"Young Master An?"
The richly dressed fat boy was the Young Master of the An Family in Tongxian City, named An Xiaofu. Perhaps Sun Ze's father didn't have too high expectations for him, feeling that a little wealth was enough for peace, hence the name.
However, because he was plump, his fellow Disciples privately called him An Xiao Pang.
An Xiao Pang was a bit clumsy and sometimes had the temper of a Young Master, but he wasn't bad-hearted. He often asked Mo Hua to draw his Formation assessment homework for him.
He couldn't draw Formations at all and didn't want to be punished by the Instructor, nor did he want to go home and be beaten by Sun Ze's father, so he could only ask Mo Hua for help.
At this moment, An Xiao Pang was fuming, "You, Mo Hua! I treat you as a friend, but you look down on me?!"
Mo Hua was utterly confused, "How did I look down on you?"
An Xiao Pang pulled out a Formation blueprint with red ink annotations from his embrace. "You helped me with my Formation homework, and there were six mistakes! But the one you drew for that skinny monkey Qian Xing had no mistakes at all! Isn't that looking down on me? Doesn't that mean I'm not as good as him?"
The 'skinny monkey' An Xiao Pang referred to was the thin Young Master from before, named Qian Xing, the third Young Master of the Qian family's direct lineage.
The Qian family was the largest Family in Tongxian City, followed by the An Family. Both families operated trading houses and competed in business. Their ancestors also had old grudges, and the younger generations were constantly at odds, always trying to outdo each other in every aspect. Even their physiques, one fat and one thin, were like fire and water.
However, both were equally lazy and uneducated in The Dao of Mending. In this regard, they were "on par."
Although both were scions, Qian Xing's reputation was worse because, in addition to being uneducated, he was arrogant, domineering, and often bullied others by relying on his power. It was rumored that he had done many bad things behind the scenes, but because his Family backed him, everything was eventually swept under the rug.
In contrast, An Xiao Pang merely ate, drank, and occasionally paraded around, showing off. However, because Sun Ze's father was strict, he didn't go too far.
"Oh, so it's about that?"
Seeing Mo Hua's indifference, An Xiao Pang's Face turned beet red.
"I was helping you," Mo Hua said.
An Xiao Pang sneered, looking at Mo Hua, "How were you helping me?"
"How does your Formation compare to Young Master Qian's?"
An Xiao Pang confidently replied, "At least it won't be worse than his!"
Mo Hua was a little speechless. Was that something to be proud of?
Mo Hua continued, "That's right. With his level, how could he possibly draw a Formation without a single mistake?"
"Of course! Even I, this Young Master, can't draw it, so of course he can't either!"
"So you already know, how could the Instructor not see it? The Instructor is always strict and will certainly punish him, and also tell Sun Ze's father about it. Sun Ze's father will lose Face, and naturally, he won't have an easy time of it..."
An Xiao Pang mused for a moment, "That seems to make some sense, but I haven't heard that skinny Qian was beaten, are you lying to me...?"
Mo Hua rolled his eyes at him. "Family shame should not be aired. When a father beats his son, he definitely does it behind closed doors. How would you know?"
An Xiao Pang nodded with lingering fear, "You're right. My father never lets anyone know when he beats me!"
Mo Hua added, "This time, did An Family not only not beat you but also praise you?"
An Xiao Pang instantly became smug. "That's right! The Instructor gave me a B grade. When my father found out, he praised my improvement and even gave me a lot of good things!"
An Xiao Pang's temper came and went quickly. He immediately stopped being angry and even felt a little guilty, saying to Mo Hua:
"I misunderstood you! I'll treat you to good food at the Spiritual Cuisine Restaurant. It's owned by my Family, so eat as much as you want!"
Mo Hua didn't expect An Xiao Pang to be unexpectedly generous, but he still declined, "No need, I still have things to do."
An Xiao Pang said discontentedly, "My father often teaches me that one must repay kindness. If you don't come, you're looking down on me!"
Thinking of his swollen bottom from being beaten by his father earlier, An Xiao Pang said even more firmly, "This kindness is not small, you must come!"
When An Xiao Pang's childish temper flared up, he became a bit difficult to deal with.
Mo Hua had a bit of a headache. He looked at the Array Pavilion door and suddenly said, "Young Master An, I won't eat at the Spiritual Cuisine Restaurant, but there's a favor you can help me with?"
An Xiao Pang patted his chest, "Tell me!"
"Lend me ten Spirit Stones."
An Xiao Pang frowned. He really didn't have ten Spirit Stones. An Family, to prevent him from spending Spirit Stones recklessly outside, never allowed him to carry more than five Spirit Stones.
He could put the meal at the Spiritual Cuisine Restaurant on Sun Ze's father's tab. Since it was food and drink, and the transaction was recorded, Sun Ze's father wouldn't say anything. Sun Ze's father was afraid he would spend Spirit Stones on some Evil Path activities, where there would be no record to check, and Sun Ze's father wouldn't know, which could lead to big trouble if he wasn't careful.
An Xiao Pang pulled out the five Spirit Stones he had and looked at the attendant beside him, saying, "Give me all your Spirit Stones, I'll give them back to you when I get home."
The attendant was a bit reluctant but still pulled out all his Spirit Stones, just enough to make up ten Spirit Stones.
An Xiao Pang handed the Spirit Stones to Mo Hua, "Here, you don't need to return them!"
Mo Hua shook his head, "I'll return them in a few days."
Mo Hua weighed the Spirit Stones in his hand a few times, then carefully put them away. After bidding farewell to An Xiao Pang, he returned to the Array Pavilion. There were still no customers in the Array Pavilion, and the manager was still dozing.
After entering, Mo Hua tiptoed and placed the ten Spirit Stones on the counter.
"I've brought the Spirit Stones!"
The manager hadn't dozed for long when he heard the bell again and saw Mo Hua and the ten Spirit Stones on the counter.
The manager picked up the Spirit Stones, examined them carefully, found no issues with their quality, nodded, and then reached under the counter to retrieve a Storage Pouch.
"Inside is a blueprint for the Ming Fire Array, along with ten sheets of array paper and ling ink, enough to draw ten Ming Fire Arrays. This order has a ten-day deadline. If it's overdue, the entire deposit will be deducted. For each Ming Fire Array successfully drawn, you will receive one Spirit Stone. If you make a mistake or it doesn't meet the standard, one Spirit Stone from the deposit will be deducted. These rules are common in trading houses; your elder brother should be aware of them."
Mo Hua nodded.
If all these Formations were successfully drawn, he could earn ten Spirit Stones. If all failed, he would lose ten Spirit Stones. He would profit if he succeeded in more than fifty percent.
The manager reminded him again, "Ten-day deadline, don't forget, or I'll deduct the entire deposit."
Mo Hua quickly nodded, then bowed and thanked the manager before leaving.
Upon arriving home, Mo Hua locked himself in his room and calmly began to study Formations.
The maximum profit of ten Spirit Stones was already very substantial. Although Mo Hua earned twelve by helping fellow Disciples with their Formation homework, he didn't get such opportunities often in a year.
Moreover, helping fellow Disciples with their Formation homework was not a proper endeavor after all.
It was fine occasionally, but over time, it would hinder the progress of his fellow Disciples.
The trading house, however, was different. If he did well, he could earn Spirit Stones long-term and also practice Formations, which could be said to kill two birds with one stone.
Mo Hua spread the Ming Fire Array blueprint in front of him.
The blueprint was drawn beforehand by other Array Masters and could be used as a template.
The blueprint also had Formation diagrams attached, recording the Array Runes of the Formation, the type of brush and ink to use, and other points to note. These were common patterns used in the Cultivation World to record Formations.
The Ming Fire Array diagram recorded relevant annotations for the Ming Fire Array, such as where to use fire-elemental Array Runes, how the Array Runes should connect, the ink preparation, and the ink usage ratio. Many concepts seemed unfamiliar to Mo Hua, and he found it a bit difficult to understand.
This was Mo Hua's first time seeing a formal Formation diagram. What he had learned in the Sect before were the simplest Formations—though called Formations, most only contained one or two basic Array Runes, used for Disciples' enlightenment and introductory learning, which were different from the truly widespread Formations in the Cultivation World.
At the end of the Ming Fire Array diagram, there was another line of annotation:
Ming Fire Array, a fire-elemental Formation, contains three Array Runes, requires the Qi Refining Third Level and above.
But what concerned Mo Hua the most was a line of small, handwritten characters in red ink behind the annotation:
Those who have not reached the Realm, whose Divine Sense is insufficient, should be cautious in learning!
Mo Hua, who was only at the Qi Refining Second Level, couldn't help but frown.
Any action by a Cultivator requires Divine Sense: guiding Spiritual Qi, manipulating spiritual power, using Spells, controlling Spiritual Artifacts, Alchemy, Artifact Refining, etc., all must use Divine Sense.
Among them, drawing Formations consumes the most Divine Sense; this is a well-known fact among Cultivators. But here, it specifically stated, "Divine Sense is insufficient, be cautious in learning," and it also specified the Realm, using red ink.
This made Mo Hua realize that he might not have understood just how "much" this "most" actually meant...
"Does drawing Formations really require a lot of Divine Sense?"
Mo Hua pondered, resting his small chin in his hand.
"Never mind, I'll familiarize myself with the Array Runes first, and then practice on the tablet tonight."
Mo Hua memorized the Ming Fire Array blueprint. After having dinner with his parents, he returned to his room and practiced a few times with ordinary paper and ink to familiarize himself with the Array Runes. When it was the hour of Zi, he lay down on the bed, and as he closed his eyes, the ancient and ethereal remnant tablet floated in his Sea of Consciousness.