Chapter 11: Chapter Eleven: Fire Chick

The meat in the bowl was a faint golden-yellow, translucent and crystalline, resembling a chicken leg but sized roughly like the pork knuckle Mo Hua had eaten in his past life.

The broth was clear, with a thin sheen of oil, rich yet not greasy, garnished with some mushroom-like vegetables and small cubes of emerald-green spices.

Mo Hua hadn't eaten meat in a long time; the last time was half a year ago at the Demon Hunting Festival.

Meat in the cultivation world was expensive; ordinary cultivators rarely got to eat it except during festivals.

Cultivator meat fell into roughly two categories: one was the flesh of spirit beasts.

Spirit beasts differed from demon beasts—they were raised by cultivators, fed with spirit herbs and other natural spirit substances, their meat tender and easy to cook, imbued with spirit energy, hence extremely costly, beyond the reach of itinerant cultivators.

The other category was the flesh of herbivorous demon beasts.

All demon beasts killed humans, but not all ate them. Demon beasts that fed on spirit herbs, even if violent and murderous toward cultivators, never consumed human flesh.

Carnivorous demon beasts, by contrast, had all eaten humans; if any hadn't, it wasn't because they refused—it was simply because they hadn't yet encountered a cultivator worth eating.

Thus, while herbivorous demon beast meat carried an odd odor, cultivators could still eat it; carnivorous demon beast meat, however, was bloody and foul, inedible, and if a cultivator accidentally consumed it, they risked corrupting their blood and qi, causing meridian chaos, and in some cases, even losing their mind and going mad.

Though herbivorous demon beast meat wasn't expensive, ordinary cultivators still avoided eating it.

The bodies of all demon beasts were far stronger than those of cultivators, herbivorous ones included—their meat was too tough to chew; to eat it required long, slow stewing over fire before it could be bitten and swallowed.

Itinerant cultivators couldn't afford the time, and those who could would simply choose to eat spirit beast meat instead.

Thus, no matter the type, meat was rarely seen on an itinerant cultivator's table.

The meat before Mo Hua now emitted faint wisps of white vapor—sparse, yet clearly carrying a trace of spirit energy.

Liu Ruhua waved Mo Hua over. "This is Fire Chick's meat. Your father bought it to help you regain your strength."

She couldn't resist pinching Mo Hua's pale little cheek. "Look how thin you've gotten lately."

Mo Hua was reluctant, unable to help asking: "Is this meat expensive?"

Mo Shan waved his hand. "Only half a bird. Didn't cost much spirit stone. Bought it from a friend in the Demon Hunting Squad—we're partnering next year, so it was half purchase, half gift."

Mo Hua asked: "Father, are you going into the Inner Mountains next year?"

Mo Shan nodded. "The Outer Mountains are too tough now. Killing a demon beast yields too little. If someone gets injured, you might even lose spirit stones. The demon beasts in the Inner Mountains are stronger, but if they drop even one good item, we'll have it easy for a while. So next year..."

Mo Shan suddenly fell silent, then chuckled. "Why am I telling you this?"

Liu Ruhua gave Mo Shan a light disapproving look, then ladled a bowl of broth into Mo Hua's bowl. "Taste it. How is it?"

Mo Hua sipped the broth, then bit into the meat—the broth was savory, the meat fragrant, fatty yet not greasy, perfect in color, aroma, and flavor.

This was the best meat Mo Hua had ever eaten.

Mo Hua squinted his eyes and praised: "Mother, this is delicious!"

Liu Ruhua smiled. "If it's good, eat more. This whole bowl is yours—finish it all." Then she turned toward the kitchen. "I've got other dishes—I'll bring them..."

Mo Shan stood up. "Let me help you..."

Seeing both parents head to the kitchen, Mo Hua scooped a few pieces of Fire Chick meat into his own bowl and divided the rest between his parents' bowls.

When Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua returned with the dishes, they saw their own bowls piled high with meat.

Liu Ruhua was touched, yet amused. "We bought this meat specially for you. Your father and I are past the age where we expect cultivation progress—eating spirit-infused meat would be a waste..."

Liu Ruhua reached to place meat 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 eat more."

Mo Hua clutched his bowl and refused to eat another bite.

Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua sighed helplessly and gave up—but then began pushing the meat back and forth between themselves.

Mo Shan added meat to his wife's bowl, murmuring: "All these years, you've worked hard. Eat more—restore your strength..."

Liu Ruhua returned the meat to her husband's bowl, softly saying: "You're the one trudging outside, braving wind and dew—you're the one who's tired. Eat more..."

Mo Hua listened, his teeth aching. "Father, Mother—if you don't eat now, the meat will get cold."

Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua had forgotten their son was there. Now, seeing his wide, watery eyes watching them, Liu Ruhua blushed slightly, while Mo Shan cleared his throat and pretended nothing had happened, picking up his chopsticks to eat.

Seeing both parents finish their meat, Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction.

Then he thought: though Fire Chick meat was delicious, it was too expensive.

Demon beast meat, though lacking spirit energy, still replenished blood and qi—beneficial to cultivators. But it was simply too tough to chew...

Is there any way to let Father and Mother eat more meat?

Mo Hua set the thought aside for now; his priority was finishing the Minghuo Array and taking it to the Trading House to exchange for spirit stones.

After dinner, Mo Hua returned to his room, sat in meditation to digest the Fire Chick meat. Since the spirit energy was minimal, it didn't take long.

Once the spirit energy was fully absorbed, Mo Hua resumed drawing the Minghuo Array—and by bedtime, he successfully completed another one.

After falling asleep, Mo Hua continued drawing arrays on the Dao Stele, repeating them over and over to solidify his memory and reflect on flaws in his brushwork.

At dawn, he meditated and trained, then continued drawing arrays: one in the morning, one in the afternoon—both successful, but his spiritual sense was significantly drained. After dinner, he rested briefly, then fell asleep and continued drawing on the Dao Stele in his dreams.

On the fourth day, Mo Hua's brushwork had improved greatly; his spiritual sense seemed slightly thicker—or perhaps he understood the Minghuo Array better, reducing his drain. After drawing two arrays during the day, he still had energy left to attempt a third after dinner—but rushed his strokes, made a mistake, and the array failed.

That night, after falling asleep, Mo Hua reflected and summarized in his mind, practicing array drawing on the Dao Stele.

On the fifth day, Mo Hua spent the entire day drawing three Minghuo Arrays—all successful. His spiritual sense was heavily depleted, leaving him dizzy and foggy, but no longer with the unbearable pain of his first attempt; closing his eyes and calming his mind was enough to recover.

At this point, Mo Hua had used up all ten sets of materials entrusted by the Trading House, completing eight Minghuo Arrays.

Though imperfect and with room for growth, he was generally satisfied.

That night, Mo Hua allowed himself a small indulgence: instead of practicing arrays on the Dao Stele, he drew a few comic strips purely for amusement.

The next day, after breakfast, Mo Hua met up with Brother Da Hu and the other two.

Mo Hua placed the completed arrays in his storage pouch and slung it over his shoulder. Before leaving, Liu Ruhua slipped a full spirit stone and five fragments into his hand, telling him to buy something tasty or fun if he saw it, and carefully reminded him to stay safe.

Brother Da Hu and the others patted their chests, promising to protect Mo Hua and keep him from being bullied.

Mo Hua waved goodbye to his mother and set out with his three companions.

Brother Da Hu and the others were energetic, hopping and skipping along the way.

On the bustling cobblestone path, three sturdy little boys and one doll-like child bounced along together...