Chapter 206: Speculation

When the array on the alchemy furnace was finally completed, Mo Hua let out a long breath.

He had drawn all the required arrays; the rest was no longer his concern.

Master Chen oversaw the metallurgy workshop, Master Feng managed the alchemy workshop, Master Ban handled the final construction, and Elder Yu took charge of the overall situation.

Only a few minor areas required arrays, which Mo Hua could easily patch up.

The rest was just waiting to receive spirit stones.

Elder Yu said that once the metallurgy and alchemy workshops turned a profit, every cultivator who contributed—whether a beast-hunting master, metallurgist, alchemist, or lone cultivator—would receive a substantial share of spirit stones.

Mo Hua had taken on all the arrays, and Elder Yu promised him the largest share of spirit stones.

He didn't ask how much exactly; he already had more than enough, and all he needed to focus on was the arrays.

Mo Hua summed it up: he had drawn an enormous number of arrays.

The architectural blueprints for the metallurgy and alchemy workshops covered a wide range, primarily earth and wood, with metal, water, and fire as supplements, involving applications of all kinds of five-element arrays.

Mo Hua planned and coordinated the blueprints, then redrew them from start to finish, reinforcing his foundational understanding of arrays.

The arrays used on the metallurgy furnace and alchemy furnace were both first-rank compound arrays, highly difficult; Mo Hua sketched, erased, and struggled through them until he finished.

His spiritual sense had strengthened slightly, his understanding of arrays had deepened, and he now grasped the basic principles and applications of compound arrays.

Moreover, thanks to his comprehension of compound array pivots, he could now draw ordinary arrays in a single stroke by relying on his grasp of pivot structure, greatly increasing his speed—though his spiritual sense consumption increased slightly.

But this level of spiritual sense strain was no real problem for Mo Hua.

In short, these days had been tiring, but deeply fulfilling.

Mo Hua felt he had gained immensely.

He had consumed more than half of the thousand-plus vials of beast blood he had stockpiled, and now he could finally take a short rest.

Mo Hua touched his small face, feeling he had grown thin from drawing arrays every day; when he got home, he'd ask his mother to cook him something delicious to reward himself.

"What should I eat?"

As he pondered, he walked home with light steps.

The Qian family's main hall.

The floor was covered with a black tripod-patterned rug, a serene landscape screen stood nearby, a vermilion-lacquered table rested before them, a pair of auspicious beast incense burners—Qin Zimu—emitted curling smoke, exuding luxury.

Qian Hong sat at the head of the hall, while Qian the Master sat below him.

The two sat across from each other, sipping tea amid the fragrant mist.

Yet though the calming incense had burned for a long time, neither man could find peace.

Qian Shunzhi entered, bowed respectfully, and reported:

"Lord, we could not uncover any leads on other array masters among the beast-hunters; we only heard of a child among them who excels in arrays, whom everyone calls 'Little Array Master.'"

"Little Array Master?" Qian the Master frowned. "How old is he?"

"He's young, perhaps only ten or eleven, surnamed Mo. As for his full name, appearance, or residence… the beast-hunters are tight-lipped; we couldn't find out."

Qian Hong's expression darkened.

Qian Shunzhi lowered his head, daring not to breathe.

Qian the Master pondered briefly, then said: "It certainly isn't this child, but he must be connected to him."

Qian Hong mused: "Your meaning is that the array master opposing us is likely this child's master, or at least shares some master-disciple lineage with him…"

"Precisely," Qian the Master nodded. "Arrays cannot be learned without a teacher. To show such talent at such a young age and be called 'Little Array Master' means he must have an accomplished Mr. or a direct master."

Qian Hong ordered Qian Shunzhi: "Keep investigating."

Qian Shunzhi stammered: "But… how do we investigate further…?"

He had already checked everything he could, asked everyone he could.

Previously, he had sent Qian family youths disguised as passing merchants to drink and chat with beast-hunters at a bustling eatery, barely scraping together fragments of information.

But within two days, the beast-hunters had discovered them.

When they tried again, mentioning "array master" immediately raised the beast-hunters' guard; even ordinary lone cultivators clammed up.

If they asked too much, beast-hunters would glare back and interrogate them.

If they answered poorly, they'd likely get beaten.

Qian Hong frowned: "Then don't ask about array masters. Ask instead if anyone has seen unfamiliar cultivators or mysterious high-level figures. Indirect probing will surely turn up some clues."

Qian Shunzhi bowed and turned to leave, but Qian the Master called him back.

"One more thing," Qian the Master instructed. "Find some of the arrays this Little Array Master has drawn. Get me copies—I'll examine them closely."

"Yes," Qian Shunzhi replied respectfully.

The Nancheng metallurgy workshop was completed; the alchemy workshop was nearly finished as well.

The Qian family's pressure had multiplied, and the An family was equally uneasy.

Old Master An had returned to the private room of the tea house outside Chengnan, alongside An family patriarch An Yonglu, gazing at the distant metallurgy workshop.

Where once lay only ruins, barren and desolate, now stood a vast metallurgy workshop.

Adjacent to it, an alchemy workshop of equal scale was about to be completed.

Old Master An sighed in awe: "Elder Yu actually built it!"

An Yonglu looked worried: "If this continues, we'll have no place left to stand."

"For the next hundred years, we'll never compete in metallurgy or alchemy—not even a morsel of meat, let alone a sip of broth."

Old Master An felt defeated.

The Qian family had already suffocated them; now, with these two massive workshops rising in Chengnan, the An family had no future at all.

"Still, it's better this way," An Yonglu said with faint relief. "Since we can't compete, we might as well focus on our spirit-food restaurant business."

Old Master An glared at his son in frustration: "Spending your whole life serving food and bowing to others—what kind of future is that?"

"At least we'll have something to eat…" An Yonglu muttered under his breath.

He looked just like someone who had "no great ambitions" painted right on his face.

Old Master An was feeling weary.

His son, on the surface, seemed respectable enough, bearing the demeanor of a household lord. But whenever trouble arose, he only wanted to get by, with not a shred of ambition.

No wonder the little fortune he raised had no great aspirations.

Old Master An refused to speak to him anymore.

An Yonglu quietly sipped his tea, his peripheral vision catching sight of the Artificer's Guild, then suddenly exclaiming:

"Father, the outer wall seems to be inscribed with a highly sophisticated array…"

Old Master An glanced at him. "Can you tell what kind of array it is?"

"I can't tell," An Yonglu shook his head. "But the feeling is unmistakable—it's far superior to the arrays used in our An family mansion."

"Where do you think Elder Yu found this array master?" An Yonglu asked curiously.

Old Master An said nothing, but his heart gave a sudden leap—he had a faint suspicion, yet still dared not believe it.

Seeing this, An Yonglu asked, "Father, do you know?"

Old Master An frowned and remained silent for a long while before slowly saying, "Do you still remember that child who saw through our An family's arrays…"

An Yonglu froze, mouth agape, incredulous: "No way…"

The fifth watch ended.

Thank you for the tip, Zhang Ziyuan~