Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Trouble
After two days of peace, just as Bai Mo was making a breakthrough with his pill refinement, someone showed up at his door.
Young Master Wei and Young Master Wang, it turned out, couldn’t keep things to themselves.
Seeing Wei the Third leave and with no one else from their families coming to help, they had started to panic.
And so, they came to Bai Mo.
"The Fire Marrow Pills aren’t ready yet. You two shouldn’t be so anxious."
Bai Mo held a dark, nondescript pill in his hand, turning it over and examining it.
"You’ve been in and out these past two days. Have you heard any news?"
The two young masters exchanged a glance. Young Master Wang seemed agitated.
"Several roads leading to and from Immortal Arrival City have been sealed off."
"I’ve heard from cultivators outside that the Wonderful Law Sect’s veil of decency has been torn away, and now they’ve dropped all pretense."
He made an exaggerated face and said with his mouth agape:
"It’s not so bad inside the city, but in the market districts outside, they’re forcefully collecting rent—all the way up to three years in advance!"
"My heavens! If Immortal Arrival City doesn’t end up under the Wonderful Law Sect’s control, those outer markets will just dissolve and everyone will go elsewhere. Where do they get the nerve?"
Young Master Wang thought for a moment before adding,
"Even Wei the Third would never do something like this!"
The market districts outside the city mostly thrived under the influence of Immortal Arrival City, protected by the cultivators within.
If Immortal Arrival City were to change hands, would the Wonderful Law Sect really send people to occupy the markets directly?
Bai Mo chuckled.
"Why all the complaints about Senior Wei? He seemed decent enough to me."
As a younger member of the clan, it wasn’t Young Master Wei’s place to comment, but Young Master Wang had no such qualms.
"He’s just shameless. He has little loyalty to his family, only doing his basic duties to keep up appearances."
"He’s like that with his own kin, but he’s actually nicer to outsiders."
"He uses the resources at his disposal to maintain decent relationships with some of the merchant guilds."
As they spoke, a worried expression appeared on Young Master Wei’s face.
Bai Mo noticed at once and asked, "Why the worried look?"
"Outside, I’ve been hearing that Sect Disciples are going around collecting miscellaneous fees from shops and newcomers."
"If anyone resists, they beat and curse them, all under the name of the Law Enforcement Team..."
Bai Mo considered this. ’It really seems like Immortal Arrival City is about to change hands. The chaos in the city must stem from this—the sect’s disciples can’t restrain their greed, and it’s turned into a free-for-all.’
The two young masters agreed that they wouldn’t go out for the time being, and would instead focus on their cultivation to wait things out.
Just as they were asking Bai Mo to pick out some Qi Absorption Pills for them, the burly, dark-skinned man who wielded the sledgehammer rushed in.
"Alchemist Bai! A group of men are here! You should come and see!"
"They’re looking for trouble!"
Bai Mo paused what he was doing.
’What a coincidence!’
After a moment’s thought, Bai Mo straightened his clothes and walked out unhurriedly.
"Did they say who they are?"
"They said they’re from the sect!"
When Bai Mo stepped outside, he saw that the group of usually busy workers had all stopped what they were doing.
They were huddled together, being questioned by several arrogant, cold-faced cultivators.
The men, however, were just looking at each other, clearly with no intention of answering.
The sledgehammer-wielding man lowered his head slightly and whispered,
"If there’s trouble, Alchemist Bai, just give us the signal. We’ll surround them. I doubt they’ll dare to do anything then!"
Bai Mo was somewhat surprised.
’I never would have thought this group of laborers had such guts!’
However, seeing the lead cultivator’s ear twitch and his brow furrow, Bai Mo knew the man had overheard them.
"Are you the owner of this place?"
The man’s cold voice rang out just as Bai Mo approached.
The cultivators wore matching attire, and even their weapons were standard-issue. They certainly looked the part of Sect Disciples.
Bai Mo cupped his hands.
"I am. And you are...?"
The man clearly had no intention of answering.
"That’s none of your concern. I’m just asking you: when this shop changed hands, did you register it with the authorities?"
Bai Mo shook his head.
"I have not. I was unaware of any rule requiring me to do so."
The cultivator’s gaze sharpened, and he raised his chin arrogantly.
"The people in charge are different now. I’m telling you to complete the registration. Are you going to do it or not?"
Bai Mo nodded and said in a mild tone,
"Of course. What’s the procedure?"
The cultivator held up three fingers.
"A pill shop’s profits are too high. We’ll be collecting a fee of thirty percent of your original purchase price!"
At these words, everyone present frowned.
The sledgehammer-wielding man pointed to one of the so-called Sect Disciples and warned Bai Mo,
"That’s Mo Yaozi. He used to compete with us for work. He has no real skills, just a lot of dirty tricks!"
The implication was clear: these people were not legitimate. They were likely just using the Wonderful Law Sect’s name to get what they wanted.
"I’ve heard that recently, many families in the city have had people show up at their doors demanding they pay strange, miscellaneous fees, one after another."
"It’s all very shady."
The man spoke bluntly, not bothering to hide his words from the group.
"You motherf—"
Mo Yaozi’s expression changed. Seeing the man give him no face whatsoever, he immediately began to curse.
He drew his sword and brandished it sloppily as he lunged forward.
But he stopped after just two steps.
Bai Mo had only to wave his hand.
A crowd of strong, burly men, wielding the tools of their trade, surrounded the few cultivators.
All of them were heavy tools—hammers, chisels, and the like.
Seeing this, Mo Yaozi and his group faltered and took a few steps back.
Only the lead cultivator’s expression remained unchanged.
"I am Zhang Chang, an outer disciple of the Wonderful Law Sect! I may not be as distinguished as the Law Enforcement Team, but I’m not someone you lot can lay a hand on!"
"You can refuse to complete the procedure today, but don’t blame me when I return with my martial brothers..."
"This is how things are in the city now. Are you going to comply or not?"
Bai Mo asked curiously, "What’s your cultivation level?"
Seeing his expression, Zhang Chang grew annoyed.
"Just the fifth level. More than enough to deal with these grunts."
"But I hear you’re an Alchemist, so I won’t make things difficult. Pay the Spirit Stones, and I’ll leave immediately. How about it?"
Bai Mo remained noncommittal, casually tossing out a Qi Blood Pill.
The sledgehammer-wielding man beside him deftly caught it and swallowed it in one gulp without a second glance.
Almost instantly, a fire seemed to ignite within his body, searing his flesh with intense pain.
But in its place came a surging, endless well of strength.
The sheer force was almost too much for him to handle, and his breathing grew heavy and ragged.
"HAH!"
A sharp glint flashed in the man’s eyes. With a short cry, his muscles bulged, and he seemed to grow a full head taller on the spot.
His aura fluctuated wildly, becoming frenzied.
His companions standing nearby looked on in terror.
Young Master Wei and Young Master Wang were even more astounded.
They had never heard that Bai Mo had pills like this in his shop.
"Alchemist Bai, just give the word!"
"Do we fight or not!?"
The man’s head felt fuzzy. He shook it, and spurred on by the restless energy coursing through him, he roared.
Zhang Chang’s expression changed as he saw Bai Mo take out two more pills, both of which were a solid, blood-red color.
"My pills," Bai Mo began softly, "are reasonably effective—a bit stronger than the ones your esteemed sect sells on the open market. Fellow Daoist, I suggest you reconsider your choice of words. Otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t be leaving here so easily today!"
Mo Yaozi took a step forward and instinctively grabbed Zhang Chang’s sleeve.
’This man really is a Sect Disciple; his strength is beyond question. Escaping from a mob of commoners shouldn’t be difficult for him. But it’s a different story for the rest of us. We’re just here for show, to pull a few tricks and get a small cut of the profits. With so many disciples from the Wonderful Law Sect cashing in on the chaos in the city, plenty of others are tagging along for a piece of the action. But the guy I chose to follow is unreliable! He can’t even handle this situation. I really picked the wrong person!’
"Immortal Master Zhang, you have to look out for us brothers."
"These guys are savages! They don’t know who they’re messing with!"
