Chapter 238: Settlement
Mo Hua asked Ji Qingbai, "Uncle Ji, do you have a place to stay?"
Ji Qingbai had only just come back to his senses, though his heart was still far from calm.
He had only ever heard that Tōngxiān City was no longer what it used to be, that it was growing more prosperous by the day, but he hadn't expected this level of prosperity.
Awe and envy mingled within him.
Hearing Mo Hua's question, Ji Qingbai hesitated briefly before saying, "There's an old senior, he and my father were lifelong friends. I can stay with him for a while."
Mo Hua nodded. "If you run into any trouble, you can go to my father."
Gratitude flickered in Ji Qingbai's eyes. "Thank you for looking after us along the way."
"It's nothing," Mo Hua said lightly.
He had only scared off a few people and led them along the way, barely an effort at all.
As long as everyone was safe and sound, that was enough.
The young female cultivator named Fu Lan, after taking some healing pills, looked slightly better. Her face was still pale as paper and her movements weak, yet she still managed to bow gratefully to Mo Hua.
"Thank you, little brother."
Mo Hua noticed that though she was a woman, traveling alone, battered by hardship and injury, her expression still carried unyielding resolve. He admired that quietly and asked, "Elder sister, do you know how to cook?"
His question was so unexpected that Fu Lan froze for a moment before answering,
"My mother used to run a tofu shop. I can cook some dishes."
Tofu!
Mo Hua's eyes brightened. "Then once you're healed, if you've got nothing else to do, go to Fortune Dining House on the south side of the street. Make some tofu there, you can earn some spirit stones."
Fu Lan was taken aback, warmth rising in her heart. "Thank you… but Fortune Dining House seems like a proper establishment. It's large and reputable. They might not take me in."
"It's fine," Mo Hua said confidently. "Just mention my name."
After all, half of Fortune Dining House was technically his.
His tone was so matter-of-fact that Fu Lan was stunned for a moment.
Mo Hua didn't elaborate further, he simply waved goodbye to them.
They were still injured and exhausted from travel; finding a place to rest was their top priority.
After parting ways, Mo Hua walked into the city alongside Yu Chengwu.
After a while, Yu Chengwu frowned. "Why are you following me?"
"I'm not following you. I'm going to see Elder Yu."
Yu Chengwu blinked. No way.
It was one thing for Mo Hua to know those demon-hunters, but surely he didn't know his father too?
And yet Mo Hua continued walking right beside him… all the way to Elder Yu's home.
When Yu Chengwu pushed the door open, Mo Hua walked in as well, entirely at ease, like he was walking into his own courtyard.
Elder Yu was in the sitting room having tea. When he saw the two of them, his eyes lit up and he came forward to greet them.
After more than a year apart, Yu Chengwu's emotions stirred at the sight of his father. He was just about to step forward... only to watch Elder Yu stride right past him to speak to Mo Hua instead.
"Mo Hua, what brings you here?"
Mo Hua said. "There's something I wanted to discuss…"
He explained everything that had happened on the road.
More and more wandering cultivators were arriving—many of unclear background and difficult to control—making monster hunting increasingly dangerous for the local hunters.
For now, those outsiders still dared not harm the native demon-hunters.
But if this continued, conflicts and disputes would be inevitable.
Killing for loot, stealing hunted beasts, such incidents would likely become common.
And the more chaos there was, the harder it would be for Mo Hua to collect demon blood to make spiritual ink.
Less ink meant fewer formation drawings; fewer formations meant slower growth of his Divine-Sense, delaying his progress toward Foundation Establishment.
Elder Yu nodded. "I've heard of this matter. I've already discussed it with the Dao Court Division's Chief. They'll come up with a solution soon enough."
Mo Hua spoke with him for a while longer. Once he received Elder Yu's assurance, he took his leave.
Elder Yu personally walked him to the door, reminding him to "be careful on the road."
Yu Chengwu, who had been standing silently off to the side all this time, finally couldn't hold back. "Father, I'm back!"
Elder Yu gave him a glance and frowned. "I can see that. You don't need to announce it."
Yu Chengwu was speechless.
After a long pause, he muttered softly, "Father, I am your son, right?"
At that, Elder Yu glared at him. "What nonsense are you talking about? If you weren't my son, would I have picked you up off the street?"
Yu Chengwu thought of how warm and pleasant his father had just been with Mo Hua... and compared it to this response. His heart ached a little.
Still, he felt oddly relieved.
That familiar temper and sharp tongue, yep, that was definitely his father. Not a dream.
"At least… I'm home again," Yu Chengwu thought with a sigh of emotion.
...
Mo Hua, meanwhile, headed to the southern district's Artifact Refining Workshop. He found Master Chen, who was hammering away at a forge, and said, "Master Chen, could you forge a spirit tool for me?"
"Have you decided what kind?"
"Mm."
Master Chen handed his half-forged blade to Dazhu, took a drink of water, and asked, "What do you want to forge?"
Mo Hua gestured with his hands. "A spiked club, about this long!"
Master Chen nearly choked on his drink. "A… spiked club? What for?"
"They're practical," Mo Hua explained seriously. "You can use them for sneak attacks, and since they're blunt, I won't cut myself by accident."
He'd already thought it through. Blades and swords required strength and precision, if he slipped and cut himself, that'd be embarrassing and painful.
A club, though, was perfect. Even if he slipped and hit himself, it wouldn't be a big deal.
"Oh, and no spikes on the club," Mo Hua added.
Spikes were sharp, and dangerous.
"No spikes? Then how is it a spiked club?" Master Chen blinked.
"Then I'll just give it a new name," Mo Hua replied calmly.
"…Fine. It's your weapon, you can call it whatever you want," Master Chen said, then hesitated. "But aren't clubs heavy? Can you even swing one properly?"
"Make it sturdy but not too heavy."
"And what exactly is this thing for, then?" Master Chen asked, puzzled.
Without spikes or weight, it sounded more like a toy than a weapon.
Mo Hua replied, "I'll draw a formation on it."
Formation?
Master Chen instantly understood. A normal club might be useless, but with formation engravings, it'd be a whole different story.
"As long as you've got a plan."
He nodded, not asking what kind of formation it would be, he wouldn't understand it anyway.
"I've got a few design manuals for staff-type weapons. Look through them, pick one you like. I'll modify it to your specs."
"Thank you, Master Chen!"
Mo Hua flipped through the manuals until he found one that matched his vision, about four or five feet long, forged from refined iron, well-balanced, and not too heavy.
"This one! Just remove the spikes here."
He pointed them out, then pulled out a paper sketch, marking several points.
"These are where I plan to draw formations."
Master Chen glanced over the drawing and nodded. "No problem. Give me five or six days."
"Alright!" Mo Hua grinned.
...
When Mo Hua returned home, he told Mo Shan about Ji Qingbai.
Mo Shan sighed deeply after hearing it, shaking his head. "I didn't expect the rogue cultivators in Qingxuan City to have fallen to such a miserable state."
Mo Hua asked, "Do rogue cultivators everywhere get oppressed by clans?"
"Even if they aren't bullied by clans, there are still the sects and the Dao Court Divisions."
"Because they're too weak?"
Mo Shan nodded. "Indeed. The strong oppress the weak, that's human nature. And some clans or sects profit directly from suppressing the rogues. They grow by taking what others lose."
"Much of this world's wealth isn't created, it merely shifts from one group of cultivators to another."
Mo Hua nodded slowly, understanding dawning in his eyes.
...
(Author's note)
It's been a full month of daily 10k-word updates, finally earned that badge! Time to rest a little.
Writing ten thousand words a day is tiring.
We've only just reached the opening arc, Tōngxiān City is merely the tip of the vast cultivation world's iceberg. Many characters, plots, and settings have yet to unfold.
Little Mo Hua's growth has just begun, his foundation is laid, but his path ahead is long.
The stories have been floating in my head for ages, I need to write them out, to give each character their closure.
Writing a novel is a long and sometimes grueling journey.
But the hardest part is starting, and that's already done. Now it's just a matter of persistence.
From now on, I'll ease the pace to two chapters a day for a while, then gradually increase again later.
Honestly, I planned to start the two-chapter schedule today, but thanks to everyone's steady support and growing subscriptions, I'll keep going strong, five chapters today as thanks!
Wishing everyone happiness every day~
(End of Chapter)