Free Web NovelChapter 122: Chapter 122: Refugees
Before they reached the street with the shop, Shui Ziming had to attend to his own business, so the two parted ways.
Just as Bai Mo was watching him leave, Shui Ziming unexpectedly turned back after only a few steps.
"Think carefully about what Brother Guo said regarding Broken Blade Peak, Junior Brother."
"When I take you back to the sect, you’ll have to make a choice."
Shui Ziming pulled Bai Mo aside to explain the stakes involved.
The Xuandao Sect had numerous peaks, but Broken Blade Peak was, by all accounts, a top-tier choice.
Besides, now that Bai Mo had caught the eye of a senior from that peak, he would naturally receive better treatment.
But as an outer disciple, you could only choose your peak once. A wrong choice could hinder one’s entire cultivation path, so it required extreme caution.
Bai Mo listened intently, a sense of gratitude welling up inside him.
’I’m really lucky to have met a senior brother like him.’
No wonder Liu Tong and the others spoke of him with such reverence.
’From the way he’s talking, even though he hasn’t said it outright, he genuinely wants to help me become an outer disciple.’
’Of course, I was quite helpful during the trip to Celestial Barrier Mountain.’
’But smoothing over all the hurdles involved shouldn’t have been this easy.’
After about fifteen minutes of detailed advice, Bai Mo was finally allowed to leave.
"You think it over carefully!"
Shui Ziming hurried off.
With a thoughtful expression, Bai Mo walked back to his shop alone.
In front of the shop, Xu Ruyuan was unloading bundle after bundle of medicinal herbs from a horse-drawn cart.
When he saw Bai Mo, he was about to ask for help, but upon noticing his expression, he swallowed his words.
"Brother Bai... did something happen?"
"Just lost in thought."
Bai Mo snapped out of it, walked over, and started helping unload the bundles of herbs.
"Where’s the original owner of these herbs?"
"He’s an honest fellow. He didn’t dare stop on his own, so he’s still being punished," Xu Ruyuan said.
"They’re all cautious folk. I’ll just deliver the Spirit Stones to them later."
Bai Mo glanced at the herbs. There were White-hair Flowers and some basic supplementary ingredients.
’There are a lot of herbs, but they aren’t worth many Spirit Stones.’
That was also why the farmers trusted Xu Ruyuan with them.
"This was their reserve stock. It took gathering from every household in a two-li radius just to collect this much."
Xu Ruyuan said, "It took a lot of convincing, but I finally got them to agree to work with us in their spare time during the busy farming season."
’It’s a way to diversify their income...’
Bai Mo sized him up for a long moment, thoroughly amazed.
"What was the deal with that Li Zhen fellow you brought last time?"
"Did you start throwing your weight around, Old Xu?"
Bai Mo still remembered Xu Ruyuan’s cold and arrogant demeanor.
Xu Ruyuan waved his hand and said helplessly,
"How could a mere Loose Cultivator like me throw his weight around? It’s just not in my nature!"
He ground his teeth.
"It’s just that the people from his village are so roguish and unruly. If I don’t put on a bit of an act, there’s no way to keep them in line!"
When he had brought Li Zhen over, he’d maintained that posture and barely spoken to Bai Mo, all so as not to waste the several days of effort he’d put into his act.
Bai Mo thought for a moment, and then a realization struck him.
"How many people have you recruited to work with you now?"
Xu Ruyuan counted silently for a moment.
"Counting by household, I’d estimate around two hundred."
Bai Mo was genuinely taken aback.
"Two hundred!?"
Xu Ruyuan quickly explained,
"It’s all low-margin herbs, so it doesn’t cost that many Spirit Stones."
"Besides, someone has to grow them and someone has to harvest them. Otherwise, how would we ever get a sufficient quantity?"
Bai Mo wasn’t worried about the Spirit Stones; he was just looking at Xu Ruyuan with newfound respect.
"I never knew you had this kind of talent!"
Xu Ruyuan gave an embarrassed laugh.
"Just treat people with sincerity, that’s all."
"If you’re genuinely trying to help people, even if you don’t succeed, what have you lost besides a bit of energy?"
The two of them moved the herbs into the shop.
Bai Mo took out twelve Spirit Stones and handed them to Xu Ruyuan.
"Give these Spirit Stones to the original owner."
"It’s their first time doing business with us and they ran into this mess. You have to say a few nice things to them, reassure them!"
Xu Ruyuan nodded and hurried away.
"Don’t worry! I know how to handle things with them."
Bai Mo felt a weight off his shoulders. He squatted down and estimated the amount of White-hair Flowers.
’I can start another batch of pills. The Demon Hunting Team should be running low on theirs by now.’
...
The Alchemy Room was just as he had left it, with plenty of Spirit Wood still inside.
After puttering around for a while, Bai Mo finally got the furnace going again.
As the Spirit Wood burned, waves of heat washed over his body.
Protected by Sun Qiao’s talisman, Bai Mo remained unfazed, his eyes fixed on the herbs he tossed into the furnace.
’These White-hair Flowers haven’t reached their peak potency yet.’
’They were picked long before they reached the deep crimson of deer’s blood.’
’Such crude harvesting techniques...’
However, with the current shortage, Bai Mo couldn’t afford to be picky.
He went through the familiar process, and before long, the pills were ready.
When the concoction was ready, it was the same lump of gray sludge, which Bai Mo scooped out with a small shovel.
The ratio of herbs this time was excellent. The surface of the paste was oily, making it extremely easy to roll into spheres.
By the time Bai Mo finished his meal, the new batch of pills had cooled and solidified.
Bai Mo deftly packed them into a bag and sauntered off toward Lanshan’s residence.
Men from the various Demon Hunting Teams milled about on the street, their gazes turning envious whenever they saw Bai Mo.
Oddly enough, no one seemed interested in the cloth bag he was carrying.
Exchanging greetings from time to time, Bai Mo soon arrived at Lanshan’s courtyard.
"Shopkeeper Bai, what brings you here!?"
It had been a while, and Lanshan looked even more robust, his face ruddy and glowing with health.
"Quickly, bring some tea!"
The Demon Hunting Team was full of rough men, so naturally, they didn’t have any fine tea.
Bai Mo didn’t mind. Without even sitting down, he picked up the cup and took a couple of gulps to quench his thirst.
Then, he casually tossed the cloth bag to Lanshan.
"I got my hands on some herbs and refined a batch of pills. Take a look."
Lanshan was overjoyed.
He untied the bag and looked inside. The pills were a glossy, jet-black, each one perfectly formed and plump.
Though they had no choice but to take the last batch of pills, many of his men, despite their outward cheer, had complained endlessly in private.
And the target of their complaints? Naturally, it was their own unceremonious leader.
Now, seeing the superior quality of these pills, Lanshan was absolutely delighted.
"Has something good happened recently, Brother Lanshan?"
Bai Mo could see the man was radiating joy from within.
Lanshan chuckled. "Ru’Er sent me a letter. She said she might be able to return to Immortal Arrival City for a visit soon."
"It seems the Xuandao Sect is short on manpower here..."
Lanshan had always been deeply concerned about his little sister.
Bai Mo understood at once.
Before the Miaofa Sect’s law enforcement team left, they’d been greedy for Spirit Stones, acted unscrupulously, and issued documents however they pleased.
They had left a huge mess in their wake, and now the city was rife with disputes.
The Xuandao Sect disciples in the city had been busy dealing with these very matters recently.
With all the paperwork in chaos, they simply made a clean break with any conflicting claims and redistributed the benefits.
There was no shortage of work involved in all that.
This was why Brother Guo, Guo Lingjun, was so disgusted with the Miaofa Sect.
As they spoke, Bai Mo noticed something.
"Brother Lanshan, why is your courtyard so quiet today?"
In the past, this would have been understandable.
But now, with so many men depending on Lanshan, it should never be this quiet.
Lanshan let out an "Oh."
"Shopkeeper Bai, have you heard about the group of refugees that arrived from the southwest?"
"Refugees?" Bai Mo was puzzled.
"The weather’s been favorable these past few years. Even if not perfect, the harvests have been good. How could there be refugees?"
Lanshan sighed.
"I hear they’ve wandered here from some faraway place."
"The wealthy families in the city have gone mad, throwing silver around and picking people out from the refugees like they’re choosing piglets from a litter!"
He shook his head.
"It’s not a good thing. The brothers who had nothing better to do have gone to cause some trouble for them."
