Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 200: Chapter 200: Delivery

The pill tester Qin Wen had found arrived quickly. He was a middle-aged man.

His face was a ghastly dark green, and he looked like a consumptive ghost. His body was so hunched over that he couldn’t even stand up straight.

The three of them faced each other in the courtyard.

Bai Mo’s eyelids twitched as he watched, unable to shake the worry that this man wouldn’t be able to withstand the Pill’s effects.

He pulled Qin Wen aside and asked in a low voice,

"How did you find someone like this? Don’t tell me we’re going to get someone killed."

Although the ore-based Pill was potent, the Pill Formula was vouched for by the Sect Elders, and Bai Mo had refined it himself.

He was still confident he could ensure nothing went wrong.

But with a man who looked like a consumptive ghost, it was a different story.

Qin Wen forced a smile.

"Shopkeeper, don’t you worry. This man used to be a Cultivator who trained in physical strength. He has a solid foundation. He only ended up like this after testing those dodgy Human Pills."

"He’s tougher than he looks. You can rest assured."

There was indeed a group of such people in the city who made a living as pill testers. The work was dangerous, not to mention disreputable.

Qin Wen truly was a veteran of Immortal Arrival City’s rough-and-tumble world. He knew people from all walks of life and had managed to bring this man back after just one trip out.

"If he doesn’t earn some Spirit Stones to take back, his daughter will be sent to a creditor as a concubine. Even if he dies, he can’t blame anyone."

"Whoever hires him is doing him a favor."

As Qin Wen spoke, he took the Pill from Bai Mo’s hand and walked over to the middle-aged man.

Just one glance at the Pill’s color made the consumptive-looking man jump in fright.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, I don’t take jobs involving Poison Pills!"

"If I were to take one, it would only be when I truly couldn’t go on any longer."

Qin Wen’s face hardened.

"It’s not a Poison Pill. It’s a top-quality Pill. Would I lie to you?"

Hearing this, the man believed him and swallowed the Pill without further hesitation.

This Shopkeeper had quite a reputation in the city. With such a big name, there was no reason for him to deceive a wretch like him.

Besides, the person hiring him only wanted to know the sensations of taking the Pill. Deceiving him would gain them nothing.

As the Pill went down, there was no medicinal taste.

His throat was filled only with the metallic tang unique to ores and metals. If not for the texture, the man would have thought he was swallowing gold.

Qin Wen watched his throat bob as he swallowed the Pill.

They waited for a moment, but there was no reaction.

The two sides stared at each other.

"This..."

Bai Mo’s expression remained unchanged. He brought a cup of water and had the man drink it.

"This Pill doesn’t take effect so quickly. Let’s wait a little longer."

With that, he began tidying up the medicinal herbs at hand, waiting patiently.

Thus, Qin Wen and the man had no choice but to sit down quietly.

The courtyard was very quiet, the summer heat still holding its power.

After a while, Qin Wen, having glanced at the man several times, couldn’t help but ask,

"Sir, you really don’t feel anything?"

The man shook his head.

"Other than feeling a bit full, I feel nothing."

That’s what he said, but Qin Wen thought the man’s face looked a shade more green than when he arrived.

Bai Mo’s gaze also shifted over.

As time passed, never mind his face—even the man’s skin had turned much greener.

The man still felt nothing, but under their gazes, he sensed something was amiss with himself.

After belatedly glimpsing his own skin, his heart leaped.

’I’m a dead man!’

Pill testers like him most feared encountering this kind of Pill. They were often rich in pill toxins that would numb a person’s senses.

Several fellow Daoists the man knew had perished just like this.

But Bai Mo’s eyes lit up with delight. He walked over and circled the man twice.

"He really can withstand the Pill’s effects!"

Qin Wen, who had been holding his breath, let it out after hearing Bai Mo’s words.

"Did it work?"

Bai Mo nodded, then suddenly grabbed a vine left over from sorting herbs and whipped the man’s hand with it.

The man flinched in surprise but felt no pain.

Bai Mo then fetched a wooden stick and tossed it to Qin Wen. The latter gave the man three sharp thwacks, but the man felt nothing.

It wasn’t until Bai Mo took out a dagger and slashed forcefully at his forearm that a cut broke the skin, drawing blood.

The man felt no pain, but his heart was pounding wildly.

’A Pill like this actually exists?’

Qin Wen was also startled.

"What kind of Pill is this? How can it make a person’s body so tough and temporarily suppress pain?"

Bai Mo was unfazed.

"What’s so surprising? I used plenty of ingredients. It’s only natural for it to have some extraordinary effects."

"Besides, achieving this effect isn’t without its costs. Fellow Daoist, please try running a few steps and see if you can still move freely."

The consumptive-looking man immediately assumed a stance and went through a set of fist techniques from his old strength-training days.

Just as expected, his movements were not smooth; they were even quite labored.

Bai Mo recorded this in detail, then carefully questioned him about his sensations.

Only after half an hour, when the green hue on the man’s body had faded, did Bai Mo let him leave.

"Go back and rest well. Drink plenty of water to flush the ore toxins from your body, or there will be endless trouble later."

Heeding Bai Mo’s instructions, the man didn’t dare to be neglectful. He agreed repeatedly, then left with eight Spirit Stones in his pocket.

The eight Spirit Stones were well spent.

The man had become an experienced pill tester. He described everything he felt after taking the Pill, down to the smallest detail.

He even reported on whether there were any abnormalities in his body or mind after the Pill’s effects wore off.

This was a rare find.

Bai Mo looked at the writing on the paper and let out a light sigh of relief.

’I can finally fulfill my Senior Brothers’ request.’

Bai Mo folded the notes on the man’s testimony and put them away, then instructed Qin Wen,

"I’m going to begin Alchemy. Stand guard outside and don’t disturb me unless it’s something important."

Qin Wen agreed solemnly and watched as Bai Mo entered the Alchemy Room and shut the door.

That one Pill had just been a small test of his skills. Skin that could be broken even by Bai Mo’s own strength was naturally not of much use.

Therefore, the Pills he was refining now were the real ones to be delivered to his Senior Brothers.

FWOOSH!

Flames erupted, and the Alchemy Room was soon filled with scorching heat.

...

「Two days later.」

The Senior Brothers from the Xuandao Sect came to his door once again.

Bai Mo happened to have just finished washing up, so he went out to greet them.

"I have not failed your trust, Senior Brothers. The Pills are ready."

Bai Mo took out a wooden box. Opening it revealed ten metallic-colored Pills arranged in two rows.

These ten Pills were a couple of sizes larger than ordinary Pills, a result of the ore Bai Mo used being too large to be fully refined down.

The disciples were overjoyed. They produced a cluster of small, purple, finger-sized fruits still on the vine, about thirty in all.

Bai Mo recognized them at a glance. His heart leaped with joy, and he accepted them all.

One of the Senior Brothers said with a laugh,

"So it really could be done! Inside the Jade Plate Secret Realm is the Gengzi Sword Lake. With this Pill, we should be able to pass through safely and seize the opportunity!"

Bai Mo quickly said,

"After taking this Pill, a Cultivator’s skin will become as tough as iron, but their movements will be more sluggish than before. Furthermore, the residual ore toxins must be purged afterward."

"The Senior Brothers must be aware of this."

"Rest easy, Junior Brother Bai. We understand."

The Senior Brother who was speaking then asked,

"I was just wondering, does this Pill have a name?"

Bai Mo shook his head.

"The Pill Formula came from the Sect Elders. I dare not overstep my bounds and name it."

At these words, the Senior Brothers all looked a bit embarrassed.

"Quite right, quite right..."

Feeling a little ashamed, they left another hundred Spirit Stones, exchanged names and faction affiliations, and then took their leave of Bai Mo.

"Junior Brother, be on the lookout. It seems other fellow disciples plan to come down the mountain to find you, most likely also to request Pills."

"We’re all a bit short on funds and can’t afford to hire those lofty Pill Masters from Pill Peak..."

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