Chapter 129: Mutual Benefit
The next day, Yu Chengyi made a special trip to the eatery, where Mo Hua was busy drawing formations.
"Mo Hua, drawing formations again?" Yu Chengyi greeted, a little awkwardly.
"Uncle Yu?" Mo Hua looked up in surprise. "What brings you here?"
"I came to check on you," Yu Chengyi said with a smile.
Mo Hua smiled back. "Thank you for helping me yesterday, Uncle Yu."
Yu Chengyi waved a hand dismissively. "It was nothing."
Mo Hua studied him for a moment, then asked, "Uncle Yu, you must have something you need, right?"
After all, the Demon Beast-hunting squads were always busy, he wouldn't just drop by for no reason.
Yu Chengyi hesitated, then asked, "Mo Hua… that thing you used yesterday, what formation was it?"
"Yesterday?" Mo Hua thought for a moment. "That was the Earthfire Array."
Earthfire Array… even the name sounded powerful.
Yu Chengyi nodded, eyes brightening with interest. "That Earthfire Array… could it injure a mid-tier first-rank demon beast?"
Mo Hua nodded. "Yes. A single array isn't enough, but four or five used together can blast a mid-tier first-rank beast into critical condition. After that, it just needs a finishing strike."
As he expected!
Yu Chengyi's eyes lit up in excitement. "Then… if you've got time, could you draw a few arrays for me?"
"You want them? But wouldn't that formation be of little use to you?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
After all, Yu Chengyi was at the ninth level of Qi-Refining. He shouldn't need formations to hunt mid-tier beasts.
The Earthfire Array's effectiveness was limited against late-stage ones.
"It's not for me," Yu Chengyi sighed. "It's for the new hunters. Their cultivation is too low. When they follow us, they rarely even get a share of the spoils. But if they hunt alone, it's far too dangerous. With this array, at least they could earn some spirit stones."
Mo Hua thought of Dà Hu and his brothers.
When one first became a Demon Beast hunter, it was the hardest time, dangerous work, little pay, and endless frustration.
Mo Hua nodded. "Sure."
Yu Chengyi let out a breath of relief, but then his face showed hesitation as he bit his lip. "How many spirit stones… would it cost to draw one of those?"
The array clearly wasn't simple—probably harder than the Iron Armor Array—so it should command a higher price. But he didn't have much to give.
At that moment, Yu Chengyi truly understood how his father must have felt, knowing you're asking too much, yet still forcing yourself to open your mouth.
And worse yet, he was asking a ten-year-old child.
The always-straightforward Yu Chengyi lowered his eyes, too embarrassed to meet Mo Hua's gaze.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly.
Both Elder Yu and Uncle Yu were clearly proud men, but they could both swallow that pride for the sake of their fellow demon hunters.
His dark eyes gleamed as he smiled and said, "Uncle Yu, how about we make a deal instead?"
Yu Chengyi blinked. "A deal?"
"Mm-hmm, a deal!" Mo Hua said cheerfully. "You just provide me with spirit ink. I'll draw the arrays, you'll have people use them to hunt Demon Beasts, and after splitting the spirit stones, I'll take one share as my payment."
Yu Chengyi's eyes also lit up. "That's a great idea!"
"But I have one more condition," Mo Hua added.
"Whatever it is, just say it!" Yu Chengyi replied boldly. He didn't want Mo Hua to get shortchanged.
"I want the Demon Beast blood from the beasts you kill."
"Demon Beast blood?" Yu Chengyi frowned slightly. "What do you need that for?"
"To mix spirit ink, for formation drawing."
Once he heard it was for formations, Yu Chengyi immediately nodded.
"No problem! No one wants that stuff anyway, it's all yours."
"But…" After a short pause, Yu Chengyi added, "Can we collect it for you instead? The Black Mountain is dangerous. Best if you don't go there yourself."
"You'd need to know Blood Extraction Technique to do that, it's better if I handle it personally," Mo Hua said.
"I see…"
Yu Chengyi felt a little regretful. He didn't want Mo Hua taking risks, but there was no other way.
"Then be very careful," he said seriously.
"Don't worry, Uncle Yu, I know my limits."
After discussing the smaller details, Yu Chengyi finally stood up. "I'll head back then. Don't let me disturb your work."
On his way out, he bought a few catties of beef.
Mo Hua waved as he left.
Carrying the meat, Yu Chengyi stepped out of the eatery feeling as if a weight had lifted from his chest, his mood suddenly bright and clear.
"What a good kid…" he thought with a smile.
Smart, sensible, considerate, and so gifted in formations.
Truly, his father's judgment was as sharp as ever.
When his father had told him to visit Mo Hua and get familiar with him, he'd been reluctant. Now he almost wished he could move in next door to the Mo family, so they could see each other every day.
"I'll make sure to tell Old Zhao and the others," Yu Chengyi muttered to himself. "If anyone runs into Mo Hua in the mountains, they're to keep an eye out for him, nothing must happen to that kid!"
After Yu Chengyi left, Mo Hua also felt a wave of relief.
He'd been wondering how to stockpile more Demon Beast blood for making spirit ink.
With just Dà Hu and his brothers, he didn't have enough manpower, and he couldn't keep borrowing hunters from Uncle Yu forever.
Now things had worked out perfectly. He only needed to draw the arrays and personally extract the Demon Beast blood.
The new hunters could gain experience hunting beasts and even earn some extra spirit stones.
After all, Demon Beast hunters were rarely wealthy.
Thinking it over, Mo Hua realized, he'd helped Uncle Yu, and Uncle Yu had helped him. A win-win for both.
Soon, Mo Hua drew several Earthfire Arrays and handed them to Yu Chengyi.
Yu Chengyi had the hunters test them in the field, but the first attempt failed.
The issue lay with the traps.
Other hunters could set traps too, but their placement and technique were crude, easy for Demon Beasts to detect.
If a Demon Beast didn't fall into the trap, it wouldn't be restrained, and if it wasn't restrained, the Earthfire Array couldn't be triggered.
Yu Chengyi came back to ask Mo Hua if there was any way to improve things.
Mo Hua thought for a while, then recommended Uncle Chu, Chu Guangshan.
After all, Mo Hua had learned his trap-setting skills from him. Naturally, he was the best person for the job.
So, Chu Guangshan, who'd been too injured to hunt anymore, rejoined the hunting team and entered the Black Mountain once again.
He handled observing Demon Beast tracks, setting traps, laying down Mo Hua's Earthfire Arrays, and then igniting them with firestone-tipped arrows.
After the explosion, he didn't even need to fight, the other hunters could easily finish the job.
Even with his injuries, Chu Guangshan could now help the team hunt Demon Beasts and earn a solid share of spirit stones.
With his earnings, he bought plenty of supplies and came with Jiang Yun to personally thank Mo Hua.
But the couple were both awkward with words, Jiang Yun blushed, and Chu Guangshan fumbled for something to say but couldn't find it.
Watching them stumble through their thanks, Mo Hua felt both touched and amused.
He couldn't help thinking, the old saying was true: People of one heart will always find the same door.
(End of Chapter)