Chapter 36: The Stove

Watching Mo Hua's smile, Master Chen and the others couldn't help but feel happy as well.

Master Chen couldn't resist offering praise: "Little brother, you are truly remarkable. In all my years, this is the first time I've seen a cultivator of such a young age able to draw a formation."

Mo Hua felt a bit embarrassed by the praise and said shyly, "Master Chen, let's first see if the stove with the formation drawn on it actually works."

Master Chen gave a signal, and along with several strong apprentices, they reinstalled the stove. After inserting a few spirit stones, flames soon flickered to life within the furnace.

Master Chen nodded and said, "No problem. Aside from being a bit small in scale, this stove is no different from those expensive ones forged in the grand dining halls; in fact, the fire is even more intense."

Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief. Afterward, Master Chen had Da Zhu and several other disciples deliver the stove to Mo Hua's home.

After discussing it with his parents, Mo Hua finally decided to open the eatery at their own home.

Firstly, it was convenient, and secondly, the storefronts in the nearby markets were far too expensive. Since it was meant to be a small-scale business, renting an expensive storefront meant that if they incurred a loss, they would truly be bankrupt.

Furthermore, although most people living where Mo Hua resided were poor rogue cultivators, the area was close to the main road with significant foot traffic, and it became quite lively during festivals. As long as the food was delicious, there would be no worry about failing to sell it.

Mo Hua's home was quite small, consisting only of a standard two-bedroom, one-living-room layout with a small courtyard outside—the basic structure for a Qi Refining rogue cultivator's residence. It was fine for a family of three, but insufficient for running an eatery.

Mo Shan discussed it with several neighbors and, by paying a monthly fee in spirit stones, leased their courtyard. He then asked friends from the demon-hunting teams to help remodel a kitchen and connected several courtyards together. This created a large open space in the yard where tables and chairs could be set up for people to eat and rest.

The stove was somewhat large and wouldn't fit in a storage bag, so Da Zhu and the disciples carried it toward Mo Hua's house. By the time the group arrived, Mo Shan and his wife were still tidying the courtyard, digging soil and building walls, making the place look somewhat cluttered.

Da Zhu and the others worked hard to help install the stove, and after sitting down for a cup of tea, they took their leave.

Even though Mo Hua had previously given his word and was always reliable, seeing that he had actually commissioned someone to forge a stove—and seeing that stove right before their eyes—still left Mo Shan and his wife feeling incredulous.

Liu Ruhua touched the stove and said, "It looks similar to those in the grand dining halls, just a bit smaller, but it's clearly sturdier and the craftsmanship is more exquisite. It must have cost quite a few spirit stones, though."

"I helped Master Chen repair the formation in his forging furnace, so he gave me a fifty percent discount. Besides, I drew the formation in this stove myself, so it didn't cost too many spirit stones," Mo Hua said with a hint of pride.

Liu Ruhua and Mo Shan looked at each other in surprise. They knew Mo Hua had some talent in formations, but they hadn't expected that he could not only help others repair formations but could even draw them onto spiritual tools himself.

Liu Ruhua pulled Mo Hua into her arms and praised him, "Hua'er, you are truly amazing!"

Mo Shan also looked at his son, his eyes filled with gratification.

He had originally worried about Mo Hua's weak constitution, but seeing his talent in formations, he knew that even if he couldn't focus on body tempering, he would be able to make a living through formations alone in the future. Moreover, he wouldn't have to risk fighting demon beasts like he did, which was as good as it could get.

"Mom, let me show you how to use the stove."

Mo Hua took Liu Ruhua's hand and explained how to use the stove, the amount of spirit stones required, and how to control the heat. It wasn't actually difficult, and Liu Ruhua understood after hearing it once.

Liu Ruhua then used the stove to prepare dinner: a pot of plain rice porridge, a few simple vegetable dishes, and some white, soft steamed buns—simple yet delicious.

Eating his mother's cooking, Mo Hua was deeply moved, especially since most of the meals at home had been prepared by Mo Shan lately, whose cooking was naturally quite different.

Mo Hua said bluntly, "Mom, your cooking is much better than Dad's!"

"You little brat!" Mo Shan grumbled, rubbing Mo Hua's hair, but seeing the smile on his wife's face, he couldn't help but laugh as well.

After the family of three finished eating, Liu Ruhua asked, "Opening an eatery is fine, but what should we sell?"

Both Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua looked toward Mo Hua.

Meeting his parents' gaze, Mo Hua said, "Beef!"

Mo Shan froze for a moment, then frowned. "Where would we get beef? Meat with spiritual energy is very expensive; we can't afford it. And since the neighbors are mostly rogue cultivators, even if we made beef, we wouldn't be able to sell it."

Mo Hua said, "Dad, didn't you kill a wild bull before? We can use that meat."

"Wild beef... it's too tough, dry, and fibrous. No one wants to eat it."

"Then we can stew it for two days and two nights. Even the toughest meat should become tender by then. As long as it's stewed long enough, it will definitely absorb the flavor."

"Stew it for two days and two nights..." Mo Shan couldn't help but turn his gaze toward the stove. "So, you forged this stove not just so your mother could cook without using spiritual power, but also so we could stew meat..."

"Mhm!" Mo Hua nodded.

"Will that work?" Mo Shan asked hesitantly.

"It should work." Liu Ruhua's eyes lit up. "Meat with spiritual energy is prized for being tender and fresh, so it doesn't need much stewing, otherwise, it loses its spiritual essence. But that meat is very expensive, not something families like ours can afford."

"Meat without spiritual energy is cheap, but it's tough and fibrous, requiring long stewing times. Ordinary rogue cultivators can afford it, but they lack the conditions to stew it for so long, so they rarely eat it."

"With this stove, we can stew cheap meat to make it delicious. Even ordinary rogue cultivators will be able to afford it."

Mo Shan nodded and added, "But for two days and two nights, the spirit stones used just to keep the fire going must be quite a lot."

Mo Hua counted on his fingers and said, "It should cost about ten spirit stones, but one batch can stew a lot of meat. If we sell it, we shouldn't lose money."

"Alright then, I'll try stewing a pot tomorrow or the day after and calculate the costs then," Liu Ruhua said.

Mo Shan nodded. "I'll go get some more wild beef. Once we finish the meat at home, Old Zhao should have some left. If this kind of meat can be sold, then the meat from hunting demon beasts will also have a market. Everyone's life could become a bit better."

As they finished talking, it was getting late, so Liu Ruhua urged Mo Hua to go to sleep.

As Mo Hua stood up, a question suddenly occurred to him, and he asked

"Mom, logically speaking, forging a stove shouldn't be too difficult, so why is it that you rarely see ordinary rogue cultivators using them?"

"Silly child," Liu Ruhua said with a chuckle, stroking Mo Hua's face.

"Setting aside the forging itself, if you didn't draw the formations on the stove yourself and had to hire a formation master, how many spirit stones would you have to spend?"

"Being a formation master is very difficult. Once someone becomes a formation master, they naturally want to advance further. Relying on their families and sects, they will draw higher-level formations to earn more spirit stones. They wouldn't care about poor rogue cultivators like us."

"It's not just formation masters; it's the same for all cultivators. When people strive to climb higher, they don't look down..."

Mo Hua's heart felt heavy, and for a moment, he was speechless.

(End of Chapter)