Recently, Mo Hua's life had become unexpectedly exciting.
There were always cultivators from the Qian Family or those hired by them looking to cause trouble for him. However, every move they made was already under Mo Hua's scrutiny.
Most of the time, just as they were about to act, they would be caught by the demon hunters and receive a thorough beating.
In a few cases, they managed to hide well enough to evade the nearby demon hunters, but they couldn't escape Mo Hua's spiritual awareness.
Mo Hua would then call over a few uncle demon hunters, and with a simple gesture, he would point out each Qian Family cultivator following him, inevitably leading to another round of thrashings for them.
Mo Hua simply watched this drama unfold.
This made Mo Hua's days of practicing cultivation techniques and studying formations much less dull.
On this particular day, Mo Hua was chewing on wild fruits given to him by Aunt Jiang in a restaurant, chatting with An Xiaofu.
Ever since Mo Hua had treated An Xiaofu to a meal that day, An Xiaofu had been coming here frequently.
Mo Hua was puzzled. "Doesn't your family have a dining hall?"
"I'm tired of it. It's not as good as here, and it's lively," An Xiaofu replied.
In his first few visits, An Xiaofu had been somewhat reserved. Other cultivators, seeing his unusual attire, wouldn't engage with him.
As he continued to visit, he became more familiar, and because he was Mo Hua's friend, other cultivators began chatting with him.
An Xiaofu spoke fluently about food origins, enjoyed hearing about stories from the nearby mountains or the neighborhood, and found it all very interesting.
Over time, An Xiaofu became less reserved than before.
Occasionally, he would bring some of his family's brewed liquor to treat everyone, and in return, they would offer him wild fruits, pastries, and the like.
While the taste might not always be great, it was unique, and the sentiment behind it was genuine.
An Xiaofu grew to prefer coming here more often.
Staying at the An Family's residence, he always felt somewhat restrained.
It was much more relaxing to be in the restaurant, chatting with ordinary cultivators, drinking some wine, and feeling at ease.
Seeing him enjoying himself, Mo Hua also relaxed.
An Xiaofu would tell Mo Hua some strange and interesting stories, embellishing some and omitting others, and Mo Hua would listen with great interest, whether they were true or not.
As the day grew late, An Xiaofu reluctantly headed home.
Mo Hua saw him off and then turned to see Zhang Lan walking towards him from the other side of the cobblestone path.
"Uncle Zhang? Why are you coming over now?" Mo Hua asked.
Zhang Lan sighed. "Busy, just now got some free time."
Mo Hua clearly didn't believe him.
Zhang Lan sighed again. "Go, order some food for me. I'll be over in a bit; I have something to discuss with you."
"Should I order something expensive?" Mo Hua asked.
"Yes, whatever you like," Zhang Lan replied.
Mo Hua didn't really order anything too expensive, just slightly pricier dishes that he enjoyed but didn't eat regularly.
There was a kind of mutton with a slight gamey taste but very fragrant to chew.
And there was a spicy and delicious kind of dog meat.
Both of these monster beasts were herbivores and did not eat people, so their blood and flesh were relatively clean.
There were also some seasonal vegetables and sliced fruits.
In total, there were four or five dishes, both meat and vegetarian, with appealing colors, arranged on Zhang Lan's table.
Zhang Lan took a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Mo Hua first, saying, "You sit down and eat too."
Mo Hua didn't stand on ceremony either, taking the chopsticks and starting to eat.
The dishes were all delicious, partly because his mother made them and partly because he had ordered them himself.
After eating a few bites, Mo Hua couldn't help but squint his eyes. But thinking that Zhang Lan would have to pay spiritual stones, he generously said, "I'll give you a 20% discount!"
Zhang Lan couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, 20% discount! Thanks, little shopkeeper!"
"Don't mention it."
Mo Hua also smiled and took another bite of mutton, asking, "What is it that you want to see me about?"
Zhang Lan got straight to the point. "The magistrate wants to see you."
"The Magistrate? The one from the Dao Court?" Mo Hua was taken aback.
"Yes," Zhang Lan confirmed, taking another bite of meat and nodding. "He heard that you're skilled in formation drawings, so he wants to meet you."
"Just because of that?"
Zhang Lan sighed.
It wasn't just because Mo Hua was skilled; it was because he was exceptionally skilled.
He didn't even know when Mo Hua had started drawing even First-Rank formations. When the magistrate mentioned it, he was surprised.
"Being skilled in formation drawing naturally earns respect, especially since you're so young. The magistrate definitely wants to meet you for that reason."
"There's another reason," Zhang Lan continued. "It's because you helped establish the largest cultivation industry in Tongxian City, the Refining Workshop and Alchemy Workshop in the southern part of the city."
"What does that have to do with the magistrate?" Mo Hua wondered.
"The Dao Court also considers merits. The stability of the region under his rule, the tax revenue from spiritual stones, and the construction of cultivation projects all count as merits. The largest Refining Workshop and Alchemy Workshop in Tongxian City were built under his rule, so naturally, these are also considered his merits."
Mo Hua suddenly understood.
Zhang Lan took a sip of wine and continued, "The old magistrate worked diligently when he was young but didn't achieve much. Now that he's older and less ambitious, he planned to retire, but unexpectedly, such great merits have fallen into his lap."
Shaking his head with a smile, Zhang Lan added, "It's also a kind of fortune. That's why the old magistrate is so grateful to you."
Mo Hua smiled awkwardly. "I didn't really do much; I just drew some formations."
Zhang Lan gave him a look. "That's modesty to the point of arrogance. Did you only draw 'some' formations?"
From the buildings to the refining furnaces and alchemy furnaces, weren't all those formations drawn by you?
Thinking of this, Zhang Lan couldn't help but sigh again.
He wondered how Mo Hua's young mind had grown so strong, capable of designing so many formations for the entire Refining Workshop and Alchemy Workshop...
Mo Hua was a bit worried. "When I meet the magistrate, is there anything specific I should be aware of? Any taboos?"
Zhang Lan shook his head.
Mo Hua asked again, "By the way, is the magistrate surnamed Fu?"
Zhang Lan was puzzled. "What's wrong with the surname 'Fu'?"
"If he's surnamed 'Fu,' he's demoted by a level; he can only be called 'Chief,' not 'Fu Chief.'"
TL Note: In Chinese, the character for "Deputy" is 副 (fù)
Zhang Lan couldn't help but laugh and cry. "Where did you hear that?"
"It's part of my cultivation experience. Where I heard it from doesn't matter to you."
Zhang Lan sighed helplessly. "The Chief's surname is Zhou. He's a good person and doesn't have any particular taboos. You're young; even if you say something inappropriate, he won't blame you. Just relax."
"Mm-hmm." Mo Hua nodded.
Two days later, Mo Hua followed Zhang Lan into the Dao Court to meet Chief Zhou.
The Dao Court was quite majestic but clearly somewhat old. Some rooms were tightly closed, and it was unclear what was inside.
Most of the accessible rooms were used by Dao Court cultivators for office work, with a dignified but not luxurious decor, filled with various cultivation records, scrolls, and jade slips of different forms.
It looked somewhat dull compared to what Mo Hua had imagined.
This was just the above-ground structure; it was said that there were also Dao Dungeons underground.
The so-called Dao Dungeons were prisons for criminal cultivators who violated the "Dao Laws."
Mo Hua was eager to take a look and broaden his horizons, but Zhang Lan wouldn't allow it.
(End of the Chapter)