Fire-Averting Hairpin

The market was a place where low-level cultivators traded cultivation goods. Its wares were a bewildering jumble, with Pills, Array Techniques, and Spirit Artifacts all available, though their grades were generally not high and their quality varied wildly.

With the year-end approaching, the market was crowded with cultivators. People flowed back and forth, and the noise was deafening.

Mo Hua went straight to a small stall at the end of the street. The stall owner was an old man surnamed Sun, known to acquaintances as Old Man Sun. His son worked as a minor steward at Myriad Treasures Pavilion and occasionally acquired defective goods the pavilion did not want at low prices, then gave them to him to sell from his street stall.

Old Man Sun had been calling out to customers when he looked up and saw Mo Hua running over, panting heavily, his fair little face flushed red. He could not help teasing him.

"Little brother, what Spirit Artifact are you here to look at today? Don't tell me you're like last time—just looking and not buying..."

Mo Hua waved his small hand. "Buying!"

Old Man Sun asked in surprise, "There are still a few days before the year-end, aren't there? Your family gave you your New Year's money this early?"

Mo Hua said unhappily, "What New Year's money? I earned this myself!" As he spoke, he patted the pouch at his waist.

Hearing the crisp clink of Spirit Stones within the pouch, Old Man Sun perked up and hastily said,

"Pills, arrays, talismans, artifacts—I have everything here. Fine goods at fair prices, honest dealings for young and old alike. And they're all from Myriad Treasures Pavilion, of superior quality. What would you like to buy, little friend?"

If they truly were of superior quality, Myriad Treasures Pavilion would have sold them itself. How could they have ended up in the market? Still, Mo Hua did not care. He could not afford Myriad Treasures Pavilion's goods anyway.

"Do you have any fire-averting Spirit Artifacts?"

Old Man Sun revealed an expression of having expected as much and pulled out a burlap bundle, spreading it open before Mo Hua.

"You mentioned it a few days ago, little friend, so I kept it in mind. I specifically found a few more when I went back. They're all excellent fire-averting Spirit Artifacts, easy to carry and beautifully styled. What do you think?"

Mo Hua gave Old Man Sun a surprised look, thinking that someone who had run a stall in the market for decades truly was different. Given even the slightest chance at business, he had prepared so thoroughly.

The Spirit Artifacts laid before Mo Hua came in every variety: rings, Jade Pendants, lampstands, even a cover and a silk scarf... Just in terms of styles, this was already the most complete selection in the market.

Mo Hua examined them carefully, then picked up a hairpin that was ancient in style yet still exquisitely made. "What kind of hairpin is this?"

Old Man Sun said, "This is called a Fire-Averting Hairpin. It's a standardized Spirit Artifact, with uniform standards for materials and craftsmanship. It has a basic Fire-Repelling Array carved into it and needs Spirit Stones for power. Activate the array when using it, and it will block fire energy, keeping your whole body cool and refreshed. Though it consumes Spirit Stones, one Spirit Stone lasts for three months, so it's quite economical and practical..."

Mo Hua asked suspiciously, "A standardized Spirit Artifact from Myriad Treasures Pavilion being sold here means it must have a defect, right..."

Old Man Sun smiled. "That's right. You know quite a bit. This old man won't hide it from you either. If it had no defect, selling it at Myriad Treasures Pavilion would cost at least twice as much as it does here. But calling it defective would be an exaggeration..."

Old Man Sun pointed at the peony pattern on the hairpin. "When the Artifact Refiner carved this peony, he added a few extra strokes. That failed to meet the specifications, so the hairpin was classified as defective. But the array inside is completely intact, and its effect is exactly the same."

Mo Hua nodded. He also felt that this hairpin suited his needs best, so he asked, "How many Spirit Stones?"

Old Man Sun stroked his beard. "One price only: fifteen Spirit Stones!"

Mo Hua shook his head. "Five!"

Old Man Sun's eyes widened. "Who taught you to haggle like that?"

Mo Hua felt a little embarrassed. "I heard it at other stalls. They all bargained like this..."

Old Man Sun clutched his chest in grief. "The world is going downhill! Such a good child has been led astray!" Then he said, "Fourteen Spirit Stones. Not a single one less!"

Mo Hua cautiously raised his offer a little. "Six?"

After a round of haggling, the price was finally set at ten.

Old Man Sun felt he could not go any lower—not even one Spirit Stone less. Mo Hua had also asked around about the prices of Spirit Artifacts at other stalls, and there were basically none cheaper than this, so he agreed.

Old Man Sun accepted the Spirit Stones from Mo Hua, wrapped the hairpin in a cheap but beautiful paper box, and handed it to him, all while muttering,

"If my grandson were half as clever as you, I'd have him help watch my stall. Alas, my grandson is terribly dim. He doesn't even dare speak when he sees strangers."

Mo Hua took the hairpin, thoroughly satisfied. He waved goodbye to Old Man Sun, then walked away with light steps.

A neighboring stall owner laughed. "Old Man Sun, you lost money this time!"

Old Man Sun stroked his beard. "I didn't lose money. I merely made a little less."

The stall owner asked curiously again, "Ten Spirit Stones isn't a small sum. I wonder who this child bought that hairpin for."

"The Fire-Averting Hairpin wards off fire. It wards off the fire energy from a Stove. Who else could he be giving it to?"

Watching Mo Hua's gradually receding figure, Old Man Sun sighed softly. "He's a good child!"

Mo Hua's home stood on a remote street at the edge of Immortal City. The house was old and not particularly large, just enough for a family of three. The neighbors were all low-level Qi Refining Rogue Cultivators who made their living through odd jobs and temporary work. They were not wealthy, but the place brimmed with the warmth of everyday life.

At dusk, cooking smoke rose from every household, and yellowed lamps flickered to life.

Mo Hua ran through the door and called out, "Mom, I'm back!"

A woman in plain cloth garments with a gentle, beautiful face emerged from the inner room. At the sight of Mo Hua, her eyes filled with delight. She could not help pulling him in front of her, patting his head and pinching his cheeks. After a moment, she said, "Has cultivation been too exhausting? You've gotten so much thinner."

Mo Hua said, "I'm not thinner." Then he took out the box. "Mom, this is for you!"

The woman froze for a moment, then accepted the box and opened it, discovering a hairpin inside.

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"This is a Fire-Averting Hairpin. Mom, you work in the kitchen of a restaurant, constantly exposed to fire energy for long periods. It's bad for your health. This hairpin can ward off fire energy and keep you much cooler."

The woman's surname was Liu and her given name was Ruhua. She was Mo Hua's mother, a Qi Refining Rogue Cultivator in Immortal City.

The life of a Rogue Cultivator was difficult to begin with. There were no especially good jobs that earned Spirit Stones, and raising a child made things even harder. Food, clothing, daily expenses, especially the tuition required to enter a sect, as well as all kinds of cultivation materials, were all considerable expenses for ordinary cultivators.

Liu Ruhua was skilled at cooking and worked as a kitchen assistant at a small restaurant in the city.

Large restaurants generally used Stoves refined by Artifact Refiners. Arrays were set atop the stoves, consuming Spirit Stones to transform spiritual energy into firepower.

To save costs, small restaurants did not use Spirit Stones to fuel their fires. Instead, they had cultivators with Fire Spirit Roots consume Lingli and condense it into cooking flames. Over time, their bodies would inevitably be invaded by fire energy, their meridians drying up, accompanied by lung pain and dry coughing.

When Liu Ruhua worked as a kitchen assistant, she had to periodically expend Lingli to provide fire. She earned around thirty Spirit Stones a month. Though the job harmed her body, it was already considered a decent position for a Rogue Cultivator, and many Qi Refining cultivators wanted it but had no chance to get it.

Looking at the hairpin in her hand, Liu Ruhua pursed her lips without speaking.

Mo Hua hurriedly said, "I earned the Spirit Stones for the hairpin by helping my fellow disciples. I didn't swindle anyone, and I didn't steal or rob!"

Liu Ruhua could not help laughing. Her heart felt warm, yet faintly sour. "Mom can't accept this hairpin. You're still young, and you'll need many Spirit Stones for cultivation in the future. Save wherever you can. Mom can take care of herself; you don't need to worry about me..."

Mo Hua said confidently, "We'll talk about the future when it comes. Maybe I'll become a great Golden Core or Nascent Soul cultivator someday. Then I'll have as many Spirit Stones as I want."

Liu Ruhua laughed aloud and tapped Mo Hua's forehead with her finger. "At such a young age, you've already learned how to brag."

"Mom, just take it. I spent ages bargaining with someone before I bought it. If you don't want it, wouldn't all that effort have been for nothing?"

As he spoke, Mo Hua took the hairpin and inserted it into Liu Ruhua's hair bun, then ran into the room to fetch a mirror.

"Look! Isn't it pretty?"

In the mirror, Liu Ruhua saw the woman wearing the simple, elegant hairpin, looking poised and lovely. Then she saw her son's wide, blinking eyes. Her heart softened, and she said gently, "I'll accept this hairpin, but I won't accept anything else you give me next time."

"Mm-hm, mm-hm," Mo Hua agreed repeatedly. "Mom, is dinner ready? I'm hungry."

"It's ready. They're all your favorite dishes, so eat plenty!"

Liu Ruhua's cooking was excellent. Though the dishes were simple vegetables without any spiritual energy, they were prepared with refinement and flavor. After Mo Hua finished eating and chatted with his mother for a while, he returned to his room to read.

After the Midnight Hour, Mo Hua entered his Sea of Consciousness again and practiced Array Techniques on the stone tablet for the entire night. By the time he woke, it was already the Mao Hour.

Mo Hua closed his eyes and meditated, holding a Spirit Stone in his hand as he went through his usual cultivation.

When he opened his eyes again, the sky was faintly bright, and brilliant sunlight streamed into the room. Mo Hua lay down and stretched lazily, preparing to get up, when he heard heavy footsteps outside.

Mo Hua rolled over onto his stomach and peeked through the gap in the door. He saw a man covered in bloodstains and travel-worn dust enter the house. The man was Mo Hua's father—Mo Shan.