Chapter 413: Tangyuan

Cut the price in half, then we can talk slowly.

This is something Mo Hua learned at the Tongxian City market.

The tooth person’s face showed a pained expression, “No... not... not the way you bargain...”

“Is this array not problematic?”

“It is…” the tooth person said helplessly, then suddenly perked up again, “No, I don’t know…”

“Being stubborn is useless!”

Mo Hua looked confident, “The words I just said, write them down, and ask another array master to take a look, they will definitely be the same.”

The tooth person stammered, speechless, “Then…”

“Is the array not problematic?” Mo Hua asked again.

“It counts as… having some issues…”

“The array problem, is it a big problem?”

“Yes… it is.”

“Since this cave mansion of yours has big problems, why are you still selling it so expensively?” Mo Hua’s reasoning was solid and his tone strong.

The tooth person said bitterly, “That also can’t be so much cheaper?”

“I also didn’t say we can’t bargain, how much more can you lower it?”

The tooth person felt the pressure of Mo Hua’s gaze, and cautiously said, “Thirty-seven thousand?”

Mo Hua shook his head, “Twenty-five hundred.”

“Thirty-six thousand?”

“Twenty-one thousand…”

After several rounds of back and forth quoting prices, Mo Hua was finally only willing to offer twenty-nine thousand.

The tooth person bit his teeth, and said helplessly, “I’ll go back and ask the owner. Please wait a moment.”

“Go ahead.”

Mo Hua waved his hand at him.

Bai Zi Sheng looked at Mo Hua with surprise, “You’re really good at haggling…”

“Naturally.”

Mo Hua nodded.

For loose cultivators, even one spirit stone is a good thing. When it’s time to haggle, naturally one shouldn’t be polite.

Having spirit stones is one thing.

Not spending spirit stones incorrectly is another.

After a while, the tooth person ran back, holding a spirit contract, and said with a compensating smile:

“I reported back to the owner. The owner also didn’t know that this cave mansion’s array actually had so many problems. He feels very sorry and is willing to sell this cave mansion at a lower price to the three young friends.”

The tooth person held the spirit contract with both hands and handed it to Mo Hua:

“The price has been reduced a bit more, twenty-eight thousand eight hundred eighty-eight, for good luck…”

Mo Hua looked at the spirit contract. It indeed showed twenty thousand with a string of “eight”s after it.

“Your owner is so easy to talk to?”

Mo Hua was a bit doubtful.

The price was cut by nearly ten thousand spirit stones…

The tooth person smiled and said, “One is that this cave mansion indeed had some issues, and you, young master, pointed them out, which caused embarrassment; two is that our owner also wants to make friends with you. You buying our cave mansion is also giving us face.”

Mo Hua said suspiciously, “Your owner knows me?”

“The owner hasn’t met you yet.”

Mo Hua’s bright spirit eyes rolled a bit, and he asked again, “Behind your tooth row, is it the Lu family, or the South Yue Sect?”

The tooth person was startled, then said:

“To not hide from young master, there is both the Lu family and the South Yue Sect…”

Mo Hua was also a bit surprised, “Your tooth row has such a strong background?”

The tooth person smiled awkwardly, “Not to that extent… behind it, there is investment from the Lu family, and the owner is a direct disciple of the South Yue Sect inner door.”

“Although there are backgrounds from both sides, neither has reached the level of elders and family heads, so it’s just a small tooth row…”

The Lu family, Dao Court Division, South Yue Sect…

They seem to be in it together.

Mo Hua sighed.

But he was an outsider, and it wasn’t good to ask too much for now. He cupped his hands and said, “Help me thank the owner.”

The tooth person cupped his hands respectfully and said, “I wouldn’t dare.”

After that, they exchanged spirit stones, signed the spirit contract, and then handed over some cave mansion array maps and the array key.

When signing the spirit contract, Bai Zi Xi said to Mo Hua, “You sign.”

Mo Hua was stunned, “Why do you want me to sign?”

Bai Zi Xi said, “You chose it.”

“But, it was you, little senior sister, who provided the spirit stones…”

Bai Zi Xi said, “I can’t sign.”

Bai Zi Sheng also nodded beside her, “Snow aunt doesn’t let us sign spirit contracts with others.”

Mo Hua was slightly stunned, then understood.

He estimated that as children of big families, they had some taboos. If they signed spirit contracts, they might be cheated or ambushed.

“Okay then.”

Mo Hua signed the spirit contract. After signing, he gave the spirit contract to Bai Zi Xi, “Little senior sister, you keep it.”

Bai Zi Xi originally wanted to refuse, but after thinking for a moment, she accepted it.

After buying the cave mansion, they just needed to tidy it up a bit.

Mainly the array.

The previous array was too simple and crude; Mo Hua couldn’t stand it.

And since it was his own place to live, he felt more at ease drawing the array himself.

Mo Hua spent some time reconstructing the cave mansion array map.

This array map was mostly made up of Grade One arrays, even using the Thick Earth Array.

Mo Hua, along with his little senior brother and little senior sister, according to the array map, renewed the array inside the cave mansion.

After that, he asked the tooth person to hire people to clean it again.

The cave mansion was clean and tidy. Doors, windows, corridors, flowers, grass, courtyard, every corner, all had arrays drawn on them. These arrays were interconnected, forming a delicate and complex Grade One complex array.

Only then was Mo Hua satisfied.

After tidying up, Mo Hua and the other two returned to the inn and brought Mr. Zhuang to the cave mansion.

Mr. Zhuang saw the quiet courtyard, the clean bamboo room, and the peaceful pond.

And although there were many arrays, they were naturally integrated with each courtyard, each room, each residence, each corner, each blade of grass, forming a unified body. He nodded with satisfaction.

Everyone ate dinner under the big tree in the courtyard that evening.

Mo Hua spread out a small table, and everyone sat on the grass.

On the table were various colored rice and vegetables.

Because they had been to the mine well, smelled the gas inside, and saw the miserable appearance of the cultivators in the mine, Mo Hua and the other two hadn’t had very good appetites these past few days.

Mo Hua was actually still okay. Bai Zi Xi was covered by Mo Hua’s eyes, so she was also fine.

Mainly Bai Zi Sheng, who didn’t touch a bit of meat.

Mo Hua then made some light, vegetarian food or dim sum.

The main food for the day was sesame-filled soup dumplings.

A gentle breeze blew, and the tree leaves rustled.

While eating the soup dumplings, Mo Hua asked Mr. Zhuang, “Master, is the flow of spirit energy very important?”

Mo Hua had only been a bit doubtful before.

What exactly could the flow of spirit energy inside the cave mansion explain?

He guessed it was related to wind direction, qi energy, and so on, but these were just his guesses. He wasn’t sure of the deeper reasons.

Mr. Zhuang said concisely:

“The flow of spirit energy is related to spirit veins.”

“Spirit veins?”

Mo Hua was slightly stunned.

Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly, “So-called spirit veins refer to the circulation of huge spirit energy in the heaven and earth, which forms qi veins.”

“Huge spirit energy…” Mo Hua said, “Then now, aren’t there no spirit veins?”

Because the spirit energy between heaven and earth today was already abnormally thin.

“There are still some.” Mr. Zhuang said faintly, “Only ordinary cultivators cannot see them…”

Mr. Zhuang paused, ate a mouthful of soup dumpling, nodded, and continued:

“Existing spirit veins are either in the Dao Court, or in some ancient families or sects that have been inherited to this day and have not declined.”

“Some medium-sized forces, if they are deeply scheming and want to ensure their longevity, will also try to borrow arrays to artificially create spirit veins…”

Mo Hua was slightly surprised, “Artificially created spirit veins?”

“Correct.” Mr. Zhuang sighed and said, “Spending a large amount of spirit stones, using special arrays, constructing a huge flow of spirit power, thereby forming a continuous and endless spirit vein.”

“Using the spirit energy within the spirit vein to supply descendants for cultivation.”

“Only this is too difficult, and the cost is too great…”

“And the spirit veins that ordinary cultivators see are actually in another form.”

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and said slowly, “You have also seen them.”

Mo Hua frowned, thought for a while, and his eyes lit up:

“Spirit mines?”

Mr. Zhuang nodded, “The spirit energy within the spirit vein, through changes in the heaven and earth situation, settles underground, merging with mountains, rocks, grass, and wood. Year after year, it forms spirit mines.”

“So spirit mines are actually a kind of non-flowing ‘spirit vein’, also a one-time ‘spirit vein’, a ‘spirit vein’ after solidification…”

Mo Hua nodded involuntarily, thought about it for a while, and immediately his heart skipped a beat. He asked:

“Then Master, suppose I can see the flow of spirit energy between the mountains, and discern the direction of past spirit vein flow, can I not calculate… where there are spirit mines?”

Mr. Zhuang smiled with satisfaction:

“That’s the principle…”

“Spiritual sense derivation, spirit power perception, array spirit power tracking, and the flow of heaven and earth spirit energy, all these have common ground and form a system of their own.”

“But this matter, to do it specifically, is still very complex.”

“You yourself should learn and practice more. Start from the flow of spirit energy, from simple to complex, from shallow to deep. Perhaps in the future, you can really derive spirit veins from the flow of spirit energy, and thereby calculate the location of spirit mines…”

Spirit mines!

Mo Hua nodded repeatedly, his eyes flashing brightly.

If he really found a spirit mine, wouldn’t he be rich?

He could dig many, many spirit stones!

Mo Hua looked like a little money grubber.

Mr. Zhuang lost his smile and shook his head.

How could this matter be so simple?

After more than twenty thousand years of development by the Dao Court, spirit mines in this cultivation world that have not been discovered are already very few.

Even if one is discovered, this big piece of fat will be fought over by everyone. It often means rain of blood and a stench of wind…

Mr. Zhuang’s gaze flickered, and he sighed slightly in his heart.

Turning his head to look at Mo Hua, Mr. Zhuang suddenly hesitated again, showing an interesting expression.

This disciple of his looked obedient, but he was also very quirky.

Initially, he was able to help loose cultivators snatch a spirit mine from the Qian family.

If he really discovered a spirit mine in the future, perhaps he could also speculate and take advantage, getting a full mouth of oil…

There was no more talk. Mo Hua focused on eating his meal.

His cheeks were stuffed full.

The soup dumplings were both fragrant and sweet.

Mo Hua couldn’t help but eat a few more. Turning his head, he found that Bai Zi Xi, who was sitting beside him, was just staring at the soup dumplings in her bowl in a daze.

Mo Hua asked curiously, “Is it not tasty?”

He remembered that his little senior sister should love sweet things.

Bai Zi Xi shook her head.

Mo Hua looked a bit doubtful.

Bai Zi Xi looked at Mo Hua, then pointed at the soup dumplings in her bowl, and said, “A bit like you.”

Mo Hua was stunned, and immediately frowned.

He looked at the soup dumplings in his bowl.

They were white, round, and crystal clear.

Mo Hua thought for a while, and said uncertainly, “Senior sister, are you saying I’ve gotten whiter?”

Bai Zi Xi shook her head again.

Mo Hua was even more confused.

Bai Zi Xi just used a spoon to scoop up a sticky white soup dumpling, gently took a bite, and black sesame filling flowed out…

Mo Hua was stunned, thought for a long time, and finally understood.

His little senior sister was saying he had a black heart.

His little face was white, but he was also a little black-bellied.

Mo Hua muttered discontentedly, “Where do I have a black belly…”

Bai Zi Xi nodded and said, “You do!”

In the mine cave, he was both frightened and framed, both deceived and threatened. His methods were quite skilled.

Bai Zi Sheng also nodded from the side:

“Exactly. On the surface, he’s harmless, but in his heart, he has a lot of mischievous ideas…”

Mo Hua glared at Bai Zi Sheng, “Black-bellied is better than being foolish!”

Bai Zi Sheng was angry, “How dare you say your senior brother is foolish!”

“I didn’t say it, you admitted it yourself…”

Under the big tree, Mo Hua and Bai Zi Sheng were arguing heatedly.

Mr. Zhuang’s expression was calm, with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.

Bai Zi Xi then ate another mouthful of soup dumpling, her pupils slightly narrowed, her gaze crystal clear.

(End of this chapter)