Golden Core is a Star, and You Call This Cultivation?
Chapter 129: Mutual Benefit

The next day, Yu Chengyi stopped by the restaurant where Mo Hua was busy working on his formation.

“Mo Hua, hard at work on another formation?” Yu Chengyi greeted him, somewhat awkwardly.

“Uncle Yu?” Mo Hua looked surprised. “What brings you here?”

“I just came to check on you,” Yu Chengyi said with a smile.

Mo Hua smiled back, “Thank you for yesterday, Uncle Yu.”

Yu Chengyi waved it off. “It was nothing.”

But Mo Hua looked at Yu Chengyi more closely and asked, “Uncle Yu, is there something you need?”

The demon-hunting team was always busy; they wouldn’t come around just for a chat.

Yu Chengyi hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Mo Hua, the formation you used yesterday… what was it exactly?”

“Yesterday?” Mo Hua thought for a moment. “It was the Earthfire Formation, I think.”

The name alone suggested something quite powerful. Yu Chengyi nodded, then said eagerly, “And this Earthfire Formation… can it actually injure a first-grade mid-tier demon beast?”

“Yes,” Mo Hua replied. “But just one isn’t enough; I used four or five together, which was enough to blast a mid-tier beast into critical condition. At that point, it’s easy to finish it off.”

Just as I thought! Yu Chengyi felt a surge of excitement. “Would you be able to draw a few of those for me?”

“You need them, Uncle Yu? But I thought you wouldn’t have much use for this formation,” Mo Hua said, puzzled.

Yu Chengyi was already at the ninth level of Qi Refining; he shouldn’t need formations like this to hunt mid-tier beasts. And against higher-tier beasts, the Earthfire Formation wouldn’t be as effective.

“It’s not for me; it’s for the newer hunters,” Yu Chengyi explained with a sigh. “They’re not strong enough to keep up with us and often don’t get a share of the spoils. But by the time they’re capable, it takes years. With this formation, they could at least earn some spirit stones.”

Mo Hua thought of Meng Dahu and his brothers. When you’ve just become a hunter, it’s both dangerous and hard to make any real income. It’s definitely the toughest time.

Mo Hua agreed readily. “Sure, I’d be happy to help.”

Yu Chengyi breathed a sigh of relief, though he looked a bit troubled as he hesitated before asking, “And… how many spirit stones would it take for each formation?”

This formation was no simple job, likely much harder than the Iron Armor Formation, so it should cost more, yet he didn’t have many spirit stones to offer.

For the first time, Yu Chengyi understood how his father must have felt—knowing it was a tough ask but asking anyway, and barely able to pay what the job was worth, relying on the goodwill of a child no older than ten. He, a man known for his boldness, now lowered his gaze, embarrassed to meet Mo Hua’s eyes.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly. He knew both Elder Yu and Uncle Yu were proud people, yet both were willing to set aside their pride for the sake of helping the demon hunters. Moved by respect, Mo Hua’s eyes sparkled as he suggested with a smile, “Uncle Yu, how about we make a deal?”

“A deal?” Yu Chengyi looked surprised. “What sort of deal?”

“Yes, a business arrangement,” Mo Hua explained. “All you need to provide is the spirit ink for the formations. I’ll draw them, and then, when the hunters sell the beasts, we’ll split the earnings and count my share as the payment for the formation.”

Yu Chengyi’s eyes lit up as he replied, “Now that’s a clever plan!”

“But there’s one more condition,” Mo Hua added.

“Name it. Whatever it is, you’ve got it,” Yu Chengyi said warmly, determined that Mo Hua wouldn’t get short-changed.

“After killing the demon beasts, I’d like the demon blood.”

“Demon blood?” Yu Chengyi asked, puzzled. “What do you need that for?”

“It’s for mixing the spirit ink. I need it for drawing the formations.”

As soon as he heard it was for formations, Yu Chengyi immediately agreed, “That’s no problem. No one wants the demon blood anyway. It’s all yours.”

But he paused, then said, “Actually, would it be possible for us to collect it for you? The Great Black Mountain is still very dangerous, so if you don’t need to go in yourself, you shouldn’t.”

“It needs to be done using a special blood-draining technique, so I have to be the one to do it,” Mo Hua replied.

“Ah…” Yu Chengyi looked disappointed. He didn’t want Mo Hua risking himself but understood that it was necessary.

“Just be careful out there,” Yu Chengyi said with concern.

Mo Hua nodded. “Don’t worry, Uncle Yu. I know my limits.”

After going over a few small details, Yu Chengyi said, “Alright then, I’ll let you get back to your work,” and left, picking up a few pounds of beef on his way out.

Mo Hua waved him off as Yu Chengyi, feeling a weight lifted from his shoulders, walked away with a light heart.

“What a good kid,” he thought to himself.

So sharp, polite, and skilled at formations—it turned out his father had a keen eye for talent. Yu Chengyi thought back to when his father had urged him to get to know Mo Hua, and he’d done so reluctantly. Now, he wished he could move next door to Mo Shan’s place to see Mo Hua every day and keep him safe.

“Next time I’m with the hunters, I’ll tell everyone to look out for Mo Hua whenever they see him in the mountains. Nothing can be allowed to happen to him!” he resolved.

Once Yu Chengyi had left, Mo Hua also felt relieved. He had been wondering how to gather more demon blood to make spirit ink. With only Meng Dahu and his brothers, he just didn’t have enough manpower, and it wasn’t practical to keep borrowing people from Uncle Yu.

But this new arrangement was ideal. All he had to do was draw the formations and drain the blood with the special technique, while the newer hunters gained experience and made some extra spirit stones.

Hunters weren’t usually well-off, after all.

In a way, helping Uncle Yu was also helping himself—a win-win.

Mo Hua quickly completed a few Earthfire Formations and handed them over to Yu Chengyi.

Yu Chengyi assigned hunters to try using the formations for hunting, but their first attempt failed.

The problem lay in setting the traps. While other hunters could set traps, they weren’t skilled enough to choose the best spots or to handle the process precisely; the beasts could easily spot their efforts.

When the demons avoided the traps, they couldn’t be immobilized, and if they weren’t immobilized, it was impossible to trigger the Earthfire Formation.

Yu Chengyi went back to Mo Hua and asked if he had any advice.

Mo Hua thought about it and recommended his Uncle Chu, Chu Guangshan. After all, Mo Hua had learned to set traps from him, so he was the best man for the job.

So, Chu Guangshan, who had once been sidelined due to serious injuries, rejoined the hunters and headed back to the Great Black Mountain. His task was to track the beasts, set the traps, and place Mo Hua’s Earthfire Formations. He would then use arrows tipped with fire stones to trigger the formations.

Once the Earthfire Formation exploded, Chu Guangshan didn’t even have to fight; the other hunters could finish off the beasts. This way, despite his injuries, he could still contribute to the hunt and earn his share of spirit stones.

With his earnings, Chu Guangshan bought supplies and, together with Jiang Yun, went to personally thank Mo Hua.

But neither of them was very good with words.

Jiang Yun blushed, and Chu Guangshan fumbled for words, unsure of what to say.

Seeing the couple struggling to express themselves, Mo Hua couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and warmth.

As the saying goes, he thought, "It takes all kinds to make a family."