Chapter 4: Fire Repelling Hairpin

The bazaar market is a place for low-level cultivators to trade cultivation items. The categories are numerous and complex, varied and diverse. Pills, formations, and spirit tools are all available without exception, but the grades are generally not high, and the quality is mixed.

As the New Year approaches, there are many cultivators in the bazaar market at this time. People come and go, and it's noisy and chaotic.

Mo Hua walks directly to a small stall at the end of the street. The stall owner is an old man surnamed Sun. Acquaintances call him Old Man Sun. His son works as a small manager in Wanbao Building. Occasionally, his son gets some substandard goods that Wanbao Building doesn't want at a low price and gives them to him to set up a stall at the end of the street and sell.

Old Man Sun was just hawking when he looked up and saw Mo Hua run over, panting, his fair little face flushed and puffy. He couldn't help but tease:

"Little brother, are you here to look at spirit tools again today? You're not going to just look and not buy again, are you...?"

Mo Hua waves his small hand. "I'm buying!"

Old Man Sun says strangely: "There are still a few days until New Year, aren't there? Did your family give you New Year's money so early?"

Mo Hua says unhappily: "What New Year's money? I earned this myself!" After speaking, he pats the pocket at his waist.

Old Man Sun hears the crisp sound of spirit stones colliding inside the pocket, his spirit lifts, and he hastily says:

"Pills, formations, talismans, tools, I have them all here without exception. Good quality and cheap price, I don't deceive young or old. Moreover, they are all things from Wanbao Building, superior quality. Little friend, what do you want to buy?"

If the quality were truly superior, Wanbao Building would sell them themselves. How could they flow to the bazaar market? But Mo Hua also doesn't care. He can't afford things from Wanbao Building either.

"Do you have fire-warding spirit tools?"

Old Man Sun shows an expression that says "just as expected," flips out a hemp cloth package, spreads it open, and places it in front of Mo Hua.

"Little friend mentioned it once a few days ago, so I paid attention. I went back and specially found several pieces. They are all excellent fire-warding spirit tools, and they are easy to carry and have exquisite styles. Little friend, what do you think?"

Mo Hua looks at Old Man Sun in surprise, thinking it's no wonder he has been setting up a stall in the bazaar market for decades. For a small business opportunity, he is so fully prepared.

The spirit tools placed in front of Mo Hua have various styles: there are rings, jade pendants, lamp stands, and also a cover and a silk scarf... Just looking at the styles, it is already the most complete in this bazaar market.

Mo Hua carefully examines them once, then picks up a hairpin with an ancient and simple yet exquisite shape, and asks: "What kind of hairpin is this?"

Old Man Sun says: "This is called a fire-warding hairpin, it belongs to a standard spirit tool. The materials and craftsmanship all have unified standards. An elementary fire-warding formation is engraved on it. It needs to be charged with spirit stones. When used, activating the formation can isolate fire qi, making the person feel refreshed all over. Although it consumes spirit stones, spending one spirit stone can be used for three months. It can be said to be quite economical and practical..."

Mo Hua says suspiciously: "Wanbao Building's standard spirit tools, able to be placed here to sell, certainly have flaws, right?"

Old Man Sun laughs: "Exactly, you know quite a lot. I, this old man, will not hide it from you. If there were no flaws, placed in Wanbao Building, the price would be at least one time more expensive than here. But to say there are flaws, not necessarily..."

Old Man Sun points at the peony pattern on the hairpin, "When the refiner engraved this peony, they drew several extra strokes. This doesn't conform to the norms, so this hairpin was also listed as substandard. But the formation inside is intact and undamaged, and the efficacy is still the same."

Mo Hua nods, and in his heart, he also feels this hairpin is the most suitable. Then he asks: "How many spirit stones?"

Old Man Sun strokes his beard, "Fixed price, fifteen spirit stones!"

Mo Hua shakes his head, "Five pieces!"

Old Man Sun widens his eyes, "Who taught you to bargain like this?"

Mo Hua is a bit embarrassed, "I heard it at other stalls, they all bargain like this..."

Old Man Sun laments painfully, "Truly the world's morals are declining, good children are all led astray!" He says again: "Fourteen pieces, no less!"

Mo Hua also tentatively adds a bit, "Six pieces?"

...

After a round of bargaining, the price is finally set at ten pieces.

Old Man Sun feels he cannot go lower, not a single spirit stone less, and Mo Hua had also previously inquired about the prices of spirit tools at other stalls. Basically, there were no cheaper ones, so he agreed.

Old Man Sun receives the spirit stones from Mo Hua's hand, wraps the hairpin in a cheap but exquisite paper box, and hands it to Mo Hua, muttering endlessly:

"If my grandson had half of your cleverness, I would let him come help me watch the stall. It's a pity, ah, that grandson of mine is very stupid. He doesn't dare to speak when he sees strangers."

Mo Hua takes the hairpin, his heart satisfied. He waves his hand and bids farewell to Old Man Sun, then walks away with light footsteps.

A nearby stall owner laughs: "Old Man Sun, this time you might lose money!"

Old Man Sun strokes his beard, "Originally, I'm not losing money, I'm just earning a bit less, that's all."

The stall owner asks again curiously: "Ten spirit stones is not a small amount either. I wonder who this child bought the hairpin to give to."

"A fire-warding hairpin is for warding off fire. What it wards off is stove fire qi. Who can it be given to, ah?"

Looking at Mo Hua's figure gradually going further away, Old Man Sun sighs slightly, "He's a good child, ah!"

Mo Hua's home is in a remote street on the edge of Tongxian City. The house is old and not very big, just enough for a family of three to live in. The people living nearby are all scattered cultivators at the Qi Refining stage, who rely on doing some odd jobs and short-term work to make a living. Although they are not wealthy, they are full of human warmth.

At dusk, cooking smoke rises from every household, and dim yellow lights are lit.

Mo Hua runs into the door and shouts: "Mother, I'm back!"

A woman wearing simple cloth clothes, with a gentle and beautiful face, walks out from the inner room. When she sees Mo Hua, her eyes are full of joy. She can't help but pull Mo Hua in front of her, touches his head again, and pinches his face again. After a moment, she says: "Is cultivating too hard? You've lost a lot of weight."

Mo Hua says: "I haven't lost weight," then takes out the box, "Mother, this is for you!"

The woman is stunned for a moment, takes the box and opens it, and discovers it is a hairpin.

"This is a fire-warding hairpin. Mother, you help work in the restaurant kitchen, you are exposed to fire qi for a long time, which is not good for your body. This hairpin can ward off fire qi, and you will feel much cooler."

The woman's surname is Liu and her name is Ru Hua. She is Mo Hua's mother, a scattered cultivator at the Qi Refining stage in Tongxian City.

The life of scattered cultivators is originally hard. There are not many good jobs to earn spirit stones. If they have children, raising them is even more difficult. Food, clothing, and daily use, especially the tuition for entering a sect, and the various materials used for cultivation, are all not small expenses for ordinary cultivators.

Liu Ru Hua is good at cooking and helps as a cook in the kitchen of a small restaurant in the city.

Large restaurants generally use stoves refined by refiner masters. There are formations on the stoves, which consume spirit stones and convert spirit energy into fire power.

Small restaurants, to save costs, do not use spirit stones for fire, but will let cultivators with fire spirit roots consume spirit power and condense it into cooking fire power. Over time, the body is inevitably invaded by fire qi, the meridians dry up, and it is accompanied by symptoms of lung pain and dry cough.

Liu Ru Hua helps as a cook in the restaurant, so she has to consume spirit power from time to time to supply fire. She gets about thirty spirit stones in salary each month. Although it is harmful to her body, this is already a not bad job that scattered cultivators can find. Many Qi Refining cultivators want to do it but have no opportunity.

Looking at the hairpin in her hand, Liu Ru Hua purses her lips and doesn't speak.

Mo Hua hastily says: "The spirit stones to buy the hairpin were earned by me helping fellow disciples who were busy. There was no cheating, deceiving, kidnapping, stealing, or robbing!"

Liu Ru Hua can't help but laugh out, her heart warm and a little sore. "This hairpin, Mother cannot take. You are still small, and your future cultivation will need to spend many spirit stones. You should save as much as you can. Mother can take care of herself, you don't need to worry..."

Mo Hua says confidently: "Let's talk about future matters in the future. Perhaps I will become a great cultivator at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stage in the future. However many spirit stones I want, I will have."

Liu Ru Hua laughs out loud, her finger pointing at Mo Hua's forehead, "Such a young age, and you already know how to boast."

"Mother, just take it. I negotiated the price with others for half a day to buy it. If you don't take it, then I will have wasted half a day's effort for nothing."

After speaking, Mo Hua simply takes the hairpin and inserts it into Liu Ru Hua's hair bun, then runs into the room again to get a mirror.

"Look, is it good-looking or not!"

Liu Ru Hua sees the woman in the mirror with a simple and elegant hairpin, appearing dignified and beautiful. She sees her son blinking his big eyes. For a moment, her heart softens, and then she gently says: "I will accept this hairpin. Next time you send things, I may not accept."

"Um um," Mo Hua promises repeatedly, "Mother, is the meal ready? I'm hungry."

"Ready, it's all your favorite food, eat more!"

Liu Ru Hua's cooking skills are very good. Although they are simple vegetarian dishes and do not contain any spirit energy, they are made exquisitely and deliciously. Mo Hua finishes eating and chats with his mother for a while, then returns to his room to read books.

After midnight, Mo Hua enters the sea of consciousness again and practices formations on the stone stele for one night. When he wakes up, it is already Mao hour.

Mo Hua closes his eyes and sits in meditation, holding a spirit stone in his hand, cultivating as usual.

He opens his eyes again, the sky is already slightly bright, and bright sunlight shines into the room. Mo Hua lies down and stretches lazily, preparing to get up, when he hears heavy footsteps outside the room.

Mo Hua turns over and lies on the bed, peeking through the crack of the door. He sees a man full of bloodstains and travel-worn walk into the house. This person is Mo Hua's father - Mo Shan.