Chapter 4 Fire-Repelling Hairpin

The market is a place for low-level monks to 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.

As the New Year approaches, 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, and when he looked up, he saw Mo Hua running over panting, his fair little face flushed, and he couldn't help joking:

"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, "Buy!"

Old Man Sun asked curiously: "There are still a few days until the New Year's Eve, how can your family give you the New Year's money so early?"

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

When Old Man Sun heard the crisp sound of the spirit stone in his pocket, he became energetic and said quickly:

"I have all the Dan array talismans here. They are of high quality and low price. They are good for children. They are all from Wanbao Tower and are of high quality. What do you want to buy?"

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

"Do you have any spiritual weapon that can ward off fire?"

Old man Sun showed an expression that was indeed the case, took out a linen bag, and spread it out in front of the ink painting.

"My little 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, little 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 simple yet exquisite hairpin 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. Although the whole body is refreshed, it consumes spiritual stones, but 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 Wanbao Tower 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 in Wanbao Building will be at least twice as expensive as mine. 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 the effect is still the same.”

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

Old Man Sun stroked his beard and said, "One price, fifteen spirit 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..."

Old Sun had a headache and was heartbroken, "The world is really going downhill, and 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 was 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, mumbling:

"If my grandson was as clever as you, I would ask him to look after the stalls for me. It's a pity that my grandson is so stupid that he doesn't dare to say anything 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 smiled 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 again: "Ten spirit stones are not a small amount. I wonder who this child bought the hairpin for."

"The fire-preventing hairpin is to avoid fire. It avoids 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, touched her head and pinched her face, and then said for a moment: "Is it too hard to practice? Lost a lot of weight.”

Mo Hua said, "I haven't lost weight," and then took out the box, "Mom, this is for you!"

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

"This is a fire-proof hairpin. Mom, you help in the kitchen of a restaurant. It's not good for your health to be exposed to the heat for a long time. This hairpin can ward off the heat and make you feel much cooler."

The woman's surname is Liu, and her name is Ruhua. She is Mo Hua's mother, 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 to earn spiritual stones. If you have children, it is even more difficult to raise them. Food, clothing, and other expenses, especially the bonded cultivation of the sect, as well as various materials for cultivation, are all expensive expenses for ordinary cultivators.

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

Big restaurants usually use stoves made by equipment refiners. There are formations on the stoves, which consume spiritual stones and convert spiritual energy into firepower.

In order to save costs, the small restaurant does not use spirit stones to supply fire, but allows cultivators with fire spirit roots to consume spirit power and condense it into fire power for cooking. Over time, the body will inevitably be invaded by fire, the meridians will dry up, and there will be symptoms of lung pain and dry cough.

When Liu Ruhua was helping in the restaurant, she had to consume spirit power from time to time to supply fire. She was paid about 30 spirit stones a month. Although it was harmful to the body, it was already a good job for casual cultivators. Many Qi-refining cultivators wanted to do it but had no chance.

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

Mo Hua hurriedly said, "I earned the spiritual stones for buying the hairpin by helping my fellow disciples. I didn't cheat, steal or rob!"

Liu Ruhua couldn't help laughing, feeling warm and a little sour in her heart, "Mother, you can't have this hairpin. You are still young. You will need a lot of spiritual stones for cultivation in the future. Save as much as you can. Mother can take care of herself. You don't have to worry about it..."

Mo Hua said confidently, "Let's talk about the future. Maybe I will become a great cultivator of the Golden Core Yuanying stage in the future. I will have as many spiritual stones as I need."

Liu Ruhua laughed out loud and pointed at Mo Hua's forehead, "You are so young, and you have learned to brag."

"Mother, just take it. I bargained with others for a long time before buying it. If you don't want it, then I have wasted half a day's work."

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

"Look, is it pretty?"

Liu Ruhua saw the woman in the mirror wearing a simple hairpin, looking dignified and beautiful, and saw her son's big eyes flickering, so she softened her heart and said softly: "I accept this hairpin, I won't accept it next time."

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

"Okay, it's all your favorite food, eat more!"

Liu Ruhua's cooking skills are very good. Although it is a simple vegetarian dish and does not contain any spiritual energy, it is exquisite and delicious. After eating, Mo Hua talked with his mother and 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 the hour of Mao.

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

When he opened his eyes again, the sky was slightly bright, and the bright sunshine shone into the house. Mo Hua stretched out while lying down, ready to get up, and then heard heavy footsteps outside the house.

Mo Hua turned over and lay on the bed. He peeked through the crack in the door and saw a blood-stained and dusty man walking into the room. This man was Mo Hua's father, Mo Shan.