Opening

The eatery's prices were not high. Considering that most diners were neighborhood residents or ordinary low-level Rogue Cultivators, none of whom had much money on hand, they could not set the prices too high. At the very least, everyone had to be able to afford a meal, striving for small profits and quick turnover.

The eatery's signature dish was still beef. A plate of beef cost two Spirit Stones. That was not cheap for Rogue Cultivators, but compared with spirit meat or other eateries selling beef, it was already an exceptionally good bargain.

Beef noodles were even cheaper. Plain noodles cost only three fragmented Spirit Stones, while noodles with beef cost six.

An ordinary Qi Refining Rogue Cultivator earned roughly one Spirit Stone and a few fragmented Spirit Stones a day. A plate of beef required two days of hard work to afford. Trying it now and then was possible, but eating it every day was simply impossible.

Yet for two Spirit Stones, one could eat meat. There was no other place like it in all of Immortal City. And if one merely wanted to satisfy a craving, a bowl of beef noodles cost only six fragmented Spirit Stones.

Just a few days after opening, the number of customers began to grow.

The Rogue Cultivators nearby could not eat meat every day, but every day, someone wanted to treat themselves to a good meal.

Some were relatively well-off Qi Refining Rogue Cultivators who could afford to eat there once every few days. Others were fellow cultivators meeting up; they did not want to splurge too lavishly, yet neither did they want anything too plain, so they ordered a plate of beef and some side dishes, chatting as they drank.

Others had children whose cultivation had improved, so the parents brought them over for a bowl of fragrant, spicy beef noodles to reward them and satisfy their cravings.

Occasionally, traveling merchants passing through from elsewhere came by as well. Worn out from their journeys, they heard that the eatery had meat. They wanted to satisfy their cravings, but their pockets were empty, so they hesitated, wanting to order but not daring to.

When they heard that a heaping plate of beef cost only two Spirit Stones, their eyes widened.

They still had their doubts, wondering whether something sold so cheaply could possibly taste bad.

But then they thought again: the eatery's business was so good that the food could not be too terrible. So they decided to try ordering a plate.

Once they took a bite, they could not stop.

After that, merchants who often passed by would stop at the eatery every time, order a plate of meat, and have a few cups of wine. Those who had once passed through without stopping now paused at the eatery as well, eating meat and chatting for a while.

Some merchants who had not originally passed this way even deliberately changed their route to come to the eatery, all for a few bites of that beef and some relief from the fatigue of a long journey.

After all, within a hundred li, this was the only place where one could eat such delicious meat at such a cheap price.

As diners gradually increased, the shop grew busy. Da Hu and the other two came to help at the eatery. After working all day, they each ate a huge bowl of beef noodles at night, then took some beef home, leaving satisfied.

However, Immortal Gate would soon begin classes, and everyone had to enter the sect to cultivate, so there would still be too few hands.

Mo Hua did not want his mother to overwork herself, so he suggested hiring someone to help. Mo Shan also worried that his wife had not fully recovered and could not use Lingli, so he agreed with Mo Hua's idea.

After discussing it with his wife, Mo Shan hired a family member of someone from the Monster Hunting Squad to help at the eatery for thirty Spirit Stones a month.

The next day, a young-looking, shy woman came to their door. She carried a basket filled with fresh wild vegetables, still beaded with dew, clearly picked from the mountain that very morning.

Mo Hua had heard his parents talking and learned that the woman's surname was Jiang and her given name was Yun.

Her husband's surname was Chu. During a previous monster hunt, a Wolf Demon's claws had torn open his chest. All the family's savings had been spent treating his wounds. Though he had barely kept his life, his injuries were severe, and he could no longer continue Monster Hunting. The family had lost its source of income.

Jiang Yun's Spirit Root was poor. She had only cultivated to the fourth level of Qi Refining before leaving the sect. A few years later, she married and had a child. After her husband was seriously injured, she wanted to find work to supplement the household income. But her fourth-level Qi Refining cultivation was too low to earn many Spirit Stones. Odd jobs paid little and were unstable, and she also had a child only a few years old to care for. Making a living had become exceedingly difficult.

Now, having stable work at the eatery for thirty Spirit Stones a month was already an incredibly rare opportunity.

Jiang Yun was deeply grateful, but she was naturally introverted and poor with words. She wanted to thank them, yet could not say much. Her face turned bright red from embarrassment.

Liu Ruhua hurriedly comforted her, telling her not to overthink things and simply work with peace of mind.

Only then did Jiang Yun relax and begin working according to Liu Ruhua's instructions. She was diligent and careful. Though she did not learn quickly, she was earnest, and Liu Ruhua liked her very much.

After closing that evening, Liu Ruhua packed several bowls of noodles into a food box, adding a few extra slices of meat, and told her to take them home.

Jiang Yun hurriedly refused, her face red as she insisted, "Sister Liu, you have already been more than good enough to me. I can't take this."

Liu Ruhua told her to take it, but she still declined.

Then Liu Ruhua said, "Take it home for your child to eat."

Jiang Yun no longer had the strength to refuse. Her child had not eaten a full meal in days, much less meat. She accepted the food box and wanted to thank her, but she was clumsy with words and, no matter how she turned them over, could only repeat the same few expressions of gratitude.

Liu Ruhua merely reassured her. "Don't think so much about it. It's getting late. Go home early and see your child."

Jiang Yun carefully carried the food box as she walked home. When she passed a corner wall, she suddenly stopped. From her back, it looked as though she were sobbing. After a while, she silently wiped her tears with her sleeve before continuing toward home.

Mo Hua stood in the distance, watching her figure, his feelings complicated.

His own family had not been well-off either, their life stretched thin in every direction. But in Immortal City, Rogue Cultivator families poorer and more miserable than his own were everywhere.

If only cultivators in this world did not all suffer the hardships of making a living.

Mo Hua thought silently.

Liu Eatery's opening went smoothly. Liu Ruhua was busy with eatery matters all day. She seemed to have grown thinner, yet her complexion was rosy, and she looked healthier than before.

Running the eatery let her study all kinds of food, and it also allowed her to save Spirit Stones for her son's future cultivation and marriage. Liu Ruhua felt content, and she smiled more often.

Seeing his wife as she was now, Mo Shan felt comforted.

Mo Hua was happy too, since he got to eat more delicious food.

With the eatery open, the family's Spirit Stone income increased. They no longer had to be as strapped for food, clothing, and daily necessities as before. By the time Immortal Gate began classes, the eatery had earned more than two hundred Spirit Stones in total.

Liu Ruhua gave all the more than two hundred Spirit Stones they had earned to Mo Hua, telling him to choose a suitable cultivation method in the sect and warning him never to delay his cultivation.

Mo Hua nodded in agreement.

The next day, summer break ended. Immortal Gate opened its mountain gates to welcome the disciples back.

At the foot of the mountain, Mo Hua waved goodbye to Liu Ruhua, who had come to see him off, then stepped into Immortal Gate.

As the disciples returned one after another, the once-silent Spirit-Connecting Peak gradually became lively again.

However, after a full two months of summer break, many disciples had played until their minds had scattered to the winds, and their cultivation had been neglected as well. Now that classes had begun, their expressions all carried some unease.

To gather everyone's thoughts back together, Instructor Yan directly announced a surprise Array Technique examination.

The lingering summer heat was thoroughly extinguished by this bucket of icy water dumped over their heads. Quite a few disciples wore expressions of despair deeper than death itself.

This was an on-the-spot examination. They could not take it home to finish, and there was no way to pull any tricks.

Mo Hua, however, was entirely unafraid.

He could already draw five Array Patterns and was considered an experienced apprentice. The sect's basic Array Pattern examinations could not stump him at all.

Moreover, during the latter month or so of summer break, he had practiced Array Techniques day and night. Each time, he exhausted his divine sense to its limit, steadily strengthening it through constant pressure.

For such a trivial matter as an examination, Mo Hua was brimming with confidence, certain it would be as easy as reaching into a bag and taking something out.

But when the Array Technique examination paper was handed out, Mo Hua was somewhat dumbfounded.

He checked it over and over before finally confirming that they were not being tested on individual Array Patterns, but on a complete Array Technique—one that contained six Array Patterns!