Vine Armor

"We followed Uncle Zhou up the mountain to hunt demons and encountered a Clawed Crimson Wolf Demon, about the height of two men, with crimson fur, three-foot-long fangs, and hooked claws. Its cultivation was probably mid-stage First Rank, not quite late-stage, so our team could handle it. Uncle Zhou engaged it while we provided support from the outside to prevent it from escaping..."

"We fought for a while, and Uncle Zhou and the others were injured. The Clawed Crimson Wolf Demon seemed on the verge of death, but then it suddenly surged towards the three of us. Da Hu and I remembered Uncle Zhou's instructions not to act rashly. However, Xiao Hu, in his haste, struck at the demon."

"That strike only grazed the demon's fur, but seizing Xiao Hu's momentary vulnerability, the demon circled behind him and tore through Xiao Hu's Vine Armor with a swipe, leaving his flesh open and blood flowing uncontrollably..."

Shuang Hu wiped his tears with his sleeve, choked up as he said, "Uncle Zhou said that the demon's claws carry demon energy. Once they tear open a wound, the bleeding won't stop. Many cultivators have died this way, bleeding out until they perish..."

Da Hu's eyes also glistened with tears, filled with guilt. "If only I had taken that blow for him. I'm stronger than Xiao Hu; I wouldn't have been so badly injured."

Seeing his younger brother injured like this, both older brothers felt not only sorrow but also regret.

"Elder Feng's alchemy skills are very powerful. Xiao Hu will be fine," Mo Hua said, his eyes also feeling sore, trying to comfort them.

Mo Hua carefully examined Xiao Hu's injuries again. Though blood still oozed from the wound, it was slowly clotting. This should be the effect of Elder Feng's medicine taking effect.

Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief.

Using his spiritual awareness, Mo Hua detected a faint red aura lingering around Xiao Hu's wound, likely the demon energy spoken of by demon hunters—an esoteric spiritual power blended with their own blood, drawn from the diverse spiritual energies of the heavens and earth.

Not only humans could draw power from the Dao; demon beasts could as well.

Mo Hua comforted Da Hu and Shuang Hu a few more times before handing over the items Liu Ruhua had asked him to deliver to Mrs. Meng.

Mrs. Meng wiped her tears discreetly, and upon seeing Mo Hua, forced a smile. "Please thank your mother for me. These years, we've relied on her help. It's a bother to ask you to make this trip. Please stay for lunch..."

But thinking of their poverty and lack of much food to offer, plus the hefty amount of spirit stones needed for Xiao Hu's treatment—stones they didn't have...

Mrs. Meng felt a pang in her heart. Though she tried to smile, tears streamed down her cheeks again.

Mo Hua pretended not to notice and said, "It's alright, Auntie. My mother asked me to return early. Take good care of Xiao Hu. When he's better, I'll come to play again."

Mrs. Meng nodded, choked with emotion.

"Just checked on him. Xiao Hu's wound is already starting to heal. The demonic energy around the wound has weakened significantly. With a few days of rest, he should recover slowly. Don't worry about the spirit stones. Once Da Hu and the others can handle things on their own, things will get better..."

"Mm," Mrs. Meng patted Mo Hua's head.

Though Mo Hua was young, he was sensible and knowledgeable. Hearing his words brought Mrs. Meng a strange sense of relief.

Mo Hua handed the food box to Mrs. Meng and then bid farewell to return home.

"Be careful on the way."

Mrs. Meng saw Mo Hua off at the door. Returning inside, she opened the food box and found some steamed buns and jerky, a small pot of nourishing soup, and several bottles of healing pills.

Beneath the pills lay a small cloth bag, surprisingly heavy. Opening it, Mrs. Meng found over a dozen spirit stones inside.

Mrs. Meng stared at the spirit stones, stunned for a moment, tears welling up once again.

Mo Hua returned home feeling quite downcast.

He wanted to help Da Hu and the others, but couldn't think of how. He didn't know spells, couldn't refine the body, and his cultivation wasn't high. His spirit stones were long gone.

After thinking it over, he could only resort to drawing formations.

Mo Hua hurriedly finished lunch and then ran to the Refining Workshop to find Master Chen for a new set of Vine Armor.

Mo Hua didn't have any spirit stones. He had intended to ask for credit, but Master Chen didn't say a word and simply gave him three sets of armor.

"This Vine Armor, if you were to buy it, would cost spirit stones. But here, it's not worth anything. Crafting Vine Armor doesn't require much refined iron or spiritual fluid. After soaking the vine grass, it only takes a short time under intense fire using a special technique. It doesn't take much effort either. Take these three sets and go play with them..."

After that, Mo Hua helped Master Chen with a few formations, refusing any payment. Master Chen felt uneasy and hoped Mo Hua would ask for more items from him.

If it were valuable spiritual tools, he might hesitate, but something like Vine Armor that his apprentices could produce, he'd give away without blinking an eye.

Mo Hua thanked him and returned home to inscribe the Iron Armor Formation on the three sets of Vine Armor.

One set of this Vine Armor was kept in Mo Hua's storage bag, intended for Qian Xing's self-defense, but since Qian Xing had gone mad, the armor had become useless.

However, Mo Hua couldn't use it, but Da Hu and the others certainly could.

Demon hunters faced extremely perilous situations when battling demons, especially body cultivators.

Experienced demon hunters managed well due to their familiarity and rich experience with demons, balancing risk and response.

Novice demon hunters, on the other hand, lacked experience. They couldn't handle sudden situations promptly. Once a mistake was made, a demon could take advantage. Minor errors led to injuries, and major ones to death.

Many exceptionally talented young cultivators who could have become excellent demon hunters had lost their lives due to accidents, thereby losing their futures.

Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua had often lamented this when chatting, and Mo Hua had overheard them.

At such times, a set of sufficiently sturdy armor could save lives.

Unfortunately, most demon hunters couldn't afford expensive armor and had to make do with inexpensive Vine Armor.

If Xiao Hu's Vine Armor had been tougher, he wouldn't have been injured by the Clawed Crimson Wolf Demon's surprise attack. Even if injured, the wounds wouldn't have been so severe.

With the Iron Armor Formation added to the Vine Armor, it became much sturdier. Mo Hua hoped that Da Hu and the others would suffer fewer injuries when hunting demons.

Mo Hua thought to himself.

A few days later, Mo Hua visited Xiao Hu, who had improved significantly in health and complexion.

Mo Hua took out the three sets of Vine Armor and gave them to them. Da Hu and Shuang Hu's armor had some cracks from battling demons, but Xiao Hu's armor had been torn apart by the wolf demon and was beyond use.

Mrs. Meng looked at the Vine Armor in Mo Hua's hands, wanting to say something but hesitating.

Mo Hua understood Mrs. Meng's thoughts and said, "Master Chen gave me these sets. I don't need them, so I thought of giving them to Da Hu and the others. I've inscribed formations on these Vine Armors that make them much tougher than usual. This way, they won't be easily injured while hunting demons. Even if they get hurt, it will be less severe."

Originally reluctant to accept, Mrs. Meng couldn't refuse Mo Hua's assurance that they would be less likely to get hurt. Her eyes welled up with tears of gratitude and a hint of shame.

Mo Hua tugged at Mrs. Meng's sleeve and said, "In the future, if I need help, I'll ask Da Hu and the others. They can't slack off and refuse to help me."

Mrs. Meng nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes. If they dare say no to you, I'll break their legs!"

Mrs. Meng's mood lightened, and Da Hu and the others grinned as they held their Vine Armor.

(End of the Chapter)