Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 222: Chapter 222: The Lung-Metal Pill

A few days passed, and sure enough, Liu Yaozi never showed up again.

His wife, however, did come by once more during this period and bought a good number of Condensed Dew Pills.

These were Pills for healing injuries.

Qin Wen, considering them fairly well-acquainted, asked about it once. When he saw she didn’t want to talk, he didn’t bring it up again.

Bai Mo happened to see this and was somewhat surprised.

The woman wasn’t brawny or coarse in appearance, but just like Qin Wen, she had spent her younger years getting by in Celestial Barrier Mountain.

It was only after sustaining old injuries that she’d settled down.

Her expression was rather cold, her eyes filled with a brooding restlessness, as if she might draw her blade at the slightest disagreement.

She didn’t seem like the type to compromise. It was a wonder how Liu Yaozi had managed to win her back.

If someone like that was determined to keep her guard up, Qin Wen knew better than to press his luck.

With the delivery of a brocade pouch, Bai Mo’s thoughts strayed even further from the matter.

The pouch was delivered by a disciple from the Beast Taming Peak’s city emporium, who handed it directly to Bai Mo before rushing off.

Qin Wen walked over.

"Business for the city’s beast emporium is getting better and better these days."

"Shopkeeper, don’t be fooled by how plain and hardworking your fellow disciples look. I often see them at the city’s most lavish establishments."

The Beast Taming Peak was naturally wealthy, so Bai Mo wasn’t surprised.

"The disciples from the beast emporium enjoy their pleasures. Don’t bring this up in front of them."

"I know."

Qin Wen’s gaze fell on the brocade pouch in Bai Mo’s hand, his curiosity piqued.

"What is this?"

Wei An also craned his neck to get a look.

Bai Mo gave a faint smile, then simply held the pouch out for them to see and opened it right in front of them.

Inside, golden sand danced and swirled in a chaotic flurry, yet never managed to escape the confines of the pouch.

Qin Wen narrowed his eyes. He thought he could faintly make out flashes of golden light glittering within the pouch, gone in an instant, almost like an illusion.

"This pouch is called a Qi Pouch. It’s a clever little trinket that can contain wind and qi."

Bai Mo explained,

"This wind is golden, which means it’s likely Metal-attribute earth qi. Extravagant Cultivators sometimes use special methods to capture it for decorating their mansions."

Qin Wen and Wei An felt their horizons had been broadened, and they nodded slowly.

Bai Mo pulled the pouch shut, turned, and walked away.

"You two watch the shop. If another pouch like this is delivered, make sure to keep it safe."

With that, he walked briskly back to his meditation chamber.

A stack of Pill Formulas lay before the meditation cushion, and Bai Mo pulled one out.

’Metal Lung. This is the Pill Formula for the Lungs, one of the Five Viscera.’

’The lungs govern qi, and the movement of qi creates wind, which can transfer and dissipate heat...’

Bai Mo’s racing thoughts began to calm. As he prepared to begin, he was struck by a new understanding of the Pill Formula in his hands.

’Heat dissipation, absorption, and transfer through the skin and pores, perspiration... this Pill will affect all of it, and more.’

’One change affects the entire system. I cannot afford to be anything but cautious...’

Bai Mo carefully reviewed the Pill Formula he had previously written. After a moment’s thought, he picked up his brush and began to write again.

Once he started making changes, he couldn’t stop.

By the time he finally lit the furnace, a full hour had passed.

Dozens of medicinal ingredients were tossed into the Pill Furnace by Bai Mo one after another. In less than half an hour, they had already melted into a liquid.

Everything from common herbs used in clinics for lung diseases to potent, dangerous medicines of extreme yin-cold or yang-fire nature was in the mix.

Wisps of smoke began to rise from the furnace.

Bai Mo took a light sniff and immediately felt an indescribable sensation in his right lung, a feeling of weakness and discomfort.

Bai Mo paused. The discomfort only faded after he took a few deep breaths.

PHEW!

Bai Mo let out a breath of relief, lifted a corner of the furnace lid, loosened the mouth of the Qi Pouch, and quickly thrust it into the furnace with a shake.

The glowing golden wind from the Qi Pouch, carrying the golden sand with it, drifted down and settled inside the Pill Furnace.

The golden wind swept through the furnace, occasionally raising waves in the Pill Liquid.

The two seemed unwilling to mix, but Bai Mo wasn’t concerned.

Some of the golden sand had already settled on the surface of the Pill Liquid, melting into molten gold and blending in.

BANG!

The lid was slammed shut, and Bai Mo began to frequently adjust the Spirit Wood beneath the furnace, controlling the intensity of the flames.

Under the influence of the heat, the airflow inside the furnace churned and clashed, finally forming turbulence.

’Refining this Pill is surprisingly physical work!’

Bai Mo was fully focused. He estimated the time, and after three quarters of an hour, he removed the firewood from under the furnace.

The Pill Furnace still radiated residual heat, making the meditation chamber scorching hot.

’Time to open the furnace!’

Bai Mo waited with a calm heart. Once he judged that thirty percent of the furnace’s heat had dissipated, he abruptly threw open the lid.

Inside, the golden wind remained, but the golden sand had vanished.

The moment Bai Mo lifted the lid and peered inside, the golden wind swept up the Pill Liquid, spun it rapidly, and condensed it into the form of a plump, round Pill.

Once it had cooled and solidified, Bai Mo scooped it out.

"Success!"

This Pill was another product of his own blood, sweat, and tears—his own creation from start to finish.

Bai Mo had been involved in the Alchemy Dao for a long time, but now, a unique feeling arose in him, an irrepressible tremor in his heart.

He closed his eyes, savoring the feeling for a long moment. Only then did he exhale, collect his emotions, and turn his attention to the Pill in his hand.

The Pill had a brown surface from the herbs, through which hints of gold shimmered, creating a delightful sight.

...

Neither Qin Wen nor Wei An had expected Bai Mo to finish his Alchemy session so quickly.

The two quickly saw the last of the shop’s customers out.

"Shopkeeper, why are you out so early?"

Wei An asked.

The afternoon sun was still sweltering, though the peak heat of the day had passed.

But the ground outside was so hot that you couldn’t walk on it barefoot, even if you had an extra two layers of calluses on your feet.

No one would want to be outside at a time like this.

With nothing else to do, Wei An had gone to the storeroom, found some well-dried meat slices, and was sharing them with Qin Wen to pass the time.

Bai Mo took a slice, popped it in his mouth, and couldn’t help but nod.

"Not bad. It’s starting to develop some flavor."

Wei An was curious, as he could clearly see no trace of disappointment on Bai Mo’s face.

"So, Shopkeeper, why so early today?"

"The Pill Formula has been in my mind. I’ve simulated and refined the process no less than a hundred times, so of course it was second nature," Bai Mo said, looking quite pleased with himself.

With a flip of his hand, he produced his new Pill and held it out to Qin Wen.

"Want to try it?"

"I fused golden sand into the Pill and used some techniques for refining mineral-based pills. I’m afraid the usual Cultivators I hire to test pills wouldn’t be able to handle this one."

Qin Wen showed no aversion. He took the Pill, which glinted gold as it turned in his hand, and simply asked,

"Is it a beneficial Pill?"

"Of course. It’s something similar to the Bone Strengthening Pill."

And so, Qin Wen swallowed the Pill.

Bai Mo watched him intently, ready at a moment’s notice to use his techniques to force the Pill out of his stomach.

No matter how confident a Pill Master might be, this was a necessary skill to possess.

After all, there was once a Pill Master who bought fake ingredients and, in a moment of carelessness, failed to recognize them. He nearly killed the person who took the resulting Pill.

Luckily, he possessed an excellent technique for expelling the Pill’s effects; otherwise, even killing the person who sold him the fake ingredients wouldn’t have saved his reputation.

After waiting a moment with Qin Wen showing no reaction, Bai Mo couldn’t help but ask,

"Well?"

"Nothing much—"

The words had barely left his mouth when Qin Wen stopped short. A searing pain started to spread from his throat.

It traveled down to his chest and lungs. After the searing heat, it was as if an icy coldness erupted from within.

Qin Wen felt as if he were back in the days before he started tempering his body, suffering through feverish nights.

An unidentifiable ache in his right chest was particularly intense, nearly suffocating him.

After enduring for what felt like an eternity, Qin Wen finally staggered and braced himself on the counter with one hand, forcing out a pained, hoarse voice:

"It’s... not great."

Bai Mo was unconcerned as he observed him.

"That’s what it’s like the first time you take this Pill. You’ll get used to it..."

"The Five Viscera are delicate. Did you think tempering them would be easy?"

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