Chapter 189: Worries
Elder Yu took the spirit stones, set aside a portion for public use to build the Artifact Refining Workshop, and used the remainder to buy a large amount of wine and meat. He then invited the craftsmen and Demon Beast Hunters to feast together.
The wine was fine, though the meat was not spirit beast meat.
There were too many cultivators to treat with spirit meat, and Elder Yu could not afford it. He therefore went to Liu's Eatery and spent spirit stones to hire Liu Ruhua to help cook the meat of several ordinary beasts.
There was beef, mutton, and chicken, stewed with spicy seasonings, their aromas blending enticingly together. The fragrance was mouthwatering, and since Elder Yu had prepared plenty, everyone could eat to their heart's content.
The crowd feasted merrily. Mo Hua also ate with great enjoyment, and the Artifact Refining Workshop was filled with a cheerful, lively atmosphere.
Only Master Ban could not taste the food.
He had originally worried that with only Mo Hua drawing the formation diagrams, they would not have enough manpower to meet the schedule.
Now, with the Qian family repeatedly causing trouble, injuring craftsmen, damaging buildings, and forcing several formations to be redrawn, the project was falling even further behind.
Master Ban sighed. The wine in his mouth tasted sour and bitter, and he could not tell what emotion it carried.
Mo Hua, gnawing on a large drumstick, noticed his expression and asked: "Master Ban, you seem troubled?"
Master Ban sighed again. His heart was full, yet he did not know how to begin.
He could not exactly urge Mo Hua to draw the formations faster.
Besides, ever since learning that Mo Hua was a formation master capable of drawing First-grade Formations, Master Ban had developed a faint sense of awe toward him. Speaking with him now carried more restraint, no longer as easy as before.
Seeing that Master Ban hesitated, Mo Hua said, "If something's bothering you, please just say it."
Pressed so directly, Master Ban could only brace himself and say, "Mo… Mo Hua, how long will it take to finish drawing these formations?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment and replied, "Depends on whether the Qian family keeps causing trouble. If they come again, it'll take longer. If they've learned their lesson, it'll be quicker. Still, because of their interference, some formations must be redrawn, so it will definitely be delayed somewhat."
Master Ban nodded. "Then I'll trouble you with the hard work."
Although he said that, anxiety lingered in his heart.
After so many years as a craftsman, he had heard countless promises and estimates. Yet few promises were ever fulfilled, and few projects finished on time.
Mo Hua noticed his unease and asked, "If the construction is delayed, will the consequences be serious?"
"Not exactly serious," Master Ban replied. "It's just that if the work is delayed, we craftsmen can't settle accounts. The workers under us won't get their share of spirit stones."
His expression darkened. "Most craftsmen come from poor families. They earn spirit stones to support their households and pay for their children's cultivation. We work day and night just to earn a little hard money. If the project stalls, no spirit stones are paid, and some families might not even afford daily expenses."
Mo Hua nodded in deep understanding. His own family had once lived in hardship too.
In Tōngxiān City, most independent rogue cultivators were Demon Beast Hunters, relying on hunting to survive. Few were craftsmen, and even fewer achieved the rank of master craftsman.
These craftsmen were usually outsiders, traveling from place to place. Wherever a cave mansion, residence, Artifact Refining Hall, or Alchemy Hall was needed, there they went.
From planning to completion, such projects could take months, or even a year or two for larger ones. During that time, they rarely returned home, meeting their families only occasionally.
Yet despite all that effort, they earned just enough spirit stones to scrape by.
Indeed, for independent rogue cultivators, life was never easy, no matter the trade.
Mo Hua sighed and asked, "Do people often default on payment of spirit stones?"
Master Ban's expression turned bitter. "That happens all the time. Once a cave mansion is built, some cultivators refuse to pay, claiming their funds are tight or making excuses, dragging it out endlessly. There's little we can do."
"About eighty or ninety years ago, when I was still just an apprentice, I followed my master to build a small cave mansion for a cultivator. When the work was done, he said he had no spirit stones on hand and asked us to wait a while."
"So we waited... three months. Still not a single spirit stone. Our families were starving, so we went to ask him again. We found him feasting in a restaurant, eating delicacies, drinking fine wine, and tossing out spirit stones to reward the singing girls. When we demanded payment, he arrogantly said he had plenty of spirit stones, but that he simply wouldn't pay us."
Mo Hua was incensed. "You didn't beat him up?"
"We did," Master Ban nodded. "We tied him up and beat him badly."
"And then?"
"Then he went to the Dao Court Division and had us arrested. We were imprisoned for half a month. My master took the blame, was convicted, and sentenced to ten years in prison. The rest of us were flogged dozens of times before being released."
Thinking of his old master, sorrow clouded his eyes.
"The Dao Court Division truly are bastards!" Mo Hua exclaimed angrily.
Then he remembered that Zhang Lan was also from the Dao Court Division—kind and decent—and that he had accidentally injured him once…
"Well, not all of them," Master Ban said patiently.
"There are exceptions?"
He nodded. "The cultivation world is vast, and every city has its own Dao Court Division. Some are upright, some corrupt. You can't judge them all the same. The one in Tōngxiān City is relatively proper. They might take small kickbacks occasionally, but that's human nature. In other places, it's mixed, some divisions even collude with local clans to seize family estates or covet cultivation techniques, ruining whole households."
His words carried deep fear from experience.
Mo Hua listened, astonished. The cultivation world was indeed far more complicated than he had imagined.
He silently took note of these things, resolving to stay cautious should he encounter such matters in the future.
"Master Ban, don't worry," Mo Hua said firmly. "Elder Yu may be stingy, but he always pays what he owes. He won't delay your spirit stones."
After a pause, he added, "As for the formations, I'll draw them a bit faster and try not to delay too much."
After all, it was not easy for the craftsmen to earn spirit stones, and waiting for payment was unpleasant.
Master Ban blinked in surprise. "A bit faster?"
He was already drawing quickly enough. How much faster could he possibly be? After all, Mo Hua was just one person, and merely an ten- or eleven-year-old child at that.
Feeling guilty, Master Ban said with concern, "Don't push yourself. Proceed step by step. If your Divine-Sense is overexerted and your Sea of Consciousness is damaged, that would be disastrous. I've heard that once a formation master's Sea of Consciousness is injured, they can never draw formations again…"
"Rest assured, I know my limits," Mo Hua replied.
At first, he had worked carefully, since this was his first time drawing formations for such a large-scale cultivation building and his first time planning so many at once. His early caution naturally slowed his pace to avoid mistakes.
Now, after many days of work, his technique had grown more practiced. These formations, though numerous, were not complex; most were not even of First-grade. Drawing them was no longer difficult, merely tedious.
Mo Hua also wanted to finish quickly so he could move on to studying and experimenting with more advanced Composite formations.
Those, he believed, would be far more interesting.
(End of Chapter)