Chapter 36: The Stove

Watching Mo Hua's smile, Master Chen and the others also followed suit, feeling happy.

Master Chen couldn't help but praise him, saying:"Little brother is truly impressive. I've lived for more than half my life, and this is the first time I've seen a cultivator your age who can draw arrays."

Mo Hua was a bit embarrassed by the praise and said shyly:"Master Chen, let's first see if the furnace with the array drawn on it can be used."

Master Chen gave a shout, and several strong, sturdy apprentices reinstalled the furnace. They threw in several spirit stones, and before long, a fire started burning inside the furnace.

Master Chen nodded and said:"No problem. Aside from being a bit smaller, this furnace is no different from the ones forged with a lot of money in the dining hall. In fact, this one's fire power is even stronger."

Mo Hua let out a breath. Afterwards, Master Chen had Da Zhu and several other disciples send the furnace to Mo Hua's home.

After discussing with his mom and dad, Mo Hua finally decided to open the food shop at their own home.

One reason was convenience, and the other was that the shop fronts in the nearby market outside were too expensive. It was originally a small-scale business. If they spent a lot of money renting a shop front and then lost money, their family would truly be ruined.

Moreover, although the area where Mo Hua lived was mostly populated by poor loose cultivators, it was near a major road, so there was a good flow of people, and it was relatively lively during festivals. As long as the food was delicious, they wouldn't worry about not selling it.

Mo Hua's home was relatively small, just an ordinary two-room house with one hall. There was also a small courtyard outside. It was considered a basic layout for a Qi Refining stage loose cultivator's room. It was fine for a family of three to live in, but it wasn't enough for opening a food shop.

Mo Shan then discussed with several neighbors and rented their courtyards for a few spirit stones each month. He then asked his demon hunting team friends for help to transform one into a kitchen. They also connected several courtyards together. This way, there was a large open space in the courtyards where they could place tables and chairs for people to eat and rest.

The furnace was a bit big and couldn't fit into a storage bag, so Da Zhu and the other disciples carried it to Mo Hua's home. When the group arrived at Mo Hua's home, Mo Shan and his wife were still tidying up the courtyard, digging soil and building walls. The courtyard looked a bit messy.

Da Zhu and the others didn't shirk the hard work and helped install the furnace. Then they sat down and had a cup of tea before saying goodbye.

Although Mo Hua had sworn earlier and was always reliable in his work, seeing that he had actually found someone to forge a furnace, and with the furnace right in front of them, Mo Shan and his wife still found it hard to believe.

Liu Ru Hua touched the furnace and said:"It looks almost the same as those in the big dining halls, just a bit smaller, but it's obviously sturdier and the craftsmanship is more exquisite, although it must have cost quite a few spirit stones."

"I helped Master Chen repair the array inside his refining furnace, and he gave me a 50% discount. The array inside this furnace was also drawn by me, so it didn't cost too many spirit stones," Mo Hua said a little proudly.

Liu Ru Hua and Mo Shan exchanged glances. They only knew that Mo Hua had some talent in arrays, but they didn't expect that he could not only help others repair arrays but also draw arrays on spirit tools himself.

Liu Ru Hua hugged Mo Hua and praised him, saying:"Hua Er is truly impressive!"

Mo Shan also looked at his son, his eyes full of gratification.

He had originally worried about Mo Hua's weak body. Now that he saw Mo Hua's talent in arrays, he knew that even without refining his body, he could make a living just by relying on arrays in the future, and he wouldn't need to risk fighting with demonic beasts like he did. Naturally, that was for the best.

"Mom, let me tell you how to use the furnace."

Mo Hua pulled Liu Ru Hua's hand and told her about the furnace's usage, the amount of spirit stones needed, and fire control. These things weren't difficult, and Liu Ru Hua understood after listening once.

Liu Ru Hua then used the furnace to cook dinner. It was a pot of clear rice porridge, a few simple vegetables, and soft, white steamed buns. It was simple yet delicious.

Eating the meal his mom cooked, Mo Hua was extremely moved, especially since most of the meals at home recently had been cooked by Mo Shan. The taste was naturally not something to boast about.

Mo Hua said straightforwardly:"Mom, the dishes you make are much more delicious than Dad's!"

"Little rabbit!" Mo Shan rubbed Mo Hua's hair in annoyance, then turned and saw the smile on his wife's face, and couldn't help but laugh as well.

After the family of three finished eating, Liu Ru Hua asked:"Opening a food shop is fine, but what should we sell?"

Mo Shan and Liu Ru Hua both looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua faced his parents' gaze and said:"Beef!"

Mo Shan was stunned for a moment, then frowned and said:"Where would we get beef? Meat with spiritual energy is very expensive, we can't afford it. And everyone nearby are loose cultivators, even if we made beef, we wouldn't be able to sell it."

Mo Hua said:"Dad, didn't you kill a wild ox before? That meat is just right."

"Wild ox meat... it's too tough, dry and woody, no one is willing to eat it."

"Then stew it for two days and two nights. Even the toughest meat should become soft, right? As long as you stew it long enough, it can absorb flavor no matter what."

"Stew it for two days and two nights..." Mo Shan couldn't help but turn his gaze to the furnace. "So you forged this furnace not only so your mom can cook without using spirit power, but also so you can stew meat..."

"Mhm mhm!" Mo Hua nodded.

"Will that work?" Mo Shan hesitated a little.

"It can work," Liu Ru Hua's eyes lit up. "Meat with spiritual power is fresh and tender, it doesn't need to be stewed for too long, otherwise it will lose its spiritual energy, but this meat is very expensive, not something our family can afford."

"Meat without spiritual power is cheap, but it's tough and hard. It needs a long time to stew, which ordinary loose cultivators eat, but they don't have the conditions to stew it, so very few people eat it."

"With this furnace, we can stew out cheap but tasty meat, even ordinary loose cultivators can afford to eat it."

Mo Shan nodded, then said:"But for two days and two nights, just burning the furnace fire will cost quite a few spirit stones."

Mo Hua counted on his fingers for a bit, then said:"It should cost around ten spirit stones, but one pot can stew a lot of meat. If we sell it, we shouldn't lose money."

"Alright then, tomorrow or the day after, I'll try stewing a pot first, and then calculate the cost," Liu Ru Hua said.

Mo Shan nodded and said:"I'll go get some more wild ox meat back. We've finished eating at home, but Old Zhao's family should still have some. If this meat can be sold, then later on, the demonic beast meat we hunt will also have a sales channel, and everyone's lives can be a little better."

After speaking, the sky was getting late, and Liu Ru Hua urged Mo Hua to go to bed quickly.

Mo Hua got up and suddenly thought of a question. He opened his mouth and asked:

"Mom, logically speaking, forging a furnace isn't too difficult, so why do you rarely see ordinary loose cultivators using them?"

"Silly child," Liu Ru Hua touched Mo Hua's face and said with a laugh:

"Not to mention the refining tool part, if you don't draw the array on the furnace yourself, asking another array master would cost how many more spirit stones?"

"How difficult is it to become an array master? Once you become an array master, naturally you'll think about going further, relying on your family and sect, drawing higher-rank arrays, and earning more spirit stones. Why would they care about us poor loose cultivators?"

"Not just array masters, all cultivators are the same. When people walk towards higher places, they don't look down..."

Mo Hua's mood was very complex, and for a moment, he couldn't say anything.