Chapter 6: Spirit Stones

Mo Hua thought for a while inside the house. After waiting for Mo Shan and Liu Ru Hua to finish talking, he changed into a set of everyday clothes. Only then did he pretend to know nothing and happily walked out of the house.

As a family of three ate their meal, Mo Shan had already finished. Mo Hua then pestered him to tell him interesting stories about hunting demons.

Mo Shan then selectively shared some, such as a one-eyed wolf, a two-headed tiger, and a three-legged wild boar.

Some teams hunted an adult demonic beast, but didn't take the demon core, only taking some worthless furs. Later, when they realized and went back, the demon core had already been taken by others. The captain was so regretful he vomited blood and fainted.

There was also someone who caught an ancient bloodline strange beast, which was directly bought by a large sect for a high price. From then on, they had no worries about clothing and food, but who knows what day, that person completely disappeared again...

Mo Hua listened with great interest. He also knew that these stories inevitably contained bloody, dangerous, and cruel elements, but his father deliberately omitted them.

Dad and mom always hoped their child wouldn't know the cruel reality and could have a pure and happy childhood.

After Mo Hua finished listening to the stories, three small heads poked out from outside the gate. Their black and bright eyes looked into the house. Seeing Mo Shan and Liu Ru Hua at home, they immediately stood in a line and greeted:

"Hello Uncle Mo, hello Aunt Liu!"

The three children were surnamed Meng and lived on the same street. Their families also relied on hunting demons for a living.

The elders of the Meng family and Mo Shan were friends and lived close by. Therefore, Mo Hua played with them since he was young. Their three names were also similar. In order of birth, they were called Meng Da Hu, Meng Shuang Hu, and Meng Xiao Hu.

Among the demonic beasts near Tong Xian City, tiger-type demonic beasts were the most powerful kind. Naming children with the word "Hu" also expressed the hope that they would have the strength and prestige of a tiger in the future.

The three children were indeed like their names; they grew up looking strong and sturdy.

Mo Hua was the youngest and sickly when he was born. Mo Shan felt it was unlikely he would grow up to be like a tiger. Seeing that he had clear eyebrows and was handsome, like a white and clean porcelain doll, he took the word "Hua" from his wife Liu Ru Hua's name and named him Mo Hua.

Liu Ru Hua saw the three children and gave each of them a bun. The three children said they didn't want it, but their hands involuntarily reached out, took the buns, and stuffed them into their mouths, saying with bulging cheeks: "Thank you Aunt Liu!"

Liu Ru Hua's cooking skills were the best in this neighborhood, and the three children were therefore extremely envious of Mo Hua.

Mo Shan waved his hand, "You all go play, remember to come back for lunch!"

Mo Hua and the three children nodded in agreement and instantly ran out the door.

Among the three Meng family children, Da Hu was honest, Shuang Hu was clever, and Xiao Hu was a chatterbox. All three were older than Mo Hua and grew up bigger than Mo Hua. Generally, they led Mo Hua in playing.

Da Hu, Shuang Hu, and Xiao Hu talked non-stop about where there was a dragon lantern dance, where there were fireworks, where there were many people, and where there would be gaudy little girls dancing...

But they talked so much, they didn't know where to play well.

Finally, the several people discussed. Adults choose, children want everything. They would visit everything once!

With the New Year approaching, disciples who had entered sects were on holiday, and cultivators who made a living outside had returned home. Tong Xian City was also much livelier than usual, and the flow of people on the street was quite dense.

Some body cultivators in the Qi Refining period showed off their martial arts, wielding knives and guns, while spirit cultivators displayed some useless but flashy spells, provoking the children's envy and exclamations;

Those who could refine tools and mechanisms made some small toys, such as wooden rabbits, small dogs, and small cats that would run on the ground with just a little spiritual power, and other various things, making people dizzy.

Da Hu, Shuang Hu, and Xiao Hu were very happy playing. Everything looked new to them, and they excitedly exclaimed. Mo Hua played while looking around, but in his heart, he paid attention to the ways to earn spirit stones on the street.

As he looked, he finally found that almost everything that could earn spirit stones was already being done by others. Those that were not being done, Mo Hua currently had no ability to do.

Looking at a group of performing and shouting cultivators on the street, Mo Hua sighed in his heart. Making a living was indeed not an easy thing.

Shuang Hu saw that Mo Hua was not too happy and asked: "Mo Hua, do you have worries?"

Da Hu heard this and immediately said: "Did someone bully you? I'll go beat him!"

Xiao Hu also nodded repeatedly, "Beat him! Beat him!"

The Meng family elders had instructed the three of them to take care of the weak and sickly Mo Hua since they were young. In addition, Liu Ru Hua made good food and would specially leave a portion for the three children.

The three children both remembered the favor and were also very loyal. Every time someone wanted to bully Mo Hua, they would roll up their sleeves without a word and rush up to fight with others.

And Mo Hua was recognized as the most intelligent among the scattered cultivators in the neighborhood. Sometimes when they had assigned homework they didn't understand, they would come and ask Mo Hua. So the relationship between the children was very good.

Mo Hua saw their eager and ready-to-fight appearance and was a little amused and frustrated. He said:

"No one is bullying me. I'm thinking if I can earn some spirit stones."

Earning spirit stones...

Da Hu and the other two also became worried. They didn't know much about that either.

They could help with fighting, but earning spirit stones was something they couldn't do.

Mo Hua's heart moved, and he asked again:

"Then do you know how array masters earn spirit stones?"

The cultivation world was vast and boundless. Mo Hua cultivated and drew arrays every day, and his contact with things was limited. Many things he didn't understand at all. He only knew that becoming an array master meant he wouldn't have to worry about food and clothing, but how ordinary array masters, especially low-level apprentices, earned spirit stones, he really didn't know.

Da Hu and the other two often played everywhere, perhaps they knew some things Mo Hua didn't know.

Da Hu thought for a moment and shook his head, "The array master's fixed grade exam is very difficult. No one in our neighborhood is a first-grade array master, I'm not too clear either..."

"Let alone our neighborhood, even the entire Tong Xian City doesn't have many array masters. Even fewer can truly pass the fixed grade and become a first-grade array master. A distant uncle in our Meng family studies arrays every day and hasn't passed a first-grade array master exam for twenty years..." Xiao Hu shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"You heard wrong, Uncle Meng is just an array apprentice. He wants to find an array master as a teacher to learn arrays well, but others ask him questions to test him, and he can't answer, so others don't accept him."

Shuang Hu curled his lips and then counted on his fingers:

"Apprentice, ordinary array master, first-grade array master... Uncle Meng didn't go for the fixed grade. Those who can go for the fixed grade are already somewhat famous array masters. He's still ten thousand eight thousand miles away from the fixed grade!"

Mo Hua asked curiously: "Then what does he rely on to make a living?"

"I heard he helps businesses draw some simple arrays, then earns some spirit stones, then uses the spirit stones to buy pens and ink, then practices arrays again, and then continues to be unable to find a teacher, and then helps businesses draw arrays again..."

"Businesses, huh..."

"Yes, I heard that even if you don't pass the fixed grade and don't become a first-grade array master, just being an ordinary array master and drawing arrays for businesses can still earn quite a lot of spirit stones and you won't have to worry about food and drink."

Shuang Hu said, then asked Mo Hua again:

"Mo Hua, do you want to be an array master?"

"Um," Mo Hua didn't hide it, "My constitution is too weak, I probably can't be a demon hunter. If a demonic beast swats me with a claw, I'd probably lose half my life. I always have to find a way to make a living. But it's still too early to talk about this. I'll first see if I can earn some spirit stones. If I can earn them, I'll treat you all to pastries!"

As soon as Da Hu and the other two heard this, they instantly became happy.

"Good, good!"

"You're so smart, you can definitely earn spirit stones, and in the future, you can also be an array master!"

"Pastries, pastries!"

Children of ordinary scattered cultivator families rarely got to eat even ordinary pastries from the roadside.

The several people strolled around again. Except for not seeing the gaudy little girls, they had visited everything else. Near noon, they were all satisfied and went home to eat.

After Mo Hua finished lunch, he told his dad and mom he was going out to play. After that, he went to the North Big Street of Tong Xian City by himself.

The North Big Street of Tong Xian City was prosperous, and the South Big Street was lively.

The South Big Street had many markets, mainly with small vendors and stalls, while the North Big Street had many businesses selling spirit talismans, pills, and tools. The things they sold were more regular, of better quality, and of course, more expensive.

However, Mo Hua didn't come to buy things; he didn't have those spirit stones.

Mo Hua walked from one end of the street to the other, looking at all the businesses once. Then he found a business with an array hanging outside, but whose doorway was relatively the most shabby and simple, and whose business was also the most deserted, and walked in.