Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 231: Chapter 231: Autumn Harvest, Winter Storage

"Something like this actually happened? How sensational!"

Bai Mo was amazed as he quickly skimmed the paper.

"Brother Qin, did you have a tradition like this when you were young?"

"It says that before going out at night, you have to call out loudly at the door. If you get a reply saying ’You may,’ you’re not supposed to take a single step outside and should bolt your doors and windows tight."

Seeing Bai Mo reading the old account with such relish, Qin Wen walked over and looked at the paper as well.

"I’ve never tried it myself, but I vaguely remember old folks doing that back then..."

According to the description on the paper in Bai Mo’s hand, Immortal Arrival City was once filled with remnant souls, many of them malicious entities.

If a voice answered at night, it meant an otherworldly being was trying to lure people out to harm them.

"How many years ago was this?"

Bai Mo checked the date and chuckled.

"A thousand years ago. This is a true ancient tale."

"The peace the city enjoys now is thanks to the efforts of several generations of Cultivators."

The old man living in the tree stump was one of them.

He was quite famous at the time. Using his influence, he rallied a number of Cultivators and entered Celestial Barrier Mountain, intending to deal with the source of the remnant souls.

But for some unknown reason, something went wrong. The remnant souls surged into the city, wiping out seventy percent of its population.

All the great experts who had entered the mountain were also killed.

"So that senior’s name was Xun Yi."

Bai Mo nodded slowly. He finally knew the man’s background.

Now if he ever needed to ask for a favor, he’d have a name to use.

Just as he had gotten a good grasp of the old man’s history, Hou Cheng returned.

"I ran into one of the leaders on my way out and told him about it."

"He was overjoyed. He should be gathering people now to head up the mountain."

Hou Cheng said.

Bai Mo told him to return to his work in the Alchemy Room, and he left joyfully.

After resting for half the day, Bai Mo gave instructions to Wei An and Qin Wen.

"You’re both veterans of the shop. Look after things while I’m gone. I need to go into seclusion for a while."

Bai Mo often went into seclusion, so the two were used to it and readily agreed.

Bai Mo grabbed several dozen batches of medicinal herbs from the warehouse and tossed them into the quiet room.

The door to the quiet room rumbled shut, sealing off the outside world.

The senior brothers who had gone into Celestial Barrier Mountain to find the five-colored earth qi for him had not yet returned. Bai Mo couldn’t ignore the Pill Formulas they had left behind.

Besides, he had enough materials on hand for twenty or thirty Water and Fire Life-saving Pills, and it was time to get them made.

...

The door to the quiet room remained tightly shut.

「Before anyone knew it, more than half a month had passed.」

All the shop’s employees were surprised. They hadn’t expected their Shopkeeper’s seclusion to last this long.

The season had changed.

Pedestrians outside the shop now wore an extra layer of light clothing.

Only the men from the Demon Hunting Teams, with their vigorous qi and blood, still preferred short clothes, unafraid of the changing weather.

Wei An felt a strange lethargy. He was often drowsy and could never seem to get enough sleep.

"Spring fatigue, autumn listlessness."

Qin Wen said, "If you diligently train your body and invigorate your qi and blood, you won’t have this problem."

Wei An shook his head.

"Where would I find the energy for that?"

He was busy with the shop’s various affairs, even managing the Azure Dragon River trade route with perfect order.

Many merchants, seeing the advantages of Bai Mo’s boat—and the Demon Hunting Team members who served as guards—had flocked to use it, saving themselves significant labor costs.

Wei An took a cut, earning over five hundred Spirit Stones a month.

BOOM!

Bai Mo pushed open the door to the quiet room and walked out.

In an instant, he felt the change in season.

"The weather’s changed," Bai Mo murmured.

At that moment, thirty Water and Fire Life-saving Pills lay quietly in his sleeve. As for his senior brothers’ Pill Formulas, he had long since mastered them.

He could start refining them whenever he had a spare day.

’It’s harvest season for the medicinal fields. Maybe I should go out and have a look?’

Bai Mo considered the idea, then rejected it.

Xu Ruyuan was more than enough to handle the procurement of medicinal herbs.

Xu Ruyuan was thriving these days; many Cultivators depended on him for their livelihood.

But the old man was shrewd. He had navigated the world for most of his life and was extremely savvy, so he hadn’t made any mistakes yet.

’Why did I suddenly have the urge to go out?’

Bai Mo examined his own thoughts and, after a moment, understood.

’It’s just restlessness born from stillness. I might as well go for a walk.’

When the employees learned their Shopkeeper was out of seclusion, they all came to greet him.

After this period, Hou Cheng had completely settled in.

Xue Ning and his companion, with their Alchemy Skills, were still the shop’s mainstays and were doing quite well for themselves.

With everything on the right track, Bai Mo had little to worry about.

After washing up, just as he was sipping some millet porridge, a fellow sect member from Mountain View Tower delivered a booklet and left in a hurry.

Bai Mo glanced at the booklet and immediately understood, thinking to himself that the sect was very thorough.

Loose Cultivators lacked deep foundations. When the Jade Plate Secret Realm opened, there was no telling how many would be reduced to ashes before even reaching their destination.

Therefore, the sect had specially passed down a Cultivation Technique.

Those who practiced this technique could restrain their qi and blood, keeping it hidden and unreleased. It also had the effect of absorbing the essence from their food, allowing them to accumulate and store the quintessence from nutritional supplements.

It was just like wild beasts fattening up before the onset of winter, storing energy to survive the harsh season.

This technique was called the Winter Storage Skill.

When the time came next year, these Loose Cultivators could fully unleash their stored potential for a temporary burst of power, which would make them far more useful.

After making some inquiries, Bai Mo learned that Lanshan and his men had only returned yesterday, so he went straight to find them.

"There’s a technique like this?"

Hearing Bai Mo’s words, Lanshan leaned in closer, ignoring the pain from his injuries.

"Shopkeeper Bai, please let me take a look."

Bai Mo handed over the booklet, and Lanshan began to study it carefully.

This was a technique from a major sect; it couldn’t be taken lightly.

But Bai Mo said, "After practicing this technique, a Cultivator’s qi and blood will become dormant. In the mountains, your strength will probably be only seventy percent of its usual level."

"That’s more than enough," Lanshan said.

"I have so many men under me now. It’s no problem for us to rest and build up our strength for a while."

He looked at the Winter Storage Skill with an indescribable fondness.

If they encountered a Demon Beast they coveted but couldn’t defeat, this technique would be incredibly useful.

He just needed to organize a few people to use this method, build up their power for a time, and once it was unleashed, they could generate more than one hundred and twenty percent of their usual fighting power.

Lanshan chuckled.

"So, should I gather the others today and have us all cultivate this technique together?"

The technique wasn’t difficult. Anyone truly incapable of learning it wouldn’t have been on Bai Mo’s list in the first place.

To receive such a technique before even entering the Secret Realm was a real boon for the Loose Cultivators.

"Excellent, excellent. Since I’m injured anyway, I’ll stay in the city for the next few days and master this technique."

"Oh, right. A few of my young guys found a Flying Bear by the Azure Dragon River. They paid a hefty price for it and want to have a taste."

"Shopkeeper Bai, remember to come in a couple of days."

The Flying Bear couldn’t actually fly; it was just an expert leaper. Its muscles were very different from those of an ordinary bear Demon Beast, and its meat was rumored to be exceptionally delicious.

Bai Mo was tempted, but he shook his head and said:

"Never mind. Let Qin Wen and the others go. I have to leave for Celestial Mountain City first thing tomorrow morning."

"Celestial Mountain City?" Lanshan was taken aback.

Bai Mo nodded.

"Restlessness born from stillness. The Alchemy Dao is well-developed in Celestial Mountain City, so I’m going to take a look."

With the speed of a transport service’s Spirit Beast, it would only take a few days to get there, so it wouldn’t be much of a delay.

He would just treat it as a short trip.

Lanshan felt a wave of emotion. It was after returning from Celestial Mountain City that Bai Mo had become a Pill Master.

Since then, their lives had been completely transformed.

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