"So why is he helping us?"
"Yes, what does he gain from it, and he isn’t even taking our Spirit Stones..."
"If he wanted Spirit Stones, could you afford it?"
"We’re so poor we can’t even scrape the bottom of the pot..."
"The Old Ancestor of the Sun Family’s Formation, could it be just an ordinary Formation? How many Spirit Stones would it take to draw such a Formation?"
"Even if we emptied out all the village’s reserves, the gathered Spirit Stones might still be insufficient to pay the fee..."
"I just find it odd, this young gentleman seems too kind-hearted."
"Isn’t that just a cheap mentality? If this young gentleman were like the Sun Family, riding roughshod over us, would that be better?"
"Drawing this Formation requires reconstructing the Spirit Fields, but these fields are ancestral, untouchable."
"Why are they untouchable?"
"Because they are ancestral; that makes them untouchable..."
...
The crowd was buzzing with discussion, some agreeing, some disagreeing, and others anxious and uncertain.
They were Spirit Farmers, relying on the Spirit Fields for their livelihood.
Anything concerning the Spirit Fields touched upon their lifeblood, so making a decision was complicated, fraught with concerns.
The Elder listened to their argument, and after a long contemplation, he finally said slowly:
"We need to build this Formation."
The room fell silent for a moment.
A Spirit Farmer frowned and said, "But Elder, this matter is not without risk."
The Elder shook his head, "I don’t want the descendants of East Mountain Village to suffer from hunger anymore."
"Indeed, there is risk involved, but what doesn’t carry risk? Can people like us, poor Cultivators, ever encounter risk-free good fortune?"
"If we don’t take this risk, it will fall to our descendants to do so."
"But our descendants may not get this opportunity."
The Elder’s cloudy eyes shone with a glint of determination as he looked over everyone, his voice heavy with gravity:
"Although this young Gentleman is of young age, he is an expert in the art of Formations."
"Him willing to help us is our opportunity."
"Once he leaves, who else could understand such profound Formations, and even if someone does, who would be willing to help us draw them?"
"Don’t rely on luck, thinking the future will be better."
"If we don’t seize the present, the future will only get worse."
"This is our only hope."
"If we don’t take this chance, our descendants will starve!"
The Elder’s voice was hoarse and heavy, and upon finishing, an old ailment flared up, causing him to cough violently while frowning deeply.
Everyone fell silent.
Some still looked hesitant, but the eyes of many became resolute.
...
The next day, the Elder approached Mo Hua and relayed the villagers’ decision.
"Everyone has agreed to contribute what they can, whether it be Spirit Stones or labor, to rebuild the Formation in the Spirit Field."
Afterward, the Elder gave Mo Hua a grave bow:
"I implore you, young Gentleman, save the Cultivators of Thousand Families Town from this famine!"
Mo Hua could not accept such a grand gesture and hurriedly helped the Elder to his feet.
The Elder looked at Mo Hua expectantly.
But Mo Hua shook his head and said, "I can’t save you."
The Elder looked astonished.
Mo Hua sighed, "I can only help you draw the Formation, but if a Formation could really save you, the Formation painted by the Old Ancestor of the Sun Family would have already done so."
"But it hasn’t..."
"Over the years, you still live day to day, half-starved."
The Elder was visibly shaken, then reflective, his emotions fluctuating momentarily.
Mo Hua continued:
"I can draw the Formation well, make the soil fertile, and the Spirit Field bountiful, so everyone can have enough to eat."
"But what then?"