Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Worthy Talent

"What a sordid place."

Aboard the carriage, Bai Mo sighed, looking at two young boys with their heads bowed low.

Qin Wen drove the carriage, keeping an eye on the roadside with his peripheral vision.

"It’s a den of filth that breeds nothing but vermin."

"I just saw a few cultivators I knew from a Demon Hunting Team. They seized the wife and daughter of a comrade who had entrusted his family to their care—an act we find absolutely intolerable."

"I never thought they’d be hiding in a place like this."

Though they tried to hide their faces just now, I still got a clear look at them.

Qin Wen shook his head, casting the thoughts aside, and looked at Bai Mo.

"What should be done with them?"

Bai Mo wasn’t good at dealing with boys like these. He usually poured most of his energy into the Alchemy Dao.

What little was left he spent dealing with those close to him. Where would he find the extra mental energy for this?

"Let Wei An train them. When they’re ready, they can start practicing Alchemy."

"Their circumstances are similar to his, so I imagine they’ll get along," Bai Mo said calmly.

Unlike with Wei An, the people he was looking for now were specifically for Alchemy.

They would specialize in a single Pill Formula. After they’d mastered that job, what became of them would depend on their own destiny.

"By the way, where are those two down-and-out Cultivators from the Azure Dragon River?"

Hearing this, Qin Wen quickly replied:

"They’re in a county town by the water. They make a living by concocting some medicinal powders for people, but they haven’t achieved much."

He was a bit puzzled.

"I really don’t understand, Shopkeeper. What do you want with those two?"

"In terms of Alchemy Skill, they’re no better than the apprentices in the city. Besides, they’re over forty. Their potential is completely spent..."

Bai Mo thought otherwise.

"That’s not quite right. I’ve seen the medicinal powders they make. They have a unique quality."

One of Lanshan Mountain’s men had once run into Bai Mo on the street and showed him one of their medicinal powders, asking for his opinion.

The reason was that after he used the powder, the finger-long cut became itchy and throbbed with pain, which made him fear the wound was getting worse.

But when Bai Mo looked at it, he realized that wasn’t the case. He put the man’s mind at ease and took a bit of the powder for himself.

Bai Mo took it out and explained to Qin Wen:

"Those two have likely become quite practiced and grown bold. They know how to refine medicinal powders using toxic ingredients."

"The toxicity stimulates a Cultivator’s bodily functions, which speeds up wound healing, but it’s not potent enough to cause any serious illness."

"Their grasp of medicinal properties is quite commendable."

Qin Wen hadn’t expected Bai Mo to have such a high opinion of two middle-aged Cultivators who had accomplished nothing.

He said, surprised, "So does that mean these two are hidden gems?"

"That others were blind to their talent, leaving them unfulfilled and unrecognized?"

The carriage wheel hit a stone, jolting them.

Bai Mo just smiled.

"They just happen to suit my needs. In the grand scheme of the Alchemy Dao, these two are insignificant."

The draft horse wasn’t fast, but it had excellent stamina.

After a day’s journey, the carriage entered a sizable county town.

Qin Wen considered for a moment, confirmed the route, and soon steered the carriage to a stop in front of a shop.

Inside, a middle-aged Cultivator was arguing with a customer, his face red and veins bulging in his neck.

Bai Mo leaned out, watching with interest for a moment before the customer angrily slapped two Spirit Stones on the counter and stormed off.

The middle-aged Cultivator visibly relaxed, sweeping the Spirit Stones into his sleeve. Then he noticed the carriage at his door.

He walked out to greet them, a smile spreading across his face.

"Friend, what can I get for you? Insect repellent, wound salves... we have every kind of medicinal powder you could need."

"We’re a long-established business. Countless Cultivators choose our shop..."

He delivered the sales pitch fluently, but when he saw Bai Mo step down from the carriage, the smile on his face froze.

The Pill Qi swirling around the man before him was incredibly dense.

It was far beyond that of his peers, and even outstripped the Pill Master he’d once had the honor of consulting.

"This... honored guest, what business might you have here?"

The middle-aged Cultivator scurried forward and asked meekly, his head bowed.

Qin Wen spoke coolly.

"Don’t you have a partner? Alchemist Bai is gracing you with his presence. Shouldn’t he come out to greet him?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Of course."

"The sun is fierce out here. Honored guest, please come in, don’t stand in the heat."

The middle-aged Cultivator didn’t know their purpose for coming and felt a knot of anxiety in his stomach, but he continued to respond with practiced politeness.

Bai Mo followed him into the shop and watched as the man lifted the curtain to the back room and hurried off to find his companion.

"An honored guest is here! Hurry, come quick!"

A flurry of footsteps and hushed whispers followed.

A moment later, two men stood before Bai Mo.

They didn’t know when a Pill Master had arrived in their area, but the Pill Qi coming from Bai Mo was unmistakable.

"You are Alchemist Bai?"

"Our shop is small and we are but humble men. We can’t imagine what would bring you to grace us with your presence."

Qin Wen started to speak, but Bai Mo held up a hand to stop him.

"Your medicinal powders are quite exquisite, Fellow Daoists. I grew curious and decided to come take a look for myself."

"I am Bai Mo. And how may I address the two of you?"

The two Cultivators introduced themselves, and they chatted with Bai Mo for a bit.

Xue Ning and Xue Anping.

They were paternal cousins from the same village. After venturing out into the world, they encountered Alchemy Skill and ended up wasting half their lives on it.

Bai Mo was thoughtful.

"With your level of Alchemy Skill, it shouldn’t be difficult to refine actual Pills. Why do you focus only on medicinal powders?"

Xue Ning and his cousin looked similar. Neither was very talkative, and both had a very steady demeanor.

But Xue Anping, who wore a beard, seemed the more experienced of the two.

He sighed and said, "Refining Pills is not easy. Even when we succeed, they are always Pills of poor quality and appearance."

"They won’t sell for a decent price at all."

He exchanged a look with Xue Ning.

"We’re both getting on in years and have families to support. We can’t just blindly throw ourselves at the Alchemy Dao anymore."

"So we had to choose medicinal powders. The profit is acceptable, enough to make a living."

’They seem like a reliable pair,’ Qin Wen thought to himself.

’Not only can they perform Alchemy, they could also train the novices. That would save so much trouble.’

Seeing that Bai Mo had fallen silent, Qin Wen picked up the conversation:

"Alchemist Bai is currently short on staff. He thinks highly of you two, which is why he has come to visit. I wonder what your thoughts are on the matter?"

"This..."

Xue Ning and Xue Anping were stunned. The idea seemed utterly absurd.

"What have we done to deserve this..."

Qin Wen waved his hand dismissively.

"None of that. If Alchemist Bai says you are capable, then you are capable. Is it your place to argue?"

"It’s only because you have clean backgrounds. If it were anyone else, the Pill Master wouldn’t even consider it!"

Xue Ning braced himself and said:

"But our attainments in Alchemy Skill truly are abysmal. Aren’t you afraid we’ll ruin Alchemist Bai’s affairs?"

Bai Mo smiled faintly.

"It’s just a matter of refining one or two types of Pills. I can offer you some guidance. I imagine it won’t be too difficult."

At these words, Xue Ning felt as though a pie had just fallen from the sky and hit him on the head, leaving him dizzy.

How many gifts, direct and indirect, had the two of them offered over the years just to get a bit of guidance from a Pill Master?

If the guidance they’d received hadn’t been worth the price, they probably would have flown into a rage.

After so many years of struggle, he never imagined there would actually be a chance to advance further.

However, Xue Ning still had some presence of mind.

"Our abilities are limited to medicinal powders and Pills. Our bodies aren’t what they used to be; we can’t do other kinds of work."

"Given that, how much of a monthly salary can the Pill Master offer us?"

Bai Mo held up two fingers.

"We Alchemy Cultivators do tiring, difficult work."

"So I will offer you both a monthly salary of twenty Spirit Stones. How does that sound?"