Chapter 5: Moshan

Mo Shan is a Level 8 Qi Refining monster hunter. He makes a living by hunting demonic beasts and harvesting their materials. It sounds quite impressive, but in reality, it is grueling work with significant risks.

In the cultivation world, most demonic beasts are far stronger than human cultivators, making them exceptionally difficult to hunt.

Generally, a demonic beast of the same cultivation level requires a team of at least five to ten cultivators to hunt, and even then, success is not guaranteed. Even if the hunt is successful, the more precious parts of the beast are easily damaged during the battle, fetching very few spirit stones. Once the final proceeds are distributed according to each teammate's contribution, the share left for each person is quite meager.

If one is accidentally injured, the medicinal pills required for treatment are a significant expense, often leading to a situation where expenses exceed income. Once a serious injury occurs, it is often difficult to continue making a living through monster hunting.

Mo Shan has a sturdy build and is a body cultivator. His face is heroic with sharp, well-defined features. By the standards of a cultivator, he is not yet middle-aged, but due to years of hunting demonic beasts and sleeping in the open, his face already bears the weathered look of someone who has endured many hardships.

After entering the house, Mo Shan set down his blade and the fur of some unknown beast he had been carrying on his shoulder, only then letting out a soft sigh of relief.

The outer garment he wore was frayed and stained with blood—some fresh, some dark and dried. Most of it was the blood of demonic beasts, though some was his own or that of his companions.

*This hunt must not have gone very smoothly,* Mo Hua guessed to himself.

Mo Shan’s brows were furrowed involuntarily, his expression heavy. Combined with the bloodstains on his clothes, he looked somewhat cold and fierce, enough to keep strangers at bay.

Yet, this bit of ferocity dissipated the moment he stepped into his home and saw his wife, as if a soldier returning from a bitter battle had finally set down his heavy, scarred armor.

Mo Shan’s voice was a bit hoarse from exhaustion, but he still asked in a gentle tone, "Is everything alright at home?"

Liu Ruhua helped him tidy his gear while taking out a clean cloth to wipe his face. "Everything is fine at home, you don't need to worry."

Seeing his face covered in dust and grime, she couldn't help but say, "When you're out there, you must take better care of yourself."

Mo Shan smiled, then glanced around the room. "Is Hua'er back?"

"He just returned yesterday. The sect is on winter break, and he should still be fast asleep. I’ll go wake him; he’ll be so happy to know you’re back."

Mo Shan looked at the bloodstains on his clothes and the wounds on his body, stopping his wife. "Let him sleep a bit longer. Cultivation in the sect isn't easy either. I’ll go take a bath, apply some herbs, and change these clothes first."

Liu Ruhua nodded. "That’s fine. You should eat something first."

Mo Shan had been traveling all night and was already famished.

Liu Ruhua was a skilled cook, and even though it was just a simple meal, Mo Shan devoured it ravenously.

When hunting demonic beasts, he often had to sleep in the wild, eating cold, hard rations when hungry, and he couldn't bear to waste spirit stones on Inedia Pills. Eating the meal his wife had prepared at home, he felt all his hardships and fatigue vanish instantly.

Mo Shan ate a lot and took a large gulp of the thick, fragrant porridge, letting out a long sigh of relief. Seeing the bloodstains on his clothes, Liu Ruhua asked with concern, "Was someone injured again this time?"

Mo Shan sighed. "Three were injured, and Old Chu is seriously hurt."

Mo Shan then began to recount the hunt

"Our group of eight was tracking a wolf demon over a zhang tall. We had already trapped it and were waiting to slowly exhaust its demonic energy so we could kill it. Unexpectedly, another hunting team passed by. Most of them were newcomers who hadn't even shed much blood, yet they were bold enough to try and scavenge our kill. When they rashly attacked, two of them were eaten alive by the beast..."

"That wicked creature consumed them and replenished its blood energy, going into a frenzy. Old Chu and I exhausted our spiritual energy to finally kill the wolf, but the losses were heavy. Old Chu lost an arm and lost a lot of blood; his vitality is severely damaged. I’m afraid he won't be able to make a living as a hunter anymore..."

Mo Shan added bitterly, "Old Chu’s child is only two years old, and his wife only grows some vegetables to supplement their income. Now that he’s severely injured, it will cost a fortune in spirit stones to treat him. Even if he recovers, they won't know how to survive as a family of three."

Liu Ruhua also sighed. "When we were struggling before, Old Chu, despite not being wealthy himself, still lent us spirit stones. We have some savings left; why don't we give them to Old Chu first? At least let him get his wounds treated."

Mo Shan nodded. "The wolf demon hasn't been sold yet. It should fetch about three hundred spirit stones. We’ll give Old Chu a larger share, and we can lend him some more to help him get through this, but..."

Mo Shan looked guilty. "The tuition for Hua'er to enter the sect next year... I had hoped that killing the wolf demon would cover most of it, but now with this happening..."

Liu Ruhua took Mo Shan’s hand. "As long as the family is safe, there will always be a way to earn spirit stones. I’ve saved some from my work helping in the restaurant kitchen, and we can borrow some from others. It won't delay Hua'er’s enrollment next year."

Mo Shan looked at his wife in silence. Her once young and beautiful face now showed signs of haggardness, and he felt even more self-reproach.

"You should stop working in the kitchen. The heat from the stoves will invade your body and damage your heart, lungs, and meridians. Next year, I’ll find a few more people, hunt more demonic beasts, and earn more spirit stones so you don't have to live so hard."

Liu Ruhua pursed her lips and smiled, a hint of pride in her expression as she pointed to the hairpin in her hair. "Look, what is this?"

Mo Shan hadn't noticed when he entered, but looking closely now, he realized the hairpin was different from the one his wife usually wore.

"What is this hairpin?"

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

"Hua'er is truly sensible."

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

Liu Ruhua laughed. "Hua'er is your son; him giving it to me is the same as you giving it to me."

Mo Shan chuckled, then smiled bitterly. "Cultivation often speaks of destiny. My destiny in this life must be marrying a wife like you and having a son as sensible as Hua'er!"

Liu Ruhua gave her husband a playful, reproachful look, and couldn't help but laugh as well.

Watching his wife’s smile, Mo Shan silently made a resolution: after the New Year, he would find some higher-level hunters, find a way to enter the inner mountains, kill more demonic beasts, and earn more spirit stones. He absolutely could not let his wife toil like this anymore, and he had to find a way to secure a bright future for his son.

Mo Hua heard every word his parents said from his room. Young as he was, he sighed.

Without him ever knowing, his parents had been enduring the hardships of a cultivator's life like this. Perhaps in any world, the burdens parents carry are far heavier than their children ever imagine.

Even cultivators must toil for spirit stones and struggle for their livelihood.

Cultivators and mortals—they seem different, yet they seem no different at all.

Mo Hua sighed, then pondered silently in his heart: "Is there any way I can earn spirit stones too?"

(End of chapter)