Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Touring the Azure Dragon River

Putting thought into action, Bai Mo ambled out of the city around noon, accompanied by Qin Wen.

The Azure Dragon River was located five li outside Immortal Arrival City, where a wharf was dedicated to loading and unloading cargo.

Bare-chested, dark-skinned men were unloading ore and medicinal herbs from the rafts, their work chants echoing without pause.

The Cultivators who had foraged for medicinal herbs in Celestial Barrier Mountain had already paid their passage upon boarding.

They didn’t bother with the waiting laborers, saving themselves the small fee. Instead, they shouldered their packs, jumped off the rafts, and departed.

A few Cultivators who looked like foremen patrolled the area, their faces etched with an unshakable gloom.

Clearly, unlike the laborers who toiled day in and day out, those with some measure of status had already caught wind of the situation.

Their powerful patron was gone, and heaven only knew how they would manage things going forward.

These people weren’t even considered part of the outer circle of the three former great Pill Masters; they were more like a dockworkers’ guild.

Qin Wen scanned the area and said softly,

"It really is different now. This place used to be heavily guarded."

"There were guards to suppress riots and sharp-eyed spotters—’black rats’—who specialized in targeting Cultivators with valuable goods through scams, deception, threats, and bribes."

"And if any trouble broke out, the guards would be there to crush it."

Qin Wen remarked with a sigh,

"They might have paid you, but it was never a fair deal, so the men of the Demon Hunting Teams hated coming this way."

Bai Mo nodded, his eyes catching a few soaking-wet Cultivators whose auras were deliberately concealed.

The men jumped down from their raft, spat on the ground, and led their followers away.

"Their Evil Qi is so strong. What do they do for a living?"

Qin Wen replied, "They’re river pirates. They also take on contracts to eliminate Demon Beasts in the water."

’Anyone who dares to enter the water to kill Demon Beasts is not to be trifled with.’

"Judging by their expressions, they’ve probably sensed that things are changing. I suspect they’re already planning to take over this wharf."

Qin Wen guessed as much, watching the pirates swagger past with sinister glints in their eyes.

Bai Mo was unconcerned.

’A single band of river pirates is hardly a difficult problem.’

"Find a raft. Let’s get on the water and take a look."

Though Qin Wen rarely came here, he knew his way around. He walked along the water’s edge and, before long, found a suitable raft.

The ferryman had just seen off his previous passengers and hadn’t even had a chance to catch his breath before getting a new fare. He was overjoyed.

He was even more delighted to see that Bai Mo had come empty-handed.

"Where to, you two?"

Bai Mo pointed into the distance.

"Just follow the current. We want to see the sights along the Azure Dragon River."

The ferryman, of course, didn’t believe it. In his decades of poling boats, he had never once had a customer who just wanted to "see the sights" on the Azure Dragon River.

However, the customer offered three Spirit Stones for a full day’s work, so he was more than happy to oblige.

The raft drifted slowly down the river.

The Azure Dragon River was deep, its rippling surface a mesmerizing sight.

Occasionally, ripples would spread across the surface where a large fish had come up for air.

Whenever he saw particularly large ripples, the ferryman would steer the raft far around them.

They passed many villages along the riverbanks. Not all of them subsisted on fishing; many simply used the convenient waterway to support other trades.

After about an hour, the ferryman pulled ashore to rest. He produced a clay pot from somewhere on the bank and started stewing a fish soup for Bai Mo and his companion.

The ferryman skillfully went about his work. His passengers were in for a long sightseeing journey, and he needed to be prepared.

Bai Mo’s eyes narrowed.

"How many settlements have we passed along the way?"

Qin Wen answered, "Seven so far."

Bai Mo nodded.

"Seven settlements across three bends in the river, and that’s not even counting the individual homes near the banks."

"For a place like this, that’s a decent population."

Qin Wen could hear the interest in Bai Mo’s tone, but he was also a little confused.

"It’s one thing for you to be interested, Shopkeeper, but you don’t have the manpower for something like this."

"You’re not thinking of relying on the Demon Hunting Team to run it, are you? Forgive me for being blunt, but men like us live on the edge. If we were to truly settle down, I’m afraid we’d become useless in no time..."

Bai Mo just smiled without replying.

’With manpower like Lanshan Mountain’s group, forcibly taking over the wharf wouldn’t be difficult.’

’But he had no intention of becoming a gang leader, just trying to pull together a crew of "brothers" to make it big.’

Beside them, the ferryman’s fish soup was ready, and it smelled delicious.

He had been listening to their conversation, and his heart was pounding in his chest. He handed a bowl to Bai Mo and another to Qin Wen before taking one for himself.

’Lord of Heaven! I heard those people who extort money at the wharf have powerful backers from the city.’

’Where did these two come from? Are they really planning to seize the wharf by force?’

He kept his head down, SLURPING his fish soup, his mind in turmoil.

Bai Mo spat out two small bones, took a sip of the soup, and after a long moment, let out a contented sigh.

"What delicious soup. The Azure Dragon River is truly a fine place."

Once they had finished their meal, they boarded the raft and set off once more.

The sky gradually darkened. In the twilight, plumes of cooking smoke drifted up from the villages and towns along the river.

As Qin Wen watched the scenery, a question suddenly occurred to him.

"There aren’t many Cultivators in the villages and towns along this river."

"In terms of wealth, they’re probably poorer than even the laborers at the wharf. How do you plan to profit from them, Shopkeeper?"

"Not at all."

Bai Mo shook his head.

"No matter how ordinary someone is, if they have any aspiration for the path of cultivation, they will inevitably need Pills."

"The Pills in my shop aren’t all high-grade. There’s still a market here for the cheaper, more common varieties."

"If we tap into that, it could be a significant new revenue stream."

Bai Mo was clearly enthusiastic.

Before they knew it, the sky was filled with stars. The three of them had lost track of how many bends they’d rounded or how far they had traveled.

A group of Cultivators emerged from Celestial Barrier Mountain, pushed a sheepskin raft into the Azure Dragon River, and began to drift downstream.

Blood trickling from the Demon Beast corpse on their raft flowed into the water, attracting a swarm of fish in their wake.

The man on the sheepskin raft felt his eye twitch. He repeatedly shouted at his companions to wrap up the Demon Beast carcass, terrified that a large fish from the depths would capsize them.

Shortly after they passed this group, a silver light suddenly flashed before their eyes.

Amid the sound of splashing water, the carcass of a large fish floated to the surface, a trident impaled in its back.

Triumphant laughter followed, interspersed with the faint sounds of fawning praise.

The ferryman froze on the raft as if he’d been struck by lightning.

Bai Mo’s brow furrowed.

"What’s wrong?"

The ferryman’s voice trembled. "We... we’ve run into them."

"The river bandits... You two, don’t try to resist. These men kill without a moment’s hesitation..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, they saw several figures approaching swiftly from a distance, maneuvering leather rafts.

Qin Wen watched them for a long moment before speaking.

"They’re also the type who hang around Celestial Barrier Mountain. There’s no mistaking that attitude."

There was indeed such a group: inside the mountains, they were demon-hunting Cultivators; outside the mountains, they were vicious bandits who preyed on other Cultivators returning from their hunts.

They were most active during bountiful seasons. He just never imagined they would run into them today.

No wonder those Cultivators from before had scrambled onto the river so hastily; they must have sensed these bandits were on their tail.

Bai Mo stood on the raft, unperturbed. Qin Wen was equally calm.

Sure enough, once the approaching group got within a certain distance, they abruptly halted.

"Is that the Pill Master from Lanshan Mountain’s crew?"

"I heard he’s a member of the Xuandao Sect, too. What rotten luck to run into him..."

"Go! Let’s get out of here!"

The band of river pirates covered their faces with their hands and hurriedly paddled away.