Chapter 103: Revisiting
Sun Qiao’s Talisman really was useful.
Bai Mo tucked it inside his robes. Now, the heat from the burning Spirit Wood felt like nothing more than a gentle warmth against his skin.
Grabbing a few thinner logs, Bai Mo used his original Pill Furnace to conveniently refine several batches of pills.
He pulled an all-nighter, but his final yield was a mere three Fire Marrow Pills.
There were also three portions of an opalescent white, semi-fluid byproduct.
As always, Bai Mo stored the items separately.
’First, I’ll deliver the Fire Marrow Pills to Young Masters Wei and Wang.’
’After all, Wei the Third lent me two thousand Spirit Stones. Enough time has passed; it’s time I made a gesture of goodwill.’
The merging of the shops proceeded in an orderly fashion.
His days were spent either practicing Alchemy or cultivating. Despite the watchful, predatory eyes of the Demon Hunting Teams outside, Bai Mo’s life was peaceful.
But he had his troubles as well.
Occasionally, when Bai Mo went out, he would be greeted by strange people.
They were always enthusiastic, and Bai Mo could only offer a slight nod in return.
His life was peaceful, filled with promise.
Xu Ruyuan had also finally returned.
He was truly astonished to see how much the street had changed.
However, he still wore a cold, indifferent expression.
"This is Alchemist Bai. Greet him."
"Alchemist Bai."
The man beside him was very deferential.
With a faint smile, he greeted Bai Mo before lowering his head again.
"And this is..."
Bai Mo asked, puzzled.
Xu Ruyuan explained, "Thirty li outside the city, there’s a dilapidated village. Their ancestors once had some assets and established medicinal fields."
"But times have changed. The village has fallen on hard times, the land is barren, and now they only cultivate a few worthless medicinal herbs."
"This is the leader of their young men, Li Zhen."
The man, Li Zhen, looked slightly embarrassed as he clarified:
"My fellow villagers are not ones to resign themselves to a hard life. We’re all willing to put in the effort."
"Whatever Alchemist Bai requests, we will do our best to fulfill. And we’ve already begun restoring the land."
Xu Ruyuan nodded, his expression unreadable.
"They are indeed hardworking people."
"Shopkeeper Bai, here’s my idea. We can have them plant some of the less valuable herbs. At the very least, it will help support them for now. We can discuss other things later..."
Li Zhen nodded eagerly.
"Exactly."
"We’re just looking for a bit of stability for now. Once we get through this period and our fields’ fertility returns, we can naturally discuss other business with Alchemist Bai."
In his affected manner, Xu Ruyuan didn’t offer many more details.
But Bai Mo understood the gist of it.
’So they’re dedicated to restoring their ancestral glory. Good on them!’
Bai Mo glanced at Xu Ruyuan, then said:
"The price for common herbs is quite low. Planting those in ordinary fields won’t be enough to support your families."
Li Zhen quickly waved his hands. "That’s alright," he said.
"We have more than enough land."
"As long as the herbs sell, that’s all that matters!"
Xu Ruyuan chimed in to support him:
"Their ancestors were likely local magnates, and they might even have other connections. Their land is vast!"
"The area is remote, so no one fights them for land. It’s all high mountains and dense forests. Oddly enough, they’ve developed a gentle disposition and just focus single-mindedly on their medicinal fields!"
Bai Mo was slightly taken aback.
"The herb in shortest supply right now is the ’White-Haired Flower.’ We in the Alchemy Dao like to call it White Deer Blood."
"That’s because at its peak bloom, the petals turn completely red, but this only lasts for a single night. It must be harvested during that night."
As he spoke, Bai Mo watched Li Zhen’s expression.
"It’s easy to grow and doesn’t require much effort to care for, but harvesting it is a hassle."
"The other day, I went to the Chaoyun Commerce Association and bought thirty jin of it for only three Spirit Stones."
Even Xu Ruyuan was shocked by such a low price.
Li Zhen, however, just chuckled.
"If you want it, we can provide it. The men in the village are idle right now with nothing to do."
"Just earning a few Spirit Stones to get by is enough for now. Once our fields are restored, Alchemist Bai will see our true potential!"
’What a confident man!’
Bai Mo was impressed and couldn’t help but pour him a cup of tea.
Li Zhen was flattered by the gesture.
"The medicinal fields are your own business. As for the White Deer Blood, I’ll buy as much as you can grow."
"I won’t go back on my word. You just need to decide."
’With the Demon Hunting Teams outside, there are so many mouths to feed. The demand for Pills is never-ending.’
Li Zhen and Xu Ruyuan departed.
From the moment they arrived to the moment they left, Xu Ruyuan barely said a few words to Bai Mo.
’That old fox... I have no idea what he’s up to, putting on such a cold and arrogant act.’
Bai Mo, being used to his usual slick demeanor, found it genuinely unsettling.
Bai Mo narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
"It feels like things are finally getting on the right track."
"If I can get a sufficient supply of White Deer Blood, my shop’s foundation will be secure."
’Approaching Xu Ruyuan and the others back then was the right move.’
’How much trouble has it saved me?’
For a moment, Bai Mo felt a swell of pride. He had the distinct illusion that he was becoming a magnate in Immortal Arrival City, with so many people depending on him for their livelihood.
Just as he was reveling in his success, a visitor that evening snapped him back to reality.
"Brother Shui!?"
Bai Mo’s face lit up with pleasant surprise at the sight of Shui Ziming. He quickly ushered him into the Alchemy Room.
"What brings you here!?"
Shui Ziming wore the same calm and composed expression as always.
Glancing at the herbs scattered before Bai Mo, he chuckled.
"It seems I’ve come at an inopportune time."
Bai Mo quickly shook his head.
"Not at all! Your presence brings light to my humble home, Brother Shui!"
"I was just studying some byproducts from refining Fire Marrow Pills. I haven’t figured out their effects yet."
Bai Mo pointed in front of him, where the byproduct from the Fire Marrow Pill was gradually dissolving in water, releasing waves of a sweet aroma.
"I just need to keep an eye on it from the side; it doesn’t require my full attention."
Shui Ziming nodded.
"That’s good."
"In the sect, it’s quite common for Pill Masters to create such byproducts during Alchemy. It’s truly marvelous."
"Though I don’t understand the intricacies of it myself."
Given their last encounter, especially since Shui Ziming had taught him and answered his questions, Bai Mo held a very favorable impression of him.
"Brother Shui, you must have come at this late hour for an important reason, right?"
"Did you succeed in hunting that Demon Beast last time?"
Shui Ziming took a bamboo slip from his sleeve and handed it to Bai Mo.
"We did indeed get results."
"But let’s not talk about that for now. Take a look at this first."
The bamboo slip was cool and smooth to the touch.
It also gave off a faint, clean scent. Bai Mo knew at once that the material of this ancient bamboo slip was of exceptionally high quality.
He untied the sealing cord and unrolled the slip, the contents leaping into view.
With just a single glance, Bai Mo gasped in surprise and was immediately engrossed.
Shui Ziming watched Bai Mo’s expression carefully.
Seeing this, he nodded with deep satisfaction.
When he had answered Bai Mo’s questions last time, he had already sensed that this Daoist Child’s aptitude was likely extremely high.
Coincidentally, the sect now had a task that needed doing, and he immediately thought of his junior brother, Bai Mo.
Moonlight streamed through the window, falling upon Bai Mo.
After a long while, Bai Mo finally looked up.
"The contents of this bamboo slip are fragmented, but I can tell it’s an extremely wondrous technique."
"Is its purpose to extract the essence from plants?"
Shui Ziming nodded.
"What else?"
Bai Mo pondered for a moment before continuing, "From some of the descriptions, it seems to place special emphasis on extracting the essence while the plant is still living and growing naturally!"
"It harms the plant’s core but doesn’t kill it!"
Shui Ziming clapped his hands, laughing in delight.
"Excellent! That’s exactly it! I knew I came to the right person!"
"Junior Brother Bai, the sect has a request and wishes for you to make a trip on its behalf!"