The shopkeeper went upstairs and soon came down politely to invite Mo Hua up.
When Mo Hua saw An Xiaofu, he was drinking with several elegantly dressed young men. On the table were various colorful and tender spirit fruits, with maids fanning gently, fragrant winds wafting, and singing lingering in the air.
The room was cool and comfortable, devoid of the summer heat, with ice-type formations depicted on the screens for cooling and ventilation.
Mo Hua thought of the freelance cultivators outside, enduring the scorching heat to make a living, and felt a moment of emotion.
Clearly, all were Qi Refinement stage cultivators, living in the same Tongxian City, yet it felt like living in two different worlds.
"Mo Hua, it's really you!"
An Xiaofu was somewhat happy to see Mo Hua and waved, "Come, let's have a drink together."
An Xiaofu's face was flushed from drinking, but since he was young, he must have been drinking fruit wine, so even if he got drunk, it wouldn't harm him much.
Mo Hua wasn't in the mood to drink and went straight to the point, "Young Master An, I have something to ask you."
"Oh," An Xiaofu returned to his senses and waved to the other young men, "You guys continue drinking, I have something to discuss."
The shopkeeper then led Mo Hua and An Xiaofu to a quiet private room. Mo Hua got straight to the point, "Young Master An, I would like to ask for your help with something."
An Xiaofu, still somewhat tipsy, patted his chest, "As long as I can help, just say it!"
Mo Hua glanced at the luxurious decorations in the private room and asked, "This restaurant, is it owned by your family?"
An Xiaofu proudly replied, "Yes!"
"Do you use stoves in your kitchen or do you use cultivator's spiritual power for fire?" Mo Hua asked.
An Xiaofu looked puzzled for a moment, then shouted, "Shopkeeper!"
Soon, the shopkeeper entered. An Xiaofu pointed at him and said to Mo Hua, "Ask him."
Mo Hua repeated his question to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper answered, "Originally, we used cultivator's spiritual power for fire, but this method damages cultivators' lungs and hearts, and the fire supply is unstable. Therefore, the owner decided to stop using it. Last year, we had a specialized alchemist refine a stove and invited a formation master to set up formations. Since then, we've been using the stove."
Mo Hua was curious, "Is the cost of the stove higher than hiring cultivators?"
The shopkeeper replied honestly, "Long-term, the stove is better, but in the short term, hiring cultivators is definitely more cost-effective. Plus, when hiring cultivators, you can bargain. Sometimes, you can hire a Qi Refinement stage freelance cultivator for just half a spirit stone if the market isn't good."
Mo Hua felt uneasy.
Even as cultivators, they couldn't escape exploitation.
"May I see the stove?" Mo Hua asked.
The shopkeeper hesitated, looking at An Xiaofu. This was something he couldn't decide on his own; normally, outsiders weren't allowed into the kitchen.
An Xiaofu sobered up a bit and asked the shopkeeper, "Can't we show it to him?"
The shopkeeper replied, "The recipes are confidential, but many restaurants have stoves. The ones that don't, just don't want to spend spirit stones on refining them. It's not considered a secret."
An Xiaofu said, "Then let's see it. I've never seen that stove either."
"Alright, I'll take you two young masters over."
The shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief; with Young Master An present, he wouldn't be solely responsible if something went wrong.
The shopkeeper led Mo Hua and An Xiaofu to the kitchen and pointed to a large stove-like apparatus that was about two persons tall, saying, "This is the stove. After placing spirit stones inside, the formations inside the stove convert them into firepower, which extends to each stove, allowing cultivators to cook ingredients."
"Between each stove, there are also connected formations, and each stove has a dedicated formation engraved on it to control the intensity of the fire..."
Mo Hua found it very novel; it was the first time he had seen alchemy and formations applied in this way.
An Xiaofu also widened his eyes; he usually only knew how to eat but didn't know how those dishes were made.
The shopkeeper introduced to Mo Hua and An Xiaofu with some pride.
Mo Hua carefully inspected the stove, examining it from left to right, not missing any gaps between the large stove and the smaller stoves.
Seeing that he looked like he wanted to tear the stove apart to see what was inside, the shopkeeper couldn't help but ask, "Is there something that Young Master Mo wants to know?"
Mo Hua asked, "Shopkeeper, do you know which formations are engraved inside the stove?"
The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, but after thinking it over, he realized that knowing which formations were used was not as important as being able to draw those formations. After all, drawing formations was not an easy task.
"The formations inside this stove are not too complex. There's only one Meltfire Formation with five array patterns. The crucial thing about the Meltfire Formation is its placement at the bottom of the stove to ensure even distribution of heat. There's also an opening on the exterior of the stove for placing spirit stones, allowing the spiritual energy of the stones to permeate the Meltfire Formation and activate the fire formation..."
The shopkeeper explained everything in detail to Mo Hua.
"Oh, I see," Mo Hua nodded repeatedly.
After chatting for a while longer, Mo Hua had clarified most of what he wanted to know. He sincerely thanked the shopkeeper and prepared to take his leave.
An Xiaofu pulled Mo Hua, "Don't rush off, I'll treat you to something delicious."
Mo Hua had other matters to attend to and didn't agree.
"Are you not giving me face?" An Xiaofu was a bit annoyed.
Mo Hua complimented An Xiaofu, calling him generous, then whispered to him, "Next time when we have an assignment on setting up formations in class, I'll help you draw them for free."
An Xiaofu was delighted and quickly nodded, "Yes, yes."
He didn't care about spirit stones; he cared about face. Mo Hua offering to draw formations for him for free made him feel esteemed.
Watching Mo Hua's departing figure, the shopkeeper asked An Xiaofu, "Young Master, what is the identity of this Mister Mo?"
"He's considered a fellow disciple of mine, excellent at drawing formations, even better than me. Honestly, all the formation assignments I've handed in were done with his help!"
An Xiaofu even seemed a bit proud.
The shopkeeper remained expressionless, thinking to himself that there was nothing to be proud of...
"Shopkeeper, you can go back to your work. I'm going to drink," An Xiaofu said, turning to leave. Suddenly, he grabbed the shopkeeper's sleeve, eyes wide with alarm.
The shopkeeper was a bit nervous under his gaze. "Young Master..."
An Xiaofu lowered his voice, "This matter, you must not let my father know!"
"This matter?"
"My homework was done by someone else. This must not let my father know!"
The shopkeeper's mouth twitched. "Alright, alright..."
An Xiaofu patted his chest, "That was close. Luckily, I'm quick-witted; otherwise, it would have been exposed." Then he made the shopkeeper swear not to tell his father before finally feeling relieved and heading upstairs.
The shopkeeper felt somewhat helpless, thinking, "Can the An family's business really be held together by this unreliable young master..."
Then the shopkeeper thought of the boy named Mo earlier.
He didn't seem to be from a wealthy family, just a normal cultivator's child. He wondered why he was asking about the stove.
The shopkeeper took a few steps and recalled what Young Master An had said earlier. Suddenly, he stopped, "He's good at drawing formations? Could he be thinking of drawing out the formations from the stove?"
"Young Master An is at the third level of Qi Refinement, and that boy Mo is his fellow disciple. In other words, that boy is at most at the third level of Qi Refinement. How could someone at the third level of Qi Refinement have the spiritual consciousness to draw formations?"
Shaking his head, the shopkeeper went to find a place to drink tea.
(End of this chapter)