Chapter 33: Forging
The next day, Mo Hua didn't practice the Melting Fire Array. Instead, he took his spirit stones and went to Chen's Forging Shop to find Master Chen.
Master Chen was a bit surprised to see him, and when he heard that Mo Hua actually intended to forge a cooking furnace, he was even more taken aback.
"You're really going through with it, huh?"
"Of course," Mo Hua said, "But just a small one. About four feet tall, nothing fancy. As long as it's sturdy and durable, it'll do."
Master Chen nodded. "Well, that works out. If you were asking for a large one, I might not even have enough hands on deck to handle it. Sounds like this is for home use, and we're neighbors after all—I'll pick out some cost-effective materials for you. Good quality, but won't break the bank."
Mo Hua beamed. "Thanks, Master Chen!"
"But," Master Chen glanced Mo Hua up and down, then looked behind him. "Where are your parents? Forging a furnace isn't a small thing—you need an adult to make the call."
Mo Hua patted his chest. "My dad said I'm in charge. You can discuss everything with me."
Master Chen eyed the pint-sized Mo Hua and nodded. "Poor kids grow up fast, huh?"
He frowned slightly, hesitated a moment, but then said, "Did you bring the deposit? Materials for the furnace will run 150 spirit stones. Forging takes 20 days, five spirit stones per day, that's another hundred. The deposit's just the materials—150 upfront. You can settle the forging fee after it's done."
"Yep, I brought it."
Mo Hua pulled out a heavy storage pouch and opened it. Inside, a glittering pile of pristine spirit stones.
For a common rogue cultivator family, this was a fortune. And this kid had just been carrying it around in his coat like it was pocket change...
Master Chen took the pouch with a complicated look, counted the 150 spirit stones, then pulled out a spirit contract and wrote down the materials, costs, and delivery date for the furnace.
Spirit contracts were the cultivation world's standard for formal agreements. Each one was uniquely made, difficult to destroy or forge, and served as solid proof of transaction. In case of disputes, one could seek a reputable cultivator or even appeal to the Dao Court for arbitration.
Two copies were made. Master Chen signed one and handed the other to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua signed his name as well—each took a copy as confirmation of the forging deal.
Master Chen had originally thought about having Mo Hua sign his father's name, but seeing as his parents had entrusted the matter to him, he let it be.
Under the Heavenly Dao, all were equal. No matter the age or cultivation, once a spirit contract was signed, it was binding.
"Mo Hua…"
Upon seeing the neat, elegant handwriting on the contract, Master Chen finally learned the boy's name was Mo Hua. Looking again at his refined features—rosy lips, white teeth, eyes like ink strokes—he really did look the part.
And this wasn't a small deal either. It'd cover half a month of his shop's expenses. The more he looked at Mo Hua, the more pleasing he found him.
"Little brother, contract's done. We'll start forging tomorrow—I'll make sure it's finished on time. If you have the time, you're welcome to come check on the progress or learn a bit about forging. Normally, I don't let outsiders watch if they're not my apprentices."
"Really? That's great! Thank you, Master Chen!"
Mo Hua had always been interested in forging. Even if he'd never be able to forge a true spirit weapon, the knowledge itself was useful—the kind of practical forging skill that sects didn't bother teaching.
In the following days, Mo Hua stuck to his usual schedule—practicing the Melting Fire Array—and whenever he had free time, he'd head over to the forge to check on the furnace and sneak in some questions about forging.
Master Chen didn't hold anything back and answered all his questions. After a few days, he was amazed at Mo Hua's learning speed—but also sighed at his weak physical constitution.
He'd seen sickly kids before, but few as frail as this one. Mo Hua couldn't even lift a forging hammer.
Otherwise, Master Chen might have seriously considered taking him as a disciple.
Mo Hua's visits served two purposes—first, to learn some basic forging knowledge, and second, to double-check the lines and dimensions of the Melting Fire Array.
Drawing arrays on paper was forgiving—if you messed up, you could just get a new sheet.
But this time, he'd be carving the array onto a furnace. If he made a mistake, it's not like he could ask Master Chen to make another one…
So Mo Hua needed to get very familiar with the furnace's structure and check on its progress frequently.
One morning, after sipping the porridge his mother had made, Mo Hua did a bit of array practice and then strolled back to Chen's Forging Shop while the sun was still gentle.
But when he arrived, the usually noisy, bustling shop was eerily quiet—no shouting, no clanging hammers, just silence.
He headed to the backyard and found Master Chen and several apprentices cleaning up. The forging furnace's fire had been extinguished, its lid was open, and the floor was scattered with ashes.
"Master Chen, what happened?"
Master Chen turned, looking apologetic. "Sorry, little brother. The forging furnace broke down. Looks like your cooking furnace will be delayed."
"It broke down?" Mo Hua asked, surprised.
Master Chen sighed. "It's an old thing. Had some minor problems before, but with repairs, it could still run. This morning though, it just wouldn't light—nothing I tried worked."
"Can't you fix it?" Mo Hua asked.
Master Chen shook his head. "Before, the external parts had issues—I could patch those up. But this time it seems the internal formation is the problem. And that's out of my hands. We'll need someone from another forge to come look, and if we have to hire a formation master to fix the array… that'll cost a lot of spirit stones."
Formation…? Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "Can I take a look?"
Master Chen blinked. "Look at what?"
"The formation."
Master Chen squinted. "Why? You understand formations?"
Mo Hua replied, "I've learned some from my instructor at the sect. Maybe I can help, or at least confirm whether the array is what's causing the issue."
Still skeptical, Master Chen thought about it. The furnace was broken anyway—letting him look couldn't make it worse.
"…Alright. I'll have the apprentices take it apart so you can see the array inside."
With that, he and a few apprentices got to work dismantling the forging furnace piece by piece.
It stood two men tall and was built from refined iron—extremely heavy. But the apprentices had strong bodies and good physique, and working together, they managed it without too much strain.
Mo Hua was very self-aware—he didn't even pretend to offer help.
Once the furnace was opened, the array carved inside was revealed—dense runes etched across the interior in dark red lines, partially obscured by ash, but still recognizable.
And sure enough, the array inside the forging furnace…
Was none other than the Melting Fire Array that Mo Hua had been practicing day and night—but still hadn't fully mastered.
(End of Chapter)