The meat in the bowl had a light golden hue, its texture crystalline and translucent. It looked like a chicken leg but was about the size of a pork knuckle from Mo Hua's previous life.
The soup was clear and bright, with a thin layer of oil glistening on the surface. It was rich but not greasy, garnished with mushrooms and some finely chopped green herbs.
Mo Hua hadn't eaten meat in a long time; the last time was during the Monster Hunting Festival six months ago.
Meat was very expensive in the world of cultivation. Ordinary cultivators could hardly afford it except during festivals.
The meat consumed by cultivators generally falls into two categories: one is the meat of spiritual beasts.
Spiritual beasts, different from demonic beasts, are raised by cultivators and fed with spiritual herbs and other natural spiritual items. The meat is tender, easy to cook, and imbued with spiritual energy, making it extremely expensive and unaffordable for rogue cultivators.
The other category is the meat of herbivorous demonic beasts.
All demonic beasts can kill humans, but not all of them eat humans. Herbivorous demonic beasts, even though they may have violent temperaments and kill cultivators, do not consume human flesh.
Carnivorous demonic beasts, on the other hand, generally have eaten humans. If they haven't, it's only because they haven't encountered any they could eat yet.
Thus, the meat of herbivorous demonic beasts, despite having a peculiar taste, is still edible for cultivators. In contrast, the meat of carnivorous demonic beasts is so foul and bloodstained that it's difficult to stomach. If a cultivator accidentally eats it, it can easily contaminate their blood and qi, disrupt their meridians, and even drive them insane.
Although the meat of herbivorous demonic beasts is not expensive, most cultivators still avoid it.
The physical strength of demonic beasts far exceeds that of cultivators, and herbivorous demonic beasts are no exception. Their meat is tough and nearly inedible without long hours of boiling in a furnace to make it chewable.
Rogue cultivators can't afford the time and effort, and those who can would rather eat the meat of spiritual beasts.
Therefore, any kind of meat is rarely seen on the dining tables of rogue cultivators.
However, the bowl of meat before Mo Hua had a slight spiritual aura emanating from it.
Liu Ruhua beckoned to Mo Hua, "This is fire chick meat. Your father bought it for you to nourish your body."
She couldn't help but pinch Mo Hua's pale little cheek. "Look at how thin you've become lately."
Mo Hua was a bit reluctant and couldn't help but ask, "This meat must be quite expensive, right?"
Mo Shan waved his hand. "We only bought half, so it didn't cost much spirit stones. Plus, we got it from a friend in the monster hunting team. We will be working together next year, so it was half bought and half given as a favor."
Mo Hua asked, "Dad, are you going to the inner mountains next year?"
Mo Shan nodded. "It's hard to make a living in the outer mountains now. The profit from killing a demonic beast is too low. If someone gets injured, we might even end up in debt. Although the demonic beasts in the inner mountains are stronger, they yield better resources, so next year..."
Mo Shan suddenly stopped and chuckled. "Why am I telling you this?"
Liu Ruhua glanced lightly at Mo Shan and scooped a bowl of meat soup for Mo Hua. "Try and see how it tastes."
Mo Hua took a sip of the soup and a bite of the meat. The soup was fresh, and the meat was fragrant, rich but not greasy, with perfect color, aroma, and taste.
This was the best meat Mo Hua had ever eaten.
Mo Hua squinted his eyes in delight and praised, "Mom, it's really delicious!"
Liu Ruhua couldn't help but smile too. "Eat more if you like it. This whole bowl is for you, so make sure to finish it." She then walked towards the kitchen. "There are some other dishes; I'll go get them..."
Mo Shan stood up, "I'll help you..."
Mo Hua saw his parents head to the kitchen and quickly took a few pieces of the fire chick meat, placing them in his bowl and 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, both gratified and amused, said, "This meat was bought especially for you. At our age, your father and I don't expect any progress in cultivation. Eating this spiritually infused meat would be a waste on us..."
Liu Ruhua tried to place some meat back into Mo Hua's bowl, but Mo Hua covered his bowl with both hands and shook his head, "I've had enough. I can't finish more."
Mo Hua firmly held onto his bowl and refused to eat any more.
Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua had no choice but to give up. However, they started pushing the meat back and forth between themselves.
Mo Shan added meat to his wife's bowl and said softly, "You've worked hard all these years. Eat more to nourish yourself..."
Liu Ruhua, in turn, placed the meat into her husband's bowl and replied gently, "You're the one who's been toiling outside, exposed to the elements. You've had it much harder. You should eat more..."
Mo Hua felt his teeth ache listening to this exchange and couldn't help but say, "Mom, Dad, if you don't eat the meat, it'll get cold."
The couple suddenly remembered their son was present. Seeing Mo Hua's big, watery eyes watching them, Liu Ruhua blushed slightly, and Mo Shan gave a light cough and pretended to eat as if nothing had happened.
Mo Hua only nodded in satisfaction once he saw his parents eating the meat in their bowls.
He then thought, while the fire chick meat was delicious, it was too expensive.
Although demonic beast meat lacks spiritual energy, it can replenish blood and qi, which is certainly beneficial for cultivators. However, demonic beast meat is incredibly tough to chew...
Mo Hua wondered if there was a way for his parents to eat more meat.
For now, he set aside this idea. The most important task was to finish drawing the Minghuo Array and then go to the shop to trade with the chubby manager for spirit stones.
After the meal, Mo Hua returned to his room and meditated to digest the fire chick meat. Since it didn't contain much spiritual energy, it didn't take long.
Once the spiritual energy was refined, Mo Hua continued working on the Minghuo Array, finally completing another one before going to bed.
Afterwards, Mo Hua fell asleep and continued practicing array formations on the Dao Tablet in his dreams, repeatedly reinforcing his memory and reflecting on his technique.
At dawn, he meditated, then continued drawing arrays. He completed one in the morning and another in the afternoon. Both were successful, though his spiritual energy was somewhat depleted. After dinner, he rested for a while before continuing his practice in his dreams.
By the fourth day, Mo Hua's technique had become much more proficient, and his spiritual energy seemed to have thickened. Alternatively, it could be that his understanding of the Minghuo Array had deepened, so his energy consumption had decreased. After finishing two arrays during the day, he had enough energy left after dinner to draw another one. However, in his haste, he made a mistake, causing the array to fail.
That night, Mo Hua reflected and summarized his experience in his sea of consciousness and practiced on the Dao Tablet.
On the fifth day, Mo Hua completed three Minghuo Arrays in one day. Though he was a bit dizzy from the spiritual energy depletion, it wasn't as painful as the first time. Resting with his eyes closed for a moment was enough to recover.
By then, Mo Hua had used all ten sets of array materials entrusted to him by the shop and had successfully drawn eight Minghuo Arrays.
Despite some imperfections and room for improvement, he was generally satisfied with his progress.
That night, Mo Hua allowed himself a small indulgence. Instead of practicing array formations on the Dao Tablet, he drew a few comic strips for fun.
The next morning, after breakfast, Mo Hua arranged to go shopping with Dahu and the others.
Mo Hua placed the completed arrays in his storage bag, slung it over his shoulder, and just before leaving, Liu Ruhua gave him a spirit stone and five fragments of spirit stones, instructing him to buy some tasty and fun items, and to be careful.
Dahu and the others patted their chests, promising to protect Mo Hua and not let anyone bully him.
Mo Hua waved goodbye to his mother and set off with his three friends.
Dahu and the others were lively, bouncing and jumping along the way.
On the bustling cobblestone street, three robust boys and a doll-like little boy hopped and skipped along...
(End of the chapter)