Chapter 352: The Weight

"If you donate Spirit Stones, once the great array is built and the Fengxi is subdued, we will erect a massive Spirit-Subduing Stele..."

Mo Hua gestured with his hands to show just how large this slab—no, this stele—would be, then said to Young Master An:

"We'll carve your name at the very top, in large letters, outlined in Jin Se, so everyone can see it at a glance!"

Erecting a Spirit-Subduing Stele is a tradition among Spirit-Hunters.

Once a powerful demon beast that plagued a region is subdued, Spirit-Hunters cast a Spirit-Subduing Stele and carve the names of all participating cultivators upon it, to honor their deeds.

But no one had ever slain a Great Demon Beast before, so no one had ever erected a Spirit-Subduing Stele for subduing a Great Demon Beast.

Young Master An asked calmly, "What if we fail to kill it?"

Mo Hua replied frankly, "Even in business, you can lose money; Spirit-Hunting has its failures too, let alone hunting a Great Demon Beast— the risk is immense."

"If we fail to kill it, then we fail. We'll have to find another way, and your Spirit Stones will be lost."

Young Master An frowned. "So I'm to donate my family's entire fortune for a reputation that may never come?"

"This is a real, tangible reputation—not a hollow one," Mo Hua corrected.

"How is it not hollow?"

Mo Hua explained, "Once the Great Demon Beast is slain and the Spirit-Subduing Stele is erected, it will become the most important merit stele in Xiancheng's history."

"As long as Xiancheng stands, the Spirit-Subduing Stele stands; your name stands; and the An family will forever be remembered by Xiancheng's cultivators."

"This honor is once-in-a-millennium. Miss this chance, and no amount of Spirit Stones later will buy it back."

Young Master An was moved, his brow furrowing as he fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Mo Hua whispered softly, "Old Master, let me say something blunt..."

Young Master An paused slightly, then nodded. "Go on."

Mo Hua blinked, lowered his voice, and said:

"Your family is still prosperous now; everyone knows you're the second-largest family in Xiancheng. But what if, in the future, your family declines, loses all its wealth—who will remember who you are?"

"By then, the An family will vanish like every other minor clan—forgotten, unmentioned, even your own descendants may no longer take pride in their lineage."

Young Master An's expression remained calm, but his gaze dropped. He knew Mo Hua spoke truth.

This was the fate of most minor clans in the cultivation world.

Rise must be followed by decline.

Minor clans have shallow roots; once they fall, their members scatter, and they can never rise again.

Not even great clans, once fallen, can avoid gradual decay, eventually vanishing into the long river of cultivation history.

Seeing Young Master An swayed, Mo Hua's eyes brightened slightly, and he pressed on:

"But if your name is carved on Xiancheng's greatest Spirit-Subduing Stele, every cultivator in Xiancheng will remember your name, remember the history of the An family—even if, centuries later, the An family is gone..."

Young Master An's heart trembled; he looked at Mo Hua with a haunted gaze.

What do you mean "the An family is gone"...

Mo Hua smiled awkwardly, rephrasing more gently: "Even if, centuries later, the An family declines, loses its wealth, the people of Xiancheng will still remember your kindness..."

"At such a time, Spirit Stones are hollow. This reputation is real."

Mo Hua spoke fluently, persuading with gentle persistence.

Young Master An's brow tightened further; he pondered long, unable to decide, then sighed slowly and said:

"Let me think on it."

Mo Hua had merely sought Young Master An's opinion—he never intended to force him. He had other ways to gather Spirit Stones.

But the An family's current situation was truly caught between a rock and a hard place.

Whether to donate or not, neither option was good.

That was why he had spoken—to let Young Master An donate Spirit Stones in exchange for a good reputation for future generations.

But the final choice remained Young Master An's alone.

"Then take your time. I'll take my leave."

Mo Hua bowed politely, then stepped lightly out of the An household.

Young Master An stared blankly at Mo Hua's retreating back.

Soon, the screen shifted slightly, and An Yonglu, head of the An family, stepped out from behind it, tiptoeing to Young Master An's side, respectfully pouring him tea, and asking cautiously:

"Father, how did it go?"

Young Master An thought of Mo Hua's composed demeanor, then saw his son's humble, timid posture—and his anger flared.

"You, the head of this family, and you can't even face a matter of this importance?"

"A child of ten-odd years can come to me openly, reason with me clearly. You—your own son—can't help at all, can't say a word, just hide behind the screen and eavesdrop!"

"If this family falls into your hands, it's doomed!"

"If the An family is truly handed over to you, it'll be finished sooner or later!"

An Yonglu was scolded into silence, his heart full of grievance:

I wanted to step forward—but wasn't it you who didn't trust me?

But he dared not reply.

After venting, Young Master An's anger subsided. He sighed deeply and said:

After Old Master An finished his scolding, the anger in his heart subsided. He let out a long sigh and said:

An Yonglu said, "Don't listen to that boy's flattery..."

Young Master An sighed. "Mo Hua has his own motives, but what he said is true. With disaster looming, our family's wealth cannot be held onto... better to trade it for a good reputation."

Old Master An sighed and said: "Mo Hua does have his own selfish motives, but what he said is also the truth. When great disaster strikes, the An family's current foundation cannot be held… better to trade it for a good reputation."

Young Master An replied coldly, "With what?"

Old Master An said coldly, "Defend it with what?"

An Yonglu wanted to say he could guard it, but the words stuck in his throat, and he dared not speak up.

Seeing this, Old Master An looked weary and said slowly:

"These past days, I've thought long and hard, but still found no good solution."

"Before our An family lie only two paths: either leave, or stay."

"If we leave, we can move the whole family to another Xiancheng—but every Xiancheng is already controlled by powerful factions, and they may not tolerate the An family, let alone let us share their spoils."

"Our An family's restaurant has long thrived on harmony and profit, and among our descendants, there are none who are ruthless or cruel. If we relocate, within three generations, we will decline."

"If we migrate with the wandering cultivators, our An family becomes prime meat—everyone will take a bite."

As he spoke, Old Master An recalled past events.

Years ago, the An family's merchant caravan, escorted by direct-line disciples, was entirely wiped out within Great Heishan by evil cultivators secretly dispatched by the Qian family's ancestral elder—no one survived.

Even now, thinking of it, Old Master An felt a chill of dread.

On the journey to relocate, we would pass through how many Great Heishan regions, encounter how many Shanzhai?

Our An family, trudging along that road, might have our bones gnawed clean by others.

"If we don't leave, then we must stay—and build a great array."

"If we stay to build the great array, we must unite as one. Even these impoverished wandering cultivators have donated their spirit stones—how could our An family be selfish and let others look down on us?"

Old Master An had one more point he didn't say.

He had his own private motives.

His lifespan was running short; his cultivation could no longer advance—he could see his life ending soon. Though he was the Foundation Establishment patriarch, commanding respect before others, he had achieved little.

Old Master An was unwilling to spend his final years in idle waste. He wanted to leave behind a name for himself, and a good reputation for the An family.

Once his resolve was set, Old Master An felt much lighter. "Donate."

An Yonglu blinked. "Donate everything?"

Hearing this, Old Master An's temper flared again. "Are you an idiot? If we donate everything, will our whole family drink wind from the northwest? Before you speak, can't you use your brain?"

An Yonglu spoke weakly: "Then how much should we donate…"

Old Master An felt a headache coming on, and forced patience: "Seven or eight tenths."

"Oh." An Yonglu ventured again: "Then I'll tally it up and hand it to Zhou Zhangsi?"

Old Master An nodded, then paused, shook his head. "No. Tally it up, make a list, and deliver it personally to Mo Hua."

An Yonglu froze, displeased. "That's too much favoritism toward him…"

Even if he can draw great arrays, he's still just a child of ten or so.

An Yonglu was about to say more, but saw Old Master An's eyelids twitching—his suppressed fury meant he was about to strike.

An Yonglu immediately fell silent.

Old Master An sighed helplessly:

"When you go to find Mo Hua, bring Xiao Fu along. Say as little as possible—except for necessary matters—and be respectful."

An Yonglu bowed his head in assent, but his expression still showed confusion.

Old Master An sipped tea, thought for a moment, then spoke with solemn gravity:

"These spirit stones are being used to buy reputation."

"If we succeed in killing the great demon, all our An family descendants will gain a good name."

"If we fail, the wandering cultivators will still remember our kindness—especially Elder Yu. If we befriend him, when the An family faces hardship, the demon hunters will come to our aid."

"But most importantly, these spirit stones must buy Mo Hua's favor."

"This child, Mo Hua, still understands favor." Old Master An exhaled softly, then sighed with emotion:

"If the great array is truly built, Mo Hua will be the thirteen-year-old master arrayist of a first-rank array—no reputation, no matter how great, is more valuable than Mo Hua's personal favor."

An Yonglu was stunned. "Is it really that important?"

Old Master An shook his head, murmuring: "You don't understand the weight of the words 'master arrayist.' Especially when that master arrayist is only thirteen—that's even more terrifying…"

An Yonglu's heart tightened, and he solemnly nodded.

If Old Master An said so, then the master arrayist must be even more formidable.

Still, whether first-rank arrayist or master arrayist—he felt it was essentially the same…

Seeing his expression, Old Master An knew he understood nothing, and sighed deeply again.

Two days later, An Yonglu had tallied the spirit stones and array materials, drawn up a list, and brought Xiao Fu to personally deliver them to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua was overjoyed. "Thank you, Uncle An—please tell Old Master An that Mo Hua remembers this favor!"

An Yonglu nodded, feeling his task complete. Remembering Old Master An's instructions, he said nothing extra, exchanged a few polite words, and left.

Only Xiao Fu stayed behind.

He had no ulterior motives—he didn't care whether spirit stones were donated or not. He'd just heard there was something to do, and that it involved Mo Hua, so he'd happily tagged along—and then, legitimately, stayed for a meal before returning.

After all, in his mind, Mo Hua's family meals were the best.

Thank you to Xingyezhilian for the donation~

Thank you all for your support.

I'm writing slowly right now—only two updates per day, about 5–6k words each.

I'll gradually adjust later and try to increase the frequency.