Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 246: Chapter 246: An Incident

Bai Mo handled the formalities with just a single trip, and everything went through smoothly.

It concerned a mere refugee who carried a slightly unusual aura.

With Bai Mo’s current influence, he could have easily done the same not just for a valued employee, but for a stray dog on the street.

Besides, the disciple handling the paperwork could clearly see the aura around Wei An—that of a promising talent with a calm and steady heart.

Such a disposition was definitely not something one would find in someone whose mind had been warped by the hardships of fleeing a famine.

The disciple, silently admiring Bai Mo’s excellent guidance, firmly stamped the seal, and just like that, Wei An was officially registered as a resident of Immortal Arrival City.

Wei An was overjoyed.

This joy was still overflowing the next day when it was time to open the shop.

Qin Wen noticed it at first glance. He cupped his hands and said:

"Congratulations!"

Wei An smiled and returned the gesture.

He was, indeed, extremely happy inside.

In a daze, he suddenly understood what the books meant by "great joy."

This feeling of joy was not dampened until four days later, by Xu Ruyuan.

One’s mood can be infectious, but Xu Ruyuan didn’t feel Wei An’s joy. He merely sensed something was up through his worldly experience.

He forced a smile and cupped his hands.

"Brother Wei, what’s the happy occasion?"

Wei An was taken aback by his haggard appearance.

This old man had spent his youth drifting through the markets; he’d seen more storms in his life than Wei An had eaten grains of salt.

After starting to work for Bai Mo, Xu Ruyuan had been full of vigor and quickly gathered a group of people under him.

Although such a crew might not amount to much in the eyes of certain important figures...

...in the eyes of many, this old man Xu Ruyuan had struck it rich by some dumb luck.

Amidst the flattery, the old man seemed rejuvenated, as if growing younger by the day.

But seeing him now, Wei An thought he looked even older than when they had first met.

Wei An said cautiously, "I’ve finally registered my residency in the city. I’m a proper resident of Immortal Arrival City now."

"We’re fellow townsmen now."

"Senior Xu, have you run into some trouble?"

Xu Ruyuan collapsed into a seat and raked his hands through his hair, a few strands coming away with his nails.

"I came here to ask for Shopkeeper Bai’s help!"

He pounded his chest, choking with frustration.

"There’s a dead person at my door!!"

Wei An jumped in fright and quickly ran out of the shop.

And so, a few moments later, everyone was gathered in the shop.

Even Hou Cheng, who had been busy in the Alchemy Room all morning and had come out for a breather, came over to see what was going on.

Hou Cheng greatly admired Xu Ruyuan’s abilities.

Herbs that he used to have to spend time and energy searching for in mountains and rivers, this old senior could find a whole pile of with just a single trip out.

Xu Ruyuan sighed.

"There are dead people at my door."

"A few days ago, my grandson went out early in the morning and found a Cultivator hanging dead at our gate."

"The look on his face was more horrifying than anything I’ve ever seen in my life."

"My poor grandson... he was so scared his spirit almost left him. He still hasn’t recovered, and I don’t know how long it will take for him to get better."

Everyone’s expression turned grim.

People hanging themselves wasn’t uncommon, especially around brothels and gambling dens. It was quite ordinary.

But to hang oneself at someone’s front door? That was a grave offense.

If things went wrong, even in death the body wouldn’t find peace; the homeowner might just take a hoe to hack it down.

Such a disrespectful act could only be born of a deep-seated grudge.

Bai Mo hesitated for a moment, recalling Xu Ruyuan’s usual way of doing things.

In business, a little swindling was hard to avoid, especially for a thick-skinned and slippery old man like him.

But when it came to matters of true right and wrong, Xu Ruyuan had never really strayed.

"Could it be, Daoist Friend Xu, that your low-quality herbs actually did harm someone at a crucial time?"

Bai Mo voiced his speculation hesitantly.

Xu Ruyuan shook his head.

"I’ve been on the straight and narrow for ages now."

"These days, I’m very protective of my reputation when I trade herbs. I always give full measure, and you get what you pay for!"

"If someone really wanted revenge, they could have done it before. Why wait until I’ve finally made something of myself?"

"Besides, how could I have the ability to offend someone like that?"

Everyone was stunned, then they heard Xu Ruyuan continue:

"Starting from the first day, for three days in a row, a dead body has appeared at my door. All of them hanging."

"My son and I were furious. We took turns standing watch all night, but we couldn’t stop it. It was as if those bodies were brought by a gust of wind."

"In the blink of an eye, the corpse would just be there at the door."

Only then did Bai Mo realize this was truly a major incident.

"Daoist Friend Xu, you said you came for my help. Does that mean you already have some suspicions?"

Xu Ruyuan shook his head.

With this incident, his reputation was completely ruined.

Everyone was saying that his sudden success must have been built on countless unscrupulous deeds; otherwise, why would he attract such a disaster?

Many friends, relatives, and neighbors had drawn a clear line between themselves and him. Whenever he went out, he would often see people secretly pointing and whispering about him.

Even for a wily old fox like him, the fall from such a height was too much to bear. His spirit was badly shaken.

"Last night, knowing I wasn’t capable of catching the culprit myself, I found someone to help."

"Who?"

"Liu Yaozi. He’s a capable man, and a little money was enough to get him to stand guard for me for a night."

From the look on Xu Ruyuan’s face, it was clear things hadn’t gone as he’d hoped.

"First thing this morning, Liu Yaozi returned the money and said he wouldn’t be involved in this matter any further."

Bai Mo then understood what he was getting at.

"Daoist Friend Xu, are you hoping to hire someone from the Demon Hunting Team?"

Xu Ruyuan nodded.

"I still have some savings. I just hope this matter can be resolved. There are so many rumors in the city about hanging ghosts..."

Bai Mo nodded.

When those neighbors had nothing better to do, they loved to scare their children with idle tales about hanging ghosts coming to claim lives, curses, and the like...

Bai Mo had heard these stories so often that he knew plenty about them.

Xu Ruyuan wasn’t the type to be easily frightened; he was likely just shaken by the gruesome state of the bodies.

Qin Wen stepped forward and said in a low voice:

"Don’t believe such baseless nonsense!"

"Someone must be deliberately causing this trouble."

"What’s a guy like Liu Yaozi? Let me go take a look first!"

Xu Ruyuan often visited, and since they both worked for Bai Mo, they had plenty to talk about. Qin Wen had developed a bit of a friendly relationship with him.

Seeing Xu Ruyuan in such a state, Qin Wen also grew angry.

Listening from the side with a pounding heart, Wei An suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

"Could it be... that manor Senior Xu was supposed to investigate? Are they the ones behind this?"

Xu Ruyuan didn’t think so, explaining:

"I haven’t even started the investigation. I just secretly found a few trustworthy herb dealers, but I haven’t had a chance to ask them to probe yet."

After hearing this, Qin Wen just glanced at the sky and said:

"There’s no time to waste. Let’s go. Where are the bodies?"

Xu Ruyuan gritted his teeth.

"In my courtyard!"

Everyone was shocked.

"I was afraid there was something strange about the bodies. If they were taken away, it would be much harder to investigate."

"So, after reporting it to the Xuandao Sect, I used the excuse of keeping the bodies to lure out whoever was trying to cover their tracks, and kept them."

That was his reasoning, but to keep three inauspicious corpses... a normal person would never have such nerve.

It could only be said that this old rascal truly had some skill to have built his herb business to such a scale.

Under the blazing sun, they left Wei An to mind the shop.

The group arrived at Xu Ruyuan’s courtyard and saw three corpses baking in the sun.

Bai Mo felt the scorching heat, yet the three bodies showed no signs of decomposition or stench.

He looked at the bodies’ distorted faces. Their tongues were lolling out extremely long, and their eyes were rolled so far up that only a sliver of pupil remained, as if trying to glare down at the person below them.

"Truly grotesque,"

Bai Mo commented.

"What did the sect’s disciples say?"

"They couldn’t see anything unusual. They said they’re short-staffed right now and will send a disciple over tomorrow."

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