Chapter 4: Fire-Repelling Hairpin

The marketplace is a place for low-level cultivators to trade items for their cultivation. It is a chaotic, motley collection of stalls offering everything from medicinal pills and formations to spiritual artifacts. However, the grades are generally low, and the quality is inconsistent.

With the end of the year approaching, the marketplace was crowded with cultivators, bustling and noisy.

Mo Hua walked straight to a small stall at the end of the street. The stall owner was an elderly man surnamed Sun, known to acquaintances as Old Man Sun. His son was a minor clerk at the Wanbao Pavilion, and whenever there were defective goods that the Pavilion didn't want, his son would acquire them at a low price and give them to him to sell at his street stall.

Old Man Sun was busy hawking his wares when he looked up and saw Mo Hua running over, breathless, his fair little face flushed. He couldn't help but tease

"Little brother, what kind of spiritual artifact are you looking at today? Don't tell me it's the same as the last few days—just looking and not buying..."

Mo Hua waved his small hand. "I'm buying!"

Old Man Sun was surprised. "The end of the year is still a few days away. Did your family give you your New Year's money so early?"

Mo Hua said with displeasure, "What New Year's money? I earned this myself!" After saying this, he patted the pouch at his waist.

Hearing the crisp clinking of spirit stones inside the pouch, Old Man Sun perked up and quickly said

"Pills, formations, talismans, artifacts—I have everything here. High quality at a low price, honest dealings, and all of it is from the Wanbao Pavilion. The quality is top-notch. What would you like to buy, little friend?"

If it were truly top-notch, the Wanbao Pavilion would have sold it themselves; it wouldn't have ended up in the marketplace. But Mo Hua didn't care; he couldn't afford the items at the Wanbao Pavilion anyway.

"Do you have any spiritual artifacts for fire protection?"

Old Man Sun wore an "I knew it" expression and pulled out a linen bundle, spreading it out before Mo Hua.

"You mentioned it a few days ago, so I kept it in mind and specifically looked for a few pieces. These are all excellent fire-protection artifacts. They are convenient to carry and beautifully designed. What do you think, little friend?"

Mo Hua gave Old Man Sun a surprised look, thinking that he truly lived up to being someone who had run a stall in the marketplace for decades—he was so well-prepared for even the slightest opportunity for a sale.

The artifacts laid out before Mo Hua were of all shapes and sizes: rings, jade pendants, lamp stands, and even a cover and a silk scarf... Just looking at the variety, it was the most complete collection in the entire marketplace.

Mo Hua examined them carefully, then picked up a hairpin with a simple yet exquisite design and asked, "What kind of hairpin is this?"

Old Man Sun said, "This is a Fire-Protection Hairpin. It’s a standard-issue spiritual artifact with uniform standards for materials and craftsmanship. It has a basic fire-protection formation engraved on it. It needs to be charged with spirit stones, and when activated, the formation can insulate against heat, keeping the wearer cool. Although it consumes spirit stones, one stone lasts for three months. You could say it’s quite economical and practical..."

Mo Hua asked suspiciously, "If it's a standard-issue artifact from the Wanbao Pavilion, it must have flaws if it's being sold here..."

Old Man Sun laughed. "Not bad, you know quite a bit. I won't hide it from you, old man. If it didn't have flaws, it would be at least twice as expensive at the Wanbao Pavilion. But to say it has 'flaws' is a bit of an exaggeration..."

Old Man Sun pointed to the peony pattern on the hairpin. "When the artifact refiner was carving this peony, they drew a few extra strokes, which didn't meet the specifications. That's why this hairpin was classified as a defective product, but the formation inside is perfectly intact, and the effect is exactly the same."

Mo Hua nodded, feeling that this hairpin was the most suitable, and asked, "How many spirit stones?"

Old Man Sun stroked his beard. "One price: fifteen spirit stones!"

Mo Hua shook his head. "Five!"

Old Man Sun’s eyes widened. "Who taught you to haggle like that?"

Mo Hua felt a bit embarrassed. "I heard it at other stalls; that's how they all bargain..."

Old Man Sun was heartbroken. "The world is truly going downhill; good children are being led astray!" He added, "Fourteen, not a stone less!"

Mo Hua tentatively added a little. "Six?"

...

After some back-and-forth, the price was finally settled at ten.

Old Man Sun felt it couldn't go any lower—not a single spirit stone less—and Mo Hua had previously inquired about the prices of artifacts at other stalls and knew there wasn't anything cheaper, so he agreed.

Old Man Sun took the spirit stones from Mo Hua, wrapped the hairpin in a cheap but elegant paper box, and handed it to him, muttering

"If my grandson were half as clever as you, I'd let him help me watch the stall. It's a pity, my grandson is very dull; he doesn't even dare to speak when he sees a stranger."

Mo Hua took the hairpin, satisfied, waved goodbye to Old Man Sun, and walked away with a light step.

The stall owner next to him laughed. "Old Man Sun, you lost money this time!"

Old Man Sun stroked his beard. "I didn't lose money; I just earned a little less."

The stall owner asked curiously, "Ten spirit stones isn't a small amount. I wonder who the child bought the hairpin for."

"A Fire-Protection Hairpin is for avoiding heat—the heat from a stove. Who else would he give it to?"

Watching Mo Hua’s receding figure, Old Man Sun sighed slightly. "He’s a good child!"

Mo Hua’s home was on a remote street on the edge of Tongxian City. The house was old and not very large, just enough for a family of three. The neighbors were all low-level rogue cultivators who made a living doing odd jobs and manual labor. Though not wealthy, the place was full of the warmth of life.

At dusk, every household began to see smoke rising from their chimneys and dim, yellow lights flickering on.

Mo Hua ran through the door and shouted, "Mom, I'm home!"

A woman in simple cloth clothes with a gentle and beautiful face walked out from the inner room. Seeing Mo Hua, her eyes filled with surprise. She couldn't help but pull him over, patting his head and pinching his cheeks. After a moment, she said, "Has cultivation been too hard? You've lost so much weight."

Mo Hua said, "I haven't lost weight," and then took out the box. "Mom, this is for you!"

The woman was stunned for a moment. She took the box and opened it to find a hairpin.

"This is a Fire-Protection Hairpin. You work in the kitchen of the restaurant, and being exposed to heat for long periods is bad for your health. This hairpin can ward off the heat, and you'll feel much cooler."

The woman’s surname was Liu, given name Ru-hua. She was Mo Hua’s mother and a rogue cultivator at the Qi Refining stage in Tongxian City.

The life of a rogue cultivator was arduous. There were no good jobs to earn spirit stones, and raising a child made it even more difficult. Food, clothing, and especially the tuition for joining a sect and the various materials needed for cultivation were all significant expenses for an ordinary cultivator.

Liu Ru-hua was a good cook and worked in the kitchen of a small restaurant in the city.

Large restaurants usually used stoves crafted by artifact refiners, which had formations that consumed spirit stones to convert spiritual energy into heat.

Small restaurants, to save costs, didn't use spirit stones for fuel; instead, they had cultivators with Fire Spiritual Roots consume their spiritual power to generate heat for cooking. Over time, the body would inevitably be invaded by the heat, leading to dried-up meridians and symptoms of lung pain and a dry cough.

When Liu Ru-hua worked in the kitchen, she had to consume her spiritual power from time to time to provide heat. She earned about thirty spirit stones a month. Although it was harmful to her health, it was considered a decent job for a rogue cultivator; many Qi Refining cultivators wanted such a job but had no opportunity.

Looking at the hairpin in her hand, Liu Ru-hua pursed her lips and said nothing.

Mo Hua quickly said, "The spirit stones for the hairpin were earned by helping a fellow disciple. I didn't cheat or swindle anyone, and I didn't steal or rob!"

Liu Ru-hua couldn't help but laugh, feeling both warm and a little sour inside. "Mom can't take this hairpin. You're still young, and you'll need many spirit stones for your future cultivation. Save where you can. Mom can take care of herself; you don't need to worry about me..."

Mo Hua said confidently, "We'll deal with the future when it comes. Maybe I'll become a great cultivator at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stage, and I'll have as many spirit stones as I need."

Liu Ru-hua laughed out loud and tapped Mo Hua’s forehead with her finger. "You're so young, and you've already learned how to brag."

"Mom, just take it. I spent a long time haggling with someone to buy it. If you don't take it, wouldn't all my effort be in vain?"

After saying this, Mo Hua took the hairpin and pinned it into Liu Ru-hua’s hair, then ran to the room to get a mirror.

"Look, does it look good?"

Liu Ru-hua saw the woman in the mirror wearing the simple and elegant hairpin, looking dignified and beautiful. Seeing her son’s big, blinking eyes, her heart softened, and she said gently, "I'll accept this hairpin, but I won't accept anything else next time."

"Mm-hmm," Mo Hua agreed repeatedly. "Mom, is dinner ready? I'm hungry."

"It's ready. It's all the things you like to eat. Eat more!"

Liu Ru-hua’s cooking was excellent. Although it was simple vegetarian food and contained no spiritual energy, it was prepared exquisitely and tasted delicious. After eating, Mo Hua chatted with his mother for a while before returning to his room to read.

After midnight, Mo Hua entered his sea of consciousness again to practice formations on the stone tablet for the night. When he woke up, it was already the hour of the rabbit (5:00–7:00 AM).

Mo Hua sat in meditation, holding a spirit stone, performing his routine cultivation.

When he opened his eyes again, the sky was already turning white, and bright sunlight shone into the room. Mo Hua stretched while lying down, preparing to get up, when he heard heavy footsteps outside.

Mo Hua rolled over onto his stomach on the bed and peeked through the crack in the door. He saw a man covered in bloodstains and looking travel-worn walk into the house. This man was Mo Hua’s father—Mo Shan.

(End of chapter)