Chapter 190: Declaration

Since the forging hall has already been built and the arrays fully perfected, they can no longer cause trouble.

Once the outer walls are sealed and the arrays activated, trying to sneak in would be like a fool's dream.

Master Qian glanced again at the forging hall, then suddenly asked:

"Lord Qian, do you know which arrays were used inside this forging hall?"

"Standard construction arrays always involve earth and wood arrays; as for the exact ones, I'm not an array master, so I don't know." Master Qian pondered briefly.

"This array, Lord Qian, you've encountered before." Master Qian spoke with calm assurance.

Master Qian frowned slightly, then his eyes brightened, "You mean the array used at the spirit mine entrance that day?"

"Exactly!" Master Qian nodded. "Among first-rank arrays, there is one called the Earth-Stone Array, capable of reinforcing earth and stone to repel external threats. If my guess is correct, the outer walls of this forging hall use this first-rank Earth-Stone Array."

Master Qian frowned, suddenly understanding.

Master Qian said: "One Earth-Fire Array, one Earth-Stone Array—previously these two arrays, still these two now. This confirms my earlier suspicion: the array master among the Hunter Demons knows only a few arrays, so he reuses these two over and over..."

"It's not his fault," Master Qian sighed again. "First-rank arrays are hard to learn. For him to master even these two is already quite good."

Master Qian nodded slightly. Arrays were indeed difficult to learn, especially first-rank ones—mastering them was even harder.

Learning arrays was hard; dealing with them was even harder.

During the battle on Nameless Peak against the Hunter Demons, these two arrays had made the Qian family suffer terribly. Without them, the Qian family would never have suffered such heavy losses.

That old bastard Yu Changlin and those Hunter Demons could never have returned laden with spirit stones and unscathed.

Every time he thought of it, Master Qian's heart ached as if pierced by knives.

Master Qian said: "Now that the forging hall is built, there's no need to dwell on it. Lord Qian, proceed with your plan."

Master Qian nodded. "Yu Changlin built this forging hall merely to forge spirit weapons and steal our Qian family's business. All we need to do is get ahead—forge more and better spirit weapons, lower our prices, and force his forging hall into bankruptcy. Then there will be no 'after'..."

"And the key to mass-producing spirit weapons is the forging furnace." Master Qian paused, then asked: "How far have you progressed in comprehending the first-rank Melting-Fire Array used on the furnace?"

Master Qian stroked his beard. "These days, I've studied day and night, and now I've grasped about seventy or eighty percent. Not long now, and I'll master it completely."

Master Qian's face lit up with joy. He bowed. "Thank you, Master!"

Master Qian returned the bow. "As a Qian family member, raised and supported by the clan, I must give my all to serve it. Lord Qian, you're too courteous."

Master Qian suddenly thought of something, then hesitated, words unspoken.

"If Lord Qian has something to say, speak plainly." Master Qian said.

Master Qian frowned, pondering: "Could the Hunter Demons' array master also know the first-rank Melting-Fire Array? Otherwise, why would Yu Changlin build this forging hall?"

Master Qian was slightly startled, thought it over, found it plausible—but then shook his head.

"Impossible. The first-rank Melting-Fire Array differs from other first-rank arrays: its array patterns are more intricate, its core more complex. It's not easy to learn. If he truly knew the Melting-Fire Array, plus the Earth-Fire and Earth-Stone Arrays, he'd already have the power of a first-rank array master."

"Which first-rank array master isn't held in high esteem, treated as an honored guest by clans and sects? How could one possibly lower themselves to associate with these wandering cultivators?"

Master Qian found this reasonable, yet still worried: "What if this man really can draw the Melting-Fire Array?"

"Lord Qian, rest assured. Even if this array master can draw the Melting-Fire Array, he can only draw the ordinary version—with five or six array patterns at most. It won't be the true first-rank Melting-Fire Array."

"Through days of intense study, I've felt firsthand how hard this array is to learn. This array is nothing like ordinary first-rank arrays. That array master could never have learned it!"

Master Qian declared.

Mo Hua indeed cannot draw the first-rank Melting-Fire Array.

He never needed it before, so he never bothered to learn it. Now, wanting to attempt a first-rank compound array containing the Melting-Fire Array, he must spend time learning it.

Only after learning did he realize the Melting-Fire Array was indeed hard.

The array patterns were indeed more intricate, slightly different from ordinary fire-element patterns, and required higher spiritual sense intensity. After practicing for a day and a half, Mo Hua was just beginning to make progress when he saw Elder Yu, frowning in distress.

"Elder, is the Qian family causing trouble again?" Mo Hua asked.

Elder Yu shook his head. "We don't have enough spirit weapon smiths."

"How many short?"

"About ten."

"That many?" Mo Hua was startled. "There should be plenty of smiths in the city. Why won't they come?"

"Yes," Elder Yu said helplessly. "Either they already have their own forging halls and won't move, or they refuse to work for others and be controlled, or they're reclusive and won't tolerate company... In short, every excuse under the sun, but all lead to the same result: they won't come."

"Are they also afraid of the Qian family?"

Elder Yu nodded. "That's part of it. They fear the Qian family will harass them, and fear we can't defeat the Qian family—then they'll suffer along with us."

"I see." Mo Hua nodded, then asked: "Will Master Chen come?"

"Which Master Chen?"

"The one at Chen's Forging Hall, by the small pond on Nandajie. Thin, with a black face."

"Oh." Elder Yu remembered. "He won't come either."

Mo Hua set down the unfinished Melting-Fire Array. "I'll go see him."

"Why go? Will he listen to you?" Elder Yu was surprised.

"Maybe not, but I'll try. I have a decent relationship with Master Chen," Mo Hua said.

Elder Yu looked at the ten-year-old, half-human-height Mo Hua, then imagined Master Chen's black face—he couldn't imagine how they could be friends.

"Well, try first. I'll keep looking for other smiths."

"Mm, alright."

Mo Hua returned home first, asked his mother for some wine and meat, packed them into a food box, and placed it in his storage pouch. Then he went to Chen's Forging Hall and found Master Chen.

Master Chen was hammering iron with Dazhu and the others, clangs echoing, sparks flying everywhere.

Mo Hua called out twice before Master Chen heard. He told Dazhu to keep practicing, washed his hands, wiped his sweat, and welcomed Mo Hua into the courtyard.

The courtyard held many small stools and tables.

Mo Hua picked a small stool, sat down, and took out the wine and meat from his storage pouch.

"This is for everyone!" Mo Hua said.

"How can I possibly accept this...?"

Master Chen protested with his lips, but his eyes never left the wine jug.

"Don't be so formal!" Mo Hua said.

Master Chen no longer pretended to refuse; after all, he knew Mo Hua too well to consider him an outsider, and he chuckled: "Then I won't be so polite."

After speaking, Master Chen shouted to the group of disciples: "Stop for now, take a break, come and have something to eat."

Upon hearing this, the metallurgy disciples rejoiced, immediately halting their work and gathering around.

Ever since Mo Hua entered and placed the food box on the table, their minds had long since left their forging.

Forging consumes great physical strength; they were young and strong, still growing tall, so they grew hungry easily.

The metallurgy trade wasn't doing well; they were lucky to get full meals daily, let alone enjoy tasty food. So seeing the meat Mo Hua had laid out, each of them stared with gleaming eyes.

Thank you to my readers for your support~