Chapter 209: Master Luo
Mo Hua shook his head. "Everything under heaven has its purpose. How could you say something is useless?"
An Xiaofu blinked in surprise. "And what purpose could I have?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment but could not find a precise answer. He was not well versed in culinary matters, so he said instead,
"Your family runs a spirit restaurant, and you have such a keen sense of taste. How could that possibly be useless?"
An Xiaofu sighed. "Our family runs a restaurant out of necessity…"
"Out of necessity?"
Since it was still early, and the meat and fruit wine were both good, and it was rare to have someone to talk to, An Xiaofu took another bite and began chatting with Mo Hua.
"The An Clan originally dealt in artifact refining and pill making. Later, we couldn't compete with the Qian Clan, and our business collapsed. We had no choice but to rely on our ancestral property to open a spirit dining house to survive…"
"My grandfather dislikes running a restaurant. He still wants to refine artifacts and pills, and thinks running a spirit restaurant is humiliating."
"Is running a restaurant that bad?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
"I think it's fine, but my grandfather doesn't," An Xiaofu pouted. "In cultivation, trades are ranked just like cultivators, some are noble, others lowly."
He raised his fingers and counted them one by one.
"First comes formation work. It's the hardest to learn and the most widely used. Formation masters are respected wherever they go. Next come alchemy, artifact refining, and talisman crafting, these are also prestigious trades."
"Other professions like spirit cooking, spiritual planting, textile work, crafting, or monster hunting are all looked down upon."
He glanced at Mo Hua a little nervously. "Don't be mad, but many cultivators from big clans and sects see things like spirit cuisine or monster hunting as trades for lowly rogue cultivators. They secretly despise them."
Mo Hua understood but was unimpressed. "If no one cultivated spiritual plants, cooked spiritual food, or wove spiritual cloth, what would those so-called noble cultivators eat or wear? Without food or clothes, what's there to be arrogant about?"
An Xiaofu nodded vigorously. "Exactly!"
He loved eating, and in his mind, anything related to food was of supreme importance.
Liu Ruhua brought out several other dishes, some made from monster meat, others from wild mountain herbs. The ingredients were simple, yet the flavors were exquisite and unique.
An Xiaofu puffed out his cheeks, eating until he was full, and sighed in delight. "Mo Hua, your mother's cooking is amazing."
Mo Hua grinned, even happier than if he had been praised himself. "Naturally!"
After the meal, they waved each other goodbye.
Watching An Xiaofu's departing back, Mo Hua fell deep into thought.
What could someone with such a refined sense of taste achieve?
Become a spirit chef? Open a spirit restaurant?
But the An Clan already had one…
A vague idea began to form in Mo Hua's mind, though it still needed refinement.
...
Meanwhile, after several days of searching, Qian Shunzhi finally found a few clues and went to report to Clan Head Qian Hong.
"A new cave residence was built in the southern city. The plaque reads 'Bai Residence.' Inside lives a veiled woman with two young cultivators, a boy and a girl. It's unclear whether any of them are versed in formations."
A flash of wariness crossed Qian Hong's eyes. "That must be a noble clan's young miss on a training journey. We can't afford to offend such people, and they wouldn't bother helping mere demon hunters anyway. Anything else?"
Qian Shunzhi continued, "An elderly cultivator passed through recently, his movements were strange, but he left after a few days. There were also several middle-aged formation masters who stayed briefly in inns and have some ties to local families…"
Qian Hong frowned. "None of those fit. Keep searching."
Sensing his displeasure, Qian Shunzhi quickly produced several formation diagrams and handed them over.
"There's a young formation master adept among the demon hunters. These are formations drawn by him. Some are originals, others are rubbings I had made."
Qian Hong took a look and appeared disappointed. "All ordinary formations, none of them First-grade."
He was not a formation master, but he could count rune patterns.
These formations—some new, some old—were neatly drawn, the strokes skillful, but each contained only five or six runes.
A young boy of ten or so able to draw five or six runes was already exceptionally gifted; no wonder people called him a 'little formation master.'
However, the Qian Clan sought not this youth, but the mysterious First-Grade Formation Master.
"Send more people to investigate," Qian Hong ordered coldly.
"Yes, Clan Head."
Qian Shunzhi bowed and was about to leave when Qian Hong stopped her.
After a brief thought, Qian Hong handed him the formation diagrams. "Deliver these to Master Qian. See if he can discern any clues."
Qian Shunzhi obeyed respectfully and carried the diagrams to Master Qian.
At that moment, Master Qian was in the clan's library, meeting with several formation masters.
Some were of the Qian Clan, some had close ties to it, and others, though not particularly friendly, had come out of respect for Master Qian's invitation.
Tōngxiān City was large, yet formation masters were few; they all knew each other, at least by reputation.
The Qian Clan was the city's largest and wealthiest family, so no one wished to slight them.
A First-Grade Formation Master could not possibly be an obscure figure. Someone that skilled must have some connection to one of the local families.
Master Qian had gathered them precisely to probe for information, perhaps someone knew of a link, a mutual acquaintance, or a clue to build rapport with the mysterious master.
However, after half a day of discussion, they were no closer to an answer.
That First-Grade Formation Master had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. No one knew his origins.
While the group sat puzzled, Qian Shunzhi entered with the formation diagrams.
Master Qian examined them, frowning slightly, then passed them around the room.
"Can any of you see anything?" he asked.
"These formations are quite well-drawn."
"They show solid structure."
"Very practiced brushwork, excellent control."
"Unfortunately, they're all low-level formations, only five or six runes each. There's little to infer from that…"
The formation masters murmured their opinions.
Finally, a thin-faced formation master pondered aloud, "If these formations truly come from that so-called little formation master, then this child must be connected to the First-Grade Formation Master."
The others nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Without guidance, no child could achieve such precision at that age."
As they discussed, a Qian disciple entered the hall and bowed. "Master Luo has arrived."
At once, Master Qian stood up, and the others hurried to their feet as well. They stepped to the doorway and saluted the newcomer respectfully.
"Greetings, Master Luo!"
The visitor was none other than Master Luo, one of the few formation masters in Tōngxiān City officially recognized by the Dao Court as a true First-Grade Formation Master.
The other First-Grade masters in the city were elderly and reclusive, rarely appearing in public. Only Master Luo occasionally attended gatherings.
Master Luo returned the greetings politely. "No need for ceremony, everyone."
Then he smiled and nodded to Master Qian. "Master Qian, it has been some time."
Master Qian waved his hands quickly. "You flatter me, Master Luo. In your presence, I wouldn't dare claim the title of 'master.'"
Master Luo chuckled. "Brother Qian, you're too modest. With your current skill, entering the Dao Court's ranks is only a matter of time."
He took the main seat as the others followed according to rank. A maid served tea.
Master Qian gestured graciously. "This is Cloud Mist Tea from Mount Lu Peak, fresh, verdant, and fragrant. Please, have a taste."
Master Luo's eyes brightened. He lifted the cup, letting the steam curl like drifting clouds. One sip later, he nodded approvingly. "Excellent tea."
Once everyone was seated and the tea enjoyed, the conversation turned to the real matter at hand.
(End of Chapter)