Chapter 8: An Xiaofu

“Master An?” The richly dressed, chubby boy was the eldest young master of the An family in Tongxian City, named An Xiaofu. It seemed his father didn’t have high expectations for him, so he gave him the name "Xiaofu," meaning "small fortune," implying that even a small amount of wealth would suffice for contentment. Because of his plump appearance, fellow disciples would privately refer to him as “Little Fatty An.” Though An Xiaofu was a bit slow and had the temper of a pampered young master, he wasn’t a bad person. He often asked Mo Hua to help him with his formation assignments for class assessments. He couldn’t draw formations at all. Fearing punishment from his teacher and even more scared of his father’s wrath, he would turn to Mo Hua for help. At this moment, An Xiaofu was fuming with anger. “You, Mo Hua! I treated you like a friend, but you look down on me?” Mo Hua was completely confused. “How did I look down on you?” An Xiaofu pulled out a formation diagram marked with red corrections. “You helped me with my formation homework, and you made six mistakes! But the formation you drew for that skinny monkey,y Qian Xi, ng didn’t have a single error! Isn’t this you looking down on me? Aren’t you saying I’m not as good as him?” The “skinny monkey” An Xiaofu mentioned was the thin young master from earlier—Qian Xing, the third son of the Qian family, a direct descendant. The Qian family was largely in Tongxian City, followed closely by the An family. Both ran large businesses and were fierce competitors. Due to old grudges between their ancestors, the younger generation also frequently clashed, competing in everything possible. Even in terms of physical appearance, one was fat and the other thin—oil and water, forever at odds. However, when it came to cultivation, both were equally lazy and incompetent, making them “well-matched rivals” in that regard. While both were known as spoiled brats, Qian Xing had a worse reputation because, besides being lazy and incompetent, he was also arrogant and a bully. It was rumored that he had done many bad things in secret, but thanks to the protection of his family, these matters were always swept under the rug. In comparison, An Xiaofu was mainly about eating, drinking, and flaunting himself in public. Since his father kept a tight rein on him, he never got too out of line. “Oh, is that what this is about?” An Xiaofu saw that Mo Hua didn’t seem to care, and his face flushed with anger. “I was helping you,” Mo Hua said. An Xiaofu sneered, “How were you helping me?” “How do your formations compare to Qian Xing’s?” An Xiaofu confidently replied, “At the very least, they’re not worse than his!” Mo Hua was speechless. Is that something to be proud of? He continued, “Exactly. With his skill level, how could he draw a formation without a single mistake?” “Of course! If I can’t do it, there’s no way he can!” An Xiaofu declared. “So you already know that. Don’t you think the teacher would notice as well? The teacher is very strict. He would surely punish Qian Xing and report this to his father. Once his father loses face, Qian Xing won’t get off easy…” An Xiaofu pondered for a moment. “That makes some sense. But I haven’t heard of Qian Xing getting beaten up. Are you tricking me?” Mo Hua rolled his eyes. “Family scandals aren’t made public. Fathers beat their sons behind closed doors. Why would they let you know?” An Xiaofu nodded in agreement, clearly recalling his own experiences. “True. Every time my father beats me, he makes sure no one else knows!” Mo Hua added, “Didn’t your father praise you this time instead of punishing you?” An Xiaofu instantly brightened up. “That’s right! The teacher gave me a grade of ‘Good’ (second class), and my father was so impressed with my improvement that he gave me a bunch of rewards!” An Xiaofu’s mood changed as quickly as the wind. His anger evaporated, and now, feeling a bit guilty, he said to Mo Hua, “I wronged you. Let me make it up to you. I’ll take you to Lingxian Pavilion to eat something good. It’s my family’s restaurant, and you can eat as much as you want!” Mo Hua hadn’t expected An Xiaofu to be so generous, but he declined, saying, “No need. I still have something I need to do.” An Xiaofu was dissatisfied. “My father always taught me to repay kindness. If you don’t go, that means you’re looking down on me!” Remembering his father’s angry beatings, An Xiaofu became more insistent, saying, “This is a big favor—you have to come!” When An Xiaofu’s childish stubbornness kicked in, he could be quite persistent. Mo Hua started to feel a bit of a headache. Glancing at the nearby formation shop, he suddenly said, “Young Master An, let’s skip the meal, but can you do me a favor?” An Xiaofu pounded his chest. “Name it!” “Lend me ten spirit stones.” An Xiaofu frowned. He didn’t have ten spirit stones on him. To prevent him from spending recklessly, An Xiaofu’s father never allowed him to carry more than five spirit stones at a time. Taking Mo Hua to Lingxian Pavilion would have been easy. He could just charge the bill to his father’s account. Since it was for food and drink, and there would be a record of the expenses, his father wouldn’t care. What his father feared was An Xiaofu spending spirit stones on trouble, without any traceable records, which could lead to major problems. An Xiaofu pulled out five spirit stones from his pocket. Then he looked at the servants beside him and said, “Hand over your spirit stones. I’ll reimburse you when we get home.” The servants were reluctant, but they still handed over their spirit stones, just barely making up the ten Mo Hua needed. An Xiaofu handed the stones to Mo Hua. “Here, take them. No need to pay me back.” Mo Hua shook his head. “I’ll return them to you in a few days.” Mo Hua weighed the spirit stones in his hand before carefully storing them away. After bidding farewell to An Xiaofu, he returned to the formation shop, which was still empty, with the manager dozing off as before. Mo Hua entered the shop, stood on tiptoe, and placed the ten spirit stones on the counter. “I’ve brought the spirit stones!” The manager hadn’t been asleep long when the bell rang again. Seeing Mo Hua and the ten spirit stones on the counter, he picked them up, checked their quality, and nodded. Reaching under the counter, he retrieved a storage pouch. “Inside are the diagrams for the ‘Bright Fire Formation’ and enough paper and ink for ten formations. You have ten days to complete the work. If you miss the deadline, you forfeit the entire deposit. For each completed formation, you earn one spirit stone. If you make a mistake or the formation doesn’t meet the standard, you’ll lose one spirit stone from the deposit. These are the standard rules for all formation shops. Your brother should be familiar with them.” Mo Hua nodded. If he completed all the formations, he could earn ten spirit stones. If he failed all of them, he’d lose ten. As long as he succeeded in half or more, he’d make a profit. The manager added another reminder, “Ten days, don’t forget. If you’re late, I’ll take the whole deposit.” Mo Hua quickly nodded, thanked the manager, and left. Back home, Mo Hua locked himself in his room and began carefully studying the formation diagram. The potential to earn ten spirit stones was an attractive opportunity. Even though he had earned twelve spirit stones helping his fellow students with their formation assignments, he could only do that a few times a year. Besides, helping others cheat on their homework wasn’t exactly a legitimate way to earn a living. Doing it occasionally was fine, but over time, it would hinder his fellow students' progress. But this arrangement with the shop was different. If he did well, it could become a steady source of income, allowing him to practice formations while earning spirit stones—a win-win situation. Mo Hua spread out the diagram for the ‘Bright Fire Formation.’ The diagram had been drawn by another formation master and could be used as a template. On the back of the diagram was an explanation of the formation, detailing its patterns, how to use the brush and ink, and various other important details. These types of diagrams were commonly used in the cultivation world to record formation techniques. The explanation for the ‘Bright Fire Formation’ included notes on where to use fire-element patterns, how the patterns should connect, the formula for mixing the ink, and the ratios for using it. Many of the concepts were unfamiliar to Mo Hua, making them difficult to grasp. This was Mo Hua’s first time seeing a formal formation diagram. The ones he’d learned in the sect were basic—while they were called formations, they only included one or two simple patterns for beginners. These were far simpler than the formations commonly used in the wider world of cultivation. At the bottom of the ‘Bright Fire Formation’ explanation was a note: “Bright Fire Formation, a fire-element formation consisting of three patterns. Requires at least the third level of Qi Refining.” But what caught Mo Hua’s attention the most was a line of handwritten red text below the note: “Those below this level lack sufficient spiritual awareness. Practice with caution!” Mo Hua, currently only at the second level of Qi Refining, frowned. Cultivators relied on spiritual awareness for everything—guiding spiritual energy, casting spells, controlling magical tools, refining pills and weapons—all required spiritual awareness. Formations, in particular, were known to consume vast amounts of spiritual awareness. This was common knowledge among cultivators. But the fact that the note specifically warned “insufficient spiritual awareness, practice with caution,” and even set a cultivation level requirement, with the warning written in red ink, made Mo Hua realize that he might have underestimated just how much spiritual awareness was required. “Could it be that drawing formations consumes that much spiritual awareness?” Mo Hua stroked his small chin, lost in thought. “Well, I’ll familiarize myself with the patterns first, and tonight I’ll practice on the stone tablet.” Mo Hua memorized the formation diagram, had dinner with his parents, and then returned to his room to practice drawing the patterns on regular paper. When midnight came, Mo Hua lay down on his bed and closed his eyes. The ancient and mysterious stone tablet once again appeared in his sea of consciousness.