Chapter 189: Worries
Chapter 189: Worries
Elder Yu took the Spirit Stones, allocating a portion for public use to build the artifact refinery, and the rest to purchase ample food and drinks. He also invited craftsmen and demon hunters to a grand feast.
The wine was fine, but the meat was not spiritual meat.
With so many cultivators, Elder Yu couldn't afford to treat them to spiritual meat. Instead, he found Mo Shan and spent Spirit Stones to have Liu Ruhua help cook the meat of some demon beasts.
There was beef, mutton, chicken, and more, spiced with a mix of fragrant spices and slow-cooked to infuse the flavors. The aroma was tantalizing, and there was plenty to go around.
Everyone ate heartily, including Mo Hua, as a cheerful atmosphere filled the refinery.
Only Master Ban had little appetite.
He had initially been concerned about having only Mo Hua to paint the array, fearing they would fall behind schedule due to the lack of manpower.
Now, with the Qian family causing trouble repeatedly, injuring craftsmen, and destroying buildings, some arrays would need to be repainted, making it even harder to meet the deadline.
Master Ban sighed, the wine turning sour in his mouth as his worries weighed on him.
Mo Hua, gnawing on a large chicken leg, noticed Master Ban's expression and asked, "Master Ban, is something troubling you?"
Master Ban sighed again, his mind filled with concerns, yet unsure how to voice them.
He couldn't very well rush Mo Hua to paint the arrays faster.
Moreover, ever since he learned that Mo Hua was an array master capable of painting first-rate arrays, he had felt a subtle sense of awe toward the youth, making him more cautious in his speech, unlike before when he was more relaxed.
Perceiving Master Ban's worries, Mo Hua prompted, "If there's something on your mind, feel free to share it."
With Mo Hua's encouragement, Master Ban could only steel himself and ask, "Mo… Mo Hua, how much longer do you think it will take to finish the array…?"
Mo Hua estimated, "It depends on whether the Qian family will continue to cause trouble. If they persist, it will likely take longer. But if they've been scared off and learned their lesson, we might be able to finish sooner. However, due to the damage caused by the Qian family, some arrays will need to be redone, so it will definitely take longer than initially expected."
Master Ban nodded, "In that case, I appreciate your hard work."
Despite his words, he still felt anxious.
In his many years as a master craftsman, he had heard countless promises and estimates, but only a handful were ever kept or met.
Seeing that Master Ban was still uneasy, Mo Hua asked, "What are the consequences if the project is delayed?"
"It's not that serious," Master Ban replied with a hint of sadness. "If we miss the deadline, we craftsmen won't be able to settle our accounts, and the workers under me won't receive their Spirit Stones."
Master Ban's expression turned glum. "Most craftsmen come from poor families. They need the Spirit Stones to support their families and fund their children's cultivation. They work day and night for this meager income. If there's a delay, they won't receive their payment, and their families might struggle to make ends meet…"
Mo Hua nodded in understanding, recalling the financial difficulties his family had faced in the past.
Among the loose cultivators in Tongxian City, demon hunters were the majority, with craftsmen being fewer in number, and master craftsmen even rarer.
These craftsmen were mostly cultivators from other places, traveling wherever they were needed to build caves, houses, artifact refineries, pill refineries, and other structures.
The construction of a cultivation building, from planning to completion, could take several months, or even a year or more in some cases. During this time, they rarely returned home, resulting in little time spent with their loved ones.
Despite their hard work, the Spirit Stones they earned were barely enough to get by.
Indeed, it was not easy for any loose cultivator to make a living, regardless of their trade.
Mo Hua sighed, then asked, "Are there also cases where people withhold Spirit Stones?"
Master Ban's expression turned resigned, "That's a common occurrence. Sometimes, after completing the construction of a cave mansion, the client refuses to pay the Spirit Stones, or they make excuses about not having the funds readily available, constantly delaying payment. We have little recourse in such situations."
Mo Hua's anger rose as he listened, "Didn't you teach him a lesson?"
"We sure did!" Master Ban nodded, "We were so furious that we tied him up and gave him a good beating, leaving him badly injured."
"Then what happened?"
"Then he went to the Dao Court and had us arrested. They imprisoned us for half a month. In the end, my master took the blame and was sentenced to prison for ten years. As for us, we were beaten with canes and released."
Recalling his former master, a hint of sadness crossed Master Ban's face.
"The Dao Court is despicable!" Mo Hua exclaimed indignantly.
Then he remembered that Zhang Lan was also a disciple of the Dao Court, and he seemed like a decent person. Had he inadvertently hurt him...
"Well, it's not always like that," Master Ban patiently reassured Mo Hua.
"Are there exceptions?"
Master Ban nodded, "The cultivation world is vast, and there are Dao Courts everywhere. Some uphold justice and duty, while others are greedy and corrupt. It's not fair to paint them all with the same brush..."
"I've had dealings with the Dao Courts in several nearby cities," Master Ban continued. "The Dao Court in Tongxian City is fairly disciplined. They might take the occasional bribe, but that's only human nature. In other places, it varies—some are good, some are bad. In some places, the Dao Courts even collude with local families, seizing properties, and plotting to obtain cultivation techniques, leading to the ruin of others..."
Master Ban's voice carried a hint of lingering fear.
Mo Hua listened, astonished. The cultivation world was indeed more complex than he had imagined.
He committed all this information to memory, knowing that it might come in handy if he ever encountered such situations in the future.
"Master Ban, don't worry," Mo Hua assured him. "Elder Yu may be stingy, but he will pay the Spirit Stones he owes. He won't withhold them!"
Mo Hua spoke with conviction, then added after a moment's thought, "As for the array, I'll try to paint it faster and minimize the delay as much as possible."
After all, he understood that the craftsmen earned their living through Spirit Stones, and waiting for payment was no easy feat.
Master Ban was taken aback, "Faster?"
He was already painting at an impressive speed. How much faster could he go? After all, Mo Hua was just one person, and he was only eleven or twelve years old.
Master Ban felt a twinge of guilt and concern as he said, "There's no need to rush. Just take it step by step. Don't overexert yourself and risk damaging your sea of consciousness again. I've heard that if a formation master's sea of consciousness is injured, they may never be able to create formations again..."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Mo Hua reassured him.
Initially, he had been cautious and meticulous when painting the formations on this large-scale cultivation building, as it was his first time designing and overseeing so many formations. That had slowed down his progress, as he aimed to avoid any mistakes.
But now, after days of painting, his technique had become much more proficient. Although there were many formations, most of them were not complex, and many didn't even reach the first-rate level. They were simple to paint, just a bit tedious.
Mo Hua also wanted to finish early so he could focus on learning and practicing more advanced composite formations, which seemed far more intriguing.
Composite formations would surely be much more fascinating.
(End of Chapter)
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