"Who knows? I haven’t left the inn, how could I know..."
Mo Hua’s eyes flickered, staring at Mr. Zhuang, then gradually became certain in his heart.
There must be one!
Whenever Mr. Zhuang showed this kind of teasing expression, it meant it was true.
Mr. Zhuang shook his head slightly and patted Mo Hua’s head, "We might have to stay here longer, find a cave dwelling to settle in. The inn is noisy and not very convenient."
"A cave dwelling?" Mo Hua was somewhat astonished.
He had never lived in a cave dwelling.
Cave dwellings in the Cultivation World were generally very expensive.
In Tongxian City, only prominent or well-backed cultivators could afford the spirit stones to buy a cave dwelling.
Like Master Luo, a first-grade Formation Master, and the An Family’s patriarch, Old Master An.
Although Mo Hua himself was also a first-grade Formation Master, he wasn’t as "corrupt" as Master Luo; when drawing formations for people, he charged very few spirit stones.
If he was dealing with loose cultivators like those from East Mountain Village, he even did it for free as long as they provided their own spiritual ink.
He just treated it as free practice for drawing formations.
So although he was not lacking in spirit stones now, he was also far from being wealthy.
"A cave mansion, that must be expensive..." Mo Hua said weakly.
Upon seeing Mo Hua’s expression, Mr. Zhuang revealed a smile and kindly said,
"As a first-grade Formation Master, it would actually be strange if you didn’t live in a cave mansion."
"But..."
"Don’t worry about spirit stones," Mr. Zhuang said. "You can go and choose a cave mansion in the city with your senior brothers and sisters later."
Since Mr. Zhuang had spoken, Mo Hua could only nod and then asked,
"What kind of cave mansion should we pick?"
"Look at the spiritual energy, the location, the formations, the Five Elements," Mr. Zhuang answered.
Mo Hua was initially stunned, but then gradually grasped what his master was implying.
The master was testing him.
On the surface, it was about choosing a cave mansion, but in reality, it was a test of his understanding and comprehension of formations, spiritual energy, and various principles of Tao cultivation.
"Understood, Master."
In the afternoon, when he had some free time, Mo Hua followed Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi to the streets of South Yue City, looking to rent a cave mansion.
Buying one would be too expensive, and since they were only staying temporarily, renting was sufficient.
Mo Hua had never lived in a cave mansion, but he knew well how to find one and the intricacies involved.
Having grown up in Tongxian City, he had always been popular among cultivators of the same age like Da’hu and Dazhu.
After becoming a Formation Master, he had built an extensive network among the adults as well.
Having been exposed to the ways of the lower-ranking cultivators, he was familiar with them.
Although South Yue City was not Tongxian City, the rules and customs of the loose cultivators at the bottom were much the same.
Generally speaking, renting or purchasing a cave mansion relied on the services of a housing agency.
The intermediaries at a housing agency were generally called housing agency workers.
Mo Hua arrived at a housing agency and found a shrewd worker, expressing his intention to rent a cave mansion.
The worker was confused and somewhat indifferent when he saw the three children, Mo Hua included.
He thought Mo Hua was joking with him.
Three kids, renting a cave mansion?
Mo Hua handed over a spirit stone to him.
The worker was surprised, weighed the spirit stone in his hand, and immediately plastered a smile on his face:
"Dear young friends, what kind of cave mansion would you like to see?"
Whether these three kids rented or not, he had gotten his hands on the spirit stone.
It didn’t matter if they didn’t buy.
It was as if he had earned a spirit stone just for accompanying the children on a walk, and that wasn’t a loss either.
Unsure of what kind of cave mansion he wanted, Mo Hua said, "Just show us around."
"Alright!"
The worker then enthusiastically led the way, taking them on a tour of the cave mansions listed in the housing agency’s registry.
As the worker led the way, he talked non-stop:
"This cave mansion is great, spacious and roomy..."