Chapter 208: The Taste of Knowing
Someone had been asking around about formation masters. Elder Yu informed Mo Hua of this and advised him to be cautious.
One must not harbor thoughts of harming others, yet must always guard against harm from others.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and felt that it was unlikely he would be suspected. Unless it was someone who knew him personally, most cultivators would never believe that a ten-year-old boy could draw a first-grade formation.
What concerned Mo Hua more was Mister Zhuang. He feared that the Qian Family might suspect Mister Zhuang and that he would inadvertently cause trouble for him.
Mo Hua went to see Mister Zhuang and briefly explained the situation.
Upon hearing it, Mister Zhuang merely smiled and said, "Do what you believe is right. My affairs need not concern you."
"Won't the Qian Family cause you trouble?"
"They will not find me."
"What if they do?" Mo Hua still looked uneasy.
"'Originally there is not a single thing about me that they can find. Where could dust alight?' They cannot find me." Mister Zhuang spoke with a calm detachment.
Mo Hua nodded, half understanding, half confused. Mister Zhuang's words were always veiled in clouds: wise, yet elusive.
Still, since Mister Zhuang spoke with such assurance, Mo Hua's heart settled. The man's depth was unfathomable, and he likely paid the Qian Family no mind. Even so, it would be troublesome if their schemes disrupted Mister Zhuang's cultivation.
"How goes your study of formations?" Mister Zhuang asked.
"I've learned both the First-Grade Molten Fire Spiritual Control Composite Formation and the First-Grade Fire-Wood Dual-Life Composite Formation. I've even applied them to the furnaces," Mo Hua replied cheerfully.
Mister Zhuang nodded in approval. "Not bad."
Mo Hua grinned. "Sir, which formations should I study next?"
"Find a few Composite Formations and learn them casually," Mister Zhuang said. "Once you reach the seventh level of Qi-Refining, observe the Puzzle formation within your Sea of Consciousness, then decide your next step."
"Understood." Mo Hua nodded.
What kind of puzzle formation would appear at the seventh layer of the Celestial Evolution Art's Qi-Refining stage?
He felt both anticipation and unease.
After parting with Mister Zhuang, Mo Hua went home as usual but ran into An Xiaofu on the way.
"What a coincidence," Mo Hua greeted.
"Not really." An Xiaofu drooped his head, looking miserable. "My grandfather and father made me wait here for you."
"Huh?" Mo Hua blinked.
"They told me to pretend to bump into you by chance and get close to you," An Xiaofu explained. "But you're so smart, you'd see through it instantly, so I didn't bother pretending. My grandfather and father also told me to…"
Then, like spilling beans from a pot, An Xiaofu recited everything his grandfather and father had instructed him to say, both what he should and shouldn't have said.
Mo Hua couldn't help but laugh.
After unloading everything, An Xiaofu felt greatly relieved.
He had completed his "mission"... all that needed saying had been said, and all that needed doing had been done.
The approach might not have matched his elders' intentions, but the result was the same.
He let out a long sigh of relief.
"Oh, right. These are some gifts my grandfather wanted me to bring you. Please accept them."
He handed over a storage pouch filled with formation manuals, several formation brushes, and a good amount of spirit ink.
They weren't especially valuable, but clearly chosen with care, thoughtful gifts meant to please.
Mo Hua tried to decline.
An Xiaofu shoved them into his hands. "If I take them back, my grandfather will scold me. If I give them to you, he'll probably praise me. They're not that expensive anyway. Just take them, only a fool passes up a free benefit."
Mo Hua considered, then nodded. "That's true."
Not wishing to be a "little fool," he accepted the gifts. Then he said, "Come on, I'll treat you to some food!"
An Xiaofu waved his hands. "How could I let you spend money on me?"
"It's not spending." Mo Hua grinned. "My family owns the place!"
Curious now, An Xiaofu followed him. There was little to do back at the clan estate anyway, so why not?
After walking through several streets and turning a few corners, they arrived at a lively eatery at a street corner.
Its signboard fluttered in the wind; inside were clean tables and long benches, bustling with diners.
Groups of twos and threes gathered, some eating meat heartily, others drinking and laughing.
The aroma of roasted meat and warm wine drifted through the air, carried by the breeze.
It was a kind of atmosphere An Xiaofu had never experienced.
"Mother!" Mo Hua called out, waving.
Liu Ruhua looked up with a smile and came out. She saw Mo Hua and, beside him, a chubby boy in fine clothes. Somewhat puzzled, she asked, "And this is…?"
An Xiaofu politely bowed. "Hello, Auntie. My name is An Xiaofu."
"The An Family?" she asked, surprised.
He nodded. "My father is the An Family's patriarch."
Liu Ruhua was taken aback but quickly looked toward her son, wondering how in the world he had befriended the An Family's young master.
"Mother, I'm treating Xiaofu to a meal. Can you make something special?" Mo Hua asked.
"So young and already inviting guests…" Liu Ruhua chuckled and turned to An Xiaofu. "Young Master An, what would you like to eat?"
"Just call me Xiaofu." He waved his hands quickly. "I'm not picky. Anything's fine."
Liu Ruhua smiled. "Then wait a bit. I'll cook something nice for you."
Mo Hua pulled An Xiaofu to a bright table, and they sat down.
"So this is your family's restaurant?" An Xiaofu asked, looking around.
"That's right!" Mo Hua said proudly. He had helped quite a bit in getting it running.
An Xiaofu sighed with a hint of envy. "That's really nice."
Mo Hua looked puzzled. "Doesn't your An Family own the Spirit Cuisine (LingXian) Pavilion? Isn't that much grander?"
"It's different," An Xiaofu said after some thought. "The Pavilion is big and quiet, but it always feels cold and lifeless. Eating there just isn't fun."
He glanced around.
Here, monster hunters, artifact forgers, alchemists, local wanderers, passing merchants, all kinds of people gathered together. They chatted and laughed, sharing wine and food.
Sometimes strangers exchanged a few words and raised a toast, parting with a cheerful "Safe travels!"
"Eating like this, with everyone together, lively and warm, that's what feels good," An Xiaofu said.
Mo Hua agreed wholeheartedly. "Then eat more later. My mother's cooking is amazing!"
"Thank you," An Xiaofu said politely, though he didn't expect much.
After all, his family ran a Spirit Cuisine Pavilion that hired famous culinary masters to craft refined, rare delicacies.
He had eaten the best of everything.
Yet when Liu Ruhua brought the dishes, An Xiaofu discovered that he hadn't eaten anything quite like this before.
He took one bite and asked, astonished, "What kind of meat is this?"
"Monster beast meat," Mo Hua said, tasting a piece himself. "Probably some kind of goat. If I saw it in the Black Mountain, I could tell what it was, but now that it's in a plate, who knows?"
"Monster beast meat… can taste this good?" An Xiaofu exclaimed.
"Heh, didn't expect that, did you?"
An Xiaofu tasted another bite, savoring it. "The spices are different too."
"You can tell that?" Mo Hua asked, surprised.
An Xiaofu nodded.
"Which ones can you taste?" Mo Hua leaned forward, curious.
"Hmm…" An Xiaofu thought for a while. "Laurel leaf, mustard seed, plum, ginger blossom…"
He listed quite a few, then added, "And a few others with strange flavors I've never tasted before, so I can't name them."
"You're amazing!" Mo Hua said with genuine admiration.
Some of these spices came from the local market, while others were wild herbs Mo Hua had picked near the outer reaches of the Black Mountain, rare and unrefined, not easily cultivated.
It was no surprise An Xiaofu didn't know their names, but being able to distinguish so many by taste alone was impressive.
Flustered by the praise, An Xiaofu blushed. "I just… eat a lot, so I can recognize the flavors. It's useless, really. Nothing compared to your talent…"
After all, Mo Hua could draw formations, high-grade ones at that.
Even his grandfather found it unbelievable.
(End of Chapter)