Master Gu waved his hand dismissively, “What trouble? It’s just a few Second Grade Formation media pieces. I have some free time anyway, so consider it a warm-up for my skills…”
Mo Hua opted not to decline further, “Then I must thank Master Gu.”
Master Gu clasped his hands together, “It’s nothing, Young Master. You are too kind.”
Subsequently, a waiter brought in two more dishes, one a steamed bighead carp and the other a deep-fried goldfish, both of which Mo Hua had never tasted before.
“Please try this, young master.” Master Gu called out.
Mo Hua tasted it and nodded in approval, “Delicious.”
Master Gu smiled in response.
Afterward, the two chatted for a while more. It was all Mo Hua asking and Master Gu answering.
If Mo Hua did not ask, Master Gu would just serve him more dishes, but he never initiated any question nor volunteered any information on his own.
Mo Hua had thought that Master Gu inviting him for a meal must have been for a reason.
But now, it seemed he simply invited him as a guest without any hidden agenda.
After eating his fill, Mo Hua remembered another question and took the opportunity to ask:
“Master Gu, Solitary Mountain City is within the Third-Grade State Boundary, right? So why does it look…”
Mo Hua paused, but then decided to tell the truth, “…so poor?”
Master Gu was taken aback, his face revealing a bitter smile.
“Should we not speak of it?” Mo Hua asked.
Master Gu shook his head, “There’s nothing that can’t be said. Since Young Master Mo asks, speaking openly is no harm…”
Master Gu sighed and slowly said:
“The matter is actually simple…”
“Centuries ago, Solitary Mountain City was a mining town with continuous mines, rich in mineral resources, actually quite prosperous.”
“And back then, the mined ore was highly compatible with spiritual power, making it very suitable for refining into ‘Formation media’.”
“There’s an old saying that goes, ‘One takes advantage of what’s available locally.’ Backed by the mines, the cultivators in the city mostly made a living from artifact refining, particularly the refining of ‘Formation media.'”
“Though they didn’t become incredibly rich, life was quite good.”
“What happened later?” Mo Hua sipped some fish soup and asked curiously.
“Later…”
Master Gu sighed again, “Later, some of the Great Families from Qian State took a fancy to the extensive mines of Solitary Mountain City and aimed to buy them to refine some luxurious spiritual artifacts.”
Mo Hua frowned, “Luxurious spiritual artifacts?”
Master Gu explained: “These are items like colorful glazed roof tiles, multicolored lamps, splendidly bright bricks and stones, gold and silver adorned carriages, and the like…”
“These things, while costly to make, have an even more expensive selling price.”
Mo Hua was puzzled, “Apart from looking good, do these things serve any other purpose?”
Master Gu sighed, “These are symbols to flaunt one’s status. To some people, this is more useful than anything else.”
“Did the cultivators of Solitary Mountain City agree?”
Master Gu furrowed his brow, “Some agreed, some didn’t, but those who didn’t were eventually forced into agreement.”
“Faced with the overwhelming power of the Great Families, the cultivators of Solitary Mountain City, including the loose cultivators and some smaller families, didn’t stand a chance to resist.”
Master Gu’s expression was filled with bitterness.
“Doesn’t the Taoist Court do anything?”
Master Gu did not dare to speak outright but instead asked rhetorically, “Where do you think the cultivators holding office in the Taoist Court come from?”
Mo Hua’s gaze darkened.
Master Gu sighed again, “Moreover, on the surface, all procedures were legal and above board.”
“The Great Families indeed ‘bought’ or ‘leased’ these mines from the hands of the cultivators of Solitary Mountain City.”
“The Spirit Pacts were clearly marked with spiritual power signatures.”
“The Great Families ‘acted by the book,’ and the Taoist Court ‘followed the law,’ leaving the cultivators of Solitary Mountain City without any recourse.”
“Thereafter, various Great Families set up Refinery Shops within Solitary Mountain City, mining the ores day and night without cease.”
“At first, the cultivators of Solitary Mountain City protested and caused disturbances, leading to some turmoil.”
“Latterly, the Great Families decided to only hire local cultivators for the mining and paid a not insignificant amount.”
“With the income of Spirit Stones, the local cultivators gradually quelled their dissatisfaction and settled down.”
“But then…”
Master Gu shook his head, “The noble families, with the help of large spiritual machines and formations, mined too aggressively.”
“In just under a century, all the ore veins were exhausted.”
“After the Great Families left, they only left behind a scoured wasteland of mines.”
“The very foundation the cultivators of Solitary Mountain City relied upon for their livelihood was destroyed overnight, and thereafter the city gradually fell into decline.”
“Some smaller families went bankrupt, struggled together, became unable to afford even a bowl of rice, had to fend for themselves, split apart, and returned to being loose cultivators.”
“As for the loose cultivators, they were even more on their own.”
“Those who could leave, did; those who were unable, without any means of livelihood outside, could only stay in Solitary Mountain City, picking up scrap ores from the abandoned mines to exchange at the decaying Refinery Shops for one or two Spirit Stones, barely scraping by to survive…”
…
Mo Hua’s expression became solemn and pensive.
He was clearly in Qian State, but it felt as if he had returned to Li State, to those low-grade, impoverished small state boundaries.
The principle of humanity, to take from the insufficient to give to those who have more than enough…