Spiritual Stones

Mo Hua pondered for a while in his room. When Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua finished talking and Mo Shan had changed into his casual clothes, Mo Hua pretended not to know anything and happily walked out of the room.

The family of three had their meal. Since Mo Shan had already eaten, Mo Hua pestered him to tell stories about hunting demons.

Mo Shan picked and chose a few stories, telling about a one-eyed wolf, a two-headed tiger, and a three-legged wild boar.

In one story, a team had killed a mature demon beast but didn't retrieve the demon core. They took some worthless fur instead, and when they returned for the core, it had already been taken by someone else. The team leader was so regretful that he spat blood and fainted.

In another, someone caught an ancient bloodline beast, which was then bought at a high price by a major sect, ensuring they would be well off. However, one day, the person disappeared without a trace…

Mo Hua listened intently, knowing these stories must contain blood, danger, and cruelty—details his father deliberately left out.

Parents never want their children to know the harsh realities, hoping they can have a simple and happy childhood.

After the stories, three small heads peeked in through the front door, their bright eyes looking inside. Seeing Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua at home, they stood up straight and greeted them in unison:

"Hello, Uncle Mo! Hello, Auntie Liu!"

The three children were surnamed Meng and lived on the same street, their families also making a living by hunting demons.

The Meng family's elders were friends with Mo Shan, and they lived nearby, so Mo Hua had grown up playing with them. Their names were similar, named Meng Dahu, Meng Shuanghu, and Meng Xiaohu, according to their birth order.

In the vicinity of Tongxian City, tiger-like demon beasts were the most powerful, so giving children names with "tiger" hoped they would grow up strong and powerful like tigers.

(TL Note: The Chinese word for "tiger" is "虎" (hǔ).)

True to their names, the three children were sturdy and robust.

Mo Hua, the youngest, was frail and often ill as a child. Mo Shan didn't expect him to grow up strong like a tiger. Seeing his delicate and handsome appearance, like a porcelain doll, Mo Shan named him Mo Hua, taking the character "Hua" from his wife Liu Ruhua's name.

Liu Ruhua saw the three children and handed each a bun. The kids said they didn't want it, but their hands instinctively reached out, grabbing the buns and stuffing them into their mouths, their cheeks bulging as they mumbled, "Thank you, Auntie Liu!"

Liu Ruhua's cooking skills were the best in the neighborhood, making the three children envious of Mo Hua.

Mo Shan waved his hand, "Go play together, but remember to come back for lunch!"

Mo Hua and the three children nodded in agreement and dashed out the door.

Among the three Meng children, Dahu was honest, Shuanghu was clever, and Xiaohu was talkative. All three were older and taller than Mo Hua and usually led him in play.

As they walked, Dahu, Shuanghu, and Xiaohu chattered nonstop about dragon dances, fireworks, crowded places, and dancing girls…

But with so many options, they couldn't decide where to go.

Finally, they agreed: adults choose, but children want everything. So they decided to visit everywhere!

With the New Year approaching, disciples returning home for vacation and cultivators coming back from making a living made Tongxian City much livelier than usual, and the streets were crowded.

Some body cultivators in the Qi Refining stage showed off their skills with swords and spears, while spirit cultivators performed flashy but mostly useless spells, astonishing the children;

Those skilled in crafting made small toys, like wooden rabbits, dogs, and cats that ran with a bit of spiritual power, along with many other fascinating items, making it a dazzling sight.

Da Hu, Shuang Hu, and Xiao Hu were having a great time, finding everything new and exciting, exclaiming with joy. Mo Hua played along while keeping an eye out for ways to earn spiritual stones on the street.

After looking around, he realized that most of the money-making opportunities were already taken, and those that weren't were beyond his current abilities.

Watching the various cultivators performing and shouting on the street, Mo Hua sighed inwardly, realizing that making a living was indeed not an easy task.

Shuang Hu noticed that Mo Hua seemed a bit down and asked, "Mo Hua, is something bothering you?"

Upon hearing this, Da Hu immediately said, "Is someone bullying you? I'll go beat them up!"

Xiao Hu nodded vigorously, "Beat them up! Beat them up!"

The elders of the Meng family had always instructed the three to take care of the frail Mo Hua. Additionally, Liu Ruhua often set aside delicious food for the three children.

Grateful and loyal, the three boys would rush to defend Mo Hua whenever anyone tried to bully him. Mo Hua, known among the neighborhood cultivators as the smartest, often helped them with their schoolwork, which strengthened their bond.

Seeing their eagerness to fight, Mo Hua couldn't help but smile and said, "No one is bullying me. I was just thinking about ways to earn some spiritual stones."

Earning spiritual stones...

The three Meng boys also grew worried, as they didn't know much about it.

They could help with fights, but earning spiritual stones was beyond them.

Mo Hua had a sudden thought and asked, "Do you know how formation masters earn spiritual stones?"

The world of cultivation was vast. Mo Hua, who spent his days practicing and drawing formations, had limited exposure to many things. He knew that being a formation master ensured a good living, but he wasn't sure how ordinary or apprentice-level formation masters made money.

The Meng boys often roamed around, so they might know something Mo Hua didn't.

Dahu thought for a moment and shook his head, "The assessment for formation masters is very difficult. There isn't even a single first-grade formation master in our neighborhood, so I'm not sure..."

Shuang Hu added, "Not just our neighborhood, but even in the entire Tongxian City, formation masters are rare. Those who become first-grade formation masters are even fewer. We have a distant uncle who has been studying formations for twenty years but still hasn't passed the first-grade formation master test..."

"You got it wrong. Uncle Meng is just an apprentice. He wants to find a formation master to study under, but he can't pass their tests, so no one takes him in."

Shuang Hu then counted on his fingers, "Apprentice, ordinary formation master, first-grade formation master... Uncle Meng isn't even close to being graded. Those who go for the assessment are already somewhat famous. He's nowhere near that level!"

Mo Hua asked curiously, "Then how does he make a living?"

"I heard he draws simple formations for trading companies to earn some spiritual stones, then uses the stones to buy ink and continue practicing formations, hoping to get accepted by a master..."

"Trading companies, huh..."

"Yes, I heard that even if you don't get graded, becoming an ordinary formation master and drawing formations for trading companies can still earn you plenty of spiritual stones, enough to live comfortably."

Shuang Hu then asked Mo Hua, "Mo Hua, do you want to be a formation master?"

"Yes," Mo Hua didn't hide it. "I'm too frail to be a demon hunter. One swipe from a beast could take half my life. I need to find a way to make a living. But it's too early to talk about that now. For now, I just want to see if I can earn some spiritual stones. If I do, I'll buy you guys some pastries!"

The three Meng boys cheered up instantly.

"Great, great!"

"You're so smart, you'll definitely earn spiritual stones and become a formation master someday!"

"Pastries, pastries!"

For children from ordinary cultivator families, even roadside pastries were a rare treat.

They wandered around a bit more, seeing everything except for the dancing girls, and by noon, they returned home satisfied for lunch.

After lunch, Mo Hua told his parents he was going out to play, and then headed alone to the North Street of Tongxian City.

North Street was bustling, while South Street was lively.

South Street had more markets, mostly small vendors and stalls, while North Street had more trading companies, selling everything from talismans to pills and tools, with better quality and higher prices.

But Mo Hua wasn't there to buy anything; he didn't have the spiritual stones for that.

Mo Hua walked from one end of the street to the other, observing every trading company, and finally entered the one with formation symbols on its sign. Butit also had the simplest and most humble appearance, with the least customers.

(End of the Chapter)