Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 245: Chapter 245: Appearing Out of Thin Air

News of the bloodshed on the main street spread quickly throughout Immortal Arrival City.

It seemed the Xuandao Sect was intentionally fanning the flames. In streets and alleys alike, no one seemed to fear the so-called Demon Dao, and everyone was discussing the incident.

That very night, a fellow disciple from the Xuandao Sect came to visit.

"Junior Brother, have you seen any suspicious individuals lately?"

"We’ve fought them several times now, and they were heavily injured. They might be in need of Pills."

Bai Mo shook his head.

"According to my clerk, most of our business is with regulars. We get some new faces, but they all have local roots."

At these words, a shadow fell over the visiting disciple’s face.

"Is that so..."

Bai Mo looked at him, puzzled. "What’s wrong?"

The disciple shook his head.

"As you know, Junior Brother, the lowest ranks of the Demon Dao are filled with all sorts of people."

"We might look down on them, but for some desperate Cultivators with no other options, it’s a way to start their cultivation journey and achieve things they never could on the orthodox path."

"That’s what makes it so tempting. If they manage to establish a foothold in the city..."

Even a small slip-up would have been a good thing; whether they were captured or not, it would at least reveal how desperate the Demonic Cultivators currently were. But their flawlessness made one suspect they had help inside the city.

"Only Chang Qing managed to run into one of them. The rest of us have found nothing, and it’s frankly worrying. Sigh."

After seeing the worried disciple off, Bai Mo welcomed his next visitor: Lanshan.

When the incident occurred, Lanshan had been on the Qinglong River coordinating Demon Beast supplies, not in the city.

He only heard about it from the boatmen and merchants on the docks after he disembarked.

Bai Mo smiled as he led Lanshan into the back courtyard. "I didn’t realize you had so many of your people stationed around here."

Lanshan sat down with him and looked up at the starry sky.

"You’re in a fine mood, Shopkeeper Bai."

"Not exactly."

Bai Mo pushed two plates of pastries toward Lanshan.

"I’ve had a breakthrough in my reading recently. I realized that Pill refinement is also related to the seasonal cycles of heaven and earth. If I can work in harmony with them, there might be some pleasant surprises."

"So now I’m learning to observe the celestial phenomena at night."

Lanshan grabbed two delicate pastries, tossed them into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. After praising their excellent flavor, he asked:

"You’re a great talent, Shopkeeper Bai. Have you learned anything yet?"

"Nothing."

Bai Mo blinked.

"Astrology is a profound and mysterious art. As a novice who’s never studied it, how could I possibly understand it so easily?"

Lanshan paused, then the two exchanged a knowing smile.

"The Cultivators who stepped in weren’t specially arranged," Lanshan said.

"They really do just rent lodgings here."

Bai Mo naturally understood the intentions of the Demon Hunting Team’s Cultivators.

"Regardless, I must remember this favor."

"By the way, that spear wielder among them is quite skilled."

"But I don’t sense the aura of the Winter Storage Skill on him. Is he not on the list for the Jade Plate Secret Realm?"

Lanshan nodded.

"His skills are indeed impressive. He’s an excellent squad leader."

"But he excels at teamwork. In a solo fight, he can only use seventy percent of his abilities at most. The difference is too great."

"Right now, as the rest of us rest and build up our strength, refining our qi and blood, he’s the one leading the teams into the mountains. He’s very effective."

The Demon Hunting Team was a major power in the city, with contacts in every walk of life.

Bai Mo thought for a moment, then relayed everything the disciple from his sect had said earlier.

"This business with the Demonic Cultivators is serious. You should be careful, Brother Lanshan. If one of your men gets taken in..."

Lanshan’s expression turned serious.

"I know. I’ll have someone I trust look into it secretly."

...

「The days passed.」

Xu Ruyuan finally gathered most of the ingredients for the Jade Flower Pill and brought them to the shop.

When Wei An looked them over, he was astonished to find he didn’t recognize many of them.

This was because Xu Ruyuan usually came to him to identify any herbs he couldn’t recognize.

Who would’ve thought the old man would handle it all by himself, and so quietly at that.

Xu Ruyuan wore a strange expression.

"It’s a strange story, actually. It has to do with Old Man Mo."

Wei An paused and looked at him.

Xu Ruyuan continued.

"I was searching all over for ingredients and happened to pass the manor of that dog-raising old man Old Man Mo knows. The owner was holding some kind of herb convention."

"He saw me standing nearby, mistook me for a guest, and invited me in."

"The convention lasted for several days. I know he’s a pretentious sort, so I bought him a piece of calligraphy to get on his good side."

"And what do you know, with a wave of his hand, he gathered all the ingredients for me."

As he spoke, Wei An couldn’t hide his astonishment.

"That’s no small thing. Since when was there such a major herb merchant outside Immortal Arrival City?"

That was the truly strange part.

Wei An might not know, but Xu Ruyuan had been gathering herbs in the mountains for many years. He knew that even back when the Miaofa Sect was in charge, there had never been such a merchant in the area.

Yet, from the man’s style—like some country bumpkin who’d struck it rich—he clearly looked like he’d been in business for many years.

Xu Ruyuan gave a sly chuckle.

"In any case, the herbs are real. Let’s just accept them for now while I go gather some information on him."

"Honestly, for such a formidable competitor to show up without me hearing a peep..."

Wei An cautioned him.

"Don’t be in such a hurry. With Demonic Cultivators on the loose, it’s best to stay out of the wilds beyond the city."

"Judging by the state of those Demonic Cultivators the other day, who knows how many people they’ve harmed."

Xu Ruyuan didn’t seem to care.

"What would they want with these old bones of mine? I’m too brittle for them to even sharpen their teeth on!"

With that, he walked out of the shop.

Wei An saw he was heading in the direction of Old Man Mo’s place.

Both Old Man Mo and the other old man had worked at that manor before; they should know a thing or two.

Just as he left, Hou Cheng and Bai Mo walked in.

Seeing the old man’s hurried departure, Bai Mo was a bit puzzled.

"What’s Fellow Daoist Xu up to?"

Wei An quickly explained what had happened.

After listening, Bai Mo thought for a moment and decided to let him be.

Then he turned to Hou Cheng. "Your uncle is coming back soon?"

Hou Cheng nodded.

"That’s what the messenger said."

"Out of gratitude for the care you’ve shown me, Shopkeeper, my uncle asked me to inform you that a team of injured Cultivators will soon be withdrawn from the front lines."

"He also wanted to ask if there’s anything you need brought back."

Bai Mo’s face lit up.

"That’s wonderful. There are some herbs I have no way of acquiring myself. They only grow when nourished by the blood of a battlefield, so this is my best hope of finding them."

"Brother Hou is a man who gets things done. If he’s coming back now, he must have gathered enough ’white beast oil’. He’s certainly resourceful."

The two of them went to the counter, and in less than a quarter of an hour, they had written out a list from memory.

Bai Mo handed the list to Hou Cheng.

"Brother Hou seems to treat you very well."

Hou Cheng nodded sullenly.

"My family fell on hard times and suffered a great misfortune. My parents raised my uncle, and he always respected and loved them dearly."

This transference of affection clearly put a great deal of pressure on Hou Cheng.

It was only now that Hou Cheng had settled in at Bai Mo’s place, away from Hou Mingsheng, that he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The uncle and nephew had their own dynamic. It wasn’t Bai Mo’s place to comment, so he simply turned the conversation back to the matter at hand.

"You watch the shop today. Don’t go into the Alchemy Room; read the Pill Book instead."

With that, he looked over at Wei An.

"Get yourself ready. I’m taking you to Mountain View Tower to get your residency papers sorted out."

Wei An froze for a moment, then his face lit up with joy.

He had been settled in Immortal Arrival City for a long time, but officially, he was still considered a temporary resident, a status that left a bad taste in his mouth.

How could he not be overjoyed that it was finally being resolved?

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