a complete formation that included three patterns. It looked quite difficult and wasn’t something taught at the sect. Mo Hua knew right away he couldn’t draw a full formation like this. The so-called “formations” taught at the sect were only one or two basic patterns at most, which were considered introductory. Outside the sect, such simple patterns weren’t even called formations. A real formation required at least three interrelated patterns, like the “Bright Fire Formation” in front of him. Mo Hua glanced at the manager and confidently said, “This is too hard. If I could draw this, I’d be here earning spirit stones for myself—I wouldn’t need my brother.” The manager smacked his forehead, realizing he had forgotten that he was dealing with a young child. Expecting him to draw a full formation was unreasonable. He wasn’t used to working with children, which is why he’d overlooked this. The manager pointed to the top-left corner of the formation. “How about this—if you can draw this small part of the pattern, I’ll let your brother do the job.” Mo Hua examined the top-left section and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. It was a basic fire-element pattern he had learned at the sect, though with a few additional details and connections. It was still within his ability to draw. Mo Hua dipped the brush in ink and began to outline the pattern on the paper. In no time, the pattern was complete. The manager nodded slightly as he watched Mo Hua work. His brushstrokes were steady, and he drew with confidence, showing no signs of hesitation or nervousness. This boy had a solid foundation. The pattern was drawn to standard, with no mistakes. Either he had some family background, or his brother had taught him well. The manager leaned toward the latter assumption. Although Mo Hua’s clothes were clean and neat, they were too plain, indicating he came from a modest family. A cultivator with a family tradition of formation mastery wouldn’t be so poor. Satisfied with the pattern, the manager said, “Alright, the deposit is ten spirit stones. Once you pay, I’ll give you the necessary materials and formation diagrams.” “Ten spirit stones!” Mo Hua froze. He only had three spirit stones. He had earned twelve from helping his fellow disciples with their formation assignments, spent ten on the fire-repelling hairpin, saved one, and… that was it. This was all Mo Hua had. It would take him a long time to earn enough spirit stones by drawing formations for his fellow students. Who knew how long that would take? The manager saw Mo Hua’s reaction and realized the boy didn’t have enough spirit stones. He didn’t make a big deal of it—after all, it wasn’t surprising that a child would be short on spirit stones. Cultivation life was tough. Even someone in the manager’s position had experienced times of financial struggle, so he wasn’t about to criticize a poor child from a loose cultivator family. With a kind smile, the manager gently reminded him, “Without the spirit stones for the deposit, you can’t take on this job.” Seeing Mo Hua looking a bit downcast, the manager added, “I’ll hold this order for your brother. Whenever you’ve got the spirit stones, come back and pick them up.” Mo Hua immediately perked up and nodded. “Alright! I’ll go home and… get the spirit stones from my brother, and I’ll come back for the job!” The manager waved his hand. “Go on and enjoy yourself for now. It’s still early. I’ll just close my eyes and rest for a bit…” With that, he slowly closed his eyes and drifted back into a nap. Mo Hua stepped out of the shop, sat down on the steps outside, and rested his chin on his hands, feeling a bit stuck. “Seven spirit stones…” Mo Hua had wanted to earn spirit stones by drawing formations, but to do that, he needed spirit stones for the deposit. Without the spirit stones, he couldn’t draw formations to earn spirit stones… Mo Hua’s head started to spin. Ask my parents for help? Mo Hua shook his head. His family needed spirit stones for their daily living expenses. From what he overheard this morning, Uncle Chu from the demon-hunting team had lost an arm and needed to borrow spirit stones to heal. On top of that, Mo Hua’s tuition fees for the next term had to be covered. There was no way his family had extra spirit stones. Borrow from someone else? Mo Hua’s friends were even poorer than he was. None of them had spare spirit stones to lend him. As he was deep in thought, suddenly, someone yelled loudly: “Mo Hua, so you’re here!” Mo Hua looked up and saw a richly dressed, chubby boy surrounded by attendants, glaring at him angrily.