The meat in the bowl was a pale golden color, crystal clear and translucent, resembling a chicken leg but nearly the size of a pork knuckle that Mo Hua had eaten in his previous life.
The soup was clear and bright, topped with a thin layer of shimmering oil that was moisturizing without being greasy, adorned with some mushrooms and other side dishes, and small chunks of vibrant green herbs.
It had been a long time since Mo Hua last ate meat; the most recent time was half a year ago during the Monster Hunting Festival.
Meat is very expensive in the Tao Cultivation World; unless it's a special holiday, it's tough for average cultivators to have meat.
The meat that cultivators eat is broadly categorized into two types: one type is from spirit beasts.
Spirit beasts are different from monster beasts. They are raised by cultivators, fed with spirit grass and other various natural spiritual objects. Their flesh is tender, easy to cook, and contains spiritual energy, which makes them very expensive and unaffordable for loose cultivators.
The other type is the meat from herbivorous monster beasts.
While all monster beasts kill humans, not all of them eat humans. Those that feed on various spirit grasses might be ferocious and slaughter cultivators, but they won't consume the cultivators' flesh.
Conversely, carnivorous monster beasts have almost all eaten humans. If they haven't, it isn't because they don't eat humans; it's simply because they have yet to encounter a cultivator they can eat.
Therefore, while the meat of herbivorous monster beasts may have a peculiar taste, it is still edible for cultivators. The flesh of carnivorous monster beasts, on the other hand, is bloody and filthy, difficult to consume, and once eaten by a cultivator, it can easily contaminate their blood qi, causing their meridians to become chaotic, and some may even become possessed and insane.
The meat of herbivorous monster beasts may not be expensive, but ordinary cultivators still won't eat it.
The physical constitution of monster beasts is far superior to that of cultivators, and herbivorous monster beasts are no exception; their flesh is too tough to be palatable. To eat it, one needs to stew it over a stove for a long time before it can be chewed and swallowed.
Loose cultivators simply can't afford the effort, and those cultivators who can afford the effort would directly choose to eat the flesh of spirit beasts.
Thus, no matter what kind, meat is rarely seen on the tables of loose cultivators.
The meat in front of him, however, had a faint white steam rising from it, scarce though it was, it definitely contained a bit of spiritual energy.
Liu Ruhua waved at Mo Hua, "This is the meat of a Fire Chick. Your dad bought it to nourish your body."
After speaking, she couldn't help pinching Mo Hua's pale little face, "Look how much you've slimmed down recently."
Mo Hua was somewhat reluctant and couldn't help asking, "This meat must be quite expensive, right?"
Mo Shan waved his hand, "We only bought half of it; it didn't cost too much in spirit stones. Moreover, it's from a friend in the monster hunting team. We're going to work together next year, so it's a mutual favor, half bought and half given."
Mo Hua said, "Dad, are you planning on entering the Inner Mountain next year?"
Mo Shan nodded, "The Outer Mountain has become more difficult to make a living in. The profit from killing a monster beast is too low, and if someone gets injured, it could even be a loss. The monster beasts in the Inner Mountain are stronger, but as long as we find good items on them, we'll have an easier time, so next year..."
Mo Shan suddenly stopped and couldn't help but chuckle, "Why am I telling you all this?"
Liu Ruhua gave Mo Shan a gentle glare and spooned a bowl of meat soup for Mo Hua, "Try it and see how it tastes."
Mo Hua took a sip of the soup and a bite of the meat; the soup was fresh, the meat was fragrant—rich but not greasy, and a delight to all senses.
This was the most delicious meat Mo Hua had ever eaten.
Mo Hua squinted in pleasure and praised, "Mom, it's really delicious!"
Liu Ruhua couldn't help but smile, "If it's good, eat more of it. This whole bowl is yours; make sure you finish it." Then she headed for the kitchen, "There are some other dishes too, I'll go get them..."
Mo Shan stood up, "I'll help you..."
Seeing his parents both head to the kitchen, Mo Hua took several pieces of the Fire Chick meat and added them to his own bowl, distributing 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 gratified and amused, saying softly, "This meat was specially bought for you. At our age, we don't expect any progress in cultivation. To consume such spirit-enhanced meat would be a waste..."
As Liu Ruhua tried to place some meat into Mo Hua's bowl, Mo Hua covered his bowl with both hands and shook his head, saying, "I've had enough. I can't eat any more."
Mo Hua covered his bowl and refused to eat any more.
Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua had no choice but to let the matter go, though they began to push the food back and forth between themselves.
Mo Shan added meat to his wife's bowl, whispering, "You've worked hard all these years. Eat more to nourish your body..."
Liu Ruhua returned the meat to her husband's bowl, softly saying, "You've been the one toiling outside, enduring the elements and hardship. You should eat more..."
Mo Hua, listening, couldn't help but feel his teeth sour and blurted out, "Mom, Dad, if you don't eat the meat soon, it will get cold."
Mo Shan and his wife had forgotten their son was there, and when they saw their son's watery eyes watching them from the side, Liu Ruhua's face turned slightly red, while Mo Shan coughed lightly and pretended to eat as if nothing had happened.
When Mo Hua saw his parents finally eating the meat in their bowls, he nodded in satisfaction.
He then thought that although the meat of the Fire Chick was tasty, it was too expensive.
The flesh of monster beasts might lack spiritual energy, but it could bolster one's blood qi, which undoubtedly was beneficial for cultivators. It was just that the meat of monster beasts was quite tough to chew...
How could he ensure his parents ate more meat? He wondered if there was a method to achieve this.
Mo Hua put this thought aside for the moment. The most important thing right now was to finish the Bright Fire Formation painting, and head to the trading house to find Fatty Steward and exchange for spirit stones.
After the meal, Mo Hua returned to his room to meditate and digest the Fire Chick meat. As the spiritual energy was not substantial, it did not take too long.
Once the spiritual energy was refined, Mo Hua resumed his work on the Bright Fire Formation. Before going to bed that evening, he successfully completed another one.
Afterward, Mo Hua fell asleep and continued to practice formation painting on the Taoist Stele, reinforcing his memory of the formation and reflecting on his brush technique.
Once daylight came, he meditated, and then kept practicing formation painting. He completed one in the morning and another in the afternoon, both successfully. However, the use of divine sense was quite draining, so after dinner, he had to rest for a while before going back to practicing formation painting on the Taoist Stele in his dreams.
On the fourth day, Mo Hua's brush technique had improved significantly, and his divine sense seemed to have thickened slightly. Perhaps it was due to a deeper understanding of the Bright Fire Formation, leading to less consumption of divine sense. He was able to paint two formations during the day, and after dinner, he had the strength to paint another one. However, he was a bit too hasty and made a mistake with his brushwork, resulting in the failure of the formation.
That night, after Mo Hua fell asleep, he continued to reflect and summarize in his Sea of Consciousness, practicing formation painting using the Taoist Stele.
By the fifth day, Mo Hua had completed three Bright Fire Formations, all successful, though he felt a bit dizzy and his head was swollen from using too much divine sense. There was no pain as acute as the first time. Resting with closed eyes and concentration for a while did the trick.
By then, Mo Hua had used up all the formation materials entrusted by the trading house, producing a total of eight Bright Fire Formations.
Although there were some imperfections and much room for improvement, he was generally satisfied.
That evening, Mo Hua indulged a little and didn't continue practicing on the Taoist Stele. Instead, he drew a few comic strips on it, purely for entertainment.
The next day, after breakfast, Mo Hua arranged to meet Da'hu and the other two for a stroll through the streets.
Mo Hua put the completed formations in a storage bag, slung it over his shoulder, and just before leaving the house, Liu Ruhua slipped a spirit stone and five broken spirit stones to Mo Hua, telling him to buy some tasty or fun things if he saw something he liked. She also earnestly reminded him to stay safe.
Da'hu and the others thumped their chests, promising to protect Mo Hua and not let anyone bully him.
Mo Hua waved goodbye to his mother and headed out the door with his three pals.
On their way, Da'hu and the gang were lively, hopping and jumping around.
On the bustling stone-paved street, the three spirited young boys and a porcelain doll-like child hopped and skipped along...