Eatery

By making use of the Dao Stele in his Sea of Consciousness, he could constantly hone his Array Techniques and strengthen his Divine Consciousness.

Though this method was clumsy, it was also Mo Hua's only option at present.

Good thing there's the Dao Stele in my Sea of Consciousness. Otherwise, even using such a clumsy method would be impossible.

Mo Hua felt somewhat fortunate. Drawing Array Techniques in reality consumed too much Divine Consciousness, and it recovered far too slowly. If he wanted to strengthen his Divine Consciousness this way, he would inevitably have to spend several times more time and effort.

Since that was the case, Mo Hua instead settled down and practiced the Molten Fire Array on the Dao Stele with no distractions in his heart.

As long as he kept practicing, there would eventually come a day when he learned it.

Mo Hua first did his utmost to draw the first four Array Patterns. Once his Divine Consciousness was nearly exhausted, he erased them.

After resting for a moment, he continued drawing, then erased them again.

He repeated this cycle until he felt he had a little Divine Consciousness left over. Then, after completing the four Array Patterns, he would add one more stroke.

An entire night passed, and Mo Hua had only managed two more strokes than when he began. But those two strokes at least proved that his Divine Consciousness was indeed growing.

When he woke the next day, Mo Hua went to the market and bought some ink needed for the Molten Fire Array.

The ink was made by using the blood of Fire-elemental Beasts as a base and mixing in certain herbs. It was not particularly expensive, so Mo Hua bought more than ten portions at once.

Because Array Masters were rare and few cultivators knew how to draw Array Techniques, there were also few cultivators who bought ink. The shopkeeper rarely encountered such a major customer as Mo Hua, so he threw in several extra portions for him.

After returning home, Mo Hua began practicing the Molten Fire Array with the ink.

Since the ink had been bought with Spirit Stones, Mo Hua drew with exceptional seriousness, putting great care into every stroke.

Of course, limited by his Divine Consciousness, after completing four Array Patterns, Mo Hua could still only add two extra strokes at most. He was unable to draw a complete Molten Fire Array with five Array Patterns.

After drawing like this, he had to set down his brush and rest for an hour to recover his Divine Consciousness. Once it was full again, he would continue drawing.

This was far less efficient than drawing on the Dao Stele in his Sea of Consciousness. It also consumed ink and Spirit Paper, which meant spending Spirit Stones. But in order to learn the Molten Fire Array sooner, Mo Hua did not care.

Practicing Array Techniques day and night like this, half a month later, Mo Hua could draw ten-odd extra strokes beyond the four Array Patterns—roughly equivalent to half an Array Pattern.

At this rate, in another half month or so, Mo Hua's Divine Consciousness would be enough to draw a complete Molten Fire Array Technique containing five Array Patterns.

Mo Hua quietly let out a breath of relief.

Considering that refining the Stove would also take time, there were some things he needed to plan for early.

During the day, Mo Hua made a round of the streets to earn some money. That evening, he returned home and ate with his parents.

Under the flickering candlelight, the table held fragrant rice porridge, soft white steamed buns, two small plates of fresh seasonal vegetables, and a small dish of pickled salted vegetables.

For the table of ordinary Rogue Cultivators, this was already quite a lavish spread. Meat was usually out of the question.

Liu Ruhua was an excellent cook. Though the dishes were simple, they were delicious, and Mo Hua ate with great relish.

But although Liu Ruhua had cooked the food, it was Mo Shan who had supplied the fire with lingli.

Liu Ruhua's expression was as usual, but whenever her eyes wandered, there was always a trace of loss in them, and from time to time she would drift into a daze.

Mo Hua quickly polished off a steamed bun. With his cheeks puffed out, he suddenly asked, "Mother, have you ever thought about opening a Dining Hall?"

Liu Ruhua, who had been delicately sipping her porridge, froze for a moment, then smiled. "Why are you suddenly asking that?"

"Your cooking is so delicious, Mother. If you opened a Dining Hall, you'd definitely earn lots of Spirit Stones."

"Opening a Dining Hall takes capital too. For Rogue Cultivators from a family like ours, where would we get the Spirit Stones to open one?"

Liu Ruhua said this with an amused smile. Then she tapped Mo Hua's nose with a pale finger and teased, "When you grow up, your cultivation becomes high, and you can earn lots of Spirit Stones, then we'll open one."

Mo Hua said quietly, "Then let's open a small one first."

"A small what?" Liu Ruhua was taken aback.

"An eatery," Mo Hua said. "I took a look around the streets and found that there are many eateries selling wine, dishes, snacks, noodles, and the like. Their business is all quite good."

Liu Ruhua seemed to want to say something but stopped herself, her expression somewhat downcast.

Seeing this, Mo Shan said softly, "Hua'er, your mother... she can't use lingli."

Without lingli, she could not fuel a fire, and thus could not prepare cultivator's meals.

Even if she could use lingli, an eatery had customers constantly coming and going, and many dishes would need to be prepared. That was not something a Qi Refining cultivator's lingli could sustain.

Mo Hua raised his delicate brows, his face brimming with pride. "We'll build a Stove."

"A Stove?"

Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua looked at each other.

Mo Hua took a large sheet of drawings from his Storage Bag.

"This is the design blueprint for the Stove. I asked Master Chen at the Artifact Refining Guild about what materials to use, what size it should be, and how many Spirit Stones it would cost—it's all calculated. I'll think of a way to handle the Array Technique. Once this Stove is refined, it won't need a cultivator to activate it with lingli. Just put in Spirit Stones, and it can continuously provide fire. It'll be much more convenient for cooking dishes and stewing ingredients."

Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua had not expected their son to have even brought out the blueprints. For a moment, both of them were stunned.

"Refining a Stove must take a lot of Spirit Stones..."

"We'll make a small Stove first. I asked Master Chen, and it won't require too many Spirit Stones. For a small eatery, a smaller Stove will be enough."

"What about the Array Technique?" Liu Ruhua asked.

Mo Hua put on an indifferent air, but the pride on his face was difficult to hide. "I'll draw it. I already got the Array Diagram from Manager Mo, and the Array Technique isn't difficult..."

After exhausting his Divine Consciousness for several nights and practicing over and over, Mo Hua still had not completely mastered the Molten Fire Array. By the end, he felt a little guilty.

Liu Ruhua looked at Mo Hua suspiciously. "Is it really not difficult?"

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Mo Hua chuckled. "Even though I haven't learned it yet, a few more days of practice and I'll be fine."

There was no helping it. An array technique with five Array Patterns was not so easy to learn.

Liu Ruhua nodded as well. Mo Hua was still young and had not studied array techniques for long. If he could learn it, then it probably was not an especially difficult array technique.

But after thinking it over, she still shook her head. "Opening a shop isn't that easy. Even a small eatery needs premises rented, people hired to help, and countless matters managed. It also costs quite a few Spirit Stones. If expenses exceed income, the household will have an even harder time making ends meet. What matters most right now is saving some Spirit Stones so you can cultivate properly..."

Mo Shan, who had remained silent, suddenly said, "We'll open this eatery. I'll think of a way to handle the premises and the manpower. None of you need to worry about it."

Mo Shan took out another Storage Bag and handed it to Mo Hua. "There are over a hundred Spirit Stones inside. I earned them these past few months from hunting demon beasts. I know you've earned quite a few Spirit Stones drawing array techniques for others too, but the Spirit Stones needed to make the Stove can come out of this first..."

Just as Mo Hua was about to refuse, Mo Shan stuffed the Storage Bag into his hand.

Holding the Storage Bag, Mo Hua thought of how the Spirit Stones inside had been earned by his father risking his life against demon beasts. They felt heavier than ordinary Spirit Stones.

Since Mo Shan had already agreed, opening the eatery was more or less settled. After Mo Hua finished eating, he returned to his room and continued practicing the Molten Fire Array.

Liu Ruhua still looked somewhat worried.

Mo Shan comforted her, "All right, don't overthink it. Opening an eatery is only a small business. Even if we lose money, we can't lose that much."

Liu Ruhua sighed. "Hua'er is gifted and clever. In the future, his cultivation, learning cultivation arts and Dao methods—he also wants to become an Array Master and study array techniques—all of it will cost many Spirit Stones. If we use up all our Spirit Stones now, what if there aren't enough for Hua'er's cultivation later?"

Mo Shan said gently, "Don't underestimate Hua'er. He can already draw array techniques for merchant firms. They may only be simple array techniques, but that's already remarkable. Perhaps in another ten or twenty years, after honing his array techniques some more, he really can become an Array Master."

Mo Shan smiled. "By then, we may have to rely on our son to support us."

Liu Ruhua smiled, but she still could not set her mind at ease.

Mo Shan held Liu Ruhua's hand. "Then let's make the eatery prosper, save up more Spirit Stones, and later find a little wife for Mo Hua, so we can watch him marry and have children."

Liu Ruhua followed Mo Shan's thoughts and imagined it. A smile appeared on her face, but she was still somewhat uneasy. "What if, by some chance..."

"Even if something happens, you still have me. No matter how hard life gets, there will always be a way. At worst, I'll just work a little harder and kill a few more demon beasts."

Mo Shan's tone was gentle yet resolute.

Liu Ruhua said nothing more and silently nestled into Mo Shan's embrace.