Free Web NovelChapter 134: Chapter 134: Beast Rearing
The Alchemy Room was a hive of activity, blazing with heat.
Wei An didn’t know what Bai Mo was doing inside, only occasionally feeling a burst of heat.
After checking the almanac, the opening day was set for nine days from now.
Bai Mo only stayed in the Alchemy Room for six days before coming out.
When Wei An saw Bai Mo, he was truly startled by his disheveled and grimy appearance.
"Day and night without rest, the furnace fire never going out... After a few days of that, this is what a person looks like."
Bai Mo said casually.
"If you ever get into the Alchemy Dao, you’ll experience this too. It’s nothing unusual."
Saying this, he fetched a cloth and washed himself up properly.
In fact, Pill Masters like him spent all year in their Alchemy Rooms, never seeing the sun.
After using fire-repellent items, their skin was even more tender than that of ordinary people.
While Bai Mo was washing up, Wei An caught the scent of medicinal herbs. It reminded him of descriptions in books, and he grew curious.
When Bai Mo returned, toweling his wet hair, he saw Wei An craning his neck to peer into the Alchemy Room.
"Don’t just stand there gawking. Go, roll the medicinal paste inside into Pill Pills. The shop’s future business will depend on them."
Wei An hastily snapped back to his senses. He quickly agreed, grabbed the pill-rolling board, and hurried inside.
The so-called medicinal paste was piled up in five mounds, each taller than Wei An, like small hills.
It was clear Bai Mo had truly worked himself to the bone.
After a short rest, seeing that Wei An was getting the hang of it quickly, Bai Mo felt at ease and went out.
In the vast mansion, Bai Mo saw Brother Bo again.
He was with a few unfamiliar faces, discussing matters as they walked.
The disciples behind Brother Bo were not dressed very brightly; their clothes were not only old, but also pilled.
One look and you could tell they were people who worked hard all year round.
A disciple noticed Bai Mo, his eyes lighting up.
"Oh? This junior brother seems to be idle. Why not come and lend us a hand!"
"We’re so busy we can’t handle it all!"
Brother Bo shot them a sidelong glance.
"You and he are not the same. Don’t get any ideas."
After saying that, he looked at Bai Mo, his expression changing completely as he chuckled and said:
"Junior Brother Bai, what brings you here today?"
Bai Mo cupped his fists in salute.
"Greetings, Brother Bo."
"My shop is opening soon. I came especially to invite you. I was wondering if you and the other senior brothers would be free that day..."
Brother Bo was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head slightly.
"There’s something you don’t know. It’s not a matter of whether we’re free."
Bai Mo’s brow furrowed. He fell into step beside Brother Bo and began to ask questions.
The disciples behind them exchanged glances.
’Who would have thought this junior brother had so much clout, to be able to talk so casually with Brother Bo for so long.’
’And Brother Bo even seems to be accommodating him.’
After a good while, Bai Mo finally understood the reason.
"Xuandao Sect disciples are not to be lightly involved in business matters?"
Brother Bo nodded.
"Heaven knows which elder came up with that idea, afraid we’ll become mired in the stench of money and lose our way."
"Heh."
A laugh came from behind them.
"That’s just utter nonsense."
"We work day and night, running a long-distance trade business! They certainly don’t collect any fewer Spirit Stones from our contributions!"
"How can they do something like biting the hand that feeds them!? Inhuman!"
Bai Mo quickly glanced at the indignant disciples. "I wonder, what business are you senior brothers in charge of?"
Before they could reply, Brother Bo answered for them:
"These few were sent by the sect to Immortal Arrival City to establish a business of using Spirit Beasts for transport."
"They are disciples from the Beast Taming Peak."
Within the Xuandao Sect, those who handled such matters were mostly the lowest-ranking outer sect disciples.
In terms of status, they weren’t much higher than a Daoist Child like Bai Mo, so it was no wonder they were dispatched to Immortal Arrival City.
Brother Bo spoke casually, and the Cultivators from the Beast Taming Peak showed no resentment, only smiling as they said:
"Work is work, no matter where you do it, right?"
"Besides, our jobs are always the same few things!"
They walked away, talking and laughing.
There were many things to attend to, and his ’babies’ would start squawking if they didn’t see him, so Brother Bo couldn’t delay any longer.
So, Brother Bo led Bai Mo to a pavilion.
"The disciples from the Beast Taming Peak are used to dealing with Spirit Beasts all day, so they all have easy-going personalities."
"With Brother Guo and Brother Shui not around, there’s really no one to keep them in line."
Brother Bo said this with a troubled look on his face.
Bai Mo paused, then asked, "Is it because there’s a lead on the Cultivators spreading the Corpse God Pills in the city?"
Brother Bo nodded.
"That group of Cultivators is quite aggressive. Who knows where they found backup, but they sent two Yin-Skull Fiends at us in one go. I suppose they really thought we were worth the trouble."
"Too bad for them, they ran into two freaks of nature: Brother Shui and Brother Guo."
He seemed to be reminiscing.
"The moonlight washed over the ground, its pure radiance moving like a coiling dragon. The two Yin-Skull Fiends couldn’t even withstand a single move from Brother Shui."
"What’s more, Brother Guo sensed the real mastermind hiding in the background and followed the clues to track them down..."
Seeing the look of longing and admiration on Bai Mo’s face,
Brother Bo offered a tip: "When I saw Brother Shui make his move, the moonlight condensed around him. He was like a banished Immortal descending to the mortal world, without a single flaw in his technique."
"It’s clear his cultivation has reached an extremely profound level. Even Brother Guo, despite having the advantage of a higher realm, couldn’t perform the same move so flawlessly."
He felt that Bai Mo was on good terms with Brother Shui and might have an opportunity.
"Brother Shui is an excellent teacher. You can actually get a word in with him, so don’t waste such a great opportunity to seek the Dao."
"Learning even a trick or two from him will benefit you endlessly!"
Bai Mo nodded solemnly.
’Brother Shui really had played a significant role in his own cultivation path, helping him avoid many wrong turns.’
"Good, I’m glad you’re listening."
Brother Bo smiled.
"What’s your shop’s signature Pill? Let me take a look."
Bai Mo took out a pill bottle from his robes.
"It’s a bit embarrassing, Brother Bo..."
There were indeed a few Pills in the bottle, but their shape wasn’t perfectly round, and their surfaces weren’t very smooth.
They looked exactly like the crudely made Pills on the market, the kind you’d only see from medicine apprentices peddling their wares everywhere.
Brother Bo knew of Bai Mo’s skill in the Alchemy Dao.
He had been invited by Brother Guo and had successfully driven all the Corpse God Pills from the market. That kind of skill was nothing to scoff at.
’The Pills in the bottle couldn’t have been made by Bai Mo.’
Seeing the suspicion rise in Brother Bo’s eyes, Bai Mo quickly said:
"Brother Bo, don’t look down on these Pills."
"They may be crudely made, but their medicinal effects aren’t compromised by much, which makes them extremely suitable for mass production."
"What are you pricing them at?" Brother Bo asked.
Bai Mo pondered for a moment.
"Twenty percent cheaper than the market price should be good."
Because the Pill Pills were hand-rolled, the pressure wasn’t uniform, so each Pill Pill had a different weight.
"I’ll sell them by weight, so people shouldn’t complain."
It was the first time Brother Bo had seen such a method. He was instantly intrigued, but he still threw cold water on the idea:
"To be honest, not many people from the sect would accept pills like these."
Bai Mo was already mentally prepared for this and simply said:
"My shop has plenty of better Pills, and I dare say their quality is rarely seen on the market. They can support the storefront."
"The simple pills in the bottle are specially prepared for the Loose Cultivators in the city."
The Cultivators in Immortal Arrival City are mostly people who make their living in the Celestial Barrier Mountain. They are all very pragmatic, caring only about a pill’s effectiveness, nothing else.
They love Pills that are high quality and cheap.
Brother Bo nodded.
"As long as you have a plan."
"Right, the junior brothers from the Beast Taming Peak are quite carefree, and they have Spirit Beasts to feed. Who’s to say..."
"Who’s to say what!?"
A few disciples from the Beast Taming Peak came over.
A bird-like beast with bluish-white feathers folded its wings and swaggered behind them. It was as tall as two men.
Its feathers were extremely long, and it stretched out its long, slender neck to size up Bai Mo and Brother Bo, tilting its head as if very curious.
