Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 278: Chapter 278: Setting Off

Bai Mo was a little surprised.

He mainly hadn’t expected so many of his fellow disciples to be cramming at the last minute.

The orders Qin Wen had given him were mostly for auxiliary purposes—pills for things like strengthening one’s Qi, blood, and Divine Thought, or stopping bleeding and relieving pain from severed limbs. They were quite numerous and varied.

And the prices offered weren’t low.

"Sigh. The Pill Formulas aren’t complicated, so refining the Pills wouldn’t be difficult."

"But with so little time left, if I have to research new Pills, I’m afraid I won’t be able to make many of them."

Bai Mo sighed and picked out the orders that had Pill Formulas attached.

Qin Wen then said, "From what I saw, your fellow disciples didn’t seem very hopeful when they came."

"They only left the Pill Formulas behind on a slim chance. Should I go reject them now?"

Bai Mo nodded.

"We have no choice."

"However, the Pills we have in stock, like the Water and Fire Life-saving Pill and the Qi Blood Pill, still have a considerable market. Casually mention that when you reply to them."

As the two of them were sorting through the orders, Wei An and the others returned.

They were all shocked to see Bai Mo.

"You’re out of seclusion!?"

Wei An was delighted, pointing at the orders on the counter and saying:

"Shopkeeper, look! Your fellow disciples are spending a fortune. As expected of those from a major sect."

Bai Mo shook his head and gave them the same explanation as before.

Wei An’s expression froze when he heard this.

"What a shame..."

"It’s fine. I have my own plans."

Bai Mo took the selected pill orders and began to estimate the medicinal ingredients he would need.

"The ingredients in the shop’s warehouse probably won’t be enough."

"Have Daoist Xu figure out a way to get more, and quickly."

Bai Mo gave his instructions methodically.

"Senior Sister An will probably be coming soon. Wait until she arrives, then call for me."

And so, after a day’s rest, Bai Mo once again ducked into the quiet room, stoked the fire, and began refining with all his might.

Looking at the many depleted ingredients in the warehouse, Hou Cheng was amazed.

"Can the Shopkeeper really refine so many Pills all by himself?"

"I’ve checked the dregs coming from the quiet room before. There’s a tiny amount, which shows how few ingredients he wastes."

Wei An wasn’t surprised. He just said calmly:

"The Shopkeeper’s skill in the Alchemy Dao is beyond our comprehension."

"I heard some out-of-town customers say a while back that the Shopkeeper is also incredibly famous in Celestial Mountain City, a place renowned for the Alchemy Dao."

"Countless Pill Masters have admitted they can’t compare to him. Those customers came here specifically for his reputation..."

Hou Cheng scratched his head.

"As an employee, I feel so inadequate not being able to help the Shopkeeper with his burdens."

Wei An shook his head and said no more.

’Some Spirit Stones can only be earned by a Pill Master himself; others can’t help with that.’

’Only when Hou Cheng and the others have studied the art of cooperative refining and achieved a certain level of skill might they be able to offer some help.’

Qin Wen bustled about, contacting the Xuandao Sect disciples who had left messages to either reject their orders or inform them of a pickup date for their Pills.

He was even busier than many of the Cultivators in the city who were just trying to make a living.

This frantic pace lasted for only a month before An Caiwei arrived at their door.

"Where’s your Shopkeeper? Don’t tell me he’s still in seclusion."

Qin Wen, who had been just about to head out, stopped in his tracks and said hurriedly:

"He came out of seclusion a while ago. He’s just busy with alchemy at the moment."

"But since you’re here, I’ll go get the Shopkeeper."

...

Bai Mo was at a critical juncture in refining a furnace of Water and Fire Life-saving Pills.

Even after Qin Wen called for him, he had to wait another hour before he could finally collect the Pills and emerge.

When he hurried out, he saw An Caiwei sitting in the backyard, listlessly sipping her tea.

Bai Mo breathed a sigh of relief, walked closer, and said apologetically:

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Senior Sister."

An Caiwei waved her hand.

"I know you can’t step away during Alchemy."

"The tea here is quite good, though, so the wait wasn’t a total loss."

It was, in fact, excellent tea, which Bai Mo had pan-fired using a special technique recorded in the Pill Book.

Half of it had already been used in Alchemy, but Bai Mo had found the flavor so good that he’d saved the rest for serving guests.

Bai Mo sat down across from An Caiwei, poured himself a cup, and downed it in one go before tentatively asking:

"Senior Sister, your visit at this time... is it about...?"

An Caiwei nodded, her expression growing very solemn.

"That’s right. I’m here to take the people who are entering the Jade Plate Secret Realm."

"Are they all ready? Don’t you dare embarrass me!"

Bai Mo put her mind at ease.

"They’ve been building up their strength for over half a year. I don’t dare let a single thing go wrong!"

Only then did a smile appear on An Caiwei’s face.

"I knew I could count on you."

"I heard from our senior brothers that all the Cultivators you’ve gathered are seasoned mountain folk; none of them will be dead weight."

"Go ahead and summon them. I’ve already contacted the beast transport service. The rest is up to me. You can just focus on your Alchemy and make your money..."

"Ahem!"

Bai Mo coughed, interrupting An Caiwei.

"Senior Sister, I’m going back with you this time."

"Hm?"

An Caiwei paused, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Aren’t you not entering the Jade Plate Secret Realm?"

"Don’t tell me your seclusion was a success, and now you’re feeling ambitious again?"

She studied Bai Mo carefully but couldn’t discern anything.

"What’s your current realm?"

Bai Mo knew her cultivation path: she focused solely on advancing her realm, planning to wait until after Foundation Establishment to learn any corresponding techniques.

"I’m just a hair’s breadth away from the Qi Refining Ninth Layer."

An Caiwei jumped in surprise.

"This..."

"But I only just broke through to the ninth layer myself!"

Bai Mo cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute.

"It’s all thanks to Senior Sister’s Wooden Silkworm. Otherwise, I never would have progressed this quickly."

"However, I’m not planning to enter the Secret Realm this time. I just want to do a little business within the sect..."

As soon as he said that, An Caiwei understood.

"Oh! Spoken like a true merchant!"

"You want to make money off our fellow disciples right at the sect gates? That’s a brilliant business opportunity!"

Bai Mo was quite open about it. It was just business between willing parties; there was nothing to hide.

"Do you know how long the Jade Plate Secret Realm trial has lasted in previous years?"

An Caiwei’s eyes darted back and forth thoughtfully.

"It varies, but this year it’ll be at least three months, and at most half a year!"

"You’re going to make a killing!"

Bai Mo was somewhat taken aback.

"That long?"

An Caiwei broke into a grin.

"The Jade Plate Secret Realm has a major opening once every five years. This year happens to be one of them."

"Junior Brother, how about you let me in on this business of yours? I have some connections among our peers, you know!"

"Aren’t you going into the Jade Plate Secret Realm, Senior Sister?"

"After careful consideration, I decided against it. It would be pointless for me to go in."

An Caiwei shook her head.

"Someone else will go in for me. Let’s get back to talking business..."

Upon receiving An Caiwei’s message, Wei An dared not delay. He dropped whatever he was doing and immediately headed out.

He only needed to inform Lanshan, who would then gather the rest of the men.

The group of men had been preparing for over half a year, and now they were all burly and barrel-chested.

At a glance, you might have mistaken them for a gang of pig butchers.

The next day, they were all gathered outside Bai Mo’s shop.

More than thirty men stood there, their formidable presence intimidating passersby and keeping them at a distance.

Initially, there were only supposed to be thirty men, but Bai Mo had since scouted out several more skilled hands and, after consulting with An Caiwei, added them to the group.

"Alchemist Bai!"

"Alchemist Bai!"

As Bai Mo came out, everyone greeted him.

With a slight nod, Bai Mo did a headcount before turning to Lanshan.

Lanshan said in a low voice, "Everyone’s here!"

Bai Mo waved his hand.

"Let’s move out!"

The large group then set off, marching in a great procession toward the beast transport service in the city.

A horse-drawn carriage followed alongside Bai Mo, carrying his Pill Furnace and other Alchemy equipment.

The Spirit Beast An Caiwei had rented was already at its limit carrying over thirty people; it couldn’t possibly bear the weight of his cumbersome equipment as well.

Bai Mo had to rent a separate transport.

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