Eatery

Utilizing the stone tablet in his sea of consciousness, Mo Hua continuously honed his array formations to strengthen his spiritual awareness.

Although this method was clumsy, it was currently Mo Hua's only option.

"It's fortunate that I have the stone tablet in my sea of consciousness. Otherwise, it would be impossible to use such a clumsy method," Mo Hua thought with some relief. In reality, drawing arrays consumed too much spiritual awareness and recovered too slowly. Enhancing spiritual awareness through this method would inevitably require several times more time and effort.

Since that was the case, Mo Hua settled down and practiced the Meltfire Array on the stone tablet without distraction.

As long as he kept practicing, he would eventually learn it.

Mo Hua first tried his best to draw the first four formations. When his spiritual awareness was almost depleted, he erased the formations.

After a short rest, he continued drawing, and then erased again.

In this way, he repeated the cycle until he felt his spiritual awareness had a bit of surplus, then after drawing the four formations, he added an extra stroke.

An entire night passed, and Mo Hua had only managed to add two strokes more than when he started, but these two strokes at least indicated that his spiritual awareness was indeed growing.

The next day, Mo Hua went to the market to buy some ink needed for the Meltfire Array.

The ink was made from the blood of fire-type spirit beasts, mixed with some herbs, and wasn't particularly expensive. Mo Hua bought over ten portions at once.

Because array masters were rare, there weren't many cultivators who could draw arrays, so there were few buyers for ink. The shopkeeper rarely encountered such a big customer as Mo Hua and even gave him a few extra portions.

Back home, Mo Hua began practicing drawing the Meltfire Array with the ink.

Since the ink was purchased with spirit stones, Mo Hua took extra care in his drawing, focusing meticulously on every stroke.

Of course, limited by his spiritual awareness, Mo Hua could only add two extra strokes after completing the first four formations. He couldn't draw out the complete Meltfire Array with five formations.

After finishing each drawing, he had to rest for an hour to recover his spiritual awareness. When his spiritual awareness was replenished, he continued to draw.

This efficiency was much lower compared to drawing on the stone tablet in his sea of consciousness. It also consumed ink and spirit paper, which meant spending spirit stones. However, Mo Hua didn't mind this expense if it meant learning the Meltfire Array sooner.

Practicing arrays day and night like this, after half a month, Mo Hua could add about ten extra strokes beyond the four formations, roughly equivalent to half a formation.

At this rate, it was estimated that in another half a month, Mo Hua's spiritual awareness would be sufficient to draw a complete Meltfire Array with all five formations.

Mo Hua sighed quietly with relief.

Considering the time required for the stove's refinement, some planning had to be done sooner rather than later.

During the day, Mo Hua strolled around the streets and returned home in the evening to have dinner with his parents.

Under the flickering candlelight, the table was set with fragrant rice porridge, soft steamed buns, two plates of fresh vegetables, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.

On a common cultivator's dining table, this was already quite sumptuous, as meat was practically unheard of.

Liu Ruhua was skilled in cooking, and though the meal was simple, it was delicious. Mo Hua enjoyed it thoroughly.

However, despite Liu Ruhua cooking, the fire used was fueled by Mo Shan's spiritual power.

Liu Ruhua's expression was as usual, but amidst her attentive gaze, there was always a hint of loss, occasionally distant in thought.

Mo Hua finished a steamed bun in three bites, puffed out his cheeks, and suddenly asked, "Mother, have you ever thought about opening an eatery?"

Liu Ruhua, who was delicately sipping porridge, paused, then smiled and asked, "Why do you suddenly ask this?"

"Because your cooking is so delicious, an eatery would definitely earn a lot of spirit stones," Mo Hua replied.

"Opening an eatery also requires capital. As cultivators from a family like ours, where would we get the spirit stones to open an eatery?" Liu Ruhua chuckled and then playfully tapped Mo Hua's nose with her white fingers, saying, "When you grow up and reach a high cultivation level, and can earn a lot of spirit stones, then we can open one."

Mo Hua whispered, "Then let's start with a small one."

"What small one?" Liu Ruhua paused.

"A food stall," Mo Hua said. "I went around the streets and found that there are many food stalls selling liquor, dishes, snacks, noodles, and the like, and their businesses are quite good."

Liu Ruhua hesitated, her expression somewhat downcast.

Seeing this, Mo Shan whispered, "Little one, your mother... can't use spiritual power."

Without spiritual power, she couldn't provide fire, making it impossible to cook meals for cultivators.

Even if she could use spiritual power, running a food stall meant preparing many dishes, which was not something a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage could sustain with their spiritual power.

Mo Hua raised his delicate eyebrows triumphantly. "We'll build a stove."

"A stove?" Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua exchanged glances.

Mo Hua took out a large piece of paper from his storage bag. "This is the design for the stove. I consulted Master Chen from the refining workshop about the materials, size, and the amount of spirit stones needed. I'll figure out the array formations. Once this stove is made, it won't require a cultivator to activate it with spiritual power. Just insert spirit stones, and it will continuously provide fire, making cooking much more convenient for preparing dishes and simmering ingredients."

Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua were both stunned to see their son take out the design. They were momentarily speechless.

"Making a stove requires a lot of spirit stones..." Liu Ruhua began.

"We'll start with a small stove. I asked Master Chen, and it doesn't require too many spirit stones. For a small food stall, a smaller stove will suffice," Mo Hua interrupted.

"What about the array formations?" Liu Ruhua asked.

Mo Hua pretended to be calm, but there was a hint of concealed pride in his expression. "I'll handle that. I've already obtained the array diagrams from Manager Mo, and the formations aren't difficult..."

After spending several nights depleting his spiritual awareness, practicing over and over again, Mo Hua, who still hadn't fully learned the Meltfire Array, felt a slight sense of unease towards the end of the conversation.

Liu Ruhua looked at Mo Hua suspiciously. "Is it really not difficult?"

Mo Hua chuckled, "Although I haven't learned it yet, after a few more days of practice, it'll be fine."

There was no choice; the Meltfire Array with its five formations wasn't easy to learn.

Liu Ruhua nodded thoughtfully, thinking that Mo Hua was still young and hadn't been learning array formations for long. If he could learn it, it shouldn't be a particularly difficult array formation.

But after thinking it over, she shook her head and said, "Opening a shop isn't that easy. Even if it's a small food stall, you need to rent a storefront, hire help, and there are many things to manage. It also costs a lot of spirit stones. Once expenses exceed income, it will be even more difficult for our family to get by. For now, it's most important to save some spirit stones for you to practice cultivation..."

Mo Shan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "We'll open this eatery. I'll take care of the storefront and manpower. You don't have to worry about it."

Mo Shan took out another storage bag and handed it to Mo Hua. "There are over a hundred spirit stones in here, earned from hunting monsters over the past few months. I know you've earned quite a few spirit stones by drawing array formations for others, but we'll deduct the spirit stones needed for making the stove from here first..."

Mo Hua was about to refuse, but Mo Shan stuffed the bag into his hands.

Holding the bag, Mo Hua felt that the spirit stones inside were heavier than usual, as they were earned through his father's and monsters' desperate battles.

Since Mo Shan had already agreed, the matter of opening the eatery was basically settled. After finishing dinner, Mo Hua returned to his room to continue practicing drawing the Meltfire Array.

Liu Ruhua still looked worried.

Mo Shan comforted her, "Don't worry too much. Running an eatery is just a small business. Even if we lose money, it won't be much."

Liu Ruhua sighed, "Our son is talented. In the future, when he cultivates, learns techniques, Daoist arts, and wants to become an array master to learn array formations, it will cost a lot of spirit stones. If we use up all the spirit stones now, what will happen if there aren't enough spirit stones for Mo Hua's cultivation in the future?"

Mo Shan spoke gently, "Don't underestimate our son. He's already able to help the trading company with array formations. Although they're simple formations, it's still remarkable. Maybe in ten or twenty years, after further practice, he'll really become an array master."

Mo Shan chuckled, "By then, we might have to rely on our son to support us."

Liu Ruhua smiled, but still felt uneasy.

Mo Shan held Liu Ruhua's hand. "Let's focus on running the eatery well, save up more spirit stones, and then find a way to get Mo Hua a wife and let him marry and have children."

Following Mo Shan's words, Liu Ruhua smiled, but still felt somewhat uneasy. "What if..."

"Even if there are 'what ifs,' I'll be here. Even if times get tough, there will always be a solution. We might just have to work a little harder and kill a few more monsters," Mo Shan said in a warm and firm tone.

Liu Ruhua didn't say anything further, quietly leaning into Mo Shan's embrace.

(End of the Chapter)