Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 194: Chapter 194: Searching for People

A piercing squeal echoed, startling countless birds and beasts.

From within the huge cloud of smoke came the terrifying sounds of a panicked stampede.

CRACK! BOOM!

A tree as thick as a bowl was snapped in two, and its trunk came crashing down.

Lanshan covered his mouth and nose, narrowly avoiding the tree.

The sound of four hooves pounding the earth charged toward him. Lanshan held his breath, stood his ground, and circulated the power in his body.

Then, a Demon Beast emerged from the smoke, its body wreathed in fumes. Its eyes were bloodshot, the smoke from the Five Obstacles Pill having choked its lungs, and it wheezed like a bellows.

A second pair of scorched-yellow tusks, usually hidden, flipped out from its mouth.

A direct hit would have been forceful enough for the four tusks to tear Lanshan apart.

"Hah!"

Lanshan was already prepared. Before the drooling Demon Beast could get close, he struck out with his open hand, fingers spread like a claw.

A powerful torrent of Spiritual Qi, infused with the force of his own vitality, arrived in an instant. It left a handprint on the pig’s face with a dull THUD.

"HUFF! HUFF!"

The Demon Beast, covered in bristles as tough as steel needles, was uninjured. It simply shook its head and dissipated the force of the blow.

But that brief delay was all the group of men waiting nearby needed to swarm forward.

Arrowheads flew first, followed by the flash of blades descending on its body. A large iron net was then cast, ensnaring its limbs.

Seeing the Demon Beast still struggling, Lanshan strode forward, snatched a greatsword from one of his men, and brought it down with all his might.

With a final, agonized shriek, its hide, tougher than any leather armor, was split open.

After a good while, the group finally finished the Demon Beast off.

Cripple Ma, drenched in sweat, retrieved his iron net and came before Lanshan, panting.

"This bastard’s been rampaging through the area, eating plenty of Cultivators who came into the mountains. Who knows how many Daoist slaves driven into the hills ended up in its belly too."

"I’m afraid it won’t sell for a good price."

A four-tusked, boar-like Demon Beast is a rare sight, and this one was already infamous in Immortal Arrival City.

Many Cultivators would probably find the thought of eating it repulsive.

Lanshan wiped the blood from the torn webbing between his thumb and forefinger and said casually:

"Ask those craftsmen who make medicine and artifacts if they’ll buy it."

"Besides, haven’t a lot of merchant caravans come to the city recently?"

"I remember some of them are from the borderlands. Those people will eat giant fish that have just devoured their own kind, so I doubt they’d mind this..."

As he was speaking, the dexterous men had already butchered the Demon Beast, splitting it in two.

Shen Yang walked over, carrying a massive lung.

"This is good stuff. The apothecaries will definitely like it, but the internal structure is damaged."

As he spoke, he squeezed it, and a small puff of blackish-red smoke escaped the lung, followed by fine trickles of blood.

Cripple Ma sucked in a sharp breath.

"That Pill is so potent?"

"No wonder that beast couldn’t use its full strength just now."

Lanshan let out a breath.

"Of course. At ten Spirit Stones a piece, you get what you pay for."

"This Pill came at the perfect time. A lot of people have been getting jealous of us lately. A show of force like this will save us some trouble and keep them from getting any funny ideas."

A smile touched Lanshan’s lips as he spoke.

Cripple Ma’s eyes darted around.

"That’s not expensive at all. Heh, we should get some for ourselves another day, for protection!"

"It’s the only one of its kind in Immortal Arrival City!"

As soon as he said this, others immediately looked over.

"Boss, get some more for us! In our line of work, risking our lives every day, who wouldn’t need it?"

Lanshan waved his hand dismissively.

"Get lost. One look and you can tell this stuff is meant as a last resort for us. Where would we get more?"

The metallic stench of the butchered Demon Beast spread, making it almost impossible for ordinary people to approach.

The smoke from the Five Obstacles Pill was dissipating, gradually thinning out.

Neither bird nor beast liked such an unpleasant smoke, leaving the men a pocket of safe space to themselves.

It was rare for Lanshan and his men to get a moment to rest, though they too were quite uncomfortable in the lingering smoke.

Two hours later, the entire Demon Beast had been completely broken down.

All the edible parts were taken away.

Even the organs, corroded as they were, were carried off by a few of the men.

After a good wash, those parts should still be edible or usable.

Cripple Ma shouldered the four tusks. If they found the right buyer, they could fetch a handsome price.

Lanshan looked at a few strips of tenderloin, a little regretful.

"A pity. It wouldn’t be right to send these prime cuts of meat to Shopkeeper Bai..."

...

「The next day, in Immortal Arrival City.」

"This Pill... it really shouldn’t be circulated freely within the city."

Bai Mo felt a bit helpless as he attended to the Senior Brother who had come to his shop.

"I really don’t have any in stock."

"Where did you hear about this, Senior Brother?"

Bai Mo recognized the disciple who had come to his shop. The man was always running errands around the city; they were "acquaintances" who had met several times.

The disciple’s expression didn’t change as he said:

"A Junior Brother from our sect sent word, of course. He said you have something here as useful as Spirit-Breaking Smoke and urged me to get some for protection."

"He told me that you, Junior Brother, are a prudent man and would definitely have some extra stock on hand."

"Nothing’s happening in the city," Bai Mo said earnestly.

"It’s not like I’m traveling. Why would I keep such Pills on hand?"

Only a few people knew about the Five Obstacles Pill. Bai Mo didn’t even need to guess to know who had sold him out.

After much persuasion, he finally saw his Senior Brother out.

He had just breathed a sigh of relief when Qin Wen, now ready, walked over.

"Shopkeeper, are we ready to depart?"

He had only just started the job, and already he had to go on several trips with Bai Mo. He sighed inwardly.

’So being a Pill Master isn’t easy after all. Always busy, with so much to consider.’

But he was mistaken. Bai Mo came from a Loose Cultivator background and had a weak foundation, which was why he had endless worries.

Bai Mo nodded. He had just reached the door when he turned back to instruct Wei An:

"We’ll be gone for a few days. Watch the shop well, and don’t neglect your studies."

"If there’s anything you don’t understand, save it for when I get back."

Wei An readily agreed, watching as Bai Mo and Qin Wen left.

Before long, the two of them arrived at a carriage house.

With the disciples of Beast Taming Peak offering Spirit Beasts for transport, the carriage house business had become somewhat bleak.

Long-distance rentals were almost nonexistent now; they could only make money from short trips.

So when a customer walked in, the attendant was exceptionally attentive.

"Are you two gentlemen heading on a long journey?"

Bai Mo turned his head to look at Qin Wen.

"Can you drive a carriage?"

Qin Wen nodded.

"I can."

A moment later, a carriage departed from the carriage house.

Qin Wen drove the horse from the front. Bai Mo hadn’t hired a driver and was resting in the carriage with his eyes closed.

The well-rested draft horse had a glossy coat, and it pulled the carriage out of the city gates at a steady, even pace.

"That place you mentioned, how far is it from the city?"

Bai Mo asked without opening his eyes.

Qin Wen replied, "Not far. About five or six li. I rarely go there myself."

Bai Mo was quite curious.

"It’s a grand Immortal City, after all. How can there be a place like a refugee slum nearby?"

Qin Wen flicked the reins, urging the draft horse to speed up.

"It’s not exactly a slum. Those people are able-bodied; how could they not make a living?"

"It’s just that they’re all people who were driven out by the struggles within the city. They’re entangled in all sorts of karmic ties and don’t dare show their faces, so they’ve started living like savages."

Last night, Bai Mo had taken the time to tell Qin Wen his idea, and Qin Wen had then mentioned a certain place to him.

This was the very place Bai Mo was heading to now, known as the abode of barbarians.

Bai Mo was amazed that such a place could develop right next to a prosperous Immortal City.

However, its residents weren’t truly barbarians.

On the contrary, some of them had their old foundations, were literate, and had dabbled in all the various professions of the cultivation world.

Extremely useful.