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Chapter 69: The Six Paths
Chapter 69: The Six Paths
Chen's Artifact Forge
Master Chen and his apprentices were hard at work, their hammers ringing as they shaped the artifact prototypes. After pounding the metal, they placed the prototypes into the forge for tempering, letting them glow a bright red before taking them out for more hammering.
Master Chen, usually strict and demanding of his apprentices' undivided attention during artifact crafting, seemed a bit distracted. This was because a certain little fellow, Mo Hua, was observing them intently with shining eyes.
Mo Hua had arrived early in the morning, expressing his desire to witness the artifact crafting process.
Master Chen couldn't refuse, as he had once owed Mo Hua a favor, and they had also done a rather substantial business deal together. So, he reluctantly agreed.
Mo Hua watched them for a long while, his gaze mostly fixed on the forge. His keen interest seemed to suggest that he wanted to dismantle it to see what was inside.
And what was inside the forge? Of course, it was an array.
Master Chen couldn't quite fathom what was going on in Mo Hua's curious little mind, and he felt a bit uneasy. Finally, during a break, he couldn't help but ask, "Ahem, Mo Hua, is there something on your mind?"
Mo Hua whispered, "Master Chen, don't you think the fire in the forge is a bit small?"
Master Chen glanced at the forge. "Well, it is a bit smaller than the previous one..."
"Do you know why that is?" Mo Hua probed.
"Perhaps..." Master Chen hesitated. "...it's because of the array?"
"Indeed, Master Chen, your insight is remarkable!" Mo Hua flattered him without any subtlety, and then he lowered his voice. "Don't you want the fire to be bigger?"
"Bigger?"
"Yes, bigger!"
Master Chen frowned, his eyebrows twitching. "You don't plan to dismantle my forge and redraw the array, do you?"
Mo Hua gave him a thumbs-up. "Your guess is spot on, Master Chen!"
Master Chen shook his head vigorously like a rattle drum. "No, no, this is our livelihood. I can't just dismantle it on a whim. What if I can't redraw the array properly? My apprentices and I would be left with nothing."
Fearing that he might have hurt Mo Hua's pride, he quickly added, "I'm not saying you're incapable, Mo Hua. To be honest, I've never seen a child with such talent at your age. But this forge truly can't be tampered with lightly. If something goes wrong, I really won't have the spirit stones to buy a new one."
Mo Hua waved his hand dismissively. "Rest assured, I'm very familiar with this array. I won't mess it up."
Master Chen still refused, shaking his head stubbornly.
Mo Hua tried another approach. "Think about it, Master Chen. If the fire in the forge was bigger, wouldn't artifact crafting be faster? Da Zhu and the others would learn quicker, complete their apprenticeship sooner, and you'd earn more spirit stones. A craftsman needs the right tools to do a good job."
Master Chen considered this for a moment, finding the suggestion reasonable, but he still hesitated.
Mo Hua played his trump card. "I won't charge you any spirit stones. I'll redraw the array for free!"
Master Chen couldn't refuse such an offer.
Hiring another array master to fix the forge's array would cost a significant number of spirit stones, not to mention redrawing it entirely. The risk seemed worth taking.
"Then what about the spirit ink for drawing the array..." Master Chen trailed off, looking at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua returned his gaze silently, his meaning clear: You want me to redraw the array for free and provide the spirit ink as well?
Master Chen gave an awkward laugh, then gritted his teeth and called out, "Da Zhu, go find Old Sun and ask him for a few bottles of the best fire-attribute spirit ink! Make sure it's not diluted!"
Da Zhu scratched his head. "Master, what about the spirit stones?"
"Put it on my tab!"
Da Zhu looked troubled. "Old Sun is so stingy."
"Just tell him the forge is broken," Master Chen instructed. "If he doesn't give us the spirit ink, he won't get his batch of artifacts until next year."
Master Chen was a man of action. With a grand wave of his hand, he declared to his disciples, "We're not crafting artifacts anymore. Dismantle the furnace!"
The disciples exchanged bewildered glances, but Master Chen was not one to be contradicted, so they dared not delay. Together, they extinguished the furnace fire, doused it with cold water, and waited for the residual heat to dissipate. Once the furnace had cooled, they dismantled it, removing the inner furnace to expose the array inscribed within.
The array was a Melting Fire Array, encompassing five array lines, which Mo Hua had drawn earlier. Now, it felt somewhat familiar.
Mo Hua retrieved the Spirit Erasing Liquid and instructed Master Chen's apprentices to apply it to the artifact furnace. This liquid could erase the previously inscribed array.
The Melting Fire Array had generated smaller flames due to two reasons. Firstly, this particular array only incorporated five array lines, limiting its power. Secondly, Mo Hua had hastily copied the array using inferior spirit ink, resulting in poor spiritual energy conduction.
The Spirit Erasing Liquid could eliminate spirit ink, and Mo Hua had learned this formula from Bai Zixi.
In the cultivation world, arrays were usually crafted from scratch or repaired, and it was uncommon to erase and redraw them, so the liquid wasn't frequently used.
It was available for purchase in Tongxian City, but at a high price, which Mo Hua was reluctant to pay. Thus, he sought guidance from Bai Zixi, who came from a scholarly family with extensive knowledge. The Bai family possessed dozens of formulas for the liquid, ranging from first-grade to fifth-grade.
Bai Zixi selected a formula for Mo Hua that was suitable for erasing arrays up to the first-grade, and it required inexpensive ingredients, some of which could be found in the mountains. In gratitude, Mo Hua offered his mother's sea salt cake as a token of appreciation.
The array within the furnace gradually faded away under the erasing liquid's influence.
Master Chen was witnessing for the first time something that could completely erase an array, and he couldn't help but admire Mo Hua's expertise in arrays, finding it somewhat reassuring.
Before long, Da Zhu returned with several bottles of spirit ink in his arms.
"It's not diluted, is it?" Master Chen asked.
"Don't worry, Master. I kept an eye on him, and he didn't have a chance to tamper with it," Da Zhu replied with a chuckle. "Old Sun was so stingy that it seemed like I was taking his blood instead of his ink."
"His blood might not be worth much more than this spirit ink," Master Chen remarked as he handed the ink to Mo Hua reluctantly. "Little brother, does this ink meet your standards?"
Mo Hua gave the bottle a slight shake, observing the even flow of the ink, which had just the right consistency. Upon opening the bottle, a faint scent of pine wafted out, with only a subtle hint of the usual pungent odor of demonic blood. The ink shone with a lustrous red glow.
This was the first time Mo Hua had seen such high-quality spirit ink. When he crafted arrays himself, he often opted for cheaper options to save money. Now, looking at the shimmering ink in the bottle, he couldn't help but appreciate the saying, "You get what you pay for."
Of course, to maintain his reputation as a registered disciple of Master Zhu, Mo Hua feigned nonchalance and replied with a casual tone, "It's passable. It'll do."
Master Chen was astonished. "Are standards for array masters so high these days? Even such superior spirit ink is considered barely acceptable?"
Mo Hua laid out the array diagram on the ground, attracting a crowd of curious apprentices.
Master Chen couldn't make heads or tails of the diagram, but he joined the crowd to take a look anyway.
As he studied the diagram, he realized something was amiss. He might not understand arrays, but he could certainly count.
One, two, three, four, five... six!
Six array lines!
He recalled that the Melting Fire Array in the furnace had only five array lines. How did an extra line sneak in?
(End of Chapter)
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