Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Starting the Furnace

Bai Mo stopped at home for a bit.

After a good day’s rest, he went out to buy some gifts and leisurely made his way to Lanshan’s residence.

News of Bai Mo’s return had spread, so he naturally ran into several people on his way out, getting caught up in a round of pleasantries.

By the time Bai Mo stood before the gate to Lanshan’s courtyard, a thin layer of cold sweat had broken out on his forehead.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

He reached out to knock. Soon after, Han Meng opened the door, his face alight with pleasant surprise.

"Shopkeeper Bai, you’re here!"

"Haha! We heard you were back yesterday but haven’t had a chance to pay you a visit..."

Bai Mo’s gaze, however, fell upon his right foot.

It was wrapped in thick layers, resembling an elephant’s leg.

"What happened to you?"

Bai Mo asked as he followed him through the door.

Before Han Meng could respond, Bai Mo saw the members of the Demon Hunting Team lying on lounge chairs in the courtyard.

Each person had their own injuries; not a single one was spared.

Lanshan’s injuries were the most severe. His upper body was wrapped up like a mummy, reeking of medicinal herbs.

"Sister Qin, Brother Shen..."

"What happened to all of you?"

Qin Ying, Shen Yang, and the others didn’t dare to slight him. They rose from their chairs, greeting him warmly before letting out helpless, bitter smiles.

"We took a fall..."

They were vexed. They were all veterans of the Demon Hunting Team, so how had they suffered such a loss?

’Making a fool of ourselves for nothing!’

With no one attending to him, Lanshan picked up a bowl of millet porridge from the wooden table beside him and guzzled it down with a loud SLURP.

Bai Mo walked over, set the pastries he was carrying on the table, and took a seat.

’I don’t see Lan Ru. She must have returned to her sect.’

Without his sister around to care for him, Lanshan was clearly not having a good time.

"Shopkeeper Bai, long time no see. Has your cultivation risen?"

Lanshan said, turning his head to look at him.

When he said it had risen, he wasn’t referring to Bai Mo’s cultivation realm. Rather, it was his aura; now, even Lanshan found him somewhat inscrutable.

Bai Mo gave a wry smile.

"You have to gain something when you go on a trip. If I just stayed in one place, wouldn’t that make me a donkey?"

"So, what happened to you all?"

In the past, a major setback for the Demon Hunting Team would have cost at least two lives. For now, it seemed things weren’t that bad.

Lanshan curled his lip.

"Shopkeeper Bai, do you remember the strange fish you asked us to catch for you before you left?"

Bai Mo nodded.

"Of course. Those strange fish are valuable. I plan to pay a high price to acquire their pearls from now on..."

"Well, you’re in luck! The brothers still have plenty of those things on hand!"

Lanshan’s eyes lit up, then he lowered his voice and said:

"You know how we found that spot glowing with green light in the swamp?"

As soon as he said that, Bai Mo immediately understood.

"After we got back, we couldn’t stop thinking about it. The more we mulled it over, the more convinced we became that we’d stumbled upon a rare treasure. We thought if we got our hands on it, we’d be set for life!"

"Sigh, we’ve gotten a bit too ambitious lately. We jumped in one after another, only to get torn and bitten by those strange fish until we ended up like this."

Lanshan raised a hand, took a pastry, and had Han Meng limp over to distribute the rest.

"Consider it a lesson learned."

That might be what he said, but Bai Mo knew this lot probably wouldn’t give up.

"Those strange fish live in a swamp, so they’re likely poisonous. All of you should be careful."

The Demon Hunting Team members were experienced, so Bai Mo didn’t elaborate. Instead, he moved on to the purpose of his visit.

"I only have Wei An looking after my shop, and it’s starting to seem like that isn’t enough."

"Brother Lanshan, do you know anyone reliable who could help me manage the place?"

The Demon Hunting Team had a wide network of contacts. There were always acquaintances who had to retire for one reason or another and could no longer venture into the mountains.

Since Bai Mo was asking, he was sure to get an answer.

Sure enough, Lanshan pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Shopkeeper Bai, with you putting the word out, there’ll be plenty of people scrambling for that position."

"But I’m afraid that kind of riffraff would just tarnish your shop’s reputation..."

He paused, then said:

"I wonder if Shopkeeper Bai still remembers a fellow whose fame was on par with mine back in the day? I ran into him at your shop once."

"You mean the man named Qin Wen?" Bai Mo remembered him, of course.

’He was a regular at my shop. A very capable man, but he always seemed a bit tight on funds, not at all open-handed like Lanshan.’

’His financial situation never matched his reputation, so I just figured he had his own hardships.’

’After all, a Demon Hunting Team member’s wealth should be proportional to their strength.’

Lanshan laughed heartily.

"Impressive that you remember him, Shopkeeper Bai!"

"He’s fallen on hard times now. A while ago in the mountains he encountered a rare Demon Beast. He escaped with his life, but was left with a lasting injury..."

Since he was one of his old, supportive customers, Bai Mo couldn’t help but feel concerned and pressed for more details.

"He’s a dependable man, not reckless. Are things that bad for him now?"

Lanshan shook his head, his tone not holding much pity.

"Demon Beasts are fetching a high price right now, but he’s just unlucky. I’m afraid he can’t fight like he used to."

"Still, with his skills, he can make a living. It’s only if he forces himself back into the mountains that he’ll truly risk his life."

...

After coming to an agreement with Lanshan, Bai Mo hurriedly returned to his shop.

He opened the door to the storehouse to find it nearly full of medicinal herbs.

Wei An, who was at his side, said cautiously,

"The shop’s daily income is ten to twenty Spirit Stones. I took the liberty of using a portion of that to purchase medicinal herbs..."

It was clear he had been diligent. Most of the medicinal herbs in the storehouse had already been processed.

’His technique is only passable in my eyes,’ Bai Mo thought, ’but for an apprentice, it’s actually quite good.’

"Good work."

Bai Mo said casually, then pointed out several types of medicinal herbs.

"Move these to the Alchemy Room. I’m going to fire up the furnace!"

After all, the shop was running far too low on Pills.

’Now that I’m back, this simply won’t do.’

It had been a long time since he’d fired up the furnace, and Bai Mo’s hands were itching to get back to it.

’The alchemy I did while I was away was just a small test of my skills. It didn’t really count.’

Wei An’s spirits lifted, and he began trotting in and out.

In the time it took Bai Mo to drink a pot of hot tea, he had already prepared everything.

The large Pill Furnace was spotless. Wei An had clearly been cleaning and maintaining it regularly.

And so, before dusk had even arrived, the fire in Bai Mo’s Pill Furnace was roaring.

He tossed in the medicinal herbs, and soon, a fragrant aroma began to waft from them as they were refined.

It felt different from before. As Bai Mo began his work, he felt completely at ease, his movements effortless.

All sorts of new ideas kept popping into his head, tempting him to experiment.

Bai Mo understood perfectly. This was the result of his perspective on alchemy having broadened.

’It really pays to explore other paths,’ he thought. ’When different techniques and methods collide, you’re bound to get new ideas.’

A rich, medicinal fragrance permeated the Alchemy Room.

A plume of smoke billowed out, rising high into the sky.

When the neighbors saw it, they knew Bai Mo had truly returned.

Many of the Cultivators who made their living around Celestial Barrier Mountain saw it and breathed a genuine sigh of relief.

Someone had started a rumor that Alchemist Bai had left for a sect and wouldn’t be returning.

It made sense, after all. Life in a sect was good. A vast sect with a cultivation environment far superior to the outside world.

Anyone in his shoes wouldn’t want to come back.

This just went to show that Bai Mo was truly a man who had transcended the mundane.

Wei An waited patiently until closing time. After shutting the shop doors, he hurried to the Alchemy Room, eager to observe his master’s alchemy techniques.

After watching for a moment, he became even more confused.

His master’s alchemy methods seemed to have changed yet again.