BXBX NOVEL Chapter 207: 207 Zhiwei_1
“One should not harbor ill-intentions, but it is essential to guard against others.”
After giving it some thought, Mo Hua felt that the likelihood of being suspected was not very high. Unless it was someone he knew well, it was improbable for an ordinary Cultivator to believe that Mo Hua, who was in his teens, could create a First-grade Formation.
On the contrary, Mo Hua was worried about Mr. Zhuang; he feared that the Qian Family might suspect Mr. Zhuang and that he might cause trouble for Mr. Zhuang.
Mo Hua went to see Mr. Zhuang and briefly explained the situation.
Hearing this, Mr. Zhuang just smiled and said, “Do what you think is right, there’s no need to worry about me.”
“Won’t the Qian Family cause you trouble?”
“They won’t find it.”
“What if they do find it?” Mo Hua was still somewhat anxious.
“‘Originally there was nothing, where could the dust arise?’ They will not be able to find it,” Mr. Zhuang stated indifferently.
Mo Hua nodded, half-understanding and half-confused, thinking Mr. Zhuang’s words were vague and unclear, not really knowing what he was talking about…
However, since Mr. Zhuang had said so, he must be confident, and thus Mo Hua was reassured.
Mr. Zhuang was unfathomable and might not take the Qian Family seriously, but if they caused trouble and disturbed Mr. Zhuang’s tranquil cultivation, that would not be good.
“How is your study of formations going?” Mr. Zhuang asked.
“I’ve learned the First-grade Melting Fire and Controlling Spirit Compound Formation and the First-grade Firewood Twin Cultivation Compound Formation, and I’ve also used them on the furnace,” Mo Hua said happily.
Mr. Zhuang nodded in approval and praised, “Well done.”
Mo Hua smiled and then asked, “Gentleman, which formations should I learn next?”
“Just find some Compound Formations and learn casually,” Mr. Zhuang suggested, “Wait until you break through to the seventh layer of Qi Refinement and look at the Mystery Formation in your Sea of Consciousness. Then make your next plan.”
“Alright,” Mo Hua nodded.
What kind of Mystery Formation would the bottleneck at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement in the Heaven Yan Jue be?
Mo Hua was both looking forward to it and feeling a bit apprehensive.
After bidding farewell to Mr. Zhuang, Mo Hua headed home as usual, but bumped into An Xiaofu on the way.
“What a coincidence,” Mo Hua greeted An Xiaofu.
An Xiaofu hung his head, wearing a troubled expression, “Not a coincidence, my grandfather and father asked me to wait here especially for you.”
“Ah?” Mo Hua was taken aback.
“They wanted me to pretend to bump into you accidentally and get close to you,” An Xiaofu explained, “But you’re so smart, you would have known immediately, so I couldn’t be bothered to pretend. My grandfather and father also told me to…”
An Xiaofu spilled the beans, revealing everything his grandfather and father had instructed him to do, whether it was supposed to be said or not.
Mo Hua didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
After An Xiaofu finished, he felt a lot more relaxed.
He thought he had completed his task. He had said everything his grandfather and father wanted him to say, and he had done everything they had asked him to do.
Although the method might have differed slightly from what they had instructed, the result was the same.
An Xiaofu heaved a sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
“Oh, and here are some gifts my grandfather asked me to give you. Please accept them,” he added.
An Xiaofu handed over a Storage Bag that held some Formation Books, several Formation Pens, and a good amount of Spiritual Ink.
The items were not too expensive, but it was clear that a lot of thought had been put into choosing them, appealing to personal tastes.
Mo Hua tried to decline.
An Xiaofu stuffed it into Mo Hua’s hands, “If I take it back, my grandfather will blame me. If I give it to you, he’ll probably praise me. It’s not really valuable anyway, so just take it. Missing out on an advantage is the act of a fool.”
After thinking for a moment, Mo Hua nodded and said, “Indeed.”
Not wanting to be “a fool,” Mo Hua accepted the gifts and then said, “Come on, let me treat you to something to eat!”
An Xiaofu waved his hand, “How could I let you pay?”
“It’s not a bother,” said Mo Hua, “It’s on me!”
An Xiaofu, curious and thinking there was nothing fun about going back to the clan, decided to go with Mo Hua for a change.
Following Mo Hua through several streets and around a few corners, An Xiaofu saw a food establishment at the crossroad. Its sign fluttered in the wind, with neat tables and benches set out on the spacious ground.
The patrons gathered in small groups, some devouring meat heartily, others gulping down drinks, clinking glasses and making merry in a lively atmosphere.
The scent of meat and the fragrance of wine rushed towards them, drifting off into the distance with the breeze.
This was an atmosphere An Xiaofu had never experienced before.
“Mom,” Mo Hua called out from afar, waving his hand.
Liu Ruhua came out with a smile upon hearing this, and when she saw Mo Hua and the little chubby boy in brocade next to him, she asked with some confusion, “Who is this…?”
An Xiaofu performed a polite bow and said, “Hello auntie, my name is An Xiaofu.”
“An Family?”
An Xiaofu nodded, “My dad is the head of the An Family.”
Liu Ruhua was mildly surprised, and then turned to Mo Hua, wondering how Mo Hua had come to know the young master of the An Family.
Mo Hua said, “Mom, I invited Xiaofu for a meal, could you make something delicious?”
“A child your age inviting someone for a meal…” Liu Ruhua chuckled and asked An Xiaofu, “Young Master An, what would you like to eat?”
An Xiaofu quickly gestured with his hand, “Just call me Xiaofu. I’m not picky, anything is good.”
Liu Ruhua nodded and said, “Then you two play for a while, I will make some food.”
Mo Hua then took An Xiaofu to an open and bright table to sit down.
An Xiaofu looked around and said, “So this is your family’s restaurant.”
“That’s right!” Mo Hua said with some pride.
He had been a big help in getting the restaurant up and running.
An Xiaofu felt a bit envious, “That’s really nice.”
Mo Hua was puzzled, “Doesn’t your An Family have the Spiritual Meal Building? That place is even bigger and looks more impressive.”
“It’s not the same,” An Xiaofu thought for a moment and said, “Although the Spiritual Meal Building is big and quiet, it always feels too serene, making dining less fun.”
An Xiaofu looked around at the other patrons.
There were Monster Hunters, Artifact Refiners, Alchemists, local Loose Cultivators, passing peddlers, and traders from other places. Everyone was different, but all were gathered together, eating and chatting with laughter and talk.
Sometimes, even strangers struck up warm conversations, toasted each other, and wished one another a smooth journey.
“It’s fun to eat together in such a lively gathering,” said An Xiaofu.
Mo Hua felt the same way, “Then eat as much as you like later, my mom’s cooking is really delicious.”
“Thank you,” An Xiaofu said in thanks.
But he was just being polite, appreciating Mo Hua’s hospitality without really expecting the food to be anything special.
The An Family ran the Spiritual Meal Building, where they hired culinary masters to study all kinds of high-quality recipes and make various rare delicacies.
He ate there every day, what good food hadn’t he tasted?
But when Liu Ruhua served the food, An Xiaofu found out he was indeed unfamiliar with it…
After trying a bite, An Xiaofu asked, “What kind of meat is this?”
“Monster Beast meat,” Mo Hua took a bite with his chopsticks, “Probably some kind of sheep. If it were in Big Black Mountain, I could recognize it, but now it’s on the plate, I can’t tell.”
An Xiaofu was surprised, “Monster Beast meat can taste this good?”
“Hehe, didn’t expect that, did you?”
An Xiaofu took another bite and savored it carefully, “These spices are different too.”
“You can tell the spices apart too?” Mo Hua asked.
An Xiaofu nodded.
“Which ones can you identify?” Mo Hua was a bit curious.
Hmm…” An Xiaofu thought for a moment, “There’s cassia leaf, mustard seed, plum, zedoary…”
An Xiaofu listed quite a few and then said, “There are others too, with very unique flavors that I’ve never tasted before, so I can’t name them.”
Mo Hua was impressed, “You’re really amazing!”
Some of these spices were bought from the market town, while others were picked by Mo Hua from outside Big Black Mountain. These spices were rather unusual and not easy to mass produce, so it was normal for An Xiaofu not to know their names.
But being able to taste so many spices was already quite impressive.
An Xiaofu blushed with the praise from Mo Hua, “I… just eat a lot, so I can pick them out, nothing special. I can’t compare to you…”
Mo Hua was a Formation Master, and his skills in formations were very high, to the extent that even his grandfather found it unbelievable.