Chapter 11: Fire Chick
Chapter 11: Fire Chick
The meat in the bowl had a faint golden hue, with a translucent and glistening texture. It resembled chicken legs, but their size was comparable to the pork hocks Mo Hua had eaten in his past life.
The soup was clear and shiny, with a thin layer of oil on the surface. It was moist without being greasy, garnished with some mushrooms and other vegetables, along with small pieces of emerald-green spices.
It had been a long time since Mo Hua last tasted meat. The last time was half a year ago during the Demon-Hunting Festival.
Meat was a luxury in the cultivation world. Ordinary cultivators rarely had the opportunity to eat meat unless it was during festivals or special occasions.
There were two main types of meat consumed by cultivators. One was the meat of spiritual beasts.
Spiritual beasts were different from demonic beasts as they were raised by cultivators and fed with spiritual herbs and other natural spiritual substances. Their meat was tender, easy to cook, and imbued with spiritual energy, making it extremely expensive and unaffordable for solitary cultivators.
The other type was the meat of herbivorous demonic beasts.
All demonic beasts were capable of killing people, but not all of them ate humans. Those that fed on spiritual herbs might have a violent temperament and slaughter cultivators, but they wouldn't consume their flesh.
On the other hand, carnivorous demonic beasts had most likely tasted human flesh. If they hadn't, it wasn't because they didn't want to, but simply because they hadn't come across a suitable cultivator to devour.
Hence, while the meat of herbivorous demonic beasts had an unusual taste, cultivators could still consume it. The meat of carnivorous demonic beasts, however, was bloody and foul, difficult to swallow, and could easily contaminate one's qi and blood, leading to disordered meridians, and even insanity in some cases.
Although the meat of herbivorous demonic beasts wasn't expensive, most cultivators still avoided eating it.
The bodies of demonic beasts, including the herbivorous ones, were far stronger than those of cultivators. Their meat was too tough to chew, and it required long hours of stewing to make it edible.
Solitary cultivators couldn't afford the time and effort, and those who could would opt for spiritual beast meat instead.
As a result, any kind of meat was a rare sight on a solitary cultivator's table.
The meat in front of him, however, had a faint white mist rising from it, indicating the presence of a small amount of spiritual energy.
Liu Ruhua waved at Mo Hua and said, "This is Fire Chick meat. Your father bought it to nourish your body."
She couldn't help but pinch Mo Hua's soft, white cheeks as she added, "Look how thin you've become lately."
Mo Hua hesitated, then asked, "This meat must be quite expensive, right?"
Mo Shan dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand. "I only bought half of it, so it didn't cost that many spirit stones. Besides, I got it from a friend on the Demon-Hunting Team. We'll be working together next year, so it's like exchanging favors. It was half-bought, half-given."
"Dad, are you going into the inner mountains next year?" Mo Hua inquired.
Mo Shan nodded. "It's getting harder to make a living in the outer mountains these days. The gains from killing a demonic beast are too low, and if someone gets injured, we might even end up losing money. Although the demonic beasts in the inner mountains are stronger, if we get something good from them, it will be worth our while. So next year..."
Mo Shan suddenly stopped and laughed at himself. "Why am I telling you all this?"
Liu Ruhua gently glared at Mo Shan and used a spoon to ladle a bowl of soup for Mo Hua. "Taste it and see how it is."
Mo Hua took a sip of the soup and then ate a piece of the meat. The soup was fresh and the meat was fragrant, fatty yet not greasy, a delightful combination of flavor and aroma.
This was the most delicious meat Mo Hua had ever tasted in his life.
Mo Hua narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and praised, "Mom, you cooked it so well!"
Liu Ruhua couldn't help but laugh. "If you like it, eat more. This bowl is all yours, so make sure you finish it." With that, she headed toward the kitchen, saying, "I'll bring some other dishes as well..."
Mo Shan stood up to help, but Liu Ruhua insisted.
When Mo Hua saw that his parents were in the kitchen, he took the opportunity to put a few pieces of the Fire Chick meat into his bowl and distributed the rest into his parents' bowls.
When Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua returned with the dishes, they found their bowls filled with meat.
Liu Ruhua felt both pleased and amused. "This meat was specially bought for you. At our age, we don't expect any further progress in our cultivation, so eating this spiritual meat would be a waste..."
As Liu Ruhua tried to put the meat into Mo Hua's bowl, he covered the bowl with both hands and shook his head. "I've had enough. I can't finish any more."
Mo Shan added meat to his wife's bowl, murmuring, "You've endured so much these years. Eat more to nourish your body..."
Liu Ruhua then transferred the meat back to her husband's bowl, gently insisting, "You're the one who's been traveling and enduring the elements. You work hard, so you eat more..."
Mo Hua's teeth ached just listening to them. He couldn't help but interject, "If you don't eat the meat soon, it'll get cold."
In their exchange, Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua had forgotten that their son was sitting right there. Noticing Mo Hua's watery eyes, Liu Ruhua's face turned slightly pink, while Mo Shan gave a slight cough and nonchalantly continued eating.
Only after seeing his parents finish the meat in their bowls did Mo Hua nod in satisfaction.
Then, he wondered if there was a way for his parents to eat more meat. Demon beast meat, though tough, was beneficial to cultivators as it strengthened their qi and blood.
Setting this thought aside for the moment, Mo Hua's immediate priority was to finish drawing the Brightfire Array and head to the merchant guild to collect his payment from the plump manager.
After the meal, Mo Hua returned to his room to meditate and digest the Fire Chick meat. Since it didn't contain much spiritual energy, it didn't take him long.
Once the spiritual energy was refined, Mo Hua resumed his work on the Brightfire Array, finally completing another one just before he went to sleep.
Before drifting off, Mo Hua continued to practice drawing the array on the Dao Monument, reinforcing his memory of the array and reflecting on the shortcomings of his brushwork.
The next morning, after his meditation and cultivation practice, Mo Hua continued drawing arrays. He successfully completed two Brightfire Arrays during the day but felt a significant drain on his spiritual sense. He took a short break after dinner and continued practicing in his dreams.
By the fourth day, Mo Hua's brushwork had become much more skilled, and his spiritual sense seemed to have thickened, perhaps due to his deepening understanding of the Brightfire Array. As a result, he consumed less spiritual sense, and after drawing two arrays during the day, he still had the energy to draw another one after dinner. However, his eagerness caused a mistake in his brushwork, resulting in a failed array.
That night, as he slept, Mo Hua continued to reflect and summarize his learnings in his sea of consciousness, practicing the array on the Dao Monument.
On the fifth day, Mo Hua spent the entire day drawing three Brightfire Arrays, and all of them were successful. His spiritual sense was somewhat depleted, leaving him dizzy and lightheaded, but it was nothing like the excruciating headache he had experienced before. A brief rest with his eyes closed was all he needed.
With that, Mo Hua had used up all ten sets of array materials provided by the merchant guild, successfully creating eight Brightfire Arrays.
Although there were some flaws, and he saw room for improvement, he was largely satisfied.
That evening, Mo Hua indulged a little and didn't continue practicing arrays on the Dao Monument. Instead, he drew a few comic strips just for fun.
The next morning, after breakfast, Mo Hua arranged to go out with Da Hu and the other two boys.
He kept the completed arrays in his storage bag, slung it over his shoulder, and just as he was about to leave, Liu Ruhua gave him one spirit stone and five fragments of a spirit stone, telling him to buy treats and toys if he saw anything he liked. She also reminded him to be careful and stay safe.
Da Hu and his friends proudly vowed to protect Mo Hua and ensure he wasn't bullied.
Mo Hua waved goodbye to his mother and set off with his three little friends.
Da Hu and his buddies were full of energy, jumping and skipping along the lively cobblestone road.
The four of them, three boisterous young boys, and one porcelain doll-like child, made their way through the bustling street...
(End of Chapter)
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