Arrays of Immortality

Chapter 12: Rewards

After wandering around for a while, Little Tiger suddenly asked, "Where are we going next?"

Mo Hua patted the storage pouch at his side. "Let's head to North Street first!"

The group arrived at the entrance of Youyuan Zhai. Mo Hua climbed the steps but turned back to see his three friends standing still. "Aren't you coming in?"

The three shook their heads in unison:

"Looking at formation diagrams makes my head spin…"

"Me too…"

"I'll never have any luck with formations in this lifetime, so I'm not going in…"

Mo Hua had no choice but to say, "Alright, just wait here. I'll be back soon."

The three nodded in agreement.

Mo Hua entered the shop, and the bell hanging above the door rang. The shopkeeper looked up and saw Mo Hua standing confidently with his storage pouch. He couldn't help but smile, "You again. So, did your brother finish the formation diagrams?"

Mo Hua nodded. "Yes, he did."

The shopkeeper's interest was piqued. "Oh? It's only been five days, not bad." He gestured for Mo Hua to come over. "Let me take a look."

Mo Hua took out the formation diagrams and placed them on the counter, tiptoeing to reach.

The shopkeeper picked up the diagrams and frowned slightly.

Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat. "Is there something wrong?"

The shopkeeper examined them and said thoughtfully, "They're correct, but the quality doesn't look like the work of a seasoned hand. A few are decent, but these others…"

He flipped through some of the earlier ones, which Mo Hua recognized as the first ones he drew.

"These are quite rough, very hesitant, as if pieced together bit by bit. Are you sure your brother is learning from a proper formation master? His skill is a bit lacking…"

Mo Hua blushed slightly. It was his first time drawing formations, and this was already his best effort.

"Can they still be used?"

The shopkeeper tapped his fingers on the table, rechecking them.

"The technique may be rough, but the formations themselves are fine. They're usable… though the brushwork leaves a lot to be desired."

Mo Hua sighed in relief. "That's good." He added quickly, "Maybe my brother was unfamiliar with this formation at first, so the earlier ones were rough, but look—aren't the later ones much better?"

The shopkeeper looked at the later diagrams and nodded slowly. "True. These ones are much better—decent, at least."

"See!" Mo Hua assured him. "Don't worry. My… brother will definitely get better and better!"

The shopkeeper laughed. "You really believe in your brother, huh? Alright, I'll approve this batch, but next time the diagrams must meet at least this standard. No more rough, practice-quality formations."

Mo Hua nodded vigorously.

The shopkeeper put the formation diagrams away and counted out several spirit stones, placing them on the counter.

"Eight successful diagrams, two failures. I'll deduct two spirit stones as collateral. The reward is six spirit stones. If your brother wants to continue drawing, the deposit is still ten spirit stones. Since he already has the formation pattern, I'll give you ten sets of paper and ink."

The shopkeeper handed over a storage pouch filled with materials.

Mo Hua took the materials and carefully pocketed the six spirit stones, feeling a wave of joy.

Earning six spirit stones in five days was already on par with the income of mid-to-late stage Qi Refinement cultivators.

Mo Hua's mother, Liu Ruhua, earned only one spirit stone per day working in the kitchen of a restaurant. His father, Mo Shan, earned more hunting demonic beasts, but the income was unpredictable—sometimes high, sometimes not enough to cover their efforts.

After thanking the shopkeeper, Mo Hua left Youyuan Zhai to find his three friends staring at him expectantly.

Mo Hua patted his storage pouch and waved his hand. "Let's go—I'll treat you to snacks!"

The three boys cheered, surrounding Mo Hua as they headed to a pastry shop.

There were many bakeries in Tongxian City, some selling exquisite pastries made with high-grade ingredients. But Mo Hua and his friends couldn't afford those, so they visited Wang's Pastries, a small shop run by a common Qi Refinement cultivator. The shop was modest, and the ingredients weren't luxurious, but the pastries were affordable and satisfying.

During festivals, many low-level cultivators would buy from this shop to treat their children.

Wang's Pastries was famous for its Five-Colored Cakes, made from five types of spiritual grains steamed together. They were sweet, soft, and sticky. Each piece of Five-Colored Cake cost two fragments of spirit stones.

For cultivators struggling at the bottom, even a single spirit stone was valuable, so spirit stones were often broken into fragments for smaller transactions. A full spirit stone could be split into ten equal parts. These fragments were not recognized by sects or noble families but were commonly used among impoverished cultivators, particularly those in the Qi Refinement stage.

Mo Hua spent two spirit stones to buy ten pieces of Five-Colored Cake. The shopkeeper, seeing Mo Hua was a child buying in bulk, even added two extra pieces as a gift.

Each of the four children got two cakes, and Mo Hua kept four pieces to bring home to his parents.

As they ate the steaming, fragrant cakes, Little Tiger exclaimed, "These pastries are so good! When I grow up and earn spirit stones, I'll eat them every day!"

Shuanghu teased, "Why don't you just marry a girl who knows how to make pastries? Then you can eat them every day."

Little Tiger's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?" Then he frowned. "But I already like someone. A man mustn't be fickle…"

Shuanghu's curiosity was piqued. "Who do you like?"

"The tofu-selling girl on West Street! I told you first, so you're not allowed to compete with me!"

Shuanghu scoffed, "Relax. She's got a terrible temper. I wouldn't fight you for her…"

While the two bickered, Big Tiger focused on eating. He quickly finished both cakes and even licked his fingers clean.

Seeing this, Mo Hua gave him his untouched piece.

Big Tiger hesitated, then smiled sheepishly and accepted it.

Shuanghu turned to Mo Hua. "Did you really draw those formation diagrams for that shop?"

Mo Hua nodded.

Little Tiger stared at him in awe. "You're already drawing formations for people?"

Shuanghu rolled his eyes. "Where do you think the spirit stones for these pastries came from?"

Little Tiger froze, holding his cake mid-bite. "These pastries… were bought with the spirit stones you earned from drawing formations? That's amazing, Mo Hua! Will you really become a Grade-One Formation Master in the future?"

Mo Hua smiled modestly. "It's too early to say. Becoming a Formation Master isn't easy. Keep this between us, alright? I'll treat you to more pastries when I earn more spirit stones."

Hearing "pastries," the three boys eagerly promised to keep the secret. Little Tiger even swore, "If I tell anyone, I'll never eat pastries again!"

The group continued wandering through the streets, looking at various odd and interesting things. As the sun began to set, they finally returned home.

Mo Hua gave the pastries to Liu Ruhua, who steamed them again to make them warm and fragrant. She tried to put them back in Mo Hua's bowl, but he stubbornly refused. After much back and forth, Mo Hua finally ate two, while Liu Ruhua and Mo Shan each had one.

The steamed pastries were even tastier than before, and Mo Hua couldn't help asking, "Mom, do you know how to make pastries like these?"

Liu Ruhua laughed. "Of course I do. I can cook even the most complicated dishes. The problem is that most recipes require special stoves crafted by artifact refiners and equipped with formation arrays. We don't have the means for that."

"Are those stoves expensive?"

"Yes. You need to hire an artifact refiner to forge the stove, and even more costly is the formation array. Hiring a Formation Master is no small matter, especially for something as big as a stove. Only restaurants or taverns bother with the expense."

Mo Hua nodded thoughtfully. It seemed formations were far more widely used in the cultivation world than he had imagined. He wondered what kind of formation was used in cooking stoves.

He made a mental note to study this when he had the chance.

(End of Chapter)