Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 185: Chapter 185: Return

The starry night was brilliant.

When Bai Mo awoke, his mouth was parched.

A breeze brushed against his face.

Opening his eyes, he saw Zhao Jingyu holding a waterskin, shaking it impatiently. Not a single drop fell out.

"Brother!"

The events from before he passed out flashed through his mind, and Bai Mo sat bolt upright.

He frantically looked around and saw that everyone was still on the back of the Hengyuan giant bird.

Mo Tianshu’s eyes were closed, immersed in his cultivation.

It seemed as if everything before he fainted had just been a bad dream.

"Calm down, Junior Brother. It’s over, it’s over," Zhao Jingyu said quickly.

Wuyin, who was nearby, mocked, "Someone said he was going to take care of Junior Brother Bai, but he nearly took care of him for good!"

Zhao Jingyu looked annoyed.

"Who knew my waterskin was already empty..."

Bai Mo took out his own waterskin and took a couple of big gulps.

"It’s fine, I can handle being thirsty. Brother, can you tell me what happened?"

At his words, everyone’s expressions turned strange.

Zhao Jingyu cracked a smile, his expression a bit fawning.

"Junior Brother, your Divine Thought is pretty good, isn’t it?"

Bai Mo paused for a moment before replying,

"I’m only slightly proficient. Why do you ask, Brother?"

Zhao Jingyu raised his eyebrows.

"In the sect, a lot of elders like to leave tricks—or good things—inside their disciples’ heads."

He held out his hand, gesturing.

"Like daggers, sword gleams, that sort of thing..."

"After all, there are too many ways in the Cultivation Realm to detect foreign Magical Artifacts someone might be carrying, so they prefer to hide things inside people’s heads."

"However..."

Zhao Jingyu gave a sly grin.

"If a disciple’s Divine Thought isn’t strong enough, there’s a risk their brain could be damaged."

Bai Mo was completely confused by what he was saying.

"Brother, what are you talking about?"

Wan Shenxiu cut in and explained,

"Junior Brother, don’t mind him."

"We were attacked by a mysterious Cultivator. He came at us with a Life-Chasing Talisman, but was repelled by an elder’s incarnation that was hidden on you."

"A Life-Chasing Talisman?" Bai Mo paused.

"Whose life was it chasing?"

Wan Shenxiu shrugged helplessly.

"Probably the Son of Heaven’s."

"But don’t worry, the elder has already erased the abnormality on that skin."

Bai Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief, banishing the thought of throwing the skin away.

"I remember that the Life-Chasing Talisman is one of the Miaofa Sect’s signature Talismans, isn’t it?"

He had heard his fellow disciples mention this before.

Wan Shenxiu nodded.

"Probably. The Miaofa Sect Cultivators within the Fire Cave Dynasty must have met a grim fate."

"After all, something like a Life-Chasing Talisman can easily entangle one in major karma. It’s not something that would ever be sold."

Bai Mo nodded.

This situation felt familiar.

When he asked about the date, Bai Mo learned that seven days had passed.

He calculated the days. They should be returning to the sect soon.

Bai Mo shook his head, still feeling waves of pain.

It wasn’t until the next morning, when the Hengyuan giant bird landed and left the group to go hunt for food, that Mo Tianshu finally emerged from his cultivation.

"The attacker this time was probably from the same group that used the Thousand-Mile Soul-Chasing Talisman on you," Mo Tianshu said softly.

"But they don’t care about you. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have come for the Yin Talisman Book this time and demanded you hand it over."

’That’s good news. A small fry like me really isn’t important enough for them to keep thinking about.’

But Bai Mo still had a question.

"The Yin Talisman Book?"

The corner of Mo Tianshu’s mouth quirked up.

"It’s the patterns on the Son of Heaven’s skin."

Although the Five Obstacles Pill had corroded all of the Son of Heaven’s flesh and blood, a little something had clearly remained.

The patterns on his skin were naturally formed and couldn’t be destroyed.

"If that person hadn’t shown up, I truly wouldn’t have known what it was."

"If you offer it to the sect, you should be able to exchange it for some decent items," Mo Tianshu said slowly.

Only then did Bai Mo understand.

At that moment, Zhao Jingyu sidled up to them.

"Junior Brother Bai, when you have some free time, you should contact me. I can find you some excellent external affairs missions. I have the connections for that, at least."

"When that time comes, with the sect’s sponsorship, our cultivation paths are sure to flourish!"

His eyes glittered with cunning.

Among the outer sect disciples, those with powerful Divine Thought were few and far between.

A Cultivator like Bai Mo was perfectly suited for taking on certain external missions that involved major karma.

These kinds of assignments were high-risk and high-reward.

More importantly, the elders loved to pull strings and meddle in the karma involved.

As long as one or two elders left a backup plan for him, Bai Mo could wade through the danger safely. It was basically a way to make money while lying down!

Wan Shenxiu sighed from the side.

"Brother, you’re oversimplifying things. Didn’t you see how the elder’s appearance this time still caused Junior Brother Bai to fall into a coma for seven days?"

"If this happens too many times, the damage to a Cultivator would be immense!"

’Risking my life is out of the question.’

Bai Mo knew they were mostly joking, so he didn’t pay it much mind.

But then, Mo Tianshu unexpectedly spoke up as well.

"Junior Brother Bai is different. His Divine Thought is extremely active. He must have practiced a Divine Thought Skill."

"An outer sect disciple who can extend their Divine Thought to defend against others’ attacks is a rare sight. A few days of rest, and he should be fine."

He casually revealed Bai Mo’s secret.

Bai Mo’s eyelid twitched.

His almost prophetic ability was actually just his Divine Thought scattered around his body, resisting an opponent’s attack for a split second as it approached, buying himself time to dodge.

’I can’t believe Brother Mo saw through it so easily.’

’I never even saw him pay any attention to me.’

"You’re joking, Brother. It’s just a parlor trick, a clever little method. It’s not as amazing as you make it sound..."

Faced with Zhao Jingyu’s expectant gaze, Bai Mo naturally had no intention of agreeing.

Struggling and striving out in the world wasn’t in his nature. Just as Qi Yang had said, most of those who managed to make a name for themselves had fate on their side.

’I should just stick to honestly pursuing the Alchemy Dao.’

...

The rest of the journey was finally uneventful.

After half a month, the main gates of the Xuandao Sect were visible in the distance.

Everyone felt a wave of emotion.

As newcomers, they had just been getting used to the sect’s atmosphere when they were suddenly dragged out on a trip.

Returning now, they felt completely different.

Before they entered the stone forest, the giant bird set them down and flew off on its own.

Mo Tianshu looked around and said nonchalantly,

"It’s the tidal season, so we can’t enter the sect quickly right now. You’re all dismissed. We’ll meet on the Spirit Mirror Platform in seven days."

With that, Mo Tianshu leaped up and departed on his own.

An inn had opened at the edge of the stone forest at some point.

An attendant enthusiastically greeted the group.

"Fellow brothers, many of the paths in the stone forest are impassable right now. Why not come in and rest for a few days?"

Zhao Jingyu took the lead, guiding the others toward it.

He said boisterously,

"Who opened an inn out here? The outer sect? Or the inner sect?"

The attendant shot him a look. He was also a fellow disciple, and at the sixth level of cultivation.

"Why are you asking so many questions, Brother?"

"It’s just business. Nothing to be ashamed of."

Zhao Jingyu asked for three rooms and slapped down some Spirit Stones.

"If I don’t ask, how will I know if it’s safe to sleep here?"

The attendant’s face lit up with a smile.

"It’s safe. Guaranteed."

As the five of them headed upstairs, Zhao Jingyu was still talking.

"This inn run by our own sect members is a real rip-off. The few of us can just share to avoid wasting money."

"Junior Sister Wu can have one room to herself."

The attendant leading the way pretended not to hear, a grin plastered on his face the entire time.

He led them to three adjacent rooms and then excused himself.

"I’ll go get some hot water for you all."

Once the attendant was gone, Bai Mo immediately asked,

"What is this ’tidal season’?"

Zhao Jingyu led him into a room and pushed open the window.

"See for yourself."