Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Arrival
Obediently, Shen Yang selected a well-marbled cut of meat and began roasting it for Lanshan.
With the rainstorm tonight, there was no need to worry about any smells escaping. Even the scent of blood at the cave entrance would be washed away by the rain.
The fat sizzled and popped in the fire.
Seeing Bai Mo’s rather peculiar expression, Lanshan and the others realized what was going on.
Their expressions turned a little awkward, as if an unspoken rule of their trade had just been exposed to an outsider.
"Ahem!"
Lanshan cleared his throat and said,
"We don’t normally eat this kind of meat."
"There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just... its original owner was an unsettling sight. But see? I’m about to dig in."
Bai Mo nodded.
To be fair, he had watched Shen Yang and the other two butcher the bear carcass. The process had been meticulous, so there was no reason to suspect any lingering issues.
Lanshan slapped the ground, signaling his men to get to work.
"Normally, whenever our Demon Hunting Team makes a catch, we head back down the mountain. After all, beast meat is difficult to transport, and its scent can attract other Demon Beasts..."
"But we have urgent business this time, so we’ll have to make use of the Li family’s old setup!"
Shen Yang sighed. He, Jing Ren, and Jing Yi retrieved some shovels from a corner and started digging with grunts and groans.
Ma Bazi and his men were stunned.
"You can’t be serious."
Sure enough, a moment later, Shen Yang and the other two stopped. They had unearthed a massive wooden chest.
The chest was solidly built, its walls a full inch thick. It was both immense and deep.
A lid had been fitted to the top for easy access. It was a mystery how the Li family had managed to bury such a thing in the first place.
The inner walls were coated in a layer of grease so thick it was impossible to wash clean.
"The Li family was really thoughtful."
"I’ve never heard of anyone else setting up something like this in Celestial Barrier Mountain!"
Lanshan said approvingly, ordering the men to place the bear meat inside.
Shen Yang did as instructed. After closing the chest, he filled the hole with dirt and scattered a layer of campfire ash over the top.
He clapped the dust from his hands.
"No Demon Beast will be able to sniff this out unless it has some incredible innate ability!"
Once everything was taken care of, the cave finally grew quiet.
The group took a break, gathering around the campfire once more.
Lanshan reached out, unafraid of the heat, and tore off a piece from the edge of the roasting meat.
As long as a piece wasn’t bloody, he’d toss it into his mouth.
Seeing how heartily he was eating, Bai Mo asked,
"How formidable was this Demon Bear?"
Lanshan answered without hesitation. "One of the strongest among Tier One Demon Beasts."
"It wasn’t exceptionally strong, but it was cunning and skilled at ambushes. If you were alone or careless for even a moment, it wouldn’t be surprising to fall prey to it."
Ma Bazi then asked,
"Do you normally run into Demon Beasts on this path?"
Lanshan pursed his lips and didn’t answer, merely remarking,
"You think the Mountain Entrance Map is that worthless?"
Han Meng, who was massaging Lanshan’s stiff muscles, explained,
"This path actually runs along the border between the territories of several Demon Beasts."
"They keep to themselves, which is why the path is usually peaceful. The Demon Bear’s appearance tonight was just an anomaly."
Ma Bazi believed him.
The Demon Bear had obviously been searching for something. Whether it was for the swarm of toxic bees Han Meng had mentioned or not, the explanation was plausible.
"Lanshan, if this rain doesn’t stop, what about tomorrow...?"
Ma Bazi looked toward Lanshan.
The man stuffed a strip of meat into his mouth and mumbled,
"Doesn’t matter. We’re heading out first thing in the morning."
"Thanks to Shopkeeper Bai’s skills, I plan on checking out that limestone cave. If the rain keeps up and we’re delayed, I’m worried the water level inside will rise..."
The cave connected to an underground river. If it flooded, Bai Mo would have to make another trip sooner or later.
There was no way Lanshan could bring himself to ask that of him again.
Fortunately, Bai Mo, who was keeping the night watchman company, noticed the rain had started to let up around midnight.
The person on guard at the mouth of the cave was Qin Ying. Seeing Bai Mo staring intently outside, she couldn’t help but ask.
"What are you doing, Shopkeeper Bai?"
Bai Mo pulled his gaze back and simply smiled.
"It’s said that some medicinal herbs sprout and flower in the rain, propagating themselves."
"I’m just having a look."
「Early the next morning」
Everyone was already up.
After a simple meal to fill their stomachs, they hit the road.
By then, the rain had all but stopped, as if the previous night’s downpour had been nothing but a dream.
But the small rivulets flowing through the mountains and the large drops of water that occasionally fell from the canopy above served as a reminder of the previous night’s thunderstorm.
For the rest of the way, Lanshan proceeded with extreme caution.
Bai Mo, too, was constantly scanning the nearby plants.
Many of these plants often grew alongside poisonous creatures.
Those were things they needed to be wary of.
Han Meng took the lead, while Shen Yang supported Lanshan in the middle of the group.
He seemed to remember something and turned his head to look at Bai Mo.
"Shopkeeper Bai, what was that medicine you gave me last night? Can it relieve the side effects of the Qi Blood Pill?"
The man was still dwelling on it, his expression full of hope.
Bai Mo just said, "I know what you’re hoping for, Brother Lanshan, but you should put it out of your mind."
"I simply used some herbs to interrupt the effects of the Qi Blood Pill, preventing it from fully activating."
Lanshan nodded, a little disappointed.
"True. If something that good really existed, it would be a miracle of creation. Otherwise, it would have to be some kind of heretical art!"
The next stretch of the path was, just as predicted, quite peaceful.
The only difference from when Lanshan and his group had first passed through was the addition of a beehive, about ten feet in diameter.
Ma Bazi was aghast.
"Bees like that... if they swarmed, they could easily overwhelm a man and kill him."
Bai Mo gave a few instructions to the cultivators of the Demon Hunting Team, then said, "I’ll leave it to you."
He’d seen it last night—these three had incredible wrist strength and were masters with chains.
This was the perfect time to put their skills to use.
An iron chain shot out and snapped back like a bolt of lightning, carrying with it a small piece of beeswax that sealed in the toxic honey.
The fingertip-sized toxic bees in the hive barely stirred before they began repairing the opening.
Looking terrified, Ma Bazi urged the others on.
"Let’s go, now! Don’t linger!"
Bai Mo took out an empty pill vial, placed the beeswax and honey brought back by the chain into it, and only then did he walk away, satisfied.
"You seem very pleased, Alchemist Bai?"
one of the cultivators asked.
Bai Mo shook the pill vial in his hand.
"A piece the size of my palm sells for one Spirit Stone at the Chaoyun Commerce Association!"
"And even at that price, there are always cultivators scrambling to buy it."
HISS!
The group exchanged glances, never imagining the stuff was so valuable.
If the Pill Master hadn’t pointed it out, would they have ever given a toxic beehive a second thought?!
"May I ask, Alchemist Bai, what’s the story behind this stuff?"
someone asked with genuine curiosity.
Bai Mo explained, "This is called Heavy Honey. Those not on the path of the Alchemy Dao probably wouldn’t know of it."
"It can only be produced by a unique species of bee, and only after it has gathered nectar from over sixty different types of flowers."
The Chaoyun Commerce Association was able to sell so much Heavy Honey that alchemy apprentices all guessed they must be breeding their own unique bees and insects, probably raising them right in their own medicinal herb fields.
After ordering Shen Yang to mark the location of the hive, Lanshan turned to Ma Bazi and said,
"See? Stick with me, and you won’t lose out!"
They continued on their way and, just as planned, encountered no more Demon Beasts before reaching the end of the route on the Mountain Entrance Map.
To the side of a mountain waterfall, a limestone cave was partially visible, its entrance slick with moisture.
The waterfall wasn’t large. Bai Mo scanned the surrounding area.
A few plants that gave off a strange odor were growing exceptionally well.
’That must be one of the Li family’s protective measures, meant to repel herbivorous creatures.’
SPLASH!
In the small pool at the base of the waterfall, a spindle-shaped fish leaped from the water, smacked against a nearby rock, and fell back in.
"There’s nothing special about this fish, but its meat is firm. An excellent choice for a meal!"
Lanshan commented approvingly.
Ma Bazi, however, looked to Bai Mo.
Bai Mo nodded.
"You can find this fish at the market. It’s not rare."
"But the fact that it can live here proves the water quality is excellent."
