"Your mother has been overworking herself, using spiritual power to fuel the stove for extended periods, which has damaged her heart and lungs, resulting in coughing and respiratory difficulties."
Elder Feng explained the condition to Mo Hua, continuing,
"When she was brought here, she could barely catch her breath. I've prepared some pills to temporarily relieve her symptoms. For the short term, there's no need to worry, but she must rest well from now on. She shouldn't use spiritual power to fuel the stove in the kitchen anymore, nor should she continue her duties there, or her heart and lungs will deteriorate further, and recovery will be difficult."
Mo Hua listened in shock, unable to hold back his deep bow, saying, "Grandfather Feng's kindness, Mo Hua will always remember!"
Elder Feng helped Mo Hua up, smiled faintly, and said, "Saving lives and healing the wounded is a duty of a pill master; there's no need to speak of kindness. You're a well-spoken child, but by the time you're ready to repay, old me might already be in the earth."
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief at this moment and smiled back, "Grandfather Feng, with your benevolence, you'll surely live for many more hundreds of years!"
Elder Feng chuckled, "You child, always so eloquent."
"My mother only worked in the kitchen for four hours each day. She was fine before. Why did her heart and lungs suddenly become so severely damaged?" Mo Hua couldn't help but ask.
Elder Feng replied, "I asked the kitchen steward. Since the beginning of this year, your mother's shifts in the kitchen extended from four to six hours daily. Longer hours deplete spiritual power more quickly, and combined with overexertion, her condition worsened naturally."
"Wasn't the Fire Repelling Hairpin effective?"
"You mean the hairpin your mother wore," Elder Feng stroked his beard and nodded, explaining,
"That hairpin is indeed useful, but it's just an ordinary spiritual artifact without being a higher-grade one. Its effectiveness is limited. Still, it's fortunate she had it. Without it, her condition would have been worse. Even if treated, there would have been lingering heart and lung issues."
Mo Hua felt somewhat relieved and yet still haunted by anxiety. He then inquired about the cost of diagnosis. Elder Feng said, "The steward from the kitchen came earlier and was deeply remorseful about your mother's situation. They will cover all expenses for the medicines, so you don't need to worry."
Elder Feng winked discreetly at Mo Hua and whispered, "Since they have this intention, I won't hold back either. Naturally, I'll use the best materials to refine the pills and ensure your mother's recovery."
Mo Hua relaxed and sincerely thanked Elder Feng. Then, he asked softly, "May I go see my mother?"
Elder Feng nodded, "Go ahead. Your mother just took the medicine and lay down. Remember to keep your voice down."
The rooms at Wondrous Hall were connected, with several sickbeds arranged for patients to rest. Though simple, they were clean and infused with a faint aroma of medicinal herbs.
Mo Hua saw Liu Ruhua lying on one of the beds, peacefully asleep with gentle breathing. Her face was pale and somewhat worn.
Mo Hua brought over a small stool, quietly sat beside her, and watched her face.
He remembered when he was born, his mother was young, gentle, and beautiful, with a lovely smile.
Now, ten years had passed unknowingly.
For cultivators with long lifespans, ten years was nothing significant. Some cultivators wouldn't even show a trace of aging in ten years.
Yet Mo Hua's mother had started to look weary, with a few strands of white in her temples.
Thinking about how he had grown up gradually while his parents aged without him realizing, when he suddenly noticed, they were no longer the same as in his memories.
Mo Hua felt a pang in his heart, his eyes becoming moist.
Liu Ruhua woke up after an unknown period of sleep and found Mo Hua leaning beside her, eyes red. She felt comforted yet distressed seeing this.
Liu Ruhua gently touched Mo Hua's head, "Why did you come? Aren't you supposed to be cultivating at the sect?"
Mo Hua silently looked at her. Liu Ruhua seemed a bit embarrassed and said, "Mother is fine, you don't need to worry."
"Elder Feng said you're working in the kitchen for six hours every day."
"Six hours isn't much. Look at your uncles and aunts in the neighborhood, their work is sometimes even harder. Your father goes out hunting demons, sometimes not sleeping for days. Everyone is like this..."
Mo Hua shook his head, "Mother, your health isn't good. How can you compare yourself like this? Is the family short of spiritual stones?"
Liu Ruhua sighed softly, "We're not short on spiritual stones, but you're about to start learning techniques, a mid-grade lower-level technique requires over two hundred spiritual stones. I thought of saving more so you can choose a better one when the time comes."
Mo Hua was taken aback, "I haven't mentioned techniques. How did you know?"
Liu Ruhua touched Mo Hua's head again, "Silly child, how could mother not know? You didn't mention it because you're mature, but your parents naturally plan for you. We're only cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, unable to give you the best, but within our means, we want to give you the best possible."
Mo Hua felt a lump in his throat and took out a storage pouch, saying,
"Mother, I earned this myself. I've already earned a hundred and eighty spiritual stones!"
This surprised Liu Ruhua. She opened her mouth slightly, then after a while, she said,
"How did you earn so much..."
"I help people draw formations."
"Is it still the Destiny Pavilion on North Street?"
"Yes."
Mo Hua said, then he froze, "Mother, how do you know about this?"
Liu Ruhua gently laughed, "Your father told me. When he saw you take out so many spiritual stones that day, he suspected someone was deceiving you, plotting against you, so he followed you to that business and asked the manager a few questions. Then he found out you hadn't been deceived; instead, the manager was deceived by you. I, as your mother, didn't even know you had an elder brother..."
Mo Hua opened his mouth. He felt that everything was hidden, but nothing was hidden, and he didn't even know when his father followed him to the formation hall...
Liu Ruhua touched Mo Hua's face, feeling relieved, "When I saw you small and thin when you were a child, I was afraid you would be bullied, and I worried you wouldn't be able to make a living in the future. I didn't expect that at such a young age, you could earn so many spiritual stones. Now I can rest assured."
"But these spiritual stones, you must save them yourself. Although you have quite a few now, when your cultivation level rises in the future, or when you marry a partner and have children, you'll need a lot of spiritual stones. Save them now so you won't be caught off guard later."
Mo Hua shook his head, "Mother, I will earn more spiritual stones in the future. You don't need to worry about this. The most important thing now is for you to recover your health. Don't worry about anything else."
Liu Ruhua looked gently at Mo Hua, wanting to say something more, but couldn't help coughing. Mo Hua stopped her from speaking and urged her to rest well.
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(End of the chapter)