Chapter 479: Visitors
Chapter 479: Chapter 479: Visitors
"Hahaha, I haven’t seen my Junior Brother Bai Mo in ages! I’ve missed him dearly."
With a broad, hearty smile, Yuan Chu led the man toward Mi Mountain.
As he spoke, he clapped the shoulder of the fellow disciple walking beside him.
"Don’t you worry, Junior Brother Zhang. My Junior Brother Bai Mo is a master of the Alchemy Dao, and his methods are different from those of Pill Peak. He has his own unique craft."
"He’ll have no trouble with your situation..."
The disciple walking beside him had a face covered in brown fur, etched with worry.
"If that’s true, Brother Yuan, why didn’t you bring me here in the first place?"
"You don’t have to console me. It’s just... *sigh*!"
Yuan Chu paid it no mind.
"Junior Brother Bai Mo was in seclusion, wasn’t he?"
"I have a contact in the Foreign Affairs Hall. I found out he’d come out of seclusion, so I rushed to bring you here."
Reassuring him along the way, the two walked for another half a day before they could see Mi Mountain in the distance.
Yuan Chu grinned.
"We’re almost there..."
Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly heard a series of powerful, huffing breaths.
"Well, now!"
"A wild boar! My Junior Brother Bai Mo loves good food. Wait here. I’ll go get half a side of pork to bring to him."
"As the saying goes, ’you can never go wrong with a gift.’ When I ask him to help you, he’ll be more inclined to put in extra effort."
Following the snorts, Yuan Chu quickly spotted the wild boar.
A huge, dark shape darted through the trees.
He casually scooped up a clump of earth, packed it into a hard ball, and hurled it forward.
WHOOSH! THWAP!
"SQUEAL!!!"
The clod of earth whistled through the air and slammed right into the boar’s head, triggering a deafening squeal.
Immediately after, the ground began to shake.
As it charged, the wild boar snapped trees as thick as a child’s arm.
"Bring it on!"
With a deep cry, Yuan Chu rolled up his sleeves and stared intently, determined to secure a fine meal for Bai Mo.
’I remember now, Junior Brother Bai Mo’s pet badger is a decent cook. I might get a good meal out of this too.’
’I’ve been on this mountain for so long, eating nothing but leftover offerings. It’s about time for a change of flavor.’
"Agh!"
Before the wild boar got close, Yuan Chu suddenly heard a familiar call.
Looking up, he saw a small beast leap up from the back of the charging boar. With a POOF, a cloud of smoke erupted.
A cherubic-faced boy was now riding on the boar’s head, his face a mask of horror.
"Get out of the way..."
Startled, Yuan Chu tried to pull back his punch. There was a loud CRACK as he reined in the force.
The next moment, the enraged boar, a blur of motion, slammed viciously into Yuan Chu.
THUD!
Yuan Chu was lifted clean off his feet, sent flying backward in a sorry state.
Mid-flight, he reached out to grab a nearby tree trunk, but only managed to tear off a chunk of bark.
He bounced along the ground like a rubber ball for a while before finally slapping the earth to bleed off his momentum, landing right beside the companion he’d brought along.
"Brother Yuan? Are you okay?"
Relying on his formidable physique, Yuan Chu was surprisingly unharmed. He just let out a cough.
"I’m fine."
...
「A short while later, by the mountain path.」
A massive wild boar stood dejectedly to one side. The fur on its head was torn, revealing a bloody lump.
A testament to the force of the clod Yuan Chu had thrown.
"Ahem. So it grew up eating the waste from Junior Brother Bai Mo’s Pills. No wonder it’s so strong."
Yuan Chu remarked with feeling.
Ah Er nodded, secretly sizing up the person beside Yuan Chu.
He was dressed in clothes and shoes, looking for all the world like a person, but his face was covered in fur, exactly like that of a deer.
"Martial Uncle, is there a reason for your visit?"
Yuan Chu nodded.
"Of course. We’ve walked for half a month just to find Junior Brother Bai Mo."
Startled, Ah Er quickly brought out a Flying Ship.
"Then please, you two Martial Uncles, hurry and board my Flying Ship..."
"Hey! Kid, you think I don’t have a Flying Ship of my own?"
Yuan Chu said, "Your Junior Martial Uncle Zhang here is exceptionally gifted. He can naturally connect with the earth’s qi, so it’s best he doesn’t leave the ground. That’s why we walked the whole way."
Ah Er nodded in realization.
"That’s a really powerful ability."
"My master is always muttering about how he wishes I could get a power like that..."
He shook his body and, with a POOF, reverted to his original form. He then went over to the wild boar and cooed a few words of comfort.
After finally coaxing the boar back into the forest, Ah Er accompanied Yuan Chu and his companion toward Mi Mountain.
He had recently been practicing his boar-riding skills nearby and hadn’t expected to run into Yuan Chu today.
Zhang Sheng, the one with the deer-like face, watched Ah Er’s retreating back with some surprise.
’From the sound of it, that Junior Brother Bai Mo really must have some ability.’
’I thought Brother Yuan was just trying to console me, but now... is it possible there’s actual hope?’
After walking for a long time, they finally arrived before Mi Mountain.
Zhang Sheng’s expression grew solemn as they stepped into the surrounding area.
"The Evil Qi in this place is so thick... This is not a good place..."
Yuan Chu nodded.
"You’re not wrong. This is where they lock up vicious criminals, after all. The air is thick with malevolent and resentful qi. Even my Junior Brother Bai Mo’s gardening can’t suppress it."
"It only settled down after one of the sect’s Suanni Ancestors came to reside here."
Up ahead, Ah Er jumped up to knock on the gate. Hearing Yuan Chu’s words, he shot him a surprised glance.
’This Martial Uncle Yuan is acting a little strange today,’ he thought.
The gate swung open at the sound of his knock.
Ah Er had no time for further thought and led the two men into the mountain.
Zhang Sheng had heard the rumors of the Black Prison.
"I’m afraid it isn’t proper for the two of us to be going in and out of a place like this, is it?"
Yuan Chu waved his hand dismissively.
"We’re all Sect Disciples, not outsiders. No need to be so cautious..."
Zhang Sheng couldn’t win the argument, so he had no choice but to follow.
The moment he was inside, Ah Er called out toward the house to let Bai Mo know he had visitors.
Bai Mo emerged with a scroll in hand. He was rather surprised to see Yuan Chu and another Sect Disciple.
"Brother Yuan, and this is..."
Yuan Chu quickly stepped forward and introduced him:
"Oh, this is Junior Brother Zhang Sheng. He’s half a year younger than me and from one of the non-human races born in the sect..."
He rattled off the introduction, all while secretly shooting Bai Mo a series of meaningful glances.
"Bai Mo greets Brother Zhang."
Maintaining a calm expression, Bai Mo stepped forward and bowed in greeting.
Zhang Sheng returned the greeting, clasping his hands politely as he spoke slowly. His gaze fell upon the scroll in Bai Mo’s hand.
"Forgive my sudden intrusion, Junior Brother. I am the one imposing on you."
The ink on the scroll was still wet, yet it was filled with profound phrases about the Alchemy Dao. The few words visible were enough to inspire awe in any layman.
This was clearly the work of the Junior Brother Bai Mo standing before him.
Yuan Chu called out from the side.
"Hah! No need for such formalities."
"Junior Brother, the reason we’ve come is that we have an urgent matter to ask of you."
"Junior Brother Zhang’s mother is at death’s door! We need you to save her life!"
Bai Mo’s eyes narrowed. This was a serious matter, not something he could agree to lightly.
Ah Er had brought out a table and stools and was setting them up to host the guests outside.
The Pill Furnace inside was still lit, so it wasn’t a suitable place to entertain guests.
He boiled water and served tea with quick, fluid movements.
The tea’s fragrance was something Zhang Sheng would normally love, but right now, he had no mind to savor it.
"If she is ill, why not seek a physician? The sect has many skilled healers..."
Bai Mo spoke cautiously, trying to understand the situation.
Yuan Chu glanced at Zhang Sheng and explained:
"Junior Brother Zhang’s mother is a musk deer beast. The sect originally raised her to harvest her musk..."