Chapter 239: Thousand-Jin Rod
"Then… are there any clans or sects that don't bully rogue cultivators?"
"There are, of course." Mo Shan explained, "Some families are upright in their conduct, and some sects have strict rules that prevent them from doing anything excessive. Or, some simply don't compete with rogue cultivators for profit, so they've no reason to mistreat the lower ranks."
"However, such cases are few. As long as one is weak, oppression is inevitable, it's merely a matter of time."
Mo Shan sighed again, then added,
"Our Tōngxiān City isn't too bad, but there are places where the life of a rogue cultivator is true torment. Not to mention the higher-grade prefectures, those ancient aristocratic clans and sects that have lasted tens of thousands of years, entrenched like colossal beasts. The rogue cultivators under their thumb… those are the ones who truly have no hope of ever rising again."
Hearing this, Mo Hua felt a heaviness settle in his chest.
Mo Shan noticed his son's downcast look, patted his head with a smile, and comforted him:
"All we can do is handle our own affairs well. These are things beyond our control. If, one day, you truly have the ability to shake heaven and earth, then it won't be too late to think about such matters."
"Mm!" Mo Hua nodded firmly.
"There's also your Uncle Ji. He's just arrived, so help him however you can. Your Brother Ji is a righteous man, always ready to lend a hand. Back when our family was struggling, we received much help from him."
"I understand, Father."
After that, Mo Shan got busy with monster hunting. A few days later, once he had time, he prepared some gifts—wine, meat, a few pills, and daily necessities—and went to visit Ji Qingbai.
The two chatted and reminisced for a while. Before leaving, Mo Shan pressed a pouch of spirit stones into Ji Qingbai's hand.
"Brother Ji, keep these for emergencies."
Ji Qingbai tried to refuse.
Mo Shan insisted, "We're brothers, shouldn't we support each other? When my family was in hardship, you helped us plenty. Don't refuse me now."
Only then did Ji Qingbai reluctantly accept.
After leaving Qingxuan City, he'd been traveling constantly, and his savings were nearly gone.
Upon arriving in Tōngxiān City, he couldn't impose too long on his old family friends, so he rented a small courtyard, not big, not cheap either, but enough for shelter.
Then, after slowly buying daily necessities, his already thin supply of spirit stones soon ran dry.
Mo Shan's gift was like charcoal in a snowstorm.
Under normal circumstances, Ji Qingbai would never have taken it. But now, with his purse nearly empty, he could only accept with deep gratitude.
Once his injuries healed, he planned to go monster hunting with Ji Li to earn some spirit stones and repay Mo Shan.
...
That evening, as Ji Qingbai and Ji Li were discussing their next hunt, Fu Lan returned from outside.
Her injuries had improved considerably, though not fully healed, she could walk about now.
Being a rogue cultivator herself, Fu Lan had endured a bitter life since childhood. So she'd been thinking of finding a way to earn some spirit stones, to ease the financial burden and not rely too heavily on Uncle Ji and Brother Ji.
She remembered Mo Hua mentioning Fortune Dining House, which wasn't far away, so she'd gone to ask, and had just come back.
"You're still not fully recovered, you should rest more," Ji Qingbai said, concerned, noticing her still-pale face.
Ji Li quickly helped her sit down and poured her a cup of tea.
A faint blush rose on Fu Lan's pale cheeks.
Ji Qingbai noticed the two's shy demeanor, his expression unchanged, but inside, he felt quietly gratified.
After a moment, he asked, "So, you went to Fortune Dining House?"
Fu Lan nodded. "They accepted me. The monthly spirit stone pay is decent, too."
Ji Qingbai exhaled in relief. "That's good."
"It's just…" Fu Lan hesitated slightly.
"Just what?"
"It's just… they initially refused to hire me when they heard I was an outsider. But after I mentioned that young man's name, they immediately agreed to take me in, without another word."
Ji Qingbai blinked. "Mo Hua?"
Fu Lan nodded.
Ji Qingbai was stunned. "That boy… his reputation carries that much weight?"
For such a big establishment to give him face like that... remarkable.
And earlier that day, Ji Qingbai had also learned that Mo Hua was actually a young formation master, many of the formations used by rogue cultivators in the city were of his making.
That revelation had truly shocked him.
Before coming here, he'd thought Mo Hua had given up studying formations, he had even felt pity for the boy.
Yet, unexpectedly, Mo Hua had already become a genuine formation master.
Ji Qingbai said solemnly, "No matter what, we owe that child a great favor. We must find a way to repay him someday. Especially Mo Hua, nothing must happen to him."
A formation master among rogue cultivators, and with such a good heart—such a person must never come to harm.
Ji Li and Fu Lan both nodded seriously.
Ji Qingbai finally relaxed, then sighed with emotion:
"These past few days, I've walked around the city a bit. Tōngxiān City really is different. If we could truly settle down here, that would be a blessed life indeed."
He had worked hard his entire life, only ever hoping for a peaceful existence. After all his hardships, it finally seemed within reach.
Looking at Ji Li and Fu Lan, Ji Qingbai felt a warmth in his heart. He smiled slightly.
"If you two don't mind… you should settle down here together. In a while, I'll help arrange the ceremony, you can become Dao companions."
The two froze for a moment, then both flushed bright red, sneaking a glance at each other before lowering their heads.
Night fell. The small courtyard was dimly lit, yet the faint light made it all the warmer.
...
Two days later, Mo Hua was in a restaurant, practicing formation-breaking.
He would first draw a formation himself, then personally undo it.
That way, each sheet of talisman paper let him practice twice, drawing and decoding. It was wasteful of spirit ink, but excellent practice.
As he worked, Dazhu came running over, saying the spike-less spiked club he'd ordered was finished.
Mo Hua's eyes lit up. He dropped his half-dissolved formation and followed Dazhu to the Refining Workshop.
Master Chen handed him an iron rod.
"Just as you asked, no spikes, and I left space for the formation. The outside's wrapped in iron plates, sturdy and solid, but the inside's made of strong wood, so it's not too heavy."
"Thank you, Master Chen!"
Mo Hua beamed, accepting the iron rod and examining it carefully.
It was silvery-white, with a tough exterior, thicker than both his arms put together, and felt satisfyingly weighty in his hands.
He tested it—still a little heavy, but that was his own lack of strength, not the weapon's fault.
Mo Hua was thoroughly pleased. "Excellent! As expected of Master Chen!"
Master Chen chuckled, stroking his beard in delight.
Later, Mo Hua inscribed a First-Grade formation onto the rod—called the Thousand-Jin Array.
The Thousand-Jin Array was a First-Grade Earth-element formation. When spiritual power was infused to activate it, the weapon it was engraved upon would instantly become as heavy as a thousand jin.
Of course, "a thousand jin" was clearly an exaggeration.
Even Mo Hua didn't believe that.
Cultivators often gave their techniques or formations grandiose names—it was best not to take them literally.
He didn't know exactly how heavy it would get; it depended on how much spiritual power he poured in.
But regardless, it would definitely be heavy enough. Perfect for smashing things.
In Mo Hua's mind, the plan was simple: lift the iron rod high, activate the formation, and let it drop, crushing down with the weight of a mountain.
Even if his body wasn't that of a body cultivator, with this rod's power, he'd still hit plenty hard.
Perfect for scavenging, finishing blows… or a well-placed ambush.
The Thousand-Jin Array was easy to learn, Mo Hua mastered it in two nights.
It wasn't hard to inscribe either; he finished it in half an hour.
Then he went to Black Mountain, found a large boulder, and tested it.
He raised the iron rod high, infused spiritual power—grayish-brown runes flashed across its surface—and brought it down hard.
The boulder shattered into fragments, and Mo Hua's hands went numb from the shock.
Even so, he was very satisfied.
He finally gave the weapon the name he'd already had in mind:
Thousand-Jin Rod!
(End of Chapter)