It’s good for young people to be spirited, but their backgrounds and family circumstances can’t support that kind of temperament.
Master Chen sighed, but even so, right and wrong still couldn’t be muddled.
Looking at the group of kids in front of him, Master Chen felt both concern and relief:
“There were reasons for the incident, so I won’t delve into it. Helping others is right, but avoid casualties when you can, and don’t always act impulsively. Don’t make your parents worry. Today, you won’t get a beating. Kneel here for two hours, reflect on your actions, and then you can leave.”
Dazhu and the others sighed with relief. Kneeling for two hours was nothing as long as they were not beaten. Besides, it seemed that the master wasn’t really angry with them, and he appeared to believe that they hadn’t done wrong but was just punishing them symbolically.
With such realization, everyone felt much more comfortable, and even while kneeling, they sat up straighter.
It was then that Dazhu thought of something and said to Master Chen, “Master, Mo Hua said that since we helped him, if we ever need any formations drawn, we could just look for him. As long as they aren’t too difficult, he should be able to handle them…”
“Oh,”
Master Chen, hands clasped behind his back, began to walk away, then after a few steps, turned back around and asked, “What did you say?”
Dazhu sensed something unusual about his master and said, “Mo Hua said…”
Dazhu repeated what Mo Hua had told them.
“Did Mo Hua really say that?” Master Chen asked.
Dazhu nodded, and the disciples added, “That’s what he said.”
After calming his mind several times, Master Chen couldn’t help but rub his hands together, pondered for a moment, and hesitated before saying:
“If we helped him and he helps us draw some formations, that shouldn’t be considered taking advantage of him, right…”
After thinking for a moment, Dazhu replied, “Mo Hua said it’s mutual aid among loose cultivators, not taking advantage!”
“That’s right!”
Master Chen couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore, but then, remembering he was in front of his disciples, he tried to keep a straight face, though he couldn’t quite suppress his smile.
Now that they had someone to take care of the formations in the Refinery Shop, even if it was just saving on the Formation Master’s fee, it was a significant expense spared.
The saved spirit stones could go towards necessary repairs in the Refinery Shop, purchases that needed to be made, better quality metal for artifact refining, and his disciples could even have a few more bowls of rice each meal.
Master Chen felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he felt more invigorated.
“Such good children…” Master Chen, in high spirits, turned to his disciples and said, “Mo Hua may be young, but he’s talented and diligent. By helping us with the formation drawings, we are the ones at an advantage. If his family ever finds themselves in trouble, you must help out as much as you can. Remember this!”
“Yes, Master!” Dazhu and the others quickly nodded their heads.
“Alright, you can all go now,” Master Chen waved them off.
“Yes.” Just as Dazhu was about to respond, he suddenly remembered something else and asked quietly, “Aren’t we kneeling anymore?”
Master Chen was both amused and annoyed, “Kneel what? Scram!”
“Yes!”
The disciples replied loudly, running off as if a great burden had been lifted.
Master Chen shook his head, “A bunch of silly boys, who knows when they will grow up…”
He had initially returned in anger, but now, looking at his disciples, his mood was much better. He thought about finding a place to have a few drinks, took a few steps, then suddenly stopped.
Master Chen slapped his forehead, “I forgot to ask, how did things end up with the Qian Family?”
Though Qian Xing was no good, any mishap would still be troublesome.
But after another thought, with the Qian Family’s numbers and strength, along with a host of guards, it was unlikely they came to harm. Besides, it was just a fight involving children in the middle phase of Qi Refinement, and even if someone got hurt, it shouldn’t have been too serious. If there had been an incident, these children wouldn’t have been able to return safely.
Thinking this, Master Chen felt at ease and went on to enjoy his drink with peace of mind.