Mo Shan

Mo Shan was an Eighth-Layer Qi Refining Monster Hunter. He made his living hunting demon beasts and stripping materials from their bodies. It sounded impressive enough, but in truth, it was grueling work and terribly risky.

Most demon beasts in the cultivation world were far stronger than human cultivators, making them exceptionally difficult to hunt.

Generally, hunting a demon beast of the same realm required a team of at least five to ten cultivators, and even then, success was not guaranteed. Even if they succeeded, some of the demon beast's more valuable parts could easily be damaged during the battle and fetch few Spirit Stones. After the earnings were divided according to each teammate's contribution, the share left to each person was already meager.

If they were careless and got injured, the Pills needed for treatment would be another substantial expense, and they could easily end up spending more than they earned. If they suffered serious injuries, they often could no longer make a living through Monster Hunting.

Mo Shan was broad-shouldered and powerfully built, a Body Cultivator with a heroic, sharply defined face. By a cultivator's standards, he had not yet reached middle age, but after years of hunting demon beasts and sleeping rough beneath the open sky, his face already bore the weathered traces of hardship.

After entering the house, Mo Shan set down his blade and the hide of some unknown demon beast he had been carrying over his shoulder. Only then did he let out a quiet breath of relief.

The outer robe he wore was worn through and stained with blood, some fresh, some darkened. Most of it was likely demon beast blood, though some belonged to himself or his companions.

This Monster Hunting trip must not have gone well, Mo Hua secretly guessed.

Mo Shan's brows were unconsciously furrowed, his expression heavy. Combined with the bloodstains on his clothes, he carried a cold, savage air that warned strangers to keep their distance.

Yet that faint savagery vanished the moment he stepped through his door and saw his wife, as though a soldier returning home from a bitter battle had taken off his heavy, scarred armor.

Mo Shan's voice was a little hoarse from exhaustion, but he still asked gently, "Everything all right at home?"

Liu Ruhua helped him sort through his things while taking out a clean cloth to wipe his face. "Everything is fine at home. You don't need to worry."

Seeing the dust and weariness all over his face, she could not help saying, "When you're out there on your own, you have to take good care of yourself."

Mo Shan smiled, then glanced around the room. "Has Hua'er returned?"

"He came back yesterday. The sect has also begun its New Year break, so he should still be sleeping like a log. I'll go wake him. If he knew you were back, who knows how happy he'd be."

Mo Shan looked at the bloodstains on his clothes and the wounds on his body, then stopped his wife. "Let him sleep a little longer. Cultivating in the sect isn't easy either. I'll wash up first, apply some herbs, and change out of these clothes."

Liu Ruhua nodded. "All right. Then eat something first."

Mo Shan had traveled through the night and was already ravenous.

Liu Ruhua was an excellent cook. Though the food was simple, Mo Shan still devoured it like a wolf swallowing a tiger.

When hunting demon beasts, he often slept rough in the wind and dew. When hungry, he ate only cold, hard rations, and could not bear to use an Inedia Pill. Now that he was home, eating food cooked by his wife, all the hardship and exhaustion seemed to be swept away at once.

Mo Shan ate a great deal, then took a large gulp of fragrant, thick porridge and let out a long breath. Only then did Liu Ruhua look at the blood on his clothes and ask worriedly, "Did someone get hurt again this time?"

Mo Shan sighed. "Three were injured. Old Chu was seriously hurt."

Mo Shan went on to recount the Monster Hunting expedition:

"Our group of eight was tracking a Wolf Demon three zhang tall. We had already trapped it, and once we slowly wore down its demon power, we could have killed it. But another Monster Hunting Squad passed by. Most of them were newcomers who had barely shed any blood, yet they were brazen enough to imitate others and try to pick up scraps. When they rashly attacked, the demon beast devoured two of them alive..."

"That beast replenished its blood and vitality by eating people, then went mad. Old Chu and I exhausted all our Lingli before we finally killed that Wolf Demon, but the losses were severe. Old Chu lost an arm, bled terribly, and suffered grave damage to his vitality. I'm afraid he can no longer make a living from Monster Hunting..."

Mo Shan continued bitterly, "Old Chu's child is only two, and his wife merely grows some vegetables and fruit to help support the household. Now that he is seriously injured, they'll have to spend a huge amount of Spirit Stones to treat him. Even if his injuries are healed, who knows what their family of three will live on afterward."

Liu Ruhua also sighed. "Back when our family was struggling, Old Chu lent us Spirit Stones even though he was not well-off himself. We still have some Spirit Stones saved at home. Why don't we give them to Old Chu first? At least let him heal his injuries."

Mo Shan nodded. "That Wolf Demon hasn't been sold yet. It should fetch around three hundred Spirit Stones. When the time comes, we'll give Old Chu a larger share, then lend him some more Spirit Stones to get through this crisis first. It's just..."

Mo Shan looked somewhat guilty. "Hua'er's tuition for entering the sect next year... I had originally thought that killing the Wolf Demon would let us gather most of it. But now this has happened..."

Liu Ruhua took Mo Shan's hand. "As long as the family is safe, that is enough. There will always be a way to earn Spirit Stones. I have saved some from helping in the kitchen at the restaurant, and we can borrow a little more from others. It won't delay Hua'er's studies and cultivation next year."

Mo Shan silently looked at his wife. Her once youthful, graceful face had gained a few traces of weariness, and he felt even more guilty.

"You should quit the kitchen work. The fire energy will invade your body and harm your heart, lungs, and meridians. Next year, I'll find a few more people, kill more demon beasts, and earn more Spirit Stones. I won't let you live so bitterly."

Liu Ruhua pressed her lips together and smiled, looking faintly pleased as she pointed to the hairpin in her hair. "Look, what is this?"

Mo Shan had not noticed it when he entered. Looking closely now, he saw that it differed from the hairpins his wife usually wore.

"This hairpin is...?"

"Hua'er gave it to me. He said it's called a Fire-Averting Hairpin. It can ward off the fire energy from the stove. Wearing it makes my heart, lungs, and meridians feel much clearer."

"Hua'er really is thoughtful."

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

Liu Ruhua smiled. "Hua'er is your son. What he gives me counts as what you gave me."

Mo Shan laughed, then immediately gave a bitter smile. "Cultivators often speak of fortune. The fortune of my life may be marrying a wife like you and having such a thoughtful son as Hua'er!"

Liu Ruhua cast her husband a reproachful glance, but could not help laughing as well.

Looking at his wife's smile, Mo Shan silently made up his mind. After the New Year, he would find several Monster Hunters with higher cultivation, think of a way to enter the Inner Mountain, kill more demon beasts, and earn more Spirit Stones. He could not let his wife toil so hard any longer, and he also had to find a way to secure a better future for his son.

Mo Hua had heard everything his parents said from inside the room. Though still young, he sighed.

Without his knowing it at all, his parents had always endured the hardships of cultivation like this. Perhaps in every world, the burdens parents carried were far heavier than their children imagined.

Even cultivators had to toil for Spirit Stones and run about for their livelihood.

Cultivators and mortals seemed different, yet they also seemed no different at all.

As Mo Hua reflected, he quietly pondered in his heart, Is there any way I can earn Spirit Stones too?