Chapter 368: Daily Life
"Hurry up, the elder from Pill Peak is in a rush. Move faster!"
A few disciples from some unknown peak waved their arms, hurrying along five prisoners emerging from the black prison.
Perhaps that person from Pill Peak was very influential, or perhaps the patient, gravely ill and awaiting a Pill for treatment, was extremely important.
Less than three days after the two brocade-robed youths had visited, the paperwork with the Foreign Affairs Hall was completed, and disciples arrived to collect the men.
The five tall prisoners, looking as if a lifetime had passed, walked out of Mi Mountain and squinted up at the sun.
Bai Mo saw them off and casually said a word.
"See you later."
The five men paused for a moment, then each sneered without responding.
But after a moment, one of them, unable to stomach it, turned back and said:
"Warden, with cultivation like yours, if we were outside Mi Mountain, dealing with you would be a one-handed affair for us..."
As he spoke, the man clenched his fist, his knuckles letting out a sharp CRACKLE as loud as firecrackers.
The suppression of the black prison receded like the tide. Their vital energy and Spiritual Qi recovered like a surging tide, and their Golden Cores hummed.
The sensation was intoxicating.
Bai Mo carefully observed the changes in them. He watched as they transformed from listless to full of vigor, as if their former high spirits were being restored.
"If it were as you say, and we were outside, you probably wouldn’t see me. You’d be dealing with my other senior brothers and sisters..."
The five men were shoved onto a Flying Ship and departed.
It was rare for them to leave the black prison. They were all hot-blooded men, unwilling to be constrained. Most likely, they wouldn’t behave.
But that wasn’t something Bai Mo needed to worry about.
’Three breaths. One respiratory cycle, and twenty percent of the suppression is gone. After three breaths, a torrent of Spiritual Qi will wash through them, enough for a full recovery...’
Bai Mo frowned slightly.
’That fast?’
After returning to Mi Mountain, Bai Mo’s cultivation returned to its normal course.
His experiments in alchemy had to begin anew, and for that, the help of the people in the black prison was indispensable.
Bai Mo went into the prison to check on the Core Formation Cultivator code-named Yi Si. The Two Qi Flower above his head had already formed a bud, though it was unclear when it would bloom.
The man’s spirit and energy had improved significantly. He no longer looked like he was on his last breath, as he had when he first arrived.
A Pill Furnace, one zhang tall, had appeared in the courtyard overnight, as if from thin air.
Ah Er, coming and going, would often stare at it, seeming very puzzled.
The Pill Furnace was a manifestation of Bai Mo’s Divine Thought.
It made a sound when struck and felt solid to the touch. With Bai Mo’s current strength, even if he infused a weapon with Spiritual Qi, breaking this furnace would not be easy.
In his spare time, Bai Mo would follow the methods from the Divine Thought Transformation Scripture and the Hundred Weapons Sacrificial Dao Skill to build upon it.
His Divine Thought moved through it like a needle, weaving the Pill Furnace into something more and more real.
When Cultivators of the same realm could no longer tell if it was real or fake, the skill would be considered mastered. It would be able to withstand fire and boiling water.
One day, Yuan Chu and Gong Gui arrived with Xiong Xin.
Xiong Xin, a man as burly as a bear, was sweating profusely from his forehead as he walked.
As the three entered the doorway, they immediately saw the Pill Furnace standing awkwardly in the middle of the courtyard.
A sharp glint flashed in Gong Gui’s eyes.
"This furnace... it seems a little off."
He took a closer look.
"Is this a manifestation of your Divine Thought, Junior Brother? What fine skill!"
Bai Mo wasn’t surprised that his Pill Furnace had been seen through.
Cultivators from Divine Dao Mountain were experts in this Dao. It would be strange if they couldn’t tell.
Xiong Xin chuckled.
"Junior Brother, what’s this Pill Furnace doing here?"
"Just refining it."
Seeing his paper-white face, Bai Mo couldn’t help but ask:
"Brother Xiong, I’m afraid your injury isn’t just external, is it?"
Yuan Chu had said before that Xiong Xin had been stabbed and his stomach almost cut open.
But so much time had passed, and the three of them weren’t short on money. His recovery shouldn’t have been this poor.
Xiong Xin waved his hand dismissively, his voice weak:
"Don’t laugh, Junior Brother. Outside Jade Spring Pass, I was bitten by a strange thing those people raised."
"It was an old hag. You couldn’t touch it, couldn’t hit it. One bite, and I ended up like this."
If not for that, the wound on his abdomen would have healed much faster.
Xiong Xin sighed. "The Cultivation Realm has all sorts of strange techniques emerging one after another, especially from ancient legacies. What doesn’t it have?"
"You really have to be careful when you’re out and about."
Bai Mo rolled up his sleeves. He was well-versed in the Alchemy Dao and had some knowledge of medicine as well.
"Brother, would you mind if I took a look?"
Xiong Xin naturally wouldn’t refuse and obediently extended his hand.
His fingers touched the pulse point. The skin was ice-cold.
Bai Mo checked for a moment, a little hesitant. He observed, listened, questioned, and felt the pulse—another round of examination.
"Brother, your body is... quite strange..."
"It’s exceptionally weak, yet it’s as if you were born this way."
Xiong Xin forced a smile. "That’s a sign of congenital deficiency. The person who treated my injury said the same thing."
"That’s total nonsense! I was born with vigorous qi and blood. At seven, I dared to fight wild beasts with my bare hands!"
"All I can say is, that old hag refined by someone is just bizarre."
As he spoke, he sounded a little disappointed.
He had originally planned to come to Bai Mo’s place to see if he could find a way to break the old hag’s evil spell.
Now, it seemed unlikely.
Bai Mo just shook his head. "If you want me to think of a solution, I can only give Brother Xiong some Pills to supplement his congenital deficiencies."
"I imagine it would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause."
Xiong Xin tsked, somewhat regretfully.
Yuan Chu said, "Brother Xiong is also coming along on the trip to the giant’s ancestral land."
"If his body were in better condition, he might be able to fight for some benefits."
"Now, it looks like he’ll have to find a way to remove the evil spell there. He’s needlessly missed out on a great opportunity."
Bai Mo was stunned.
"How will he remove it?"
"Through the guidance of the Dharma Protector that Brother Xiong serves, of course. They’ve lived for many years and are very knowledgeable..."
With Xiong Xin’s body in poor condition and Mi Mountain not being a pleasant place, the three did not stay long. After sitting for a short while, they left.
But before they left, they left a piece of news.
Shang Wunian and the other Cultivators leading the trip to the giant’s ancestral land were scheduled to depart in half a month.
There was still plenty of time, so there was no need to hurry.
After informing Li Wuji of the matter, Bai Mo began to frequently go up the mountain to check on the medicinal herbs Ah Er had planted.
These herbs were growing very well. Some of the vines had even spread out over an area several zhang in radius.
They were all relatively rare things, only able to grow thanks to the excellent environment of the inner sect and Mi Mountain.
Bai Mo recorded their changes one by one.
Occasionally, when a plant reached a growth node and transformed, its qi would change, and Bai Mo would have to try and capture that qi.
Naturally, he used that half-baked Qi Collection Skill.
The pale giant that attacked Mi Mountain had used this skill to completely absorb the essence of the marrow from its bone club.
In Bai Mo’s hands, however, it wasn’t nearly as effective.
Other than stirring up the herbs’ auras a little, it had no other significant effect.
Bai Mo wasn’t disappointed, though. He just continued to try.
He had no formal inheritance for this kind of skill, only a tiny bit of insight. It was impossible to master it all at once.
Until one day, Bai Mo was walking on the mountain just as the sun began to rise.
Suddenly, he felt a stir in his heart. When he looked up, he saw a flash of purple that vanished in an instant.
’The purple qi of sunrise?’
Bai Mo instinctively reached out to grab it, a futile effort.
He stood stunned for a moment before letting out a bitter laugh.
’That was a considerable opportunity, and I just watched it slip away.’
’Should I go and find a proper Qi Collection Skill after all?’