Chapter 34 - Formation Repair

Chapter 34: Formation Repair

Translator: 549690339

“It’s actually the Melting Fire Formation…” Mo Hua said.

“That’s right,” Master Chen nodded, seeing that Mo Hua recognized the Formation at a glance, his heart somewhat approved, and his tone became more solemn:

“Little brother Mo, take a look and see if there’s a problem with this Formation. I’m completely clueless about it, I can’t tell anything.”

Master Chen had someone wipe off the black ash on the Refining Furnace, and Mo Hua leaned over the furnace mouth, closely examining the Melting Fire Formation Patterns on the furnace walls.

Although he couldn’t completely draw it out yet, after practicing day and night, the method of painting Formation Patterns was already second nature to him, and it wasn’t long before he pointed out a few places to Master Chen:

“Indeed, it is a problem with the Formation. These Formation Patterns are worn out, the spiritual power cannot be transmitted, and so the Formation has failed.”

Master Chen looked at Mo Hua with new respect as he spoke logically, but then his brows furrowed:

“Then we have to ask a Formation Master for help to fix it. Sigh, the market is already not doing well, this time I don’t know how many more spirit stones it’s going to cost…”

Mo Hua asked, “Is it very expensive to have a Formation Master repair the Formation?”

“Naturally,” Master Chen replied. “There are not many Formation Masters to begin with, and in such cases where a specific Formation needs to be repaired, we have to pay some extra spirit stones, or else others wouldn’t be willing to come.”

Mo Hua thoughtfully said, “How about, let me have a try?”

“You?” Master Chen was taken aback. “Are you already a Formation Master?”

Mo Hua said modestly, waving his hand: “Not really, I just followed a gentleman from the Sect to study Formations, and I happened to have studied this Formation.”

Master Chen looked at the half-grown, youthful-faced Mo Hua, and said very tactfully: “Let’s forget it, you’re just a kid, don’t tire yourself out.”

Mo Hua knew that Master Chen was still hesitant. His eyes shifted as he asked, “The people you invite to come, they’re not necessarily real Formation Masters, right?”

“That is…” Master Chen said, “true, some are actually just apprentices, not quite Formation Masters. But when asking for help, of course you want to say nice things, whether they are Formation Masters or not, using the title is still good; they like hearing it, and the job gets done more smoothly. We don’t know much about the rest, nor is it good to ask too many questions, as long as the Formation is repaired, that’s all that matters.”

“Do they fix it every time they come?”

Master Chen thought for a moment and said, “There were a few times when everything went smoothly and it was fixed quickly, and sometimes they fiddled and corrected for half an hour and still couldn’t get it right, and had to change to someone else before it was fixed.”

“There you have it, most of those who came were probably just apprentices too, and even if their Formation-level is higher than mine, it can’t be by much,” Mo Hua confidently said.

Of course, the level of a proper apprentice should be somewhat higher than Mo Hua, but indeed, some apprentices’ levels might not even match up to his.

Mo Hua continued, “They come to fix it, or I fix it, it’s all the same. At worst, if it’s not fixed, then you can just invite them over.”

That made… some sense actually…

Master Chen was somewhat persuaded but still hesitant. Seeing this, Mo Hua continued:

“Even if you call a Formation Master, they can’t come right away, you have to see if they have the time. Delaying for a day means the Refining Shop loses a day’s income, and if it goes on for too long, it will be a loss.”

The business of the Refining Shop was fair, but the profits were not high. Master Chen was also unwilling to cut corners, so what he earned was hard-earned money. Moreover, he had to provide for several disciples, and indeed, if work stopped for too long, it really wouldn’t be easy to keep things running.

Master Chen’s head started to ache, and at last, he gritted his teeth and said, “Forget it, little brother, give it a go.”

After speaking, he carefully warned, “But just try, don’t force it, don’t break the Formation…”

“Don’t worry,” Mo Hua assured. “At worst, it just won’t be fixed.”

Master Chen felt comforted by this, but it also seemed like he wasn’t comforted at all.

Mo Hua asked Master Chen to wait, went home to get his brush and Fire-series ink, and also brought the Melt Fire Formation Map. Arriving at the Refining Shop, he first showed the Formation Map to Master Chen.

Seeing that the Formation on the map indeed resembled the one on the Artifact Furnace, Master Chen somewhat eased his concerns; at least this wasn’t entirely unreliable.

This was Mo Hua’s first time Drawing Formation on a Spiritual Artifact, which made him somewhat nervous. Fortunately, he had practiced the Melting Fire Formation too many times, and once he started, his mindset became calmer.

Repairing a Formation is different from Drawing a Formation. It does not require the expenditure of too much Divine Sense because the Formation itself is intact; therefore, it is only necessary to reconnect the damaged sections of the Formation Patterns with the ink.

What was tested was the Formation Master’s vision, carefulness, and familiarity with the Formation.

Mo Hua leaned over the stove, concentrating intently on his drawing.

In less than half an hour, Mo Hua had finished repairing the Formation, then spent another length of time equivalent to drinking a cup of tea inspecting it. After confirming there were no issues, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Master Chen, watching anxiously from the side, afraid that Mo Hua had damaged the Formation, quickly asked, “Is it… fixed?”

Mo Hua’s clothes were dirty, and his face had a few streaks of ash. He replied uncertainly, “It should be fixed, shall we light a fire to test it?”

Master Chen, his expression complicated, still joined a few disciples to reseal the Formation, set up the Artifact Furnace, and then embedded the spirit stones into the furnace, urging his Spiritual Power to start the fire.

But the fire did not ignite.

Mo Hua froze and touched his chin, his originally smudged face now looking even dirtier:

“Why isn’t there a flame? The Formation should have been repaired.”

Master Chen asked, “Little brother, are you sure there’s nothing wrong with the Formation?”

Mo Hua pulled out the Melting Fire Formation Diagram, compared it again carefully, and then nodded, “The Formation is fine.”

Master Chen felt the Refining Furnace with his hand, gauged its temperature, and said to several apprentices, “The Spiritual Power isn’t quite enough, add a few more Spirit Stones and throw in a branding iron to burn.”

Several disciples did as they were told, and sure enough, the temperature of the Refining Furnace gradually began to rise.

Before long, flames “whooshed” out.

Master Chen was overjoyed, “It’s working!”

The disciples were also happy; with the Refining Furnace working, they had tasks to do and could learn from their master. Therefore, their looks towards Mo Hua were filled with admiration.

Mo Hua was also very pleased and said, “Let’s try refining a Spiritual Artifact to see if there will be any problems.”

Master Chen casually threw a knife into it, refined it for a while, and then said with a hint of regret, “There isn’t much of a problem with using it, it’s just that the fire is weaker than before, so refining might take a bit longer.”

Mo Hua was somewhat puzzled, “The same Formation, why would the fire be weaker? Could it be that a Formation’s efficacy is reduced after repair?”

Master Chen shook his head, “I’ve repaired it a few times before, but the fire hasn’t decreased much.”

“Then why is that?”

Mo Hua furrowed his brow, wondering if he hadn’t painted the Formation well enough.

Master Chen pondered for a moment, then pointed to the ink in Mo Hua’s inkstone and said,

“Maybe it’s the ink? When I’ve had others repair it before, the ink they used was visibly darker than yours, a bright red, looking as if there was a fire burning.”

Mo Hua realized that he had chosen the cheapest fire-series ink in an effort to save money which was fine for practicing Formation Painting but, when actually used on a Spiritual Artifact, the effect was certainly poor.

“For a Formation to be effective, it needs higher-grade Spiritual Ink.”

Mo Hua silently took note and then sheepishly admitted, “Then it must be the ink. I bought the cheapest one, so it might not be very good at stimulating Spiritual Power.”

Master Chen said, “What’s the point of talking about that? Although the fire is a bit weaker, it’s still good that it works. After all, I should be thanking you.”

After thinking it over, Master Chen, gritting his teeth, said, “As for the stove that you want, there’s no need to pay for the refining service, I’ll refine it for you for free. Of course, I won’t refund the cost of the materials, since I still have to keep my bunch of lads fed.”

Mo Hua looked at the spacious yet simple Refining Shop, then at the sooty Master Chen and the sweat-drenched refining disciples with grimy faces, understanding that it wasn’t easy for them to earn Spirit Stones, and replied,

“Uncle Chen, just give me a fifty percent discount on the refining fee.”

Master Chen shook his head, “That won’t do. Even like this, I’m still getting the better deal. Getting someone else to repair this Formation would cost at least a hundred or two hundred Spirit Stones.”

“There’s no need to give that much.”

Stubbornness crept into Master Chen’s demeanor, “A Cultivator talks about integrity; a spoken word is a nail in the board. How can words be taken back so lightly? I said I wouldn’t take your Spirit Stones, and that’s exactly what I must not do!”

This man was really incorrigible…

With no other choice, Mo Hua’s mind whirled, and he smiled, “Then how about this, I won’t give you the refining fee, but once the stove is refined, I’ll give some Spirit Stones as a tip for your hard work.”

“This…”

Master Chen was momentarily confused, as refining fees and tips seemed similar, yet felt a bit different.

“It’s like giving a tip when you ask a friend for help,” Mo Hua added.

“Well… okay then.”

Master Chen felt that the logic was sound.

Several disciples also looked at Mo Hua gratefully.

Their families weren’t wealthy. Being apprentices and helping around could earn them a little extra to support their families. Without earning Spirit Stones, their already difficult lives would become even harder.

But earning Spirit Stones, even just one more, would make life that much easier.

“Then it’s settled! It’s getting late; I need to go home for dinner!”

Mo Hua waved his little hand and said goodbye.

Master Chen cautioned Mo Hua to be careful on his way and added, “If you ever need artifact refining, just come to me, I’ll give you a discount!”