Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 260: Chapter 260: Pill Completion and a Visitor

The night’s clouds hung low, blocked by Celestial Barrier Mountain and pressing down over Immortal Arrival City.

As a result, the night was starless and moonless.

This left the staff somewhat disappointed.

"Tsk, tsk. We finally get a day off, and there isn’t even a moon to enjoy."

"It’s so dark and gloomy. Kills the mood."

The group gathered in the backyard, waiting for an hour, but when the sky showed no sign of clearing, they gave up on their plans for a barbecue.

Xu Ruyuan, utterly bored, took a sip of strong tea.

"Blind Cheng said tonight’s weather would be good. How could an old medicinal herb farmer with decades of experience get it wrong?"

Qin Wen shook his head.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, are you talking about the old farmer who often comes to deliver Divine Eye Flowers?"

"That man is getting more muddled with age. He misjudged the weather and the rains, his herb harvest suffered, and now he sighs all day long."

The implication was that the blind man’s eyes were truly failing him.

Qin Wen scanned the group. "Did any of you go out today?" he asked.

"Any news from around the city?"

Everyone shook their heads. Xu Ruyuan spoke up:

"It seems the Xuandao Sect disciples really did pry some information out of that old man. The whole city is under lockdown, searching for Demonic Cultivators."

"Anyone who goes out today has to be registered. I can’t be bothered with all that..."

That was why the shop had almost no customers today.

The staff enjoyed a rare day of leisure.

Hou Cheng had been studying a Pill Book for half the day. His head felt like it was full of water; just shaking it made him dizzy.

He said in a booming, stuffy voice:

"They didn’t just get information. The key is, that old man has a few dogs that are extremely sensitive to the aura of Demonic Cultivators."

"My uncle said they’re relying on them to track people down now."

"Doesn’t that old man drop by the shop every now and then? He was rushing here to take shelter because he sensed a Demonic Cultivator nearby."

At these words, everyone stared at each other in consternation.

Xu Ruyuan slammed his hand on the table, making the tea ripple.

"That son of a bitch!"

"He picked this place to hide because he knew Shopkeeper Bai has a prosperous business and powerful backing, didn’t he!?"

Hou Cheng nodded.

"That’s exactly it. According to his confession, he had it all planned out before he even entered the city."

"Well, at least he wasn’t trying to steal from us or ruin our name."

All eyes turned to him. Having an uncle with a high-ranking position in the Xuandao Sect certainly made him well-informed.

Their stares made Hou Cheng scratch his head in embarrassment.

"My uncle came to visit me and told me all the details."

Xu Ruyuan, his interest piqued, asked:

"There’s one thing I just don’t get."

"The manor outside the city was a secret stronghold for Demonic Cultivators. What was that old man doing sneaking in there?"

"And I hear he was tending to the livestock there for quite some time?"

Hou Cheng said in a low voice, "He went for a secret key in the manor."

"I heard the secret key is crucial for unsealing an ancient painting, and it’s also how the Demonic Cultivators were tracking the old man."

"It’s just a shame he didn’t manage to get it in the end."

"Tsk, tsk," Xu Ruyuan sighed.

"These Demon Dao folks, waltzing into Xuandao Sect territory to cause a ruckus, and stirring up so much trouble. It’s really something else."

No one cared about the so-called secret key.

In any case, the seal on the ancient painting was already broken, and the renowned Kunwu True Monarch had been subdued by the Xuandao Sect.

A key has never been the only way to open a lock.

As they were talking, a sweet fragrance suddenly wafted over them.

The sweet scent was very faint, dissipating as soon as the wind blew.

"It’s starting!!"

Wei An straightened his back, sitting ramrod straight.

Hou Cheng was even more on edge, as if facing a great enemy, the pages of the co-refining manual from Bai Mo rustling as he flipped through them.

According to the manual, what was wafting out now were the impurities from the main ingredient, which had a sweet, rotting quality.

This substance was useless and detrimental to the final formation of the Pill.

Qin Wen and Xu Ruyuan exchanged a look and consciously stayed quiet.

Hou Cheng and the others had been waiting intently, and they had finally reached this moment.

According to the manual Bai Mo had given them, they could judge the progress of the alchemy by the changing scents wafting out.

Understanding these reference points would help them grasp their companion’s progress and coordinate more easily.

Of course, Bai Mo had no idea that his own staff were, at this very moment, holding a simplified manual and trying to glean some understanding from his process.

He, too, was stretched to his limit.

Three Pill Furnaces were fired up simultaneously, and dividing his attention three ways was taxing even for Bai Mo.

In the central Pill Furnace, the Azurewater Jade Flower had melted into a blue-and-white Pill Liquid, which was now gradually dissolving and mixing with the other medicinal ingredients.

The sweet fragrance inside the quiet room was much stronger than it was outside.

Bai Mo inhaled, and his nostrils were filled with a cloying sweetness.

But this intoxicatingly sweet aroma was not beneficial to the Pill Liquid.

Seeing the Pill Liquid’s color start to darken, Bai Mo decisively added more fuel to the fire.

He grabbed a handful of Spirit Wood, shook it at the base of the furnace, and sparks flew. The flames spread, and in an instant, the fire flared up.

The Pill Liquid’s color faded slightly as impurities were released, seeping through the walls and dispersing into the outside world.

The most critical step in refining the Jade Flower Pill was properly dealing with the impurities within the flower.

Bai Mo stared intently at the Pill Liquid in the furnace, only letting out a breath of relief after its color stabilized and stopped fluctuating.

At this point, the Jade Flower Pill was ninety percent complete!

Bai Mo continuously tossed the medicinal ingredients in his hands into the Pill Furnace.

He moved with practiced ease, and even while managing three Pill Furnaces simultaneously, he still seemed to have energy to spare.

Yet, if an ordinary Pill Master were to try this, they would likely be overwhelmed.

This was why the chosen refinement method for the Jade Flower Pill was a co-refining technique.

...

By the time the person from Divine Dao Mountain stepped into the shop, the sweet fragrance permeating the air had already changed.

It had taken on a different note and was even richer.

The senior disciple’s nostrils flared slightly. He casually flashed a Xuandao Sect Token in his hand, which was enough to make Wei An and Qin Wen stand in respectful attention.

"Oh my, what are you all doing?"

"This smell is pleasant, but there’s an undertone of rot. That’s not a good sign!"

Wei An invited the man in and explained with a smile:

"This is the aroma released when our Shopkeeper refines medicinal ingredients during alchemy."

The Divine Dao Sect disciple nodded. For someone in his line of work, his five senses, especially his sense of smell, were exceptionally keen.

"Where is your Shopkeeper?"

Wei An was about to say he hadn’t come out of seclusion yet, but a look from Qin Wen stopped him.

The Divine Dao Sect disciple also turned with a grin, looked toward a certain direction, and said:

"It seems I’ve arrived at just the right time."

Wei An was confused, but then he heard Qin Wen explain:

"The Shopkeeper has just come out of seclusion. Just now."

With that, he led the disciple from Divine Dao Mountain to the backyard.

Bai Mo’s face was covered in soot, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

"Senior Brother, when did you arrive?"

"No point in being early when you can be timely. I just arrived."

The disciple from Divine Dao Mountain looked Bai Mo up and down, a little surprised.

"Junior Brother, are you refining the Jade Flower Pill?"

Bai Mo was taken aback. "You recognize it, Senior Brother?"

"Of course. I was fortunate enough to take one once."

The disciple glanced around but didn’t sense anyone else’s aura.

After a pause, the man remarked with a sigh:

"Looking around, you don’t have many hands here. Did you refine the Jade Flower Pill by yourself, Junior Brother?"

"A humble attempt, Senior Brother," Bai Mo said calmly, but his words seemed to displease his Senior Brother.

The latter spoke with a smile:

"Junior Brother, don’t be so modest. You talented people are always so reckless and brazen."

As he spoke, he took out a black, cloth-wrapped bundle.

"Junior Brother, you have done our Divine Dao Mountain a great service by finding the Seventh Great Mad God."

"Here, take this."

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