Chapter 8: An Xiaofu

Chapter 8: An Xiaofu

"Master An?"

The lavishly dressed young boy was An Xiaofu, the eldest son of the An Family in Tongxian City. Perhaps his father didn't have great expectations for him—hence the name Xiaofu, which means "little wealth." The name reflected a sense of acceptance, as if any minor wealth would be sufficient.

However, due to his chubby physique, his fellow disciples privately called him An Xiaopang, or "Little Fatty An."

An Xiaopang was somewhat clumsy and sometimes acted spoiled, but he wasn't ill-hearted. He often asked Mo Hua to help him draw formations for his assignments.

An Xiaopang had no talent for arrays and couldn't draw a single one correctly. Not wanting to face punishment from his teacher or a beating from his father, he had no choice but to seek Mo Hua's assistance.

At this moment, An Xiaopang was fuming. "Mo Hua! I treated you like a friend, but you look down on me?!"

Mo Hua looked puzzled. "How did I look down on you?"

An Xiaopang pulled out a formation diagram with red ink annotations. "You helped me with my array assignment, but you made six mistakes! But when you helped Qian Xing, that skinny monkey, it was flawless! Aren't you looking down on me? Isn't that just saying I'm not as good as him?"

The "skinny monkey" in An Xiaopang's words referred to that slender young man from earlier—Qian Xing, the third son of the prominent Qian Family, who were direct competitors of the An Family. The two families, each with their own merchant enterprises, had been rivals for generations and harbored longstanding grudges. Their scions also vied for superiority in every aspect—even their body shapes were at odds, with one chubby and the other lean, like fire and water.

However, both of them were equally lazy when it came to cultivation, and neither had much skill. In that respect, they were evenly matched.

While both were seen as wastrels, Qian Xing's reputation was even worse. Aside from his incompetence, he was notorious for being arrogant and bullying others. Rumor had it he'd committed plenty of misdeeds, but his family's backing always ensured he got off scot-free.

In contrast, An Xiaopang mainly indulged in food and drink and occasionally showed off around town. However, he didn't go too far, as his father kept him in line.

"So that's what this is about?"

Seeing Mo Hua's unconcerned expression, An Xiaopang's face turned red with frustration.

"I was actually helping you," Mo Hua replied.

An Xiaopang shot him a cold look. "And how exactly were you helping me?"

"How does your skill in arrays compare to Young Master Qian's?"

An Xiaopang replied confidently, "I'm certainly not worse than him!"

Mo Hua was speechless. Was that really something to boast about?

He continued, "Exactly. Given his level, do you think he could complete a formation diagram without a single mistake?"

"Of course not! If even I can't do it, he definitely can't!"

"Then you know the instructor will see through it. The instructor is strict; he'll definitely punish Qian Xing and report it to his father. Losing face in that way won't end well for him…"

An Xiaopang pondered for a moment. "That does make sense. But I haven't heard about Qian Xing getting beaten yet. Are you lying to me?"

Mo Hua rolled his eyes. "Family scandals aren't aired in public. A father beating his son is done behind closed doors. How would you know?"

An Xiaopang nodded, a little shaken. "True, when my father hits me, he never lets anyone know!"

Mo Hua added, "This time, your father didn't punish you, did he? Didn't he even praise you?"

An Xiaopang beamed. "Yes! The instructor gave me a B-grade. My father praised my improvement and even rewarded me with some nice gifts!"

An Xiaopang's temper faded as quickly as it came. Feeling a twinge of guilt, he said to Mo Hua, "I'm sorry for blaming you! Let me treat you to a meal at Lingxian Pavilion. My family owns it—you can eat whatever you want!"

Mo Hua, surprised by An Xiaopang's generosity, declined, "That's not necessary. I have other things to do."

An Xiaopang frowned. "My father always tells me to repay kindness. If you don't go, you're looking down on me!"

Thinking about his father's prior scoldings, An Xiaopang was even more insistent. "This favor is no small one. You have to go!"

Once his childish stubbornness kicked in, An Xiaopang could be quite difficult.

Mo Hua, a bit exasperated, glanced at the entrance of the array shop and suddenly said, "Master An, how about skipping the meal at Lingxian Pavilion and helping me with something instead?"

An Xiaopang patted his chest. "Anything you need!"

"Could you lend me ten spirit stones?"

An Xiaopang frowned. He didn't actually have ten spirit stones on him; his father never let him carry more than five to prevent him from wasting them.

He could charge the meal at Lingxian Pavilion to his father's account without issue, as it was just food and drink. But his father was strict about him spending spirit stones on improper things. If it wasn't on the books, his father might not find out, but trouble was almost guaranteed.

An Xiaopang pulled out five spirit stones from his pocket, then turned to his attendant. "Hand over all your spirit stones. I'll reimburse you later."

The attendant hesitated but reluctantly complied, producing enough stones to make up the ten.

Handing them to Mo Hua, An Xiaopang said, "Here you go. You don't need to pay me back!"

Mo Hua shook his head. "I'll return them in a few days."

He weighed the spirit stones in his hand, carefully put them away, then bid An Xiaopang farewell and returned to the array shop, where the manager was still dozing off, with no other customers in sight.

Once inside, Mo Hua quietly placed the ten spirit stones on the counter.

"I've brought the spirit stones!"

The manager, roused by the sound of the bell, noticed Mo Hua and the spirit stones on the counter.

Examining the stones for quality, the manager nodded and retrieved a storage pouch from beneath the counter.

"Inside, you'll find a formation diagram for the 'Bright Flame Array,' along with ten sheets of array paper and spirit ink. You have ten days to complete the task. If you miss the deadline, you'll forfeit the entire deposit. You'll earn one spirit stone per successful formation, but for each error or failure, you'll lose a spirit stone. These are standard rules, which your brother should be aware of."

Mo Hua nodded, understanding the stakes: if he succeeded in drawing all formations correctly, he'd earn ten spirit stones; but if he failed completely, he'd lose the entire deposit. A success rate above fifty percent would yield a profit.

The manager added, "Ten days. Don't forget, or I'll keep the entire deposit."

Mo Hua quickly nodded, thanked the manager, and left.

At home, Mo Hua secluded himself in his room, focused on studying formations. The maximum profit of ten spirit stones was substantial. Though he had earned twelve by doing assignments for his fellow disciples, such opportunities were rare.

Moreover, completing assignments for others wasn't exactly legitimate work. Occasionally doing so was acceptable, but doing it too often would hinder their progress.

But working for the merchant association was different. Success meant a steady income and practice with formations—a win-win situation.

Mo Hua spread out the diagram of the Bright Flame Array before him.

It was a pre-drawn diagram by another array master, serving as a template. The diagram included an illustrated guide detailing the array's pattern, the specific brush and ink to use, and other key points. This format was commonly used in the cultivation world to record formations.

The Bright Flame Array's guide detailed how to incorporate fire element patterns, how the lines should connect, the mixing of ink, and the proper proportions. Many concepts were unfamiliar, making it challenging to understand.

This was Mo Hua's first time encountering a formal array diagram. Previously, his sect only taught the simplest formations, mostly with just one or two basic lines for beginner disciples. These were vastly different from the commonly used arrays in the cultivation world.

At the end of the Bright Flame Array guide, a note read:

"Bright Flame Array: Fire element array, containing three lines. Requires a cultivation level of at least the third stage of Qi Refining."

But what caught Mo Hua's attention was the line written in red ink:

"Those below the required level, lacking spiritual awareness, proceed with caution!"

Being only at the second stage of Qi Refining, Mo Hua frowned.

Cultivators needed spiritual awareness for all their actions—whether guiding spiritual energy, casting spells, controlling spiritual tools, or crafting pills.

Formation drawing was particularly demanding on spiritual awareness, a well-known fact among cultivators. Yet the explicit warning of "proceed with caution" written in red, along with a specific level requirement, suggested he might have underestimated how much spiritual awareness was needed.

"Could it be that formation drawing consumes an immense amount of spiritual awareness?"

Mo Hua pondered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Whatever. I'll start by familiarizing myself with the array lines. I'll practice later tonight on the tablet."

After committing the Bright Flame Array's diagram to memory, he had dinner with his parents and returned to his room to practice the lines on ordinary paper. By midnight, he lay down on his bed, closed his eyes, and a timeworn, ethereal tablet emerged in his sea of consciousness.