Reward

After wandering for a while, Xiaohu suddenly asked, "Where are we going next?"

Mo Hua patted the storage bag slung across his body, "Let's head to North Street first!"

The group arrived in front of the Destiny Pavilion shop on North Street. Mo Hua stepped up the stairs, but when he looked back, he saw his three friends standing still. He couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you coming in?"

The three friends shook their heads in unison:

"I get dizzy just looking at array diagrams..."

"Me too..."

"I have no affinity with arrays in this life, so I'm not going in either..."

Mo Hua had no choice but to say, "Alright, wait here for a bit. I'll be out soon."

The three friends nodded together.

As Mo Hua entered the shop, the bell above the door chimed. The manager looked up and saw Mo Hua, chest out and carrying his storage bag, and couldn't help but laugh, "It's you again. What, has your brother finished drawing the arrays?"

Mo Hua nodded, "Yes."

The manager perked up a bit, "Oh? It's only been five days, that's pretty quick." He then beckoned to Mo Hua, "Let me have a look."

Mo Hua took out the arrays from his storage bag and tiptoed to place them on the counter.

The manager picked up the arrays and examined them, furrowing his brows.

Mo Hua felt a bit uneasy, "Were they drawn incorrectly?"

The manager pondered for a moment and said, "No, they're correct, but the quality doesn't quite look like the work of a skilled array master. Some of these are decent, but these few..."

The manager pulled out a few arrays, and Mo Hua saw they were the ones he had drawn first.

"These ones are quite lacking. The brushwork is very rough, disjointed, as if pieced together bit by bit. Are you sure your brother is learning from an array master? The quality here is quite subpar..."

Mo Hua felt a bit embarrassed. For his first attempt, he had tried his best.

"So, can these arrays be used?"

The manager tapped his fingers on the table, carefully inspecting the arrays before replying:

"Though the brushwork is lacking, the arrays themselves are fine and usable... it's just the brushwork that's weak."

Mo Hua sighed in relief, "That's good." He then added, "Maybe my brother was drawing this array for the first time and wasn't very familiar with it, so he was a bit clumsy at first. But you see, the later ones are much better, right?"

The manager looked at the later arrays and slowly nodded, "That's true, the later ones are indeed better, at least passable."

"Right," Mo Hua assured, "You can trust that my brother will definitely get better and better!"

The manager was amused by Mo Hua, "You really have faith in your brother. Alright, because of you, I'll accept this batch. But next time, the arrays must at least be as good as these later ones. Don't bring those practice ones to make up the numbers."

Mo Hua nodded repeatedly.

The manager put away the array diagrams and counted out a few spirit stones, placing them on the table.

"Eight successful, two failed. We'll deduct two spirit stones as a deposit, so the reward is six spirit stones."

"If your brother wants to continue drawing, the deposit remains ten spirit stones. Since he already has the diagram for the Minghuo Array, I'll give him ten sets of paper and ink materials."

The manager handed over a storage bag filled with paper and ink materials to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua put away the paper and ink materials and picked up the six spirit stones, unable to contain his happiness.

Earning six spirit stones in five days was already comparable to the income of a mid-to-late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

Mo Hua's mother, Liu Ruhua, worked as a kitchen helper in a restaurant, earning only one spirit stone a day. His father, Mo Shan, earned more by hunting demonic beasts, but his income was unstable. Sometimes he earned a lot, but if he didn't hunt valuable demonic beasts, his earnings could be much lower.

Mo Hua thanked the manager and left Destiny Pavilion, where his three friends were eagerly waiting at the entrance.

Mo Hua patted his storage bag and waved his small hand, "Let's go, I'm treating you to some snacks!"

The three friends cheered and surrounded Mo Hua as they headed to a pastry shop on the street.

There were many pastry shops in Tongxian City, but Mo Hua and his friends couldn't afford the high-end ones with expensive ingredients. They went to a modest shop called "Wang's Pastries," run by an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator. Though the shop was simple and the ingredients not high-end, it was affordable.

During festivals, ordinary cultivators often bought treats from this shop to satisfy their children's cravings.

Wang's Pastries was famous for its Five-Color Cake, made by steaming five different colors of spiritual grains from the cultivation world. The cakes were fragrant, sweet, and soft, with one piece costing only two fragments of a spirit stone.

Low-income cultivators had such limited earnings that many couldn't make a full spirit stone in a day, so they used fragments. One spirit stone could be divided into ten parts, with ten fragments equal to one spirit stone.

Fragments were not recognized by the Dao Court or sect families and circulated only among low-level cultivators. Only impoverished Qi Refining cultivators used these fragments.

Mo Hua spent two spirit stones to buy ten pieces of Five-Color Cake. The shopkeeper, seeing Mo Hua buying a lot and noticing he was just a child, kindly added two extra pieces.

Mo Hua gave two pieces to each of his friends, keeping the remaining four for his parents.

The four friends walked and ate the sweet, steaming cakes. Xiaohu, despite burning his mouth, kept talking, "This cake is so good. When I earn spirit stones in the future, I'll eat it every day!"

Shuanghu said, "Why don't you marry a girl who can make pastries? Then you can eat them every day."

Xiaohu suddenly realized, "Right, why didn't I think of that!" Then he hesitated, "But I already like someone. I can't be fickle..."

Shuanghu's eyes widened, "Who do you like?"

Xiaohu replied, "The girl who sells tofu on West Street. I said it first, so you can't compete with me!"

Shuanghu scoffed, waving his hand, "Don't worry, she's got a terrible temper. I won't compete with you."

While Shuanghu and Xiaohu chatted, Dahu focused on eating his cakes, quickly finishing both pieces and even licking his fingers.

Mo Hua gave Dahu his uneaten piece.

Dahu smiled sheepishly but couldn't resist taking the cake and eating it.

Shuanghu suddenly asked, "Mo Hua, did you really draw those array diagrams for that shop?"

Mo Hua nodded.

Xiaohu's mouth dropped open, "You can actually draw array diagrams now?"

Shuanghu rolled his eyes at him, "Where do you think the spirit stones for the cakes came from?"

Xiaohu was stunned, "These cakes were bought with the spirit stones you earned from drawing arrays? That's amazing, Mo Hua. You might really become a top-tier array master one day!"

Mo Hua said, "It's too early to say that. Becoming an array master isn't easy. Let's keep this between us, alright? If I earn more spirit stones, I'll treat you to more snacks."

The three friends nodded quickly at the mention of more snacks. Xiaohu even promised, "If I tell anyone, I'll never get to eat snacks again!"

The friends continued to wander the street, looking at various curiosities. As evening approached, they each headed home.

Mo Hua gave the pastries to Liu Ruhua, who steamed them and put them in Mo Hua's bowl. Mo Hua refused, insisting they share. After some back and forth, Mo Hua ate two pieces while Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua each tasted one.

The steamed cakes were even better than they were at noon. Mo Hua couldn't help but ask, "Mom, do you know how to make pastries?"

Liu Ruhua laughed, "There's nothing difficult about it. I can cook all sorts of dishes. It's just that many recipes require special stoves crafted by artifact refiners and specific array formations. We don't have the means to make those at home."

"Are stoves expensive?"

"Stoves need to be forged by artifact refiners, so they aren't cheap. But what's more expensive are the arrays. Hiring an array master to inscribe the formations isn't easy, especially for large items like stoves. That's why only restaurants and eateries invest in them."

Mo Hua nodded, realizing that arrays had more applications in the cultivation world than he had thought. He wondered what kind of arrays were used in stoves.

He made a mental note to learn about it later when he had the chance.

(End of Chapter)