Her Condition

"Your mother has been overworking herself. She spent too long using Lingli to fuel the kitchen fires, and the fire energy damaged her heart and lungs. That is why she has been coughing, weakened, and short of breath."

Elder Feng explained her condition to Mo Hua, then continued:

"When she was first brought in, she could barely breathe. I refined some pills to ease it for now. There is no need to worry in the short term, but she must be properly nursed back to health from here on. She cannot use Lingli to fuel the kitchen fires anymore, nor can she continue working as a kitchen helper at the Dining Hall. Otherwise, her heart and lungs will deteriorate beyond repair, and even the gods will be powerless to save her."

Mo Hua shuddered with lingering fear. He could not help giving another deep bow. "I will never forget Grandpa Feng's kindness!"

Elder Feng helped Mo Hua up and smiled faintly. "Saving the dying and healing the wounded is an Alchemist's duty. What kindness is there to speak of? You may be young, but you speak like a little old man. By the time you repay me, this old man may already be in the grave."

Relieved at last, Mo Hua smiled as well. "Grandpa Feng has the benevolent heart of a healer. You will surely live several hundred more years!"

Elder Feng laughed aloud. "You really have known how to talk since you were little."

"My mother only helps out in the Dining Hall kitchen for four hours a day. She was fine before, so why were her heart and lungs suddenly damaged so badly?" Mo Hua could not help asking.

Elder Feng said, "I asked the cooks at the Dining Hall. Since the beginning of this year, your mother's working hours have been extended from four hours a day to six. The longer the hours, the more easily her Lingli is depleted. Coupled with excessive toil, it naturally became more severe."

"Then was the Fire-Averting Hairpin useless?"

"You mean the hairpin your mother wears?" Elder Feng stroked his beard and nodded as he explained.

"That hairpin is naturally useful. However, the Fire-Averting Hairpin is only an ordinary Spirit Artifact, not even ranked, so its effects are limited. Still, it is fortunate she had that hairpin. Otherwise, her condition would only have been worse. Even if she recovered, her heart and lungs would have been left with lasting problems."

Mo Hua felt both fortunate and deeply shaken. Then he asked about the cost of the diagnosis. Elder Feng said, "The Dining Hall's steward came by earlier. They also feel quite guilty about what happened to your mother, so they will cover all the costs of the pills. You need not worry about that."

Elder Feng secretly winked at Mo Hua and said in a low voice, "Since they have such intentions, this old man will not stand on ceremony. Naturally, I will use only the finest medicinal ingredients to refine pills and make sure your mother is cured."

Mo Hua finally relaxed. After solemnly thanking Elder Feng again, he asked softly, "Can I go see my mother?"

Elder Feng nodded. "Go on. Your mother took a pill and has just lain down. Remember to keep your voice down."

The side rooms of Apricot Forest Hall had been opened up and fitted with several sickbeds for patients to rest on. Though simple, they were clean and tidy, and faint incense smoke lingered in the air.

When Mo Hua saw Liu Ruhua, she was lying quietly asleep on a bed toward the inner side of the room. Her breathing was light, her face pale and somewhat haggard.

Mo Hua brought over a small stool and sat quietly beside her, looking at her face.

Mo Hua remembered that when he had first been born, his mother had still been young, gentle and beautiful, with a lovely smile.

Before he knew it, ten years had passed.

For cultivators with relatively long lifespans, ten years was not much. Some cultivators would not see their appearance change in the slightest over ten years.

But Mo Hua's mother had already grown somewhat haggard, and there were even a few white hairs at her temples.

As he thought of himself slowly growing up while his parents slowly grew old without him realizing it, only for him to suddenly discover that they no longer looked as they had in his memories...

Mo Hua's heart turned sour, and his eyes grew misty.

Liu Ruhua did not know how long she had slept. When she awoke, she found Mo Hua leaning beside her, his eyes red. She felt both comforted and heartbroken.

Liu Ruhua stroked Mo Hua's head. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be cultivating at the sect?"

Mo Hua looked at her silently. Liu Ruhua felt a little embarrassed and said, "Mother is fine. You do not need to worry."

"Elder Feng said you work as a kitchen helper at the Dining Hall for six hours every day."

"Six hours is nothing. Look at the uncles and aunties in the neighborhood—their jobs are sometimes even harder. Your father goes out Monster Hunting, and sometimes he does not sleep for days and nights. Everyone lives like this..."

Mo Hua shook his head. "But your health is poor, Mother. How can it be the same? Is our family short on Spirit Stones?"

Liu Ruhua sighed softly. "We are not short on Spirit Stones, but aren't you about to start learning cultivation techniques? A mid-grade, low-tier cultivation technique should cost over two hundred Spirit Stones. I wanted to save up a little more so that you could choose a better one when the time came."

Mo Hua was slightly stunned. "I never even mentioned cultivation techniques. How did you know, Mother?"

Liu Ruhua stroked Mo Hua's head again. "Silly child, how could Mother not know? You did not say anything because you are sensible, but how could your father and I not make plans for you? Your father and I are only Qi Refining cultivators. We cannot give you the best, but within the limits of what we can do, we still want to give you something better."

Mo Hua's nose stung. Then he took out a Storage Bag and said:

"Mother, I can earn them myself. I've already earned one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones!"

This time, Liu Ruhua was the one taken aback. Her lips parted slightly, and only after a long while did she say:

"How did you earn so many...?"

Mo Hua felt a little better. "I help people draw Array Techniques."

"Still at that Fate Pavilion on North Street?"

"Yes."

Mo Hua answered, then froze. "Mother, how did you know about that too?"

Liu Ruhua smiled gently. "Your father told me. That day, when he saw you take out so many Spirit Stones, he suspected someone had deceived you and harbored ill intentions. So he followed you to that trading house and asked the steward a few questions. Then he found that you had not been cheated at all. On the contrary, it was the steward who had been fooled by you. Even I, your mother, did not know that you had an older brother..."

Mo Hua's mouth fell open. He had thought he had hidden everything, yet he had hidden nothing at all. He did not even know when his father had followed him to the Array Pavilion...

Liu Ruhua touched Mo Hua's cheek and said comfortingly, "When you were little, you were so tiny and thin. I worried that others would bully you, and I worried that you would have no way to make a living in the future. I never imagined that at such a young age, you would already be able to earn so many Spirit Stones. Now Mother can finally rest easy."

"But you should save these Spirit Stones for yourself. Do not think they are a lot right now. When your cultivation grows higher in the future, or when you take a Dao companion and have children, you will need to spend plenty of Spirit Stones. Save them now, so you will not be left scrambling when the time comes."

Mo Hua shook his head. "Mother, I will definitely earn even more Spirit Stones in the future, so you do not need to worry about that. The most important thing for you now is to nurse your body back to health. Do not worry about anything else."

Liu Ruhua looked at Mo Hua gently. She wanted to say something more, but could not help coughing. Mo Hua would not let her speak again and told her to rest well.