Chapter 33 - Refining

Chapter 33 Refining

Translator: 549690339

The next day, Mo Hua did not practice the Melting Fire Formation but took Spirit Stones to Chen’s Refinery Shop to find Master Chen.

Master Chen was a bit surprised to see Mo Hua and was even more astonished when he heard that Mo Hua really planned to refine a stove.

“You’re really planning to refine a stove, are you?”

“That’s right, but I’m only refining a small one, about four feet tall. It doesn’t need to be made from expensive materials, just sturdy and durable will do.”

Master Chen nodded, “That’s just perfect. If you were refining a large stove, I might not have enough hands here. Since it seems like it’s for personal use, and we’re all neighbors here, I’ll pick some materials that are cheap but good-quality for you, ensuring they’re affordable and durable.”

Mo Hua said happily, “Thank you, Master Chen!”

“However,” Master Chen glanced at Mo Hua and then looked behind him, puzzled:

“Where are your parents? Refining a stove isn’t a trivial matter. It usually requires an adult’s agreement to count.”

Mo Hua patted his chest, “My dad said he’s left it to me. If there’s anything, you can talk to me, Master Chen.”

Master Chen looked at the little guy Mo Hua and nodded, “A poor man’s child becomes the head of the household early.”

After saying this, he frowned, hesitated for a moment, but still said:

“Did you bring the deposit? The materials for the stove cost one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones, and the refining will take twenty days, at a rate of five Spirit Stones per day. The fee for the refining is one hundred Spirit Stones. The deposit is the material’s cost, so you need to pay the one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones upfront, while the refining fee can be settled after it’s done.”

“Mhm, I brought it.”

Mo Hua took out a weighty Storage Bag from his chest, opened the bag, and inside were all sparkling and translucent Spirit Stones.

This sum of Spirit Stones would be a fortune for an ordinary Loose Cultivator family, yet this kid was carrying it in his chest…

Master Chen took the Storage Bag with a complex expression, counted exactly one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones, then took out the Spirit Pact and wrote down the materials, cost, and delivery date for refining the stove.

The Spirit Pact is a recognized proof of contract agreement in the Tao Cultivation World. Every Spirit Pact is special, not easy to destroy or forge, serving as evidence for a Cultivator’s transactions involving Spirit Stones and goods. If disputes arise, one can seek an authoritative Cultivator’s judgment or ask the Taoist Court to intervene.

There were two copies of the Spirit Pact. Master Chen signed his name and then handed the Spirit Pact to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua signed his own name as well, and each kept a copy as proof of the refining delivery agreement.

Master Chen had intended to have Mo Hua sign his father’s name, but after thinking it over, he refrained, considering that since his parents had entrusted him with the responsibility, it would be the same if he signed it himself.

Under the Heavenly Dao, all beings are equal. No matter the level of Cultivation or age, once one signs a Spirit Pact, it is binding.

“Mo Hua…”

Seeing the dignified and handsome writing on the Spirit Pact, Master Chen realized the child’s name was “Mo Hua.” He looked at the boy’s appearance again; indeed, with red lips and white teeth, and features as fine as a painting, the name suited him well.

Having closed a not-insignificant deal, and with no worries about the next half month’s livelihood, Master Chen found Mo Hua increasingly pleasing to the eye.

“Little brother, now that the Spirit Pact is signed, we’ll start refining tomorrow. I’ll make sure to expedite it for you. If you have time, you can also come over to check on the progress or even learn about artifact refining. I don’t usually allow anyone but the apprentices in the shop to watch.”

“Great, great, thank you, Master Chen!”

Mo Hua was quite interested in artifact refining. Although he might never be able to refine a Spiritual Artifact in his lifetime, learning about the knowledge related to artifact refining was beneficial. Such practical refining skills would not be taught by Sects either.

In the following days, Mo Hua continued to practice the Melting Fire Formation as usual. Whenever he had spare time, he would go to the Refining Shop to check on the progress of the stove’s refining and ask about artifact refining knowledge.

Master Chen did not withhold any secrets and answered all questions. After a few days of interactions, he was both amazed by Mo Hua’s high understanding in learning and pitied Mo Hua’s lackluster talent in body refinement.

He had seen children with inherent physical frailty before, but rarely ones as frail as this, who couldn’t even swing the hammer for artifact refining.

Otherwise, Master Chen really wanted to take Mo Hua as his disciple.

After observing artifact refining for several days, Mo Hua aimed to acquire some basic knowledge on the subject and to make adjustments to the Melting Fire Formation’s brushwork and dimensions.

Normally, formations are drawn on paper, which allows for repeated practice, and errors aren’t a concern—a new piece of paper is all that’s needed.

But now, the task was to draw it on the stove. If he made a mistake, he couldn’t expect Master Chen to refine another stove…

So Mo Hua needed to be very familiar with the construction of the stove and often visited the refining shop to check on the progress.

One morning, after finishing the porridge his mother made by hand, and after practicing some formations, Mo Hua headed to Chen’s Refinery Shop while the sun was not yet fierce.

Upon arriving at the refinery shop, he found that the usually bustling shop was exceptionally quiet today, devoid of the loud hawking and the “clang clang” of forging.

Mo Hua went to the backyard and saw Master Chen and several apprentices cleaning up. The refining furnace was extinguished, with its lid open, and some cleaned ash scattered on the ground.

“Master Chen, what happened?”

Upon seeing Mo Hua, Master Chen, with an apologetic tone, said, “Little brother, I’m sorry, the refining furnace is broken, and your requested stove might be delayed.”

“The refining furnace is broken?”

Master Chen, looking frustrated, explained, “This refining furnace is quite old. It had some minor issues before, but we could still use it after patching it up. However, today it wouldn’t light up at all, sigh…”

“Can’t it be fixed?” asked Mo Hua.

Master Chen shook his head, “Before, it was the external parts of the refining furnace that had issues, which I could fix. Now the problem seems to be with the internal formation, and there’s nothing I can do. The only option is to invite a master from the Artifact Refining Pavilion to take a look. And if we need a Formation Master to repair the formation, that will cost quite a few spirit stones…”

“Formation?” Mo Hua perked up, “May I take a look?”

Master Chen was momentarily taken aback, “Look at what?”

“I want to see the formation.”

“What do you want with the formation?” Master Chen asked in confusion, “Do you understand formations?”

Mo Hua replied, “I studied some formations with a gentleman at the sect. I want to see if I can be of any help. At the least, I can help you determine if the problem is with the formation.”

Master Chen, somewhat skeptical but reasoning that the furnace was already broken and there was nothing to lose, said, “Alright, I’ll have them completely dismantle the refining furnace to show you the internal formation.”

After speaking, he and the apprentices started disassembling the refining furnace bit by bit.

The refining furnace was two persons tall, made of various fine irons and extremely heavy. However, the apprentices, with their decent talents in body refinement, were all strong and tall, and they managed to work together without too much difficulty.

Mo Hua was very aware of his limitations; he didn’t even consider lending a hand.

Once the refining furnace was dismantled, the interior revealed densely packed formation patterns etched in a dark red hue. Some were obscured by black ash, but it was still possible to discern that the formation inside the furnace was a complete Fire-series formation.

It was the very Melting Fire Formation that Mo Hua had been drawing every day but had not yet managed to complete…