Chapter 404: First Attempt
No conventional method could sustain the life of a Core Formation Cultivator.
Treasures that could defy heaven and alter fate did exist, but a Core Formation Cultivator was no ordinary person. Their fate carried great weight, making it difficult to prolong their life.
After dismissing Qian Chen, Bai Mo was lost in thought.
'I'll use the Outer Pill method to refine a pseudo-Nascent Soul Pill. We'll have Senior Brother try it.'
A pseudo-Nascent Soul Pill didn't grant the power of a Nascent Soul. It merely allowed a person to borrow its medicinal strength to achieve a physique with less than five percent the robustness of a Nascent Soul Cultivator's.
Qian Tong's qi and blood were failing. This external force, he figured, could rejuvenate him slightly.
But once the pseudo-pill shattered and its power dissipated, everything would revert to its original state.
"Ahem!"
Ah Er pushed open the door and came in from outside, untying its apron as it walked.
The meal it had prepared was ready.
"Alright."
Bai Mo snapped back to reality, set the Pill Book aside, and stood up to stretch.
When he looked down again, he saw Ah Er staring at the Pill Book, dumbfounded.
It recognized the two words on the page—"Nascent Soul." Still in disbelief, it turned to look at Bai Mo.
Bai Mo chuckled.
"Don't think it's such an incredible thing."
"In ancient times, there was even a foolish Monarch who kept Pill Masters and had them refine this Pill for him. He used it to pose as a Nascent Soul Cultivator to keep his court officials in check."
"Later, the Monarch fell on hard times, the Pill Formula was stolen, and it began circulating among the common folk."
Giving Ah Er a light tap on the head, Bai Mo walked past it and out the door.
Ah Er quickly turned and followed.
"We Alchemy Cultivators must have the courage to challenge authority. Don't let a name intimidate you."
"Some people just love to come up with flashy, pointlessly intimidating names..."
The fragrant aroma of food wafted from behind the thatched hut.
After all, they were out in the open, and with such simple conditions, the man and beast settled for a casual meal.
Ah Er had used two strips of meat to stir-fry and simmer four small side dishes, and had also boiled a pot of clear soup to cut the grease.
The soup used thirteen different medicinal herbs, showing that the badger now truly had a basic grasp of pharmacology.
Bai Mo casually moved two stones to use as seats. The moment he sat down, Ah Er was already handing him a bowl and chopsticks.
'What a comfortable life.'
'He wondered just how extravagant the daily lives of fellow Daoists like Old Man Whitehead and Jing Heng were, keeping so many young attendants.'
Ah Er also picked up chopsticks and ate alongside Bai Mo. It didn't understand the concept of chewing slowly to savor the taste, eating even a little faster than him.
Bai Mo glanced at it occasionally. 'This little rascal,' he mused, 'must have run into a master of the culinary arts when it was away from the sect.'
'This badger had a knack for being clever in small ways; it was incredibly fast at picking things up on the sly.'
Before long, Bai Mo had finished his meal. Ah Er was left to clean up the mess on the low wooden table.
All that remained at the scene was a pile of ashes from the firewood.
A light breeze blew by, sending the ashes from the fire tumbling and swirling through the nearby Xiaoao Village.
SLAP!
Qian Qing slammed his palm down on the wooden table. His face was devoid of expression, his gaze fixed tightly on his brother.
"Something this important, and you didn't let me know beforehand!?"
He had just returned from his patrol; he hadn't even warmed his seat before hearing Qian Chen's news.
Instead of joy, he first felt a jolt of alarm.
"Going to him so rashly... It's like you're afraid Grandfather *won't* be removed from his position..."
Qian Chen spread his hands.
"So what?"
"Even if I didn't say anything, how much longer could Grandfather last?"
"Look at our uncles. For the past two years, they've been out searching for medicines and people, growing more anxious by the day. I don't need to say it, Brother; you should have guessed as much."
"Heh, we just didn't know before. Grandfather's sect brother is an Alchemy Cultivator! You think someone like that wouldn't see through Grandfather's bluff? Do you believe that for a second?"
Besides, Qian Tong had never revealed his weakness to the outside world.
As long as he drew breath, everyone in Black Mountain City feared that his Golden Core would come crashing down on their heads.
And the Xuandao Sect wouldn't replace him.
Qian Qing's mind raced.
He was more calculating than his brother, focused solely on the clan producing another Core Formation Cultivator to carry their grandfather's banner and ensure a smooth transition.
But what was done was done; there was no use dwelling on it now.
"Did that person really say he has a way?"
A hint of excitement appeared on Qian Chen's face.
"He said he'd use the Outer Pill method!"
"I've heard people talk about it. The art of the Outer Pill... it's supposed to be incredibly profound and had a glorious history..."
As the two brothers talked, they were both filled with a sense of wonder.
As expected of someone from a major sect; even a single disciple possessed such strange and powerful skills.
...
「Seven days later.」
A fast rider rushed from Black Mountain City, delivering the items Qian Chen had mentioned.
Bai Mo checked each item; they were exactly as described in the book.
He casually scooped up a handful of a fluid the color of fire, letting it trickle through the gaps between his fingers.
His hand wasn't the least bit wet.
This was the essence from the mine, called Stone-Flowing Fire.
Bai Mo asked, "This stuff... has your family ever sold it?"
Qian Chen stood before the thatched hut, not daring to enter.
After learning that Bai Mo had a solution, his demeanor had become markedly more deferential.
"It's embarrassing to say," Qian Chen said, lowering his head.
"We set the price at a thousand Spirit Stones per tael, and people often scoff at it. Though some do buy it, the sales volume is not significant."
"So, when we need a quick influx of Spirit Stones, we end up selling it at a low price..."
Bai Mo shook his head.
In the eyes of a true connoisseur, this Stone-Flowing Fire alone could fetch a price thirty percent higher than their asking price of one thousand Spirit Stones.
It was clear that this Profound Iron vein in the Celestial Barrier Mountain range was truly extraordinary.
These byproducts alone were more than enough to support an ordinary cultivator family.
After shooing Qian Chen away, Bai Mo closed the door to the thatched hut.
In any case, successfully refining the Outer Pill would require a good number of attempts.
Over the next few days, black smoke often billowed from the thatched hut, carrying with it a thick, acrid stench.
But a single gust of wind was enough to disperse it completely.
When Ah Er returned from patrol, it was unable to enter the hut.
Overcome with boredom, it began to wander about aimlessly.
As luck would have it, it ran right into a Demon Beast that had just descended from the mountain.
Its lower body was that of a snake, upon which it slithered and glided. It had two powerful arms, the head of a tiger, and stood a full thirty feet tall.
The moment Ah Er saw it, it turned and fled without a second thought.
'This was not something it could handle.'
Unfortunately, in the eyes of the tiger-headed, snake-bodied Demon Beast, Ah Er's vigorous qi-blood and plump physique were no different from a steamed white bun to a starving ghost.
Its serpentine body flowed as smoothly as water. In less than five breaths, it had coiled itself around Ah Er.
In this life-or-death crisis, Ah Er's heart pounded with terror, and it unleashed every last treasure in its arsenal.
It hurled out a dozen multicolored Pills, which erupted in thick, colorful clouds of smoke, enveloping both itself and the tiger-headed Demon Beast.
Qian Qing and the others arrived just in time to see it come tumbling and scrambling out of the smoke.
As for the Demon Beast, it was choking violently, tears and snot streaming from its face without end.
Dizzy and disoriented, it was no match for Qian Qing and his men, who smashed its skull and put it to a violent end.
After this battle, Qian Qing developed a newfound respect for defensive Pills and often tried to purchase more from Ah Er.
Ah Er ignored him.
It went to the village well and spent its days washing itself with the water, constantly lying about looking weak and listless.
This was the result of inhaling too much of the smoke.
It sent a villager to the back of the mountain to report what happened. When it saw that Bai Mo didn't emerge, it knew he had reached a critical stage.
Regretfully, Ah Er had no choice but to dip into its own reserves, popping a few glowing Pills to heal its own body.