Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 238: Chapter 238: Long Seclusion

Business at the shop was getting better and better.

Wei An, his face all smiles, saw another regular customer out before returning to the counter.

"Hasn’t Shopkeeper Bai come out of seclusion yet?"

Lanshan asked, his tone quite urgent.

Wei An had never seen him like this before. He replied,

"Before the Shopkeeper went into seclusion, he did instruct us not to disturb him unless it was absolutely necessary."

"It’s been almost two months now. He’s probably at a critical juncture."

Hearing this, Lanshan couldn’t help but lower his gaze and sigh.

Qin Wen walked over.

"What are you doing so early in the morning, fellow Daoist?"

"You can’t lose your composure over every little thing."

He looked Lanshan up and down, quite surprised.

The man had once been so robust, with muscles hard enough to kill someone. But now, the sharp lines of his physique had softened considerably.

He even looked somewhat rounded, as if bloated with water.

Lanshan noticed his gaze but paid it no mind. He was already used to it.

"Recently, a group of Cultivators from the Xuandao Sect has been searching the area for capable individuals, recruiting them as subordinates. I hear they’re also preparing to enter the Jade Plate Secret Realm."

"I sent someone to investigate and found out they will be entering the Xuandao Sect soon."

Hearing him say this, Qin Wen understood.

"Those are also disciples of the Xuandao Sect. I hear they’re very generous."

"But don’t you worry. The Shopkeeper said we’d set out next year. If there are any changes, he’ll have someone inform you all."

Lanshan nodded. "That should be right."

He actually knew this in his heart.

It was just that seeing the Cultivators outside shouting about departing immediately, making a big show of it for everyone to know, had made him anxious.

’Perhaps those Cultivators don’t even know the full story and are just shouting about it everywhere to save face.’

Qin Wen was suddenly a little curious.

"There aren’t many experts outside the city. Who are the ones being recruited?"

Hearing this, Lanshan gave a scornful smile.

"Aside from a select few, the rest are all riffraff."

"You know how it is. Most men with any real guts have been pulled into the city to make a living. It’s just the outsiders who live off their empty reputations."

At the mention of this, Qin Wen couldn’t help but nod.

"Indeed. They’re like empty gourds—not much water inside, but they make a lot of noise when you knock them."

As the two of them spoke, Wei An listened from the side, filled with admiration and respect.

Suddenly, a soft chuckle came from outside.

"I could hear you all discussing from a mile away. Your fretful worrying is laughable, but I didn’t expect you to have a bit of arrogance, too."

The voice sounded familiar to Qin Wen and Wei An. They quickly looked over and saw their Shopkeeper’s fellow sect members.

"The immortal masters have arrived."

Wei An hurried out to greet them.

The disciples from Broken Blade Peak strode into the shop with their heads held high, while the people from Beast Taming Peak were much more low-key, following honestly behind them.

"Where are our Pills?"

Wei An quickly took out two Pill vials and handed them over one by one.

"Immortal masters, your Pills. Twelve per portion. Please take them."

Bai Mo had already found the time to prepare the Pills, just waiting for his fellow sect members to come and pick them up.

The Beast Taming Peak Cultivator accepted them with delight.

"Twelve Pills! That’s more than enough! They’ll definitely be of great use when the time comes!"

The disciples from Broken Blade Peak, however, looked at each other.

"Twelve Pills... we can make do. It’ll last us for a while."

"The ingredients we prepared really weren’t enough."

Preparing the ingredients for the Pills was costly and laborious; it seemed they would have to put in a lot more effort.

In front of Wei An and the others, the few Cultivators poured out the Pills and divided them up.

"Tell your Shopkeeper we’ll be back again."

With that, they left.

Before leaving, the group glanced at Lanshan.

"Those Cultivators from outside the city lack skill and their strength is mediocre. They’re following our sect’s disciples back to the sect for training."

They shot him a look of utter disdain.

"You are different from them. After all, you are a powerful figure in your own right, a person Junior Brother Bai took great care to find."

"Just focus on preparing. Don’t get all anxious and act like a maiden."

Leaving these words behind, the group left the shop.

They could see that the man before them had been putting in the effort; the energy accumulated in his body seemed to flow and surge.

Lanshan was a bit embarrassed. After a moment, he forcefully ran a hand through his hair.

"I was too impulsive. I’ve made a fool of myself."

He was usually such a decisive person; his behavior today was all because he cared too much.

Lanshan sighed again and again. He lingered for another moment before taking his leave.

「Two days later」

Bai Mo came out of seclusion.

The medicinal ingredients piled up in the quiet room had all been refined, and Pill vials lay scattered on the floor.

When Bai Mo took a step, the ground felt uneven, which was very strange.

He hadn’t moved for many days. He had a distorted sense of reality, as if his own limbs didn’t belong to him.

It took him a good while to get his bearings.

[Pill Master: Bai Mo]

[Realm: Qi Refining Sixth Layer]

[Identity: Pill Sect (0/1500)]

[Aptitude: To Witness Creation, To Manipulate All Things]

His heart stirred. Looking at the words before him, Bai Mo felt it had all been worth it.

After so long, he had finally taken another step forward.

The moment he broke through, he felt a sharp pain in his head and passed out on the spot.

When he woke up, his mind was clear and empty, his thoughts more active than ever, as if a great burden had been lifted.

After shuffling around for about ten minutes, Bai Mo finally made it back to his room. Without bothering to clean himself up, he threw off his outer robe and collapsed directly onto the bed.

A great weight was finally off his mind. No matter what, he deserved a good sleep.

The moment he closed his eyes, the world went dark.

By the time Wei An discovered the door to the quiet room was wide open and that the Shopkeeper had come out of seclusion, it was already dusk.

He was shocked and exchanged bewildered glances with the others, but no one dared to disturb Bai Mo.

It wasn’t until the sun was high in the sky the next day that Bai Mo slowly stirred and woke up.

After a lazy stretch, Bai Mo properly spent the better part of an hour getting himself cleaned up.

Only then did he head to the shop.

"Things didn’t go as smoothly as planned, which is why I was delayed for so long. Did anything happen in the meantime?" Bai Mo asked.

Wei An shook his head.

"Just some trivial matters, nothing important."

"Oh, right. The immortal masters have already picked up the Pills you prepared, but a few of them didn’t seem satisfied."

Bai Mo nodded, not surprised.

The senior brothers from Broken Blade Peak were refining those Pills for their cultivation.

A mere twelve Pills was, at best, just enough to try them out—an insignificant amount.

Bai Mo swept his arm over the counter, and dense rows of Pill vials appeared.

A rich Pill Fragrance clung to the vials, lingering in the air.

The wave of fragrance hit Wei An so hard he nearly choked.

His body trembled as he hurriedly straightened the Pill vials.

"These are..."

"Naturally, this is the fruit of my labor from my days in seclusion."

Bai Mo said, "They’re all Fire Marrow Pills and Water and Fire Life-saving Pills. Put them away properly for me."

Qin Wen, who was nearby, came over to help, and together with Wei An, they organized the Pills on the counter.

A quick glance revealed there were several hundred Pills, enough to last for quite some time.

Wei An was overjoyed. While separating a portion for Qin Wen to place on the shelves, he began to recount some of the trivial events that had happened recently.

Bai Mo listened for a moment, getting a bit of a headache, and finally said,

"I’m going to head up to Mountain View Tower. Have a meal ready for me when I get back."

"And make sure it’s something good."

Wei An suddenly caught sight of a streak of grayish-white hair on Bai Mo’s forehead.

His heart tightened. He instantly knew that his Shopkeeper had truly exhausted his mind and energy, and he nodded quickly.

"Yes!"

"I’ll be sure to make you a restorative meal!"

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