Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 282: Chapter 282: Open for Business

"Earth Fire once erupted here, causing many disasters."

An Caiwei recounted what she had heard.

"Later, the Earth Fire subsided, and the ground caved in, forming this valley."

Then, a capable person from the sect set up an arrangement to draw out the Earth Fire hidden deep underground, turning it into a good place for alchemy and smithing.

Bai Mo looked at the traces of arrays in the surroundings and vaguely guessed the place’s origin.

"A very good place. Let’s see how it’s set up inside!"

There was only a single Stone Lodge in the valley, and it wasn’t very large.

Judging by the marks on the floor inside the Stone Lodge, it looked like it could barely fit a smithing forge, bellows, and other such equipment.

There was no more room to move around than that.

Bai Mo glanced around.

"Who built this Stone Lodge? In such a cramped environment, smithing must be inconvenient, right?"

"But it’s more than enough for my alchemy."

The surrounding walls were covered in soot-blackened marks. Bai Mo casually touched one, and his fingertip was stained black with ash.

He blew on his finger, wiped his hand, and didn’t seem to mind.

An Caiwei explained,

"The Magical Artifacts forged here in the past were mostly things like longswords, shortswords, daggers, and silver hairpins—things that don’t take up much space."

"I came here to make purchases twice, which is how I got to know the previous owner."

The two walked out of the Stone Lodge, and Bai Mo pointed to a slightly elevated area on the right.

"It would be perfect if we built a thatched hut over there."

"Huh?"

An Caiwei was a little confused.

Bai Mo spread his hands.

"I have to have a place to eat, sleep, and wash up, don’t I?"

Understanding dawned on An Caiwei.

"Don’t worry, there are disciples in the sect who specialize in this sort of work. They don’t charge much, and I’ll definitely get it sorted out for you!"

She hadn’t expected Bai Mo to decide to move in right then and there.

To this, Bai Mo only said,

"If you don’t focus on your work, you’ll never do it well, no matter what."

"Especially with so much business. Constantly traveling back and forth is just a waste of time."

"By the way, Demon Beasts and Spirit Beasts occasionally run rampant in the stone forest. Will this place be troubled by them?"

"No," An Caiwei reassured him.

"The nearby Demon Beasts have all been tamed. They act as a barrier, so there are usually no incidents..."

As they spoke, the topic finally turned to customers.

An Caiwei’s expression turned serious.

"With the opening of the Secret Realm approaching, everyone is eager for quick results. The Pills they’re seeking will surely be very practical."

"There will be a wide variety of requests. Are you confident you can handle them?"

Bai Mo, however, was quite calm about it.

"Don’t you worry."

"When it comes to Alchemy Skill, I consider myself good enough to enter the inner sect."

"Getting the official certification is just a formality."

Hearing this, An Caiwei’s eyes widened in surprise.

If she didn’t know Bai Mo’s personality, she would have thought her junior brother was just bragging.

But for him to say such a thing now proved he was extremely confident.

"Junior Brother, when did you become so capable?"

Bai Mo shook his head and sighed.

"It’s actually a recent development. I even had some doubts myself at first."

"But then I thought about it. I doubt anyone else in the outer sect’s Pill Peak has my ability to thoroughly study several Pill Formulas in a single day and successfully refine them."

An Caiwei was stunned for a long moment before finally smiling.

"In that case, you wouldn’t be one of the lowest-ranking Cultivators in the inner sect. If you really get in, you’ll have a good life."

Bai Mo looked at her, puzzled.

An Caiwei said, "Don’t be fooled by how lax the outer sect is. That’s just because no one bothers with us, letting us do as we please."

"But if you get to the inner sect, hmph, the hierarchy there is incredibly strict. You’ll find out when you get there."

...

An Caiwei moved quickly.

「Two days later.」

A thatched hut was built not far from the side of the Stone Lodge.

Bai Mo moved his luggage inside. He placed all three of the Pill Furnaces he had brought into the Stone Lodge.

He fiddled around for a long time before finding the traces of the Array inside the Stone Lodge and figuring out how to channel the Earth Fire.

He stopped An Caiwei, who was eager to go find customers, his expression serious.

"Everything else isn’t a problem, but the medicinal herbs..."

"I’ll go contact the disciples from Medicine Peak!"

An Caiwei said immediately.

Bai Mo shook his head.

"Just one supply route for medicinal herbs probably won’t be enough."

"Senior Sister, you’ll probably have to use your connections to find as many suppliers as possible."

"Of course, it would be even better if the disciples coming for Pills can provide their own herbs. After all, some rare ingredients are truly hard to find."

"Also, if they provide their own materials, there are many things to discuss regarding the consequences of the Pill’s success or failure..."

This was An Caiwei’s first time participating in the Pill business, and she hadn’t realized there were so many procedures involved.

But she had her ways.

"I’ll go ask around about how Pill Peak handles these things. We can just follow their model."

Bai Mo nodded and smiled, "Good."

After all, every place has its own rules. He didn’t dare to simply copy the practices from Immortal Arrival City.

An Caiwei had to handle all these errands; at the very least, she needed to get familiar with them.

’Later, I’ll have to stay here in the Stone Lodge to perform alchemy, with no time for anything else.’

It was precisely because of this hard work that An Caiwei would get a forty percent share of the profits.

An Caiwei rushed off in a hurry.

「Five days later.」

A disciple from Medicine Peak delivered the cultivated medicinal herbs.

Most of them were common herbs.

Bai Mo knew then that everything was on the right track.

The Medicine Peak disciple delivering the herbs knew he was dealing with a major client and was hoping for long-term business, so he was very enthusiastic.

"Spirit Ganoderma, Wood Millet, Fire Spirit Flower, Soul-Returning Grass..."

He unloaded two carts full of fresh medicinal herbs, a broad smile on his face.

"I hear Junior Brother also needs some uncommon herbs?"

Bai Mo nodded.

"Yes. In the future, if I’m short on anything, I’ll need Senior Brother to deliver it promptly."

"Of course, of course. It’s just that for those rare items, the price will be different..."

After a long conversation, Bai Mo finally saw the fellow disciple from Medicine Peak off.

The man was indeed honest; the herbs he delivered were all top-grade.

But looking at the flowers and herbs spread all over the ground, Bai Mo felt a pang of regret.

’If I had known, I would have brought an assistant to help out.’

Thoughts were just thoughts; Bai Mo still quickly processed and sorted all the flowers and herbs.

Afterward, he spent half a day using the three Pill Furnaces to refine three batches of Fire Marrow Pills.

The Pills had just come out of the furnace, still radiating heat, when An Caiwei arrived.

"How is it?"

Bai Mo looked at the round bodies of the Pills.

"The fire is extremely potent, far better than ordinary Spirit Wood. This is truly an excellent place for alchemy."

An Caiwei said joyfully,

"Excellent! I found a group of people. They want to refine a unique, exclusive Pill, but they think Pill Peak’s prices are too high."

"You’d better not mess this up!"

"Relax."

Bai Mo was very calm.

Before they had finished speaking, they heard voices from a distance.

"There’s a Pill Fragrance coming from up ahead. Looks like we’re in the right place!"

"Senior Brother, don’t be so impatient. He’s here anyway..."

The voices drew closer, and soon, two figures appeared in Bai Mo’s sight.

One of them had dark, swarthy skin, and even from a distance, one could see the weathered look on his face.

An Caiwei’s eyes widened.

"Those aren’t the people I contacted. You have other channels?"

Bai Mo glanced over. "It’s a senior brother I know."

It was Jin Jiang.

Some of the fellow disciples he met in Immortal Arrival City had also returned to the sect, and Bai Mo had sent them letters.

He never expected that while the more familiar faces hadn’t shown up, this senior brother whom he had only known for a few days would be the first to seek him out.

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