Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 242: Chapter 242: Inquiring About the Origin

The bloody, severed head was a gruesome sight in the night.

The old man yelped, his hair standing on end as he scrambled backward in terror.

Wei An was also badly shaken.

The lead Cultivator glanced at the old man, puzzled by his extreme reaction.

After all, there wasn’t a Cultivator in Immortal Arrival City who hadn’t seen blood.

"Take a look. The escaped Cultivators are all from the Demon Dao. They practice wicked techniques, which causes poor blood circulation in their faces, leaving behind these red lines that resemble tear tracks."

"If this group isn’t rooted out, the harm they cause will be endless. Please be on the lookout."

Bai Mo took a few steps forward and stared at the head for several moments before solemnly agreeing.

"It’s my duty. I will certainly keep an eye out."

With that, the group of Sect Disciples left, quickly vanishing into the night.

"That man... how could he just..."

The old man was dazed. Seeing the puppy in his arms breathing its last, he forced himself up and stumbled out the door to go home.

Wei An waved a hand to disperse the smell, then went and closed the door.

The candlelight in the shop flickered.

Bai Mo took out a packet of medicinal powder and sprinkled it gently. As the powder drifted into the candlelight, it ignited with a POOF, bursting into a brief flash of flame.

The flame vanished in an instant, and the strange smell in the shop was replaced by the scent of herbs.

Only then did Bai Mo look at the others.

"Did you all hear that? These are troubled times. Now even Demonic Cultivators are showing up."

"Everyone, be extra careful."

Xu Ruyuan stroked his chin, reminiscing.

"When I was young, I saw the Demon Dao in action. It was truly terrifying."

"A group of teenagers, all vying for a spot as a registered disciple, used every method imaginable. They were ruthless, vicious, and utterly cruel."

"It was like raising Gu. The survivor succeeds; the loser dies."

He shook his head.

"According to them, the final victor would henceforth enjoy a life of absolute freedom, doing as they pleased. True liberty in the mortal realm."

"They even slaughtered the populations of entire towns to refine their Magical Artifacts and gain an advantage. If that hadn’t drawn the major sects to hunt them down, who knows how much more chaos they would have caused."

Everyone turned to look at him. Most of the people present had never seen a Demonic Cultivator before.

"Senior Xu is truly well-traveled," Wei An said with admiration.

"It was nothing," Xu Ruyuan said.

"This all happened just outside Immortal Arrival City. Back then, to attract people to settle the frontier, they’d accept anyone and everyone."

"Settling the frontier?" Qin Wen had never heard of this.

"Mhm," Xu Ruyuan nodded.

"There was an incident back then. Half the city wall collapsed, and a large part of the population fled."

"But generations have passed since then. The city has fallen and been rebuilt before, so there are established procedures. People don’t panic; they just follow the process."

"I just didn’t expect that now, with the Xuandao Sect in charge, Demonic Cultivators would still dare to show their faces here."

Everyone agreed.

Bai Mo looked at Qin Wen, thought for a moment, and asked:

"Brother Qin, your family..."

"They’re being taken care of."

"In that case," Bai Mo said, "you should stay and have something to eat."

"The city’s under lockdown. It’s not a good idea to be out and about right now."

There was still plenty of the food Wei An had made earlier in the kitchen. It just needed to be heated up to make another fine dish.

Xu Ruyuan hadn’t expected to get a free meal out of his leisurely stroll, and he chuckled happily.

Chewing on a mouthful of tender meat and washing it down with some yellow wine, he asked casually.

"Who was that old man selling the dog? I’ve never seen him before. To have such skill..."

Wei An refilled his wine and answered:

"He’s a distant cousin of Uncle Mo from down the street. His hometown was hit by a disaster, so he came here to seek refuge with his family."

"He’s getting on in years. After such a long journey, he’ll probably settle in the city to live out his days."

As soon as he said this, Xu Ruyuan’s outstretched chopsticks froze mid-air.

Bai Mo and Qin Wen immediately looked at him.

"What is it?"

Xu Ruyuan slapped his chopsticks on the table.

"Old Man Mo? I know him. He’s quite skilled at making forgeries."

"Whether it’s socialites trying to look cultured or collectors who want copies of paintings and calligraphy, they all go to him."

"But I’ve never heard of him having any relatives or close friends."

He frowned.

"A few years back, during the hard times, the old fellow nearly starved to death, and not a single close relation came to help him."

"Later, I heard he was a lone wanderer with no ties. He only settled down after coming to Immortal Arrival City. He was one of the Cultivators brought in to develop the frontier."

Everyone immediately fell silent.

It was Wei An who broke the silence with a laugh. "Senior Xu, you must be joking."

"A person can’t just pop out of a rock. How could he not have any background or origins?"

Qin Wen, however, paid him no mind. He swallowed the meat in his mouth and looked at Bai Mo.

"Tomorrow, should I take some men to check it out?"

Bai Mo’s expression was unreadable.

"Alright."

’My business is running just fine. I can’t let someone get inexplicably tangled up in it. It’s best to nip this kind of problem in the bud.’

...

「The next day.」

First thing in the morning, Wei An opened the shop alone. Qin Wen was not there.

When Hou Cheng and the others arrived, they found it a bit strange.

"Where’s Brother Qin?"

"He’s busy with something," Wei An said casually.

"By the way, did you hear the commotion last night?"

Hou Cheng and his group had been tired yesterday, so they had left as soon as their shift was over and missed the later events.

Now that it was mentioned, they all looked shaken.

"Our courtyard gate was banged open last night. It was Sect Disciples conducting a search."

"I can’t believe Demonic Cultivators managed to sneak into a city guarded by a major sect."

Wei An sighed and said, "The Shopkeeper said everyone should be extra careful from now on."

Hou Cheng immediately replied with a solemn expression, "I’ll keep a close watch."

Among the group, he was the best fighter. The others were just there to make up the numbers.

Before entering the shop, Hou Cheng glanced down the street again.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but there seemed to be more rough-looking men loitering on the street today.

Qin Wen finally returned around noon.

With him was a withered, skinny old man in a cloth cap, escorted by Qin Wen and another man.

He nodded to Wei An, who was minding the shop, as a greeting, then walked straight past the entrance and headed for the back courtyard.

In the back courtyard sat two Pill Furnaces that looked quite old.

Bai Mo was cleaning them with a bristle brush.

Lanshan’s men were efficient. He had grabbed two of them and sent them to the market, and in less than four hours, they had returned carrying two Pill Furnaces.

Bai Mo didn’t use them for free. He immediately gave them a bottle of Pills, which made the two men so happy they were grinning from ear to ear. They went off, whooping and hollering, to split their reward.

"Shopkeeper, I’ve brought the man," Qin Wen said softly as he led Old Man Mo into the courtyard.

The other man stood guard at the courtyard entrance of his own accord, not entering.

Old Man Mo seemed timid, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"Aiya, Brother Bai, what is all this? It’s quite frightening..."

Bai Mo put down his brush, a look of resignation on his face.

"Uncle Mo, do you think any of us old neighbors don’t know what you’re really about?"

"I just never thought you’d be capable of conjuring up a ’distant relative’ out of thin air. You’re really something else."

Uncle Mo forced a smile.

"Doesn’t everyone have a distant relative somewhere? It’s nice to have some company, to share a little wine in the evenings. I, this old man, am quite happy."

Bai Mo watched him without saying anything more.

"That man inexplicably came to my shop last night and stayed for about two hours."

Being an old fox, Uncle Mo instantly understood the implication. His pupils contracted, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

The forced smile on his face couldn’t hold. His facial muscles twitched and his expression collapsed. He stamped his foot on the ground.

"That bastard!"

Seeing this, Bai Mo looked at Qin Wen.

"Have Uncle Mo take a seat."

Qin Wen nodded and readily brought over a stool.

"My apologies for my earlier rudeness. Please, sit down, sir."

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