MTL - Asking About Longevity

Chapter 4 Fire Hairpin

The market is a place where low-level monks trade cultivation items. The categories are complex and varied, including elixirs, formations, and spiritual weapons. However, the grades are generally not high, and the quality varies.

 At the end of the year, there are many monks in the city, and people are coming and going, making it noisy.

Mo Hua walked straight to a small stall at the end of the street. The stall owner was an old man, his surname was Sun. His acquaintances called him Old Man Sun. His son worked as a steward in Wanbao Building. Occasionally, there were some defective goods that Wanbao Building did not want, so his son took them at a low price. Leave it to him to sell at a street stall.

Old man Sun was shouting. When he looked up, he saw Mo Hua running towards him panting. His fair little face was flushed. He couldn't help but joked:

“Little brother, I’m here to see some spiritual weapon again today. It won’t be the same as the past few days. I just don’t want to buy it...”

Mo Hua waved his little hand and said, "Buy!"

Old man Sun asked curiously: "There are still a few days before the New Year. How can your family give you the New Year's money so early?"

Mo Hua said displeasedly: "What's the new year's money? I earned it myself!" After speaking, he patted the pocket on his waist.

Hearing the crisp sound of the spirit stone in his pocket, Old Man Sun perked up and said quickly:

“I have all the alchemy array talismans here. They are of high quality and low price, and they are all from Wanbao Tower. They are of high quality. What do you want to buy?”

If the quality was really high, Wanbaolou would have sold it itself, and it would not have been left in the market. But Mo Hua doesn't care, he can't afford the things in Wanbao Building.

“Do you have any magical weapon that can ward off fire?”

Old man Sun showed a real expression, took out a linen bag, and spread it out in front of the ink painting.

“My friend mentioned it once a few days ago, so I paid attention to it. I went back and found a few more. They are all excellent fire-preventing spiritual weapons, and they are easy to carry and have exquisite styles. What do you think, my friend?”

Mo Hua glanced at Old Man Sun in surprise, thinking that he had been setting up stalls in the market for decades, and he was so well prepared for any chance of buying and selling.

There are various kinds of spiritual weapons placed in front of the ink painting, including rings, jade pendants, lampstands, as well as a cover and silk scarf... Just looking at the styles, they are the most complete ones in the city.

Mo Hua looked at it carefully, then picked up a hairpin with a simple yet delicate shape and asked, "What kind of hairpin is this?"

Old Man Sun said: "This is called the fire-preventing hairpin. It is a standard spiritual weapon. The materials and craftsmanship are all standardized. It is engraved with the primary fire-preventing formation. It needs to be charged with spirit stones. When used, the formation can be activated to isolate the fire. The whole body feels refreshed. Although it consumes spiritual stones, one spiritual stone can be used for three months, which can be said to be quite economical and practical..."

Mo Hua said suspiciously: "If the Wanbaolou standard spiritual weapon can be sold here, it must be defective..."

Old man Sun smiled and said: "Yes, you know a lot. I won't hide it from you, old man. If there are no flaws, the price will be at least twice as expensive as mine in Wanbao Building. But if there are flaws, it won't be that big of a deal." …”

Old Man Sun pointed at the peony pattern on the hairpin, "When the craftsman was carving this peony, he painted a few more strokes, which was not in compliance with the standards, so this hairpin was classified as defective, but the formation inside The Dharma is intact and its efficacy is still the same.”

Mo Hua nodded and felt that this hairpin was the most suitable, so he asked: "How many spiritual stones?"

Old man Sun stroked his beard and said, "One price, fifteen spiritual stones!"

Mo Hua shook his head, "Five!"

Old man Sun's eyes widened, "Who taught you to bargain like this?"

Mo Hua was a little embarrassed, "I heard at other stalls that they all bargain like this..."

Mr. Sun had a headache and was heartbroken, "The world is really going downhill, and all the good children have been ruined!" He added, "Fourteen pieces, no more!"

Mo Hua also tentatively added a little, "Six?"

 …

 After some haggling, the price was finally set at ten pieces.

Old man Sun felt that it couldn't be any lower, not even a penny of spiritual stones were missing. Mo Hua had also inquired about the prices of spiritual weapons at other stalls before, and basically nothing could be found cheaper, so he agreed.

Old man Sun took the spirit stone from Mo Hua's hand, wrapped the hairpin in a cheap but exquisite paper box and handed it to Mo Hua, constantly muttering:

“If my grandson were half as clever as you, I would ask him to look after the stall for me. It’s a pity that my grandson is so stupid that he doesn’t dare to speak to strangers.”

Mo Hua took the hairpin and was satisfied, waved goodbye to Old Man Sun, and walked away briskly.

 The stall owner setting up a stall next to him laughed and said, "Old man Sun, you will lose money this time!"

Old man Sun stroked his beard and said, "It's not a loss at all, it's just a little less profit."

The stall owner was curious and said: "Ten spiritual stones are not a small amount. I don't know who this child bought the hairpin for." "The fire-preventing hairpin is to avoid fire, and it is to avoid the fire on the stove. , who else can I give it to?"

Looking at Mo Hua's retreating figure, Old Man Sun sighed slightly, "He is a good boy!"

Mo Hua's home is on a remote street on the edge of Tongxian City. The house is old and not too big, just big enough for a family of three. The people living nearby are also casual cultivators at the bottom of Qi Refining, doing odd jobs and doing part-time jobs. Making a living, although not rich, is full of fireworks.

 In the evening, smoke rises from the kitchens and yellow lights are lit from every house.

Mo Hua ran into the door and shouted: "Mom, I'm back!"

A woman with a simple cloth and a beautiful face walked out of the back room. When she saw Mo Hua, her eyes were full of surprise. She couldn't help but pull Mo Hua in front of her. She touched her head and squeezed her face. After a moment, she said: "Is it too hard to practice? Lost a lot of weight.”

Mo Hua said: "I'm not thin," and then took out the box, "Mom, this is for you!"

The woman was stunned for a moment, took the box, opened it, and found a hairpin.

"This is a hairpin to ward off fire. Mom, you work in the kitchen of a restaurant and are exposed to fire for a long time, which is bad for your health. This hairpin can ward off fire, and you will be much cooler."

The woman’s surname is Liu and her given name is Ru Hua. She is the mother of Mo Hua and a casual cultivator in the Qi refining period in Tongxian City.

The life of a casual cultivator is already difficult. There is no good job that can earn spiritual stones. If you have children, it will be even more difficult to raise them. Food and clothing are expensive, especially for Shu cultivators who join the sect, as well as various supplies for cultivation. Raising materials is a costly expense for ordinary monks.

Liu Ruhua is a good cook and helps cook in the kitchen of a small restaurant in the city.

Large restaurants generally use stoves made by weapon refiners. There is a formation on the stove that consumes spiritual stones and converts spiritual energy into firepower.

In order to save costs, the small restaurant does not use spiritual stones to provide fire. Instead, it will let monks with fire spiritual roots consume spiritual energy to condense the firepower for cooking. Over time, the body will inevitably be invaded by fire, and the meridians will become dry, accompanied by symptoms of lung pain and dry cough.

When Liu Ruhua worked as a cook in a restaurant, he had to consume spiritual energy from time to time to provide fire. He received a monthly salary of about thirty spiritual stones. Although it was harmful to the body, it was considered a good job for casual cultivators. Many practitioners The Qi monk has not had a chance to do it.

Looking at the hairpin in his hand, Liu Ruhua pursed her lips and said nothing.

Mo Hua said quickly: "The spiritual stone I bought for the hairpin was earned by helping my fellow disciples. I didn't cheat, steal or rob!"

Liu Ruhua couldn't help but laugh, feeling warm and a little sour in her heart, "Mother, I can't have this hairpin. You are still young, and you will need a lot of spiritual stones for your future practice. Save what you can. Mother can take care of herself. No need. What you miss..."

Mo Hua said confidently: "We will talk about the future in the future. Maybe I will become a great monk of Jindan Yuanying in the future. How many spiritual stones will I need?"

Liu Ruhua laughed out loud and pointed her finger on Mo Hua's forehead, "You have learned to brag at such a young age."

“Mom, just take it. I negotiated with others for a long time before buying it. If you don’t want it, then I’ve wasted my hard work for a long time.”

After saying that, Mo Hua took the hairpin and inserted it into Liu Ruhua's bun, then ran into the room and took out the mirror.

 “Look, does it look good?”

When Liu Ruhua saw the woman in the mirror wearing a simple and elegant hairpin, she looked dignified and beautiful, and saw her son's big eyes twinkling, she felt soft and said softly: "I accept this hairpin, but I won't accept it when I give you something next time." .”

"Yeah," Mo Hua agreed repeatedly, "Mom, is the food ready? I'm hungry."

“Okay, it’s all what you like to eat, eat more!”

 Liu Ruhua's cooking skills are very good. Although it is a simple vegetarian dish and does not contain much spiritual energy, it is exquisitely made and delicious. After Mo Hua finished eating and had a conversation with his mother, he went back to the house to read.

 After midnight, Mo Hua entered the sea of ​​​​consciousness again and practiced the formation on the stone tablet all night. When he woke up, it was already Mao hour.

Mo Hua closed his eyes and meditated, holding a spiritual stone in his hand, practicing routine.

 When I opened my eyes again, the sky had turned pale and bright sunshine shone into the house. Mo Hua lay down and stretched, preparing to get up, and then heard heavy footsteps outside the house.

Mo Hua turned over and lay down on the bed. He looked through the crack in the door and saw a man covered in bloodstains and dusty walking into the house. This man was Mo Hua's father, Mo Shan.

 (End of this chapter)