Chapter 472: Dispatch
In the days that followed, Bai Mo threw himself into alchemy, filling the stone house with acrid smoke.
Ah Er was covered in soot, its face so grimy it could barely open its eyes.
When it heard Bai Mo call for it to fetch some herbs, it felt like it had been granted amnesty and immediately turned to leave.
It rummaged through the pile of herbs inside, then checked the ones drying in front of the stone house.
Ah Er returned to the stone house empty-handed to report back to Bai Mo.
“A’uh!”
It gestured frantically.
Bai Mo was somewhat surprised.
“We’re out?”
“Never mind. Go find me some Wood Ganoderma.”
The method of refining three pills by fire was truly effective.
The key was the method for isolating the medicinal energies. It used the conflict between one’s Divine Thought and the energies as a catalyst for separation, allowing him to refine several different Pills at once.
It wasn’t particularly difficult.
After just a few tries, Bai Mo had already gotten the hang of it.
Half a day later, the furnace fire died down. Bai Mo pulled out a few Pills from within, each one distinct.
He examined them in his palm for a moment before putting them away.
“‘Even the most skilled housewife can’t cook a meal without rice.’ Bring me a brush and ink.”
Ah Er turned, fetched them, and presented them to him.
Bai Mo unfolded the paper, took up the brush, and began to write.
The gist of the letter was to instruct Lanshan and the Demon Hunting Team to keep an eye out for the items he needed whenever they went into the mountains.
He also included a note for his shop clerks to purchase herbs within the city.
When it came to herbs, aside from those cultivated on Medicine Peak, the ones from the Celestial Barrier Mountain were cheaper and generally of good quality.
They were, after all, firsthand goods that hadn’t been resold by middlemen.
…
In Immortal Arrival City, the clerks at the shop had just entrusted a shipment of Spirit Stones to a messenger goose.
They had just sorted the Pills sent by Bai Mo and were cheerfully preparing for a big sale.
But unexpectedly, only a few days later, they received another letter from the Shopkeeper.
As Qin Wen, who had personally received the letter from the messenger goose, opened it in the shop with Wei An, he couldn’t help but marvel.
“‘These Spirit Beasts from the sects are really something else,’ he remarked. ‘It’s only been here once, but it already remembers our shop.'”
Wei An dismissed the idea.
“‘Maybe it’s always known the way. Our pills are the most fragrant in the whole city.'”
“‘Didn’t you see, Brother Qin? That goose kept glancing over at the Feeding Pills.'”
“‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ Qin Wen unfolded the letter for them both to read.
“‘It’s a Spirit Beast from a sect, after all. It’s seen more of the world than us. Besides, the Shopkeeper doesn’t even refine those Feeding Pills…'”
They chatted idly as they read, finishing Bai Mo’s letter in a few moments.
Wei An’s brow furrowed in difficulty.
“‘This is going to be tough. It’s one thing for us to buy ingredients in the city…'”
“‘But after that ritual in the mountains, who knows how many strange things have crawled out of every nook and cranny.'”
“‘Asking people to go into the mountains for herbs now… isn’t that…'”
Qin Wen folded the letter and handed it to him to put away.
“‘You’re looking at it the wrong way again, Brother Wei.'”
“‘How do you know the Demon Hunting Team wouldn’t be willing? That bunch will probably be tripping over themselves for the chance.'”
“‘I’ll go talk to them.'”
Two letters from Bai Mo in such short succession… they didn’t need to guess to know the Shopkeeper was planning something big.
Qin Wen didn’t dare delay for a moment. He left the shop and headed straight for Lanshan’s residence.
Alchemy Cultivators were like that—fickle as the wind, sudden as fire. The clerks were long used to it.
When he reached the gate to Lanshan’s courtyard, even before he could knock, Qin Wen heard several ragged, heavy breaths from within, like the panting of mountain bulls.
KNOCK KNOCK!
The moment he knocked, a tiger-nosed man standing near the gate pulled it open.
“Brother Qin!?”
“‘You’re a busy man! What brings you away from the shop? Got a craving for some wine?'”
Several men were in the courtyard, lifting stones the size of water vats, focused on building their strength as steam rose from their sweating bodies.
Others were practicing their martial arts, the ground beneath them packed so hard from their footwork that not a speck of dust rose.
ROAR!
In a corner of the yard, a leopard-sized Demon Beast was locked in an iron cage. It had gray skin and four vicious fangs jutting from its jaw as it let out a low growl.
‘Probably the cub of some Demon Beast. It must be worth a fortune.’
Qin Wen followed the tiger-nosed man into the courtyard.
“‘I wouldn’t dare drink while minding the shop,’ Qin Wen replied. ‘We’ve had a lot of shifty customers lately. I can’t afford to let my guard down.'”
“‘Hah! People like that still exist? Next time someone gives you trouble, just let me know. I’ll take care of them for you!'”
Qin Wen pretended not to hear.
“‘That’s not how we do business.'”
“‘Let’s stick to business. Where is Brother Lanshan? The Shopkeeper has a task for him.'”
At these words, the courtyard fell silent for a beat before the activity resumed.
The men training their strength didn’t stop their movements, but their ears were clearly pricked.
The tiger-nosed man glanced at the others and grinned widely.
“‘He’s inside, going over the accounts. Follow me, Brother Qin!'”
The two of them entered the house side by side.
Although Qin Wen was well-built, he seemed short and small standing next to the tiger-nosed man.
Someone in the courtyard spoke up.
“‘That fellow Qin Wen… he’s worked at Alchemist Bai’s shop for so long, but he hasn’t even gotten fat. What a waste of such a cushy job.'”
Someone else snorted.
“‘A waste? The man’s in prime condition. His old wounds have probably healed completely. And that latent vitality of his… tsk, tsk…'”
After a few more exchanges, someone suddenly asked:
“‘What do you think the job is this time? We haven’t heard from Alchemist Bai in a long while.'”
“‘Alchemist Bai is never stingy when he assigns a task. I wonder if we’ll get a chance to score an Outer Pill this time…'”
Inside the house, Qin Wen overheard the men’s chatter, and saw a hopeful look appear in the tiger-nosed man’s eyes as well.
“Brother Qin…”
Lanshan had just finished reviewing a page in his ledger. Before the tiger-nosed man could finish, Lanshan spoke flatly.
“‘You can go.'”
The tiger-nosed man pursed his lips but did as he was told, closing the door behind him.
Lanshan had been showing signs of reaching Foundation Establishment lately, and his prestige within the Demon Hunting Team was growing by the day.
“‘Brother Qin. Have a seat.'”
The corner of his mouth twitched as he pointed to a nearby wooden stool.
Qin Wen didn’t stand on ceremony and sat right down.
“‘When are you going to attempt your Foundation Establishment? The Shopkeeper had us prepare the necessary Pills for you long ago.'”
“‘Not yet.'”
“‘I’ve heard that the quality of one’s Foundation Establishment depends on their underlying foundation,’ Lanshan said, rubbing his temples. ‘Let me build mine up a little more.'”
His sister, Lan Ru, had mentioned some key points about Foundation Establishment in her last letter.
Qin Wen laughed. “‘You used to dream of reaching Foundation Establishment, and now you’re getting picky about how you do it.'”
Lanshan waved a dismissive hand.
“‘She said I need to build a solid foundation, but who knows what that even means.'”
“‘Never mind that. You’re here because…?'”
Qin Wen’s expression turned serious.
“‘Right. The Shopkeeper sent another letter today…'”
He relayed the contents of Bai Mo’s letter, then asked:
“‘Will your Demon Hunting Team have any objections?'”
Lanshan snorted.
“‘They’ve been staring at the shop’s Outer Pills with eyes green with envy. What objections could they possibly have?'”
“‘Not that they stop to think if they’re even worthy of using something so valuable.'”
Qin Wen disagreed.
“‘The mountains have been dangerous lately. You really should set aside some Outer Pills for your men. Otherwise, there could be trouble.'”
Ever since the Xuandao Sect performed that ritual in the Celestial Barrier Mountain, there’s no telling what’s been stirred up.
Things have emerged that have never been seen before.
If the city’s Demon Hunting Teams weren’t far stronger than they used to be, business would probably be in a slump again.
Lanshan considered this. “‘We’ll see.'”
“‘You hang onto the Outer Pills for now. Once we’ve brought something back, I’ll release them gradually.'”
“‘I can’t have them getting damn-all accomplished and using up the Pills. I wouldn’t be able to face Shopkeeper Bai if that happened…'”