Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 214: Chapter 214: Fire-Throat Tongue

Back at the shop, Wei An greeted him with a cup of tea.

Bai Mo looked around. For once, the shop was empty of customers.

He had just picked up the teacup when Wei An spoke softly:

"Shopkeeper, you’re back. Did you happen to run into your fellow sect members?"

"We just missed each other."

Bai Mo shook his head. "Why do you ask?"

Wei An replied, "Someone from Mountain View Tower came by to collect payment. They said you can take over the Azure Dragon Waterway wharf in a few days..."

He hesitated, looking like he had more to say.

Seeing this, Bai Mo said calmly:

"What is it? You don’t need to be so reserved with me. Just say what’s on your mind."

’I thought his indecisive nature was just because he was new to Immortal Arrival City.’

’I didn’t expect that even after getting comfortable, his real personality is still like this.’

Still, Bai Mo was satisfied with Wei An. When he gave an order, Wei An carried it out without any fuss or delay, which saved him a lot of trouble.

"The shop’s expenses have gotten a little high lately."

Wei An started laying out the numbers for Bai Mo.

"Our daily gross profit is about thirty-seven Spirit Stones. The other major income comes from your occasional side jobs."

"But the bounty you’ve posted, if someone claims it, that’s an expense of over a thousand Spirit Stones. And then there’s the Azure Dragon Waterway..."

He secretly glanced at Bai Mo’s expression and didn’t continue, though his worry was plain to see.

Bai Mo shook his head.

"You know, if disaster hadn’t struck your hometown and you hadn’t ended up working for the imperial court, you would have made a fine accountant."

Bai Mo was well aware of the shop’s finances.

Let alone anything else, the amount he spent just on experimenting with Pills was a sum that ordinary Loose Cultivators couldn’t even dream of.

Every Pill Master had to be mindful of their Spirit Stones.

Bai Mo thought for a moment and said:

"Don’t worry about the Azure Dragon Waterway wharf. If we really take it over, the profits won’t be small."

"It’s such a long waterway, with countless households and Cultivators along its banks. Even if it’s not as bustling as the city, the premium we can charge for Pills delivered to their door will be enough to make a good profit."

"And Beast Taming Peak has become very reliant on our Feeding Pills. You all need to pay close attention to that. Spirit Beasts have large appetites..."

’When I count them up, I really do have quite a few ways to earn Spirit Stones.’

Hearing this, Wei An knew Bai Mo had a plan and couldn’t help but feel a little more at ease. He thought for a moment, then suddenly spoke up:

"I’ve been practicing. The Pills I’m making now, although they don’t form properly, they do have some medicinal effect."

"Could you... give me some guidance on the Pill Formula for the Feeding Pills?"

He occasionally interacted with other alchemy apprentices in the city and had made quite a few friends.

Unfortunately, they were all half-baked, so it wasn’t much practical help.

Bai Mo smiled. "Of course!"

He had seen how hardworking Wei An was. It was just that his aptitude was average, so he had no choice but to rely on diligence.

...

That evening, after instructing Wei An, Bai Mo returned to his quiet room.

The *Cyan Pouch Pill Scripture* was a tome he had obtained from his sect, and the Pill Formulas recorded inside were quite eclectic.

After flipping through it for a moment, Bai Mo found several types of Pills that could provide protection from water and fire.

Most of them were unusable, however.

The fellow sect members An Caiwei had referred to him needed these Pills to venture into the Jade Plate Secret Realm.

Ordinary medicinal effects wouldn’t be enough for them. If he forced it and just handed something over, he would be jeopardizing their futures.

After a process of elimination, Bai Mo was left with only one usable Pill Formula, which he copied down.

It was for a very potent Pill named the Water and Fire Life-saving Pill.

It offered protection from both fire poison and cold qi. The Pill possessed both effects because it was refined with Water and Fire Essences.

When needed, one holds it in their mouth. Upon encountering fire poison or cold qi, the Water and Fire Essence qi within the Pill will flow out to neutralize them.

’The only problem is, this Pill is extremely troublesome. It involves up to a hundred different medicinal ingredients, so the cost isn’t low.’

The cost could be recouped from his fellow sect members, so that wasn’t an issue.

The difficulty lay in one rare ingredient, which could only be found in places brimming with baleful fire qi or near age-old battlefields.

This ingredient was called a Fire Tongue. It was a plant named for its shape.

Within a ten-thousand-mile radius, Bai Mo had never heard of any place with baleful fire qi. Not even in a place with a harsh climate like the Fire Cave Dynasty had it ever appeared.

The only other possibility was a land that had seen years of continuous warfare.

The soil in those places, soaked with the hot blood of soldiers shed in fierce battles, might also give birth to this treasure.

Bai Mo put away the Pill Scripture and folded the copied Pill Formula.

’Aside from the ingredients, I don’t have to worry about any other aspect of this Pill, which is very convenient.’

’Forget it. I’ll ask around tomorrow. If I can find the Fire Tongue, great. If not, I’ll just have to turn down this job!’

Bai Mo returned to his room and slept in his clothes.

「The next day, just as the sky began to brighten.」

Xue Ren and the others arrived for work. The residence they rented wasn’t far, and they reached the shop amidst laughter and conversation.

This line of work was a bit hard, but the pay in Spirit Stones was good, and there were few worries.

When they went out, people would sometimes recognize them and show them a bit more respect.

As they were chatting and laughing, they saw Bai Mo stepping out.

"Shopkeeper, you’re up early!"

Bai Mo, who was already dressed and ready, glanced at them and said:

"Lazybones will never become good Pill Masters."

After saying that, he took a closer look at their complexions.

"The weather’s been hot lately. You’ve been toiling away in the Alchemy Room, and it’s not good for you to keep accumulating so much internal heat."

"I’ll have Wei An brew some cooling herbal tea for you."

After giving a few instructions, Bai Mo walked out and down the street.

There were only a few large merchant guilds in the city. Bai Mo visited them and was seen off respectfully by the clerks.

"We’ll notify you as soon as we have it in stock!"

The clerk said, bowing and scraping.

They were also quite puzzled. In all their years of working, they had never heard of the name Fire Tongue.

It was probably some obscure medicinal ingredient. In any case, not having it in stock made their guild look bad.

Fortunately, Bai Mo visited multiple places in the city and failed to find the ingredient, which saved them from too much embarrassment.

Somewhat puzzled, he arrived at Mountain View Tower.

An Caiwei was a bit shocked.

"This is such a profitable job, Junior Brother Bai! You’re not taking it?"

Bai Mo sighed and handed her two of the steamed buns he had brought with him.

"I can’t find one of the ingredients. I really have no choice."

"What ingredient? You can’t find it on Celestial Barrier Mountain?"

"It’s rare. This thing only grows in places with baleful fire qi, or on battlefields."

Hearing this, An Caiwei’s eyes darted around mischievously.

"I’ve already spread the word that I know an incredible Pill Master. This won’t do."

"I’ll introduce you to a Senior Brother. Go see if he has any connections!"

Meeting Bai Mo’s questioning gaze, An Caiwei nodded.

"He’s not at Mountain View Tower. You’ll have to go find him yourself."

A moment later, Bai Mo took his leave of An Caiwei.

After paying the five hundred Spirit Stone rent for the Azure Dragon Waterway wharf, he left Mountain View Tower and headed for the Beast Taming Peak’s beast grounds in the city.

The beast grounds were crowded with people, and even more livestock were coming and going. Overwhelmed by the presence of the powerful Spirit Beasts in the yard, these pack animals were very restless.

Some hesitated to move forward, while others grew agitated and bolted about.

The scene was rather chaotic, earning angry curses from the Cultivators who had come to ride the Spirit Beasts.

Outer disciples from Beast Taming Peak were there maintaining order.

Bai Mo found a way through and, after some difficulty, entered the beast grounds and began asking for directions.

The Senior Brother An Caiwei had mentioned was not a disciple of Beast Taming Peak; he just worked there.

’This Senior Brother was stationed at the front lines for five years and has seen it all,’ he thought. ’It’s possible he really does have a way.’

Bai Mo, however, had his doubts.

’But given the current situation, where would you find a battlefield that’s been active for so long?’

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