After wandering for a while, Xiaohu suddenly asked, "Where are we going next?"
Mo Hua patted the storage bag on his body, "First to the North Main Street!"
When they arrived at the entrance of Fated Gathering on North Street, Mo Hua stepped onto the threshold and looked back, only to see his three little friends standing still. He couldn't help asking, "Aren't you guys coming in?"
All three little friends shook their heads together:
"I get dizzy just looking at formations..."
"Me too..."
"I'm done with formations in this lifetime; I won't go in either..."
Mo Hua had no choice but to say, "Then you guys wait here for me, I'll be right out."
The three little friends nodded in unison.
As Mo Hua entered, the bell hanging from the door frame started to ring. The person in charge followed the sound and saw Mo Hua at the door, standing tall and proud with a storage bag slung across the chest, and couldn't help chuckling, "It's you again, huh? What, has your brother finished all the formations?"
Mo Hua nodded, "Yes."
The person in charge's interest was piqued, "Oh? That was fast, just five days, huh," and then gestured to Mo Hua, "Let me have a look."
Mo Hua took out the formations from the storage bag and tiptoed to place them on the counter.
The person in charge picked up the formations, looked at them, and frowned.
Anxious, Mo Hua asked, "Did I not draw them correctly?"
The person in charge pondered for a moment and said, "They are correct, but this level of skill doesn't seem like the work of an experienced hand. Some of these are fine, but these few..."
The person in charge flipped through a few and Mo Hua took a glance; they were the ones he had drawn first.
"These few are much worse off; the brushwork is very awkward, it's disjointed, as if cobbled together bit by bit. Are you sure your brother is learning formations from a Formation Master? The difference in skill is a bit much..."
Mo Hua felt a little embarrassed; it was his first time drawing, and to have managed this much was already his best effort.
"So, can these formations be used?"
Tapping the counter with his finger and after a careful examination, the person in charge said:
"Although the brushwork is a bit rough, there is no real issue with the formations themselves; they can still be used... It's just that the brushwork is a bit rough."
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good," then added, "Maybe my brother was drawing this formation for the first time, so he wasn't very familiar with it and started off a bit awkward. Look, aren't the later ones much better?"
After examining the later formations, the person in charge slowly nodded, "That's true, the ones at the back are indeed an improvement, at least conforming to the standards."
"Right?" Mo Hua assured, "Don't worry, I... my brother will definitely get better and better at drawing them!"
The person in charge was amused by Mo Hua, "You have quite a bit of confidence in your brother. Alright, for your sake, I'll consider this order fulfilled. But next time, the formations must at least meet the standard of these later ones; you can't use those practice ones to fill the numbers."
Mo Hua nodded again and again.
The person in charge put away the Formation Diagrams and counted several Spirit Stones to place on the table.
"Eight successful ones, two failures, so the deposit of two Spirit Stones will be deducted; the payment is six Spirit Stones."
"If your brother wants to continue drawing, the deposit will remain ten. He already has the Bright Fire Formation diagram, so I'll just give him ten more sets of paper and ink."
The person in charge then handed Mo Hua a storage bag filled with paper and ink.
Mo Hua packed away the paper and ink materials and then picked up the six Spirit Stones, unable to suppress his excitement.
Earning six Spirit Stones in five days was already comparable to the income of an average mid-to-late Qi Refinement Realm cultivator.
Mo Hua's mother Liu Ruhua worked in the Food Building as an assistant cook, earning only one Spirit Stone a day, while his father Mo Shan's income from monster hunting was higher but not stable. Sometimes he could earn more, but if he didn't catch any valuable Monster Beasts, his income could be even lower.
Mo Hua thanked the person in charge and then left Fated Gathering. The three little friends at the door stared at him with eager eyes.
Mo Hua patted his storage bag and swung his little hand, "Let's go, I'll treat you to some desserts!"
Da'hu and the other two exclaimed with a "Wow" and happily surrounded Mo Hua as they headed to a pastry shop on the street.
Tongxian City had many pastry shops. The ingredients for the more exquisite desserts were too costly for them, so they opted for a roadside shop called "Wang's Pastry," which was run by a basic Qi Refinement Realm cultivator. Though the shop was modest and the ingredients were not esteemed, the prices were reasonable.
During festivals, ordinary cultivators often bought these treats to satiate their children's cravings.
Wang's Pastry was famous for its Five-color Cake, made by steaming a mix of five differently colored grains from the Cultivation World. It was fragrant, sweet, and soft. A piece cost only two parts of a Broken Spirit Stone.
The income of low-ranked loose cultivators was meager; many earned less than a single Spirit Stone per day. Thus, they had to split the Spirit Stones for use. A Spirit Stone divided into ten parts, with ten parts of Broken Spirit Stones equaling one full Spirit Stone.
Broken Spirit Stones were not recognized by the Taoist Court or sect clans; they circulated only among the lower layer of cultivators, and only poor Qi Refinement cultivators used these Broken Spirit Stones in fractions.
Mo Hua spent two Spirit Stones and bought ten Five-color Cakes. Because he purchased in bulk and was a child, the shopkeeper even gave him two extra cakes for free.
Mo Hua kept two cakes for himself, planning to save the remaining four to take home for his parents.
The four of them walked while eating the warm, fragrant, and sweet cakes. Xiaohu's mouth was too hot to close, but he still couldn't stop talking:
"This cake is really delicious. When I earn Spirit Stones in the future, I'll eat it every day!"
Shuanghu said, "Then you might as well marry a woman who can make desserts. That way, you can have it every day."
Xiaohu had a moment of realization, "Right, right, how did I not think of that!" But then he became conflicted again, "But I already like someone else, and one must not be fickle in love..."
Shuanghu's eyes widened, "Who do you like?"
Xiaohu said, "The girl selling tofu on the west side of the street. I said I liked her first, you're not allowed to compete with me!"
Shuanghu made a dismissive noise, waving a hand, "Don't worry, her temper is terrible. I wouldn't compete with you for her..."
While Shuanghu and Xiaohu chatted, Da'hu focused on devouring his cakes, finishing both in no time and even licking his fingers afterward.
Mo Hua handed over his uneaten cake to him.
Da'hu smiled sheepishly but couldn't resist taking the cake and eating it.
Suddenly, Shuanghu asked, "Mo Hua, did you really help 'Fated Gathering' with the formation painting?"
Mo Hua nodded.
Xiaohu's mouth fell open, "You can actually draw formations for others?"
Shuanghu gave him a disdainful look, "Otherwise, where do you think the Spirit Stones for these cakes came from?"
Xiaohu, holding his cake, fell silent, "So, these cakes were bought with the Spirit Stones you earned from drawing formations? That's amazing, Mo Hua. You might really become a top-tier Formation Master one day!"
Mo Hua said, "It's too early to talk about that now. Becoming a Formation Master is not that simple. Just keep this matter among ourselves, okay? When I earn more Spirit Stones, I'll treat you to more cakes."
Upon hearing the word 'cakes,' the three nodded hastily. Xiaohu even promised, "If I spill the beans, I'll never get to eat desserts my entire life!"
Mo Hua and the others strolled down the street a little more, admiring some strange and new curiosities. As the sky darkened, they each returned to their homes.
Mo Hua gave the desserts to Liu Ruhua, who steamed them again and placed them in Mo Hua's bowl. Mo Hua firmly refused, but after some back and forth, he still ended up eating two, leaving one each for Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua.
The cakes re-steamed by Liu Ruhua were hot and fragrant. Mo Hua felt they tasted even better than the ones at noon, prompting him to ask, "Mom, do you know how to steam cakes?"
Liu Ruhua smiled, "That's nothing difficult. I can cook even the most complex dishes, but many recipes require a special stove forged by an Artifact Refiner, adorned with special formations. We just don't have the means to make them at home, that's all."
"Are stoves very expensive?"
"To have a stove crafted by an Artifact Refiner is naturally not cheap, but the formations are even pricier. Hiring a Formation Master to draw formations is not easy, especially for something as big as a stove. So, unless one is opening a tavern or eatery, no one would spend a great deal for a stove..."
Mo Hua nodded, realizing that formation application was much more widespread in the Tao Cultivation World than he had imagined. He wondered which formation was used on the stove.
Mo Hua made a mental note to learn more about it when he had time.