Chapter 389: Busy
In the blink of an eye, it was already May of the following year.
The three great sects that had set out on an expedition to the Celestial Barrier Mountain had finally established a foothold on the other side of the range and begun their explorations in an orderly fashion.
According to word from the sects' upper echelons, this grand undertaking was expected to last for several years.
Many disciples didn't understand the reason why, but they were conscripted by their sects all the same.
All the Inner Sect Disciples Bai Mo was familiar with had been conscripted at one point or another.
Even An Caiwei and the other disciples from Silkworm Valley had made a trip to Celestial Barrier Mountain, for reasons unknown.
The number of injured disciples piling up in the sect grew, and the share of patients sent to Bai Mo became so large that he was completely overwhelmed.
Bai Mo was swamped with work and had no choice but to turn away some of the disciples who sought him out.
Ah Er bustled about alongside him, gradually mastering many techniques for processing medicinal herbs.
It didn't understand Alchemy, but when it came to assisting Bai Mo, it was incredibly deft and never made a mistake.
Its technique was so professional that it was on par with many who had been immersed in the Alchemy Dao for years.
The man and the beast lived quite comfortably on the money they had earned during this time.
One day, Li Wuji, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, found his own way back.
Ah Er was the first to see him, spotting him as it came down the mountain.
It was startled to see the man it had once worked with for a time and hurriedly went to call Bai Mo.
Bai Mo hurried out to greet him and was slightly taken aback to see Li Wuji in a wretched state, missing an arm and draped in a cloak.
"Senior Brother, when did you get back?"
Li Wuji forced a smile and said,
"I've been back for a few days, reporting in at the Foreign Affairs Hall."
"The sect was supposed to arrange for my treatment, but after I inquired, I found out I'd have to wait until the end of the year."
"I heard many disciples were receiving Pills and treatment on Mi Mountain, so I came back to find you..."
Bai Mo led him inside Mi Mountain and inspected the injuries beneath Li Wuji's cloak.
It wasn't actually that severe.
His left arm was gone, and below the shoulder was a mangled mess of flesh and blood, with bone fragments faintly visible.
Given Li Wuji's condition, the Jiao Soul Pill was perfectly suitable; it wouldn't require much effort.
While examining the other man's wound, Bai Mo also began to ask questions:
"Senior Brother, you were at the Celestial Barrier Mountain for a full six months. Can you tell me about the situation over there?"
Li Wuji's expression remained unchanged as he let Bai Mo prod and poke at his wound.
"With the three great sects working together, the mere Celestial Barrier Mountain is hardly a challenge."
"We can now move freely in and out of the mountain range, and the casualties aren't as heavy as the outside world claims."
Bai Mo nodded slightly.
Based on the injured disciples he had treated, it was true that few of them had a bleak and pessimistic attitude, which suggested the situation wasn't dire.
"What were you all doing on the other side of the mountain?"
Hearing this, a complex look flickered across Li Wuji's face.
"Junior Brother, did you know that the other side of the mountain range was also once a place where the Human Race gathered?"
"Now, all that's left over there is a stretch of ruins. The vast land has returned to a primitive state, overrun by Demon Beasts."
"We were spread out, searching through the numerous ruins for records of ascension to immortality."
Bai Mo cleaned the rotten flesh and grime from the wound, rinsing it with fresh water.
"Methods for ascending to immortality? I have a prisoner here who talks about such things all day long."
Bai Mo added with a small laugh.
"I don't even dare to listen."
But Li Wuji shook his head.
"That's not it."
"According to the elders, the sects have mastered plenty of those methods. That great expert who fell on the other side of the mountains didn't know any more than we do."
"What the sects truly want to investigate is the reason for his death."
Bai Mo's hands paused.
"What do you mean by that?"
'All this fanfare, this massive mobilization of manpower and resources, was just for this?'
Li Wuji sighed. "It's been a long time since anyone has ascended to immortality, since ancient times."
"That expert was immensely talented. He tried over thirty different methods, even sacrificing several of the kingdoms under his rule."
"With such ambition and determination, he should have succeeded in ascending long ago. And yet, he still died under mysterious circumstances."
Bai Mo took out a Jiao Soul Pill and handed it to Li Wuji.
"From the sound of it, are you saying there's something shady about ascension?"
Li Wuji toyed with the Jiao Soul Pill, knowing that this single Pill was the reason so many Demon Beasts of the Jiao Species in the Celestial Barrier Mountain had recently met their doom.
"Of course there's something shady."
"Which sect or clan doesn't have a few old ancestors still lingering in the mortal world?"
"Their cultivation levels have long surpassed those of many ancient Cultivators. On what grounds are they unable to ascend?"
There was a hint of indignation in his tone, likely because he had heard much about such matters in the mountain range and had felt it deeply.
However, the disciples at the bottom weren't very clear on the specific details.
The sect wouldn't reveal the details to anyone who hadn't reached a certain level.
After receiving the Jiao Soul Pill, Li Wuji waved his remaining right hand, leaving behind over ten thousand Spirit Stones and some herbs still caked with dirt.
"These are some things I brought back from the mountains. I'll leave them for you, Junior Brother."
He waved his hand in farewell.
The inside of Mi Mountain was filled with medicinal herbs, and some bloodstains left by Blood Bones on the ground had not yet been cleaned up.
It was clear this place was very busy, so he didn't want to disturb them any further.
Ah Er's eyes lit up at the sight of the Spirit Stones.
Over the past few days, besides giving it some Feeding Pills, Bai Mo would occasionally reward it with a few Spirit Stones.
Many disciples who brought herbs left behind the cloth pouches they used to carry them. Bai Mo had accumulated a small pile of them, about a dozen or so.
He picked one that was exquisitely made and had a large capacity, threaded a rope through it, and hung it around Ah Er's neck.
And just like that, the badger had its very own little treasury.
Carrying the Spirit Stones Bai Mo gave it, it had bought quite a lot of snacks in the market at the foot of the mountain.
Its lavish spending was enough to put the Loose Cultivators of Immortal Arrival City, who had to count every coin, to shame.
Ah Er restrained itself and gave Bai Mo a demure look.
Bai Mo said lightly, "Move them into the house and put them away properly. You can pick a few pieces you like for yourself."
It was true that the badger loved Spirit Stones and Feeding Pills, but it was also very sensible and never greedy, so Bai Mo let it do as it pleased.
With a cheerful cry, Ah Er scurried into the house, took out its Spirit Stone pouch, and got busy.
Watching its retreating back, Bai Mo narrowed his eyes slightly.
'It can learn so many techniques, and it can even use a storage-type Magical Artifact, but it can't speak?'
'Either it's unwilling to learn, or there's really something strange wrong with it.'
'When I have some free time, I'll have to take it to an expert for a look.'
Just as he was thinking this, someone suddenly started pounding on the door outside.
The stone door swung open to reveal a disciple with an anxious expression.
"Junior Brother, are the Pills ready yet?"
"My junior brother's injuries have worsened..."
Bai Mo glanced at him, already recalling the Pill this person had requested.
He casually took out a pill vial. Inside were several thumb-sized black Pills that gave off an unpleasant smell.
"They were just finished yesterday."
"One Pill a month, and that senior brother's poison should be almost cleared. After taking the Pills, he won't need to be bled daily anymore. It's a waste of blood and qi."
"Ah!"
The disciple hastily agreed, took the Pills, and hurried away.
These days, the requests Bai Mo took on weren't all from people with missing limbs who came seeking regeneration.
There was a wide variety of conditions.
If it weren't for his extensive reading of Pill Books and his occasional correspondence with Old Man Bai, he really wouldn't have been able to cope.
After standing in place and thinking for a moment, Bai Mo returned to his cluttered stone house.
He wrote a letter at his desk, filling it with all the difficult questions he had encountered recently.
All he had to do was wait for the swan goose to return, and he would entrust it with delivering the letter.