Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Opening
After returning to Lanshan’s base and dividing the Spirit Stones, Ma Bizi and his men departed in a hurry.
"We’ll bring our brothers over to get acquainted in a few days."
Lanshan saw them off with satisfaction, feeling his hard work had finally paid off.
It was Bai Mo’s first time seeing over a thousand Spirit Stones laid out before him as Lanshan presided over the distribution.
Among the dozen or so people, Bai Mo’s share came to eighty-five Spirit Stones.
It wasn’t a small amount. However, the expenses of a Cultivator in a Demon Hunting Team were far greater than an ordinary person’s, and this was barely enough to cover his cultivation needs.
Still, the biggest gain from this trip had been the great fish in the cavern.
As usual, after receiving their Spirit Stones, the members of Lanshan’s Demon Hunting Team scattered throughout the city and went their separate ways.
Even Han Meng, the young man who now worked under Lanshan, headed out the door.
"I don’t care what else you do, just don’t go squandering your money at the brothels," Lanshan admonished.
"Those places are money pits. You absolutely can’t afford to go there now."
Everyone went about their own business.
Bai Mo bid farewell to Lanshan and headed for his shop.
The streets were crowded. With the full moon approaching, Celestial Barrier Mountain had become unsafe, forcing all the Cultivators to pull back to the city.
With Spirit Stones in hand, the Cultivators began patronizing the major shops.
As he walked down the street, Bai Mo occasionally overheard snippets of complaints.
Most were grumbling about soaring prices and the lack of available goods.
Some Cultivators weaved through the crowd, hawking their wares.
These were the same vendors who used to have street stalls; now they conducted business on the move.
They hadn’t been able to set up the marketplace outside the city.
When he arrived at his shop, he saw Master Feng and Master Wang sweeping the entrance.
Bai Mo quickly strode forward.
"Master Feng, Master Wang, how’s the place looking?"
Having not seen Bai Mo for several days, Master Feng and Master Wang breathed a sigh of relief at his return.
"We haven’t seen you in days, Brother Bai. I was wondering where to find you. It’s good that you’re back," Master Wang said with a cheerful laugh.
Master Feng, however, led Bai Mo straight inside.
"We’ve completed the job. Please, have a look."
Bai Mo entered the building and saw that many areas had been fitted with new wood.
The pungent smell that had filled the air a few days ago now lingered as only a faint trace.
After it aired out a bit more, the smell should be gone completely.
Bai Mo looked around, very pleased with the results.
He took out some Spirit Stones and paid them for their hard work.
Master Wang received two Spirit Stones, and Master Feng three.
Both men were satisfied. Ordinarily, only a generous client would pay such a rate.
Let alone in the current market.
"Oh, right," Master Wang said, suddenly remembering something.
"Brother Bai, while you were away, Elder Tao came by again."
"What for?" Bai Mo asked.
"It seemed to be about you buying his shop. He wanted to discuss it."
Master Wang lowered his voice. "He didn’t look too happy. Brother Bai, you should be careful. There might be something else going on here..."
Bai Mo nodded in understanding. He thanked them both before seeing them out.
Before he left, Master Feng held up a flatbread bag, which was filled with wriggling, plump grubs.
"These things are quite tasty. Are you sure you don’t want any, Alchemist Bai? You should at least try one..."
Bai Mo politely declined. "I’ve had a minor breakthrough, so I can’t afford to delay my cultivation."
After closing the shop door, Bai Mo went back to Lanshan’s place to move all of his belongings over.
Lanshan was resting in the courtyard and offered to help, but Bai Mo declined.
As the leader of a Demon Hunting Team, Lanshan had countless things to worry about in Celestial Barrier Mountain. It was a mentally and physically taxing job, and his exhaustion only showed now that he was back in the city.
Bai Mo didn’t want to disturb his rest.
Back at his new place, Bai Mo briefly put his things away, then sat cross-legged on the bed and began to circulate the Clear Spirit Qi Guiding Skill.
The stray wisps of Spiritual Qi scattered throughout his body were gathered and refined.
A sense of clarity and refreshment washed over Bai Mo.
Not even a Qi Absorption Pill had ever given him this level of cultivation efficiency.
’I wonder how cultivators from those great, wealthy families normally train.’
’I’ve heard that besides Pills, they have all sorts of treasures to aid them. No wonder they advance so much faster than Loose Cultivators!’
Bai Mo didn’t stop until dusk began to fall, still feeling like he could continue.
His meridians were now faintly trembling, suffused with a gentle warmth.
This was the perfect time to strike while the iron was hot.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to continue cultivating, but someone was knocking at the door.
A knock on his back door could only mean one of two things: it was either the two young masters, Wei and Wang, or his landlord, Elder Tao.
Bai Mo got off the bed, straightened his clothes, and opened the door.
It was the latter: his landlord, Elder Tao.
"What brings you here?"
Although he had heard about this from Master Wang, Bai Mo hadn’t rushed to seek him out.
He hadn’t expected the man to come to him first.
’Just a few days ago, the old man had no intention of selling. Why the sudden change of heart?’
Bai Mo welcomed him inside. Seeing that the teapot was clean, he went to boil some water to brew a pot.
"Don’t trouble yourself," Elder Tao said with a wave of his hand, a weary look on his face.
Bai Mo sat down opposite Elder Tao.
"I heard from Master Wang that you intend to sell this shop?"
Elder Tao nodded. "That is correct."
"I don’t understand. A few days ago, you had no such intention. Why the sudden change in just a few days...?" Bai Mo asked bluntly.
Elder Tao sighed.
"According to an old acquaintance of my son, it seems there’s been some trouble within the Miaofa Sect. He told me to sell off my properties as quickly as possible..."
"I don’t want to, so I’m trying to find a way. By consolidating my capital, I hope to save my other properties."
"After all, my granddaughter’s cultivation path depends on it."
Bai Mo hesitated upon hearing this.
"This trouble in the Miaofa Sect... what does it entail?"
"I don’t know." Elder Tao’s expression darkened.
"All we have right now are rumors deliberately leaked by the Miaofa Sect’s upper echelons, information that has only reached people like myself."
’Honestly, this wasn’t sounding like a good deal.’
’After all, if I buy the shop, who knows if I’ll be able to operate in peace in the future.’
Bai Mo was now feeling reluctant.
Seeing Bai Mo’s hesitation, Elder Tao quickly added:
"Brother Bai, you’re an honest man."
"If you’re interested, we don’t have to complete the transaction right away."
"I came tonight just to get your word, Brother Bai. Once the situation in the city stabilizes, we can finalize the sale. How does that sound?"
Only then did Bai Mo agree.
"Alright. I’ll get the Spirit Stones ready."
The two of them talked for half an hour, settled on a price, and then Elder Tao hurried away.
"I’m off to negotiate with the next party. That one’s not going to be easy to deal with!"
Bai Mo clicked his tongue in amazement.
He had long known that his landlord owned more than one property in the city.
But from their conversation, it was clear Elder Tao’s financial backing was far more substantial than he had imagined.
Bai Mo took a sip of the tea Elder Tao hadn’t had a chance to drink, gathering his thoughts.
Once his mind had settled, he sat cross-legged on the bed again.
Circulating the Clear Spirit Qi Guiding Skill, Bai Mo resumed his cultivation.
A faint, tingling ache spread through his body as his meridians expanded.
He was determined to completely refine the external Spiritual Qi he had accumulated within his body by the end of the night.
The Cultivators retreating from Celestial Barrier Mountain would be bringing who-knows-what back with them.
When he opened for business tomorrow, there were bound to be plenty of Cultivators coming to his door to sell medicinal herbs.
...
「The next day.」
Having slept for only two hours, Bai Mo was up bright and early.
He quickly washed up before taking down the wooden planks that served as the shop’s door.
The Spiritual Qi from the great fish had been completely assimilated. Bai Mo could feel that he wasn’t far from the fourth level of Qi Refining.
With the help of Qi Absorption Pills, it would take two or three months at most.
He had barely settled in when a Cultivator appearing at the entrance pulled him from his thoughts.
"Is the Shopkeeper in?"
"Come take a look at these fine goods!"
