Chapter 34: Array Repair
"It really is the Melting Fire Array…" Mo Hua murmured.
"That's right," Master Chen nodded. Seeing Mo Hua recognize the array with a single glance, his attitude shifted slightly—more respectful now.
"Brother Mo, take a look and see if the array's the issue. I don't know a thing about this stuff—I can't make heads or tails of it."
Master Chen had his apprentices wipe away the soot from the furnace. Mo Hua leaned over the mouth of the forge and carefully examined the array patterns on the inner wall.
Though he still couldn't draw the array perfectly from start to finish, after practicing day and night, the runes were etched into his memory. Soon, he pointed at several spots and said to Master Chen:
"It is the array. These lines are worn down—the spiritual energy can't flow through them, so the array doesn't function."
Master Chen was impressed by how clearly Mo Hua explained it but soon frowned.
"Then we'll have to hire an array master. Ugh… business hasn't exactly been booming lately, and I have no idea how much that's gonna cost…"
Mo Hua asked, "Is it expensive to hire an array master for repairs?"
"Of course," Master Chen replied. "Array masters are rare, and for a job like this—repairing something specific—they'll want even more spirit stones. Otherwise, they won't even bother coming."
Mo Hua hesitated a moment, then suggested, "What if… I try it?"
"You?" Master Chen looked stunned. "You're already an array master?"
Mo Hua waved modestly. "Not quite. I've just been learning from a teacher at the sect. But this array—I've studied it specifically."
Master Chen looked at the small, childlike Mo Hua and said gently, "Better not, kid. No need to tire yourself out."
Mo Hua saw he still had reservations and grinned. "Uncle Chen, those people you hire… they're not necessarily real array masters, right?"
"Well…" Master Chen said, "That's true. Some are just apprentices. But when you're asking for a favor, it's polite to flatter them. Whether they're masters or not, we still call them 'array masters.' Makes them feel important and makes the job go smoother. We don't pry—so long as the array gets fixed."
"Do they always fix it properly?"
Master Chen thought for a moment. "Sometimes, yeah. A few times it went well and got done fast. But there were times when they'd scribble and patch things for half a day and still fail—had to call someone else in the end."
"There you go." Mo Hua said confidently. "Most of them are probably just apprentices too. Even if they're better than me, it won't be by much."
Of course, a formal apprentice likely had more knowledge than Mo Hua, but some apprentices truly weren't any better than him.
Mo Hua added, "They're just trying to fix it. I'll also be trying to fix it. Worst case, I fail, and you call someone else in."
That… actually made sense.
Master Chen was almost convinced but still hesitated. Mo Hua continued,
"Even if you hire someone, they can't come right away. You'll have to wait until they're free. Every day this forge is down, you're losing income. And if this drags on, it'll really hurt your bottom line."
The shop's business was decent, but the margins were thin. Master Chen never cut corners, so his profit was hard-earned. Plus, he had apprentices to feed. If production stopped for too long, it was a real problem.
Master Chen rubbed his aching head, then finally gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, brother. Give it a shot."
He added carefully, "But just give it a try—don't force it. Don't make things worse."
Mo Hua promised, "Don't worry. Worst case, it just doesn't work."
That was… oddly comforting, but also not comforting at all.
Mo Hua asked Master Chen to wait while he ran home to fetch his brush and some fire-elemental ink. He also brought the Melting Fire Array scroll. Back at the forge, he showed the scroll to Master Chen first.
Master Chen saw that the diagram matched the one inside the furnace and relaxed a bit. At least the kid wasn't talking nonsense.
It was Mo Hua's first time drawing an array onto a spiritual artifact, and he was a little nervous. But since he had practiced the Melting Fire Array countless times, once he began, he quickly settled into a calm rhythm.
Repairing an array was different from creating one from scratch—it didn't require too much spiritual sense. The array already existed; he only needed to reconnect the broken lines with ink.
What it did require was sharp eyes, patience, and familiarity with the array's structure.
Mo Hua leaned over the furnace and worked with intense focus.
In less than half an hour, he had completed the repairs. Then he spent another cup of tea's time inspecting his work, checking for mistakes. Once he was satisfied, he exhaled in relief.
Master Chen had been hovering nearby the entire time, clearly nervous.
He quickly asked, "Is it… fixed?"
Mo Hua's clothes were dirty, and his face smudged with ash. He said uncertainly, "I think so. Should we try lighting it?"
Master Chen had a complicated look, but he and his apprentices resealed the array and reassembled the furnace. Then they embedded spirit stones into the socket and channeled energy to ignite it.
But… no fire.
Mo Hua froze. He rubbed his chin, making his already-dirty face even grimier.
"Why didn't it light? The array should be fine…"
"Are you sure the array isn't the issue?" Master Chen asked.
Mo Hua pulled out his scroll and double-checked. After comparing it line by line, he nodded. "It's not the array."
Master Chen touched the side of the furnace and gauged the temperature. Then he told the apprentices, "Not enough spirit power. Add more stones. Toss in a heated iron rod, too."
They followed the instructions, and sure enough—the temperature slowly began to rise.
A moment later—whoosh!—a burst of flame shot out.
Master Chen was overjoyed. "It's working!"
The apprentices were thrilled too. As long as the furnace worked, they had tasks to do and could keep learning their trade. They all looked at Mo Hua with admiration.
Mo Hua grinned. "Let's try forging something—see if there are any problems."
Master Chen tossed a random blade into the furnace. After a while, he frowned slightly.
"No major issues… just the flame's a little weaker. Might take longer to finish forging."
Mo Hua looked puzzled. "It's the same array—why is the fire weaker? Could the repaired array be less efficient?"
Master Chen shook his head. "We've repaired this furnace before. Never lost this much firepower."
"Then what is it…?"
Mo Hua furrowed his brow, thinking maybe he had made some error while repairing it.
Then Master Chen pointed at Mo Hua's ink pot and said,
"Maybe it's the ink? The people we hired before used ink that was much darker—bright red, like it was burning."
Mo Hua suddenly understood. He had gone for the cheapest fire-elemental ink to save money. It worked fine for practice, but using it on a real artifact? Of course the effect would be weaker.
"To draw arrays with better results, you need higher-grade spiritual ink."
Mo Hua mentally noted that, then said sheepishly, "Then it's probably the ink. I used the bargain stuff. Might not activate the array properly."
Master Chen chuckled. "Don't be silly. Flame's a bit weaker, sure—but the furnace works. And I owe you big time."
He hesitated, then gritted his teeth and declared,
"I'm waiving the forging fee for your furnace. I'll make it for free. But I am keeping the material cost—I still gotta feed these kids."
Mo Hua looked around the simple but spacious shop, at the soot-covered Master Chen and the sweat-drenched apprentices with ash-smeared faces. He knew earning spirit stones wasn't easy for them.
So he replied,
"Uncle Chen, just give me a 50% discount on the forging fee. That's enough."
Master Chen shook his head. "Nope. I'm already getting the better end of the deal. Hiring someone to fix this array would've cost me at least a hundred, maybe two hundred stones."
"You don't have to give me that much," Mo Hua said.
But Master Chen was stubborn. "A cultivator's word is their bond. Once spoken, it's law. I said I wouldn't charge you, so I won't!"
This man's integrity was… a little too righteous.
Mo Hua had no choice. He grinned and said,
"Okay, how about this—skip the forging fee, but after the furnace is done, I'll give you some spirit stones as a 'labor fee' for you and your apprentices."
"This…"
Master Chen was momentarily confused. Forging fee and labor fee… weren't those the same thing? But they felt a little different…
"Like when you ask a friend for help—you still give a little something for their effort," Mo Hua explained.
"…Alright then."
Master Chen admitted that made sense.
The apprentices looked at Mo Hua with gratitude.
Their families weren't wealthy. Being apprentices here helped them earn a bit to support their households. Without income, their already difficult lives would become even harder.
But even one extra spirit stone could ease their burden just a little.
"Then it's settled! It's late—I'm heading home for dinner!"
Mo Hua waved his little hand and left.
Master Chen called after him, "Be careful on the way! And hey—if you ever need anything forged, just come find me—I'll give you a discount!"
(End of Chapter)