Chapter 90: Mutual Aid
Bai Mo remained noncommittal, withdrawing his hand and inviting the three to sit.
The two young masters kept their heads lowered, obediently sitting off to one side. Wei the Third sat opposite Bai Mo.
"I wonder what Senior Wei wanted to discuss?"
Wei the Third glanced at the two young pups and spoke softly:
"When the Wei and Wang families arrive, Alchemist Bai, just give them the cold shoulder!"
His words were so resolute that the two young masters, who had been pretending not to listen, shot to their feet in shock.
Young Master Wang even cried out loud.
"Wei the Third, you!!"
’Even if he doesn’t get along with the clan, he shouldn’t act this way! You never know what might happen. If he ruins important family business, what will we do!?’
Wei the Third, however, didn’t even spare them a glance.
"You won’t have to trouble yourself playing the villain, Alchemist Bai. That would make you seem difficult to get along with..."
He took out a bamboo hairpin, gave it a light twist, and pulled.
"This was a memento my wife left me before she passed away. Only later did I discover it held a secret."
The bamboo hairpin was hollow. Wei the Third took out an old, yellowed piece of paper from within and handed it to Bai Mo.
"Could I trouble you to take a look, Alchemist Bai? Is it possible to create the pill from this formula?"
Bai Mo took the yellowed paper and saw the tiny, elegant script written on it.
"This... is a pill that fuses yin and yang to condition the body?"
Wei the Third nodded. "I believe so."
Bai Mo said nothing. He read the Pill Formula to the end and began running simulations in his mind.
’It’s called a Pill Formula, but it has likely never been put into practice.’
’It’s merely a concept, an idea for an improvement extrapolated from a semi-finished pill.’
’Its rank is close to a Tier Two Pill, but not quite there yet.’
Bai Mo placed the Pill Formula on the table and pushed it back toward him.
Wei the Third froze, then asked urgently, "The Pill Formula... it’s no good?"
Bai Mo pointed to himself lightly. "I’ve memorized it."
’Since it was the man’s memento, he shouldn’t hold onto it.’
"The Pill Formula has a few minor flaws, but with some slight modifications, it won’t be difficult to concoct."
"The origin of this Pill Formula..."
A look of sadness crossed Wei the Third’s face as he nodded.
"My wife created it. She saw how arduous my cultivation was and devised this method to help me."
Bai Mo said approvingly, "She had a very high level of skill in the Alchemy Dao. It wouldn’t have been difficult for her to be certified as a Pill Master!"
Wei the Third sighed. "Unfortunately, life had other plans. She passed away before she ever got the chance."
"Alchemist Bai, will you create this pill for me?"
"Name your price!"
Bai Mo remained composed; it wasn’t a particularly difficult request.
"It will only take a few days. It’s not a difficult matter."
"The troublesome part is the ingredients listed."
Wei the Third was overjoyed and shot to his feet.
"I’ve already prepared the ingredients over the years. I’ll just have them delivered."
Bai Mo’s attitude made him feel as if he’d struck the jackpot.
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t visited other Pill Masters. But they all studied it for a long time, wore troubled expressions, and quoted exorbitant prices.
’Collecting the yin and yang materials had already cost him a fortune; how could he have any extra funds?’
"Heh, those old fogeys really are past their prime. It takes a young prodigy like Alchemist Bai to get things done!"
Wei the Third blurted out the praise.
Bai Mo, not understanding the full story, simply asked, "Senior Wei, what does this have to do with the people in your clan?"
Wei the Third sat back down. Seeing the two young pups pricking up their ears, he let out a cold snort.
"I won’t be embarrassed if you laugh, Alchemist Bai, but the Wei family’s cultivation method is demanding. It requires the aid of an external object, which is how the family is controlled."
"If word gets out that I’m here, they’ll all but force me to return. That’s why I need you, Alchemist Bai, to create this pill for me in secret!"
Young Masters Wei and Wang broke out in a cold sweat. They had never before heard that their Third Aunt had any skill in the Alchemy Dao.
’They’d never imagined she had secretly developed a pill.’
’Young Master Wei was even reminded of the clan rumors that his Third Uncle had his eye on the Clan Leader’s position.’
’It was just that no one thought he had a chance.’
Bai Mo had absolutely zero interest in the internal affairs of other people’s families.
Just as he was about to speak, Wei the Third’s voice grew grave.
"I’ll handle the Wei and Wang families. Alchemist Bai, you just need to focus on your alchemy in peace. You won’t need to say a thing."
"I’ll head back after I get the pill!"
"Name your price! I’ll find a way to pay it, no matter what!"
Hearing this, Bai Mo looked at the man before him, and an idea suddenly occurred to him.
"Senior Wei, how many Spirit Stones do you have on hand?"
’Wei the Third’s heart skipped a beat. ’Was this alchemist going to ask for an exorbitant price too?’’
After mulling it over, he finally stated firmly:
"About eight hundred!"
Bai Mo chuckled lightly.
"Your pill is a simple matter, Senior Wei. It’s hardly any trouble at all."
"So how about this? I won’t charge you any Spirit Stones. I’ll just borrow some from you instead. What do you say?"
Wei the Third breathed a sigh of relief.
"That’s a small matter! How much do you need to borrow, Alchemist Bai?"
Bai Mo held up two fingers.
"Two thousand!"
Wei the Third’s expression didn’t falter. He thumped his chest and declared:
"I’ll have them delivered to you in a few days, Alchemist Bai!"
As if afraid Bai Mo wouldn’t believe him, he added:
"The Old Man may be biased, but I still have enough pull to ask for two thousand Spirit Stones from the treasury without issue!"
’For a Pill Master to make such a request,’ Wei the Third thought, ’this deal is a bargain. I’ve definitely come out ahead.’
’If an alchemist of his caliber went to any of the merchant guilds to borrow money, who would dare refuse him?’
’This kind of exchange is the perfect way to build a connection, isn’t it?’
Bai Mo also breathed a sigh of relief.
’He had originally thought he’d have to go through a lot of trouble to secure the start-up capital for his shop.’
’Now, hadn’t he just saved himself a great deal of effort?’
The two spoke amiably for a while. It was only when Bai Mo noticed the weariness on Wei the Third’s face that he saw his guests out.
Wei the Third, exhausted from his journey, didn’t stand on ceremony and rose to leave.
As he reached the door, he placed his hands on the two juniors’ shoulders. An immense pressure suddenly bore down, and the two young men, Wei and Wang, froze in place, unable to move a muscle.
"You two are not to breathe a word of what you heard today to anyone. Understand?"
The two young men nodded profusely. Satisfied, Wei the Third released them and walked out.
’From that move alone, Bai Mo knew. This man, who seemed somewhat unreliable, was likely an expert whose power surpassed even Lanshan.’
After seeing the three of them off, Bai Mo clasped his hands behind his back and strolled leisurely toward Forging Street.
As he passed the storefront he’d acquired from Li Hu, he saw that an entire wall had been demolished, leaving only the load-bearing pillars.
A dozen or so men were hard at work inside, toiling with all their might.
Bai Mo didn’t want to disturb them, so he walked past quickly.
He soon arrived at Forging Street.
A young man, Ah Chong, was busy in the shop. When he saw Bai Mo arrive, he hurried over to greet him.
"Fellow Daoist, the outer shell for the Pill Furnace is finished. Would you like to take a look?"
Bai Mo nodded. "Alright."
With that, he followed Ah Chong to the backyard.
A rough casing, having only its basic shape, sat in the yard while a few strong young apprentices took measurements.
Bai Mo approached and looked it over. He couldn’t find any flaws; it just looked very solid.
"How is the fire resistance?"
"We added plenty of fire-resistant materials," Ah Chong said. "If it’s not up to snuff, you can come and chop down our shop sign!"
Bai Mo smiled and began explaining the internal structure and construction, which was quite different from the Pill Furnace he currently had in his shop.
Ah Chong took careful notes, occasionally exchanging glances with his fellow apprentices.
"Once this is built, will it really work for alchemy?"
Bai Mo simply said:
"This construction method is favored by many of the more destitute schools. It saves them Spirit Stones but still gives them a furnace to use. A perfect solution, wouldn’t you say?"
"If you can work quickly, please do. The moment it’s done, I’ll pay the remaining balance in full!"
With Wei the Third’s promise of two thousand Spirit Stones, Bai Mo’s words carried a new confidence.
As for whether the Spirit Stones could be paid back later, Bai Mo was never worried, and neither was Wei the Third.