Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 332: Chapter 332: The Inspection

The medicinal power of a single golden pill wasn’t enough to dissolve an entire Golden Core.

Only about half of Yi Si’s Golden Core remained. This was the conclusion Bai Mo reached after much observation and deliberation.

Just right.

"According to the Mountain and Marsh Ten Thousand Qi Pill Scripture, a Core Formation Cultivator’s Golden Core must contain the two qis of yin and yang."

"If the yin and yang qi are insufficient, the Golden Core cannot be perfectly round and will be misshapen and flawed."

Yi Si was comatose.

Bai Mo circled him, his hands clasped behind his back.

’I couldn’t find any yin and yang qi in the natural world, so I had to take it from the body of a Golden Core Cultivator.’

’I just wonder when this Two Qi Flower will finally grow.’

With half of Yi Si’s Golden Core dissolved, the released nutrients were just enough to nourish the Two Qi Flower’s growth.

Bai Mo didn’t plan on touching the rest; he had to leave it to keep the man alive.

However, this major ordeal had taken a heavy toll on Yi Si. His already poor constitution had gone from bad to worse.

After a moment’s thought, Bai Mo took out his personal supply of Pills, mixed them with water from the Spiritual Spring, and poured the mixture down the man’s throat.

The Pills he kept for his own use were, of course, exceptionally rare and of the highest quality.

After a few Pills went down, the color returned to Yi Si’s face.

It was a temporary fix, not a true cure, but it offered some relief.

Once he had done all this, Bai Mo carefully helped Yi Si up and out of the room.

"Dress him."

It was Ah Er’s first time seeing someone with plants growing out of their head, and its eyes widened in amazement.

It even reached out a claw to touch the two swirling leaves, but Bai Mo slapped its paw away and shot it a glare.

Only then did Ah Er abandon its urge to investigate.

After tidying up the stone house, Bai Mo carried Yi Si back to his cell and gently propped him up against a pile of straw.

This gentle, considerate act immediately drew the gazes of many other prisoners.

Bai Mo paid them no mind, his expression unchanged as he walked away.

It wasn’t until he had left that someone noticed the two small leaves atop Yi Si’s head.

Yi Si’s fellow bandits were deeply shaken. The life-and-death bond they had forged in battle made them grieve for their comrade’s misfortune.

"Damn these so-called righteous sects! They’re nothing but wolves in sheep’s clothing! The heavens want us dead!!"

Though they were bandits who had committed countless wicked deeds, they still possessed a sliver of honor among thieves.

Bai Mo nonchalantly returned to his stone house, brewed a pot of tea, and took a delicate sip.

Ah Er was diligently cleaning up the mess.

PHEW!

Having resolved one matter, Bai Mo was in high spirits. Seeing how sensible it was, he said:

"Keep up the good work. If you make good progress in the future, I’ll refine a couple of Pills for you. We’ll see if they can help you dissolve your transverse bone and strengthen your physique."

"You’re of humble origins, not some rare and noble breed, so you have to work harder than others."

Hearing this, Ah Er seemed to understand. Its movements quickened, and it scrubbed the floor with renewed vigor, huffing and puffing.

’Following this master was hard work, but he truly didn’t treat me poorly.’

’The Pill bottle under its cushion was already full; it had even started a second one.’

Bai Mo recorded the day’s findings. After mulling them over several times, he felt mentally drained.

’Ah, forget it. I’ll take it easy for today.’

And so, he took a leisurely stroll up the mountain to check on a few medicinal herbs. Seeing that their sprouts were growing well, Bai Mo returned to the stone house to rest.

Around midnight, a dazed and sleepy Ah Er heard a bloodcurdling scream.

The shriek was so high-pitched that its tone broke twice, making it utterly horrifying.

It came from the black prison.

Every hair on Ah Er’s body stood on end. WHOOSH! It leaped to its hind legs and frantically looked around.

Bai Mo heard it too, but he simply rolled over and went back to sleep.

’A single seed of the Two Qi Flower won’t take the life of a Golden Core Cultivator.’

’The flower’s roots would burrow deep into his skull, linking with the qi mechanism of his Golden Core. Any rash attempt to remove it would have dire consequences.’

’Yi Si should know what the right choice is.’

...

The next day, Bai Mo awoke early, feeling refreshed and clear-minded.

Ah Er had already fetched water from the Spiritual Spring and prepared the carrying pole, ready to depart.

With a casual wave of his hand, Bai Mo opened the door. Ah Er scurried out, looking just like an old mortal farmer in a hurry.

It seemed to be enjoying the work.

After washing up and having a bite to eat, Bai Mo opened the Mountain and Marsh Ten Thousand Qi Pill Scripture.

"’Qi of the Fire Fiend, the key to the Sea-Burning Mountain-Scorching Pill, is captured and refined when a Fire Essence rampages through the mountains and forests...’"

"’Vital Qi of the Jiao Chi: When a flood dragon travels the waters and transforms into a Red Chilong, the water within ten zhang of its body contains...’"

"’Qi of the Tortoise’s Longevity...’"

Bai Mo read for a long time, finding it all utterly bizarre.

’How did the elders of old ever discover these qi mechanisms?’

’Could it be that the world was once so spiritually rich that such wonders were plain to see?’

The scripture made no mention of such things, so Bai Mo had no way of knowing.

’I have no way of finding most of the qi mechanisms in this book. Thankfully, there are other methods to refine and cultivate them.’

’Hmm, if I wasn’t in this black prison, I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to put this into practice.’

Using humans to cultivate herbs was just one of the methods recorded in the scripture; there were many others.

The ways of the ancient Cultivation Realm were truly savage; one could tell just by how they treated fellow Cultivators as nothing more than disposable weeds for the sake of refining qi.

This peaceful routine of study was finally disturbed by the arrival of two disciples from the Foreign Affairs Hall.

"Heh, greetings, Junior Brother."

Bai Mo cupped his fists in greeting, welcoming the two men.

One of the visitors was tall, the other short.

The short one had a kind face and seemed to be constantly smiling.

The tall one’s eyes were a milky grey-white, likely a side effect of some Secret Technique he had cultivated.

Whenever Bai Mo met his gaze, he felt a stinging sensation on his face. It was truly potent.

These two were the inspectors from the Foreign Affairs Hall.

This inspection happened once every three months, both to ensure the integrity of the black prison’s restrictive seals and to serve as a check on the warden.

"Would you two like to rest for a moment?"

Bai Mo asked.

"No, thank you. The sooner we finish our inspection here, the sooner we can report back."

With that, the short disciple, accompanied by Bai Mo, headed up the mountain to inspect the area.

Ah Er, who was busy digging in the dirt, saw them and let out a cry.

Bai Mo waved a hand, signaling for it to keep busy.

The short disciple stood with Bai Mo, watching as the tall disciple consulted a diagram and surveyed the surroundings.

The tall one was able to see the restrictive seals placed on Mi Mountain.

"You seem to have a bit of a green thumb, Junior Brother. When the Shi family brothers were here, they never bothered with the mountain, just let it go to waste."

Bai Mo shook his head.

"I just couldn’t bear to let such good land go to waste. It should be able to produce some high-quality medicinal herbs."

A full three hours passed before the tall disciple was finished.

With a few quick leaps, he landed in front of the other two.

"There are only seven damaged spots. Two of them look like they were accidentally broken by your Spirit Beast, Junior Brother. Just have the Hall send someone to repair them."

Bai Mo was surprised that the seals were actually damaged.

The short disciple reassured him, "It’s normal. We often find a few damaged spots here and there during our inspections."

The three of them descended the mountain and entered the black prison.

Once inside, the tall disciple again consulted his diagram, scanning the area.

"Hah!"

Suddenly, a cold laugh echoed from deep within the prison.

"You sanctimonious hypocrites! And you dare call yourselves a great and noble sect?"

"Even we of the Demon Dao would seldom resort to using people as planters for herbs!"

The tall disciple was unmoved.

The short disciple, however, glanced toward Bai Mo.

Bai Mo said casually, "He’s probably talking about me."

"If you say so, Junior Brother." The short disciple took out a pair of shackles.

"Then I can’t very well ignore it."

Bai Mo waved his hand.

"They’re just ignorant. What do they know?"

"In ancient times, this sort of thing was commonplace."

Bai Mo explained slowly, his demeanor carrying a certain gravity.

"Besides, this method doesn’t take the person’s life. If a Cultivator were desperate enough for a particular medicine, they might even volunteer to serve as its vessel!"

"It is a superior method for pursuing the Dao."

"Oh."

The short disciple put the shackles away.

"May I have a look?"

Bai Mo gestured for him to follow.

"This way, please!"

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