Elder Yu smirked triumphantly, halfway through his laugh, he snapped back to reality when Mo Hua praised him, giving Mo Hua a stern look:
"What do you mean 'cunning'? This is called having a backup plan! Learn from this, pay more attention to everything."
Mo Hua quickly nodded, "I'll definitely learn more!"
Having a backup plan is always a good thing; otherwise, you'll definitely lose out in the future.
"But things can't possibly go so smoothly..." Mo Hua furrowed his brow again.
"That's natural," Elder Yu said, "Planning is just planning; reality is always changing. You have to adapt to the situation. Over the years of competing with the Qian family, I've often suffered losses and learned from them."
Mo Hua couldn't help but ask, "With plans like these, will you still lose?"
Elder Yu sighed, "Planning alone is useless without the right cards in hand. A clever woman can't cook without rice."
There weren't many spiritual stones, and there was only one foundation-building cultivator like him who could handle the Qian family.
But now it's different.
Elder Yu glanced at Mo Hua.
Now that Mo Hua, who can draw arrays, is here, he has more cards in his hand, and naturally won't let everyone suffer losses to the Qian family again!
Thinking of this, Elder Yu couldn't help but pat Mo Hua's shoulder and exclaimed:
"Thanks to you."
Mo Hua didn't know why Elder Yu suddenly praised him inexplicably, but still smiled happily.
Later events unfolded as Elder Yu had said; planning was just planning after all, and there were inevitably changes.
Things proceeded according to Elder Yu's plan, but there were some deviations.
Some craftsmen left the Qian family and joined Elder Yu, while some were persuaded to stay by the Qian family with higher pay.
Most demon hunters didn't sell materials to the Qian family, but some markets still secretly traded with them.
Although things didn't go entirely as planned, they did indeed make the Qian family extremely troubled.
Qian Hong dealt with these trivial matters every day. When he finally came to his senses, he realized that something was amiss.
They were pressuring prices, and Elder Yu Changlin was also pressuring them.
They've been squeezing prices, and the spiritual tools they previously refined consumed most of them, while Elder Yu Changlin was still competing with them.
And it seemed that Elder Yu Changlin still had plenty of spiritual tools...
Why is that?
The craftsmen's refining workshop had only just started operating. How could they possibly refine so many spiritual tools?
Qian Hong couldn't figure it out.
He sent Qian family cultivators to secretly investigate, but Elder Yu kept the secrets of the refining furnaces tightly sealed, and he couldn't find out at all.
But when he saw the spiritual tools refined by the other side, a ridiculous idea came to his mind.
Could it be that the refining furnaces of those demon hunters are not inferior to their Qian family's?
Or perhaps, their refining furnaces are even better than those of the Qian family?
Qian Hong asked Qian Master. Qian Master looked at the spiritual tools and said with a serious expression, sighing for a long time:
"Only a top-grade array master who draws a top-grade Melting Fire Array in a top-grade refining furnace can refine such high-quality spiritual tools."
Qian Hong's eyes widened. "So, the array masters among the demon hunters..."
Qian Master sighed and said slowly, "They are genuine top-grade array masters!"
Qian Hong felt a chill in his heart, then he absentmindedly said:
"How much did Elder Yu Changlin spend to hire a top-grade array master?"
Qian Master shook his head.
He couldn't understand why a top-grade array master would help those demon hunters, even if they came to their Qian family, they had to treat them with a lot of respect. What good could they possibly get from them?
Qian Master frowned, "Next, we must find this array master, verify his identity, otherwise, we'll continue to suffer in the dark."
Qian Hong's gaze slightly hardened. "I must find him..."
Qian Master glanced at Qian Hong and reminded, "Just find out his identity. Don't offend him."
Qian Hong frowned, "He's repeatedly opposing our Qian family. Should we still be polite to him?"
"This array master is extraordinary. If he's willing to help our Qian family, we will surely soar like a tiger sprouting wings. Entering the ranks of second-grade families will be within our grasp."
"But he may not necessarily be willing."
"In that case, let's not offend him for now. It's best to win him over if possible. If not, try to keep him out of our affairs. If both fail, then we'll have to be relentless," Master Qian said.
Qian Hong was puzzled, "Is this array master really that important?"
Master Qian replied, "This array master is known to master the One-Grade Earth Fire Array, One-Grade Earth and Stone Array, and the One-Grade Melting Fire Array."
"Even if he knows these three One-Grade arrays, so what?"
Master Qian sighed, "Knowing three One-Grade arrays is rare, but it's not extraordinary. The problem is, what if he knows far more than just these three? Some arrays he knows might be unheard of to us."
Qian Hong's expression turned serious.
"Before he shows his stance, it's best not to offend him easily," Master Qian cautioned seriously. "The path of arrays is vast and profound. Some array masters possess knowledge and skills that you can hardly imagine..."
Qian Hong's pupils dilated slightly, revealing a hint of apprehension.
Meanwhile, the array master who Qian Hong feared was sitting on a wall, nibbling on a chicken leg, swinging his legs idly as he chatted with Master Ban.
The forging workshop had been completed and was operational, while construction for the alchemy workshop was ongoing.
Elder Yu had already settled the first batch of spiritual stones with Master Ban.
Master Ban felt reassured with the spiritual stones and worked even more diligently.
The overall layout of the alchemy workshop mirrored that of the forging workshop, starting with the basic construction of buildings, followed by Mo Hua drawing arrays, and then the craftsmen completing the finishing touches.
The basic structures hadn't been completed yet, so Mo Hua first came to confirm the layout and inspect the array diagrams.
However, since they had already surveyed the layout during the construction of the forging workshop, Mo Hua didn't need to spend much time inspecting the array diagrams for the alchemy workshop.
Mo Hua quickly grasped the situation after a few glances.
With nothing urgent to attend to, he climbed up the wall, ate his chicken leg, and engaged in casual conversation with Master Ban.
Master Ban was genuinely grateful to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's swift array drawing ensured the forging workshop would be completed roughly on schedule. Only after their work was finished could they settle accounts with spiritual stones.
Moreover, Mo Hua possessed such profound knowledge of arrays at such a young age, which was unprecedented.
Master Ban was also happy to chat with Mo Hua, answering whatever questions he asked.
From craftsmen's construction techniques to the life experiences of cultivators, from family members to the customs of cultivators.
They talked about good food and fun places, strange customs, bad people, and what mischief they might get up to—basically, they covered everything.
Mo Hua satisfied his curiosity and broadened his horizons.
Every cultivator's life was like a drawing, and even the most ordinary had colors unseen by others.
Without chatting with them, Mo Hua might never learn these stories.
Someday in the future, could he travel across the Nine Provinces, meet more people, hear more stories, and see those extraordinary colors hidden within seemingly ordinary drawings?
Mo Hua yearned for that.
(End of the Chapter)