Chapter 5: Chapter Five: Mo Shan

Mo Shan was a Level-8 Qi Refining hunter-killer who made his living by slaying demonic beasts and harvesting their materials; it sounded prestigious, but in truth it was grueling and perilous.

Most demonic beasts in the cultivation world were far stronger than human cultivators, making hunts extraordinarily difficult.

An ordinary peer-level demonic beast typically required a team of five to ten cultivators to hunt, and even then success was not guaranteed. Even if the hunt succeeded, the beast's most valuable parts were often damaged in battle and fetched little spirit stone value; after splitting the meager earnings among teammates according to contribution, each share became negligible.

If one accidentally got injured, the cost of healing pills was substantial, often leading to losses exceeding income. Should one suffer severe injury, it became nearly impossible to continue hunting demonic beasts for a living.

Mo Shan was tall and burly, a body cultivator, with a ruggedly handsome face and sharp features; by cultivator standards, he was still young, not yet middle-aged, but years of hunting demonic beasts, enduring wind and rain, had etched lines of hardship onto his face.

After entering the house, Mo Shan set down his blade and the unknown demonic beast's pelt slung over his shoulder, then let out a quiet sigh of relief.

His outer robe was worn through and stained with blood—some fresh, some darkened—mostly from demonic beasts, but also possibly from himself or his comrades.

Mo Hua silently guessed this hunt had not gone well.

Mo Shan's brows were furrowed unconsciously, his expression heavy, and with the bloodstains on his clothes, he looked cold and forbidding, as if warning others to keep their distance.

Yet that faint menace vanished the moment he stepped inside and saw his wife, as if a battle-worn soldier had returned home and shed his heavy, scarred armor.

Mo Shan's voice was hoarse from exhaustion, but he still asked gently, "Is everything alright at home?"

Liu Ruhua helped him unpack, then fetched a clean cloth to wipe his face. "Everything's fine at home. Don't worry."

Seeing his dusty face, she couldn't help saying, "Take care of yourself when you're out."

Mo Shan smiled, then glanced around the room. "Has Hua come back?"

"He just got back yesterday. The sect granted its annual holiday, so he's probably still fast asleep. I'll go wake him—he'll be overjoyed to hear you're home."

Mo Shan looked at the bloodstains on his clothes and his own wounds, stopping his wife. "Let him sleep longer. Sect cultivation isn't easy. I'll bathe first, apply some herbal ointment, and change clothes."

Liu Ruhua nodded. "Alright. Then eat something first."

Mo Shan had traveled all night and was already ravenously hungry.

Liu Ruhua was an excellent cook; even though the meal was simple, Mo Shan devoured it greedily.

When hunting demonic beasts, one often ate outdoors, surviving on cold, hard rations, and rarely dared to consume Spirit-Preserving Pills. Now, eating his wife's home-cooked food, all his exhaustion and hardship vanished.

Mo Shan ate heavily, then drank a large gulp of the fragrant, glutinous porridge and exhaled deeply. Liu Ruhua, watching the bloodstains on his clothes, finally asked anxiously, "Did someone get hurt again this time?"

Mo Shan sighed. "Three injured. Lao Chu suffered severe injury."

Mo Shan continued recounting the hunt:

"Our team of eight chased a three-zhang-tall wolf demon. We'd already trapped it, planning to slowly drain its demonic energy before killing it. But another hunting team passed by—mostly newcomers, never even shed blood before—who dared to snatch the kill like others did. They rushed in recklessly, and the beast devoured two of them whole…"

"That monster, having fed on human blood, went berserk. Lao Chu and I exhausted our spiritual energy to kill it, but the cost was heavy—Lao Chu lost an arm, bled profusely, and his primordial energy was shattered. He'll likely never hunt demonic beasts again…"

Mo Shan added bitterly, "Lao Chu's child is only two. His wife only grows vegetables to supplement their income. Now, with his severe injury, he'll need a fortune in spirit stones for treatment. Even if he recovers, how will his family of three survive?"

Liu Ruhua sighed too. "When our family was struggling, Lao Chu, though not wealthy himself, lent us spirit stones. We still have some saved—why not give them to him first? At least get his wound treated."

Mo Shan nodded. "The wolf demon hasn't been sold yet—it should fetch around three hundred spirit stones. We'll give Lao Chu a larger share, then lend him more to get through this. But…"

Mo Shan felt guilty. "The tuition for Hua's entrance into the sect next year… I'd planned to earn enough by selling the wolf demon. Now, with this happening…"

Liu Ruhua gripped Mo Shan's hand. "As long as our family is safe, spirit stones can always be earned. I've saved some from working in the tavern kitchen. I'll borrow more—it won't delay Hua's enrollment next year."

Mo Shan silently watched his wife. Her once youthful, graceful face now bore signs of weariness, and his guilt deepened.

"Stop working at the kitchen. The fire's heat harms your heart, lungs, and meridians. Next year, I'll recruit more hunters, kill more demonic beasts, earn more spirit stones—I won't let you suffer like this anymore."

Liu Ruhua smiled faintly, a touch of pride in her eyes, and pointed to her hairpin. "Look what this is?"

Mo Shan hadn't noticed upon entering, but now he examined it closely—it was different from her usual hairpin.

"What is this hairpin?"

"Hua gave it to me. He calls it the Fire-Repelling Hairpin—it wards off kitchen fire energy. Wearing it makes your heart, lungs, and meridians feel much clearer."

"Hua is truly thoughtful."

Mo Shan felt both comforted and ashamed. "I haven't given you a gift in years… as a husband…"

Liu Ruhua laughed. "Hua is your son. What he gives is what you give."

Mo Shan chuckled, then smiled wryly. "Cultivation always speaks of fortune. My lifetime's fortune must be marrying a wife like you—and having a son like Hua!"

Liu Ruhua gave her husband a mock scolding look, then laughed too.

Watching his wife's smile, Mo Shan silently resolved: after the New Year, he'd find higher-level hunters, find a way into the inner mountains, kill more demonic beasts, earn more spirit stones—he would never let his wife labor so hard again, and he'd find a way to secure a bright future for his son.

Mo Hua had heard everything his parents said in the room. The young boy sighed.

Without his knowledge, his parents had endured the hardships of cultivation life all this time. Perhaps in any world, parents carry burdens far heavier than children imagine.

Even cultivators must scramble for spirit stones, struggle for survival.

Cultivators and mortals seem different—but perhaps they aren't different at all.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly, then quietly pondered: "Is there any way I can earn spirit stones too?"