Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Purchasing
"And now, my shop is finally open for business."
Bai Mo said, a hint of a self-satisfied smile on his face.
The old bookshop keeper finally let out a chuckle.
"You’ve done well, young Bai."
"Well, I haven’t been out to look around in a long time. I didn’t even know a new Pill Shop had opened up on the street."
Bai Mo hesitated for a moment before saying,
"I heard you made quite a name for yourself back in the day. Why is it that now..."
’To say he’d retired would be an understatement.’
’I’ve caused quite a few disturbances one after another myself.’
’Only now am I picking up on the clues and coming out to inquire. This old man probably has a mind to deliberately shun the world.’
The old Shopkeeper pointed to his own head.
"Back then, I was young and full of vigor, always fighting to be the strongest. I certainly made a name for myself, no doubt about it."
"But, in a life-or-death battle, someone managed to land a nasty blow right here. The injury was severe."
The old Shopkeeper’s expression was calm as he spoke.
"I can’t remember much anymore. All that youthful passion and flair from back then, it’s all gone, completely forgotten."
"In the end, I strangely found that the only things I could remember were from books, so I opened a bookshop to make a life for myself..."
As he spoke, the old Shopkeeper patted his knee and said softly,
"To be cured, I’m afraid it would take a miracle of rebirth."
As Bai Mo listened, he felt there was more to the story.
But the younger generation could never sort out the grudges and passions of their elders. It was best to just appreciate the gilded passage of time within it all.
Seeing the old Shopkeeper’s hesitant expression, Bai Mo asked,
"Is there something you wish to teach me?"
The old Shopkeeper chuckled. "You’re already a Pill Master. I’ve never been as impressive as you in my entire life. I’m in no position to teach you."
"I just want to tell you one thing: no matter how prominent you become, you must never abandon the will to survive."
"Back in my day, there were countless desperate men who’d risk their lives. There are fewer of them now, and they’re a lot cheaper, doing anything for money..."
Bai Mo nodded repeatedly, showing that he was taking the words to heart.
"Please continue, sir. I’m listening."
But the old Shopkeeper was unwilling to go into detail, only saying,
"Establishing yourself isn’t so easy. There’s a whole world of things to it. Compared to Celestial Barrier Mountain, it’s a completely different landscape. In short, be careful."
"Especially since your circumstances have changed!"
After saying this, he stood up and slowly made his way back to his bookshop.
"No need to see me out. Just watch over your own place."
"After all these years, my shop has been unshakable. I’ve never once been late opening the doors..."
Bai Mo watched him leave, sighed with emotion, and then headed around to the back.
"Alchemist Bai, are you all right?"
one of the men asked with concern.
"I’m fine. An elder just came by for a visit."
Hearing Bai Mo put it that way, the men exchanged a look, relieved that they hadn’t been rude to the old gentleman that morning.
"Hm?"
"The Alchemy Room is already finished?"
Bai Mo noticed this and immediately walked into the adjacent storefront to inspect the layout.
"Oh."
"The boss saw that Alchemist Bai already had his Pill Furnace ready, so he brought the brothers over last night and worked through the night to build the Alchemy Room..."
Inside the Alchemy Room, a massive Pill Furnace was situated next to a high platform to make it easy for Bai Mo to access.
The material of the inner walls was extraordinary, a type of ore mined from Celestial Barrier Mountain.
The ore was heat-resistant and could keep the walls from cracking for a hundred years.
"The boss went to transport the Spirit Wood. Once he’s back, Alchemist Bai can fire up the furnace and give it a try!"
Bai Mo nodded in satisfaction.
"Good!"
However, he was still short on ingredients to replicate the Evil Exorcism Pill.
’The ingredient White Deer Blood is too cheap. Ordinary clinics and apothecaries might have some, but not a large amount.’
’I need to get some first to handle emergencies.’
Bai Mo thought for a moment, then said to the man following him,
"When your boss gets back, just have him put the Spirit Wood in the Alchemy Room. I need to go out for a bit."
After giving his instructions, he hurried off.
If there was any place that might have a large quantity of White Deer Blood, the first place Bai Mo thought of was the Chaoyun Commerce Association in the city.
Their main selling point was that they had everything one could possibly need.
What a bold claim!
Bai Mo rushed to the association’s building.
Cultivators still came and went, and business at the Chaoyun Commerce Association was even better than before.
Business was slow for other shops, but this place seemed completely unaffected.
In fact, it looked like they were even profiting from the sluggish market.
Bai Mo walked into the shop.
Because there were so many customers, only one female Cultivator came to greet him. He didn’t get the usual treatment of the sisters teasing him together.
"Well, well! If it isn’t the little mister again!"
"But there’s no one to keep you company today. I don’t have time for you to be asking about this and that!"
Seeing she was about to walk away, Bai Mo quickly stopped her.
"I’m really buying today!"
"I’m buying medicinal ingredients!"
The female Cultivator’s eyes lit up, a feeling of her "investment" finally paying off washing over her. But she still sized up Bai Mo suspiciously for a moment.
"Alright, tell me. What do you want?"
"White Deer Blood. I’ll take as much as you have!"
Bai Mo said with great conviction.
The female Cultivator was a bit confused upon hearing this. She thought for a while but couldn’t recall it.
"White Deer Blood? I’ve never heard of it, but it sounds like something precious..."
"Come with me. I’ll take you to see Elder Pu!"
Bai Mo rubbed his nose and followed her, soon arriving before a counter.
Seeing the customer in front leave, the female Cultivator quickly pulled Bai Mo forward.
"Elder Pu! This young man wants to buy some medicinal ingredients!"
Elder Pu’s hair and beard were half-white, and he wore a green robe. Bai Mo didn’t detect any Pill Qi from him, but he could smell a strong scent of medicinal ingredients.
Elder Pu glanced at Bai Mo, and his expression turned serious.
He walked out from behind the counter and ceremoniously invited Bai Mo to sit down.
"I wonder, what might this fellow Daoist be looking for?"
The female Cultivator was puzzled by Elder Pu’s attitude. He rarely acted this way unless he was dealing with a high-level Cultivator.
Bai Mo spoke up, "I’ve come today because I’d like to purchase some White Deer Blood for Alchemy..."
"I was wondering how much your esteemed association has in stock?"
The female Cultivator chimed in at the right moment, "I thought about it for a long time but couldn’t figure out what this White Deer Blood was, so I came to find Elder Pu."
Elder Pu glanced at her and said gently, "What they call White Deer Blood is actually White-Hair Flower."
"Because of its properties, those in the Alchemy Dao like to call it White Deer Blood."
"Ah!" The female Cultivator was stunned and a little annoyed.
’That stuff isn’t worth much at all.’
Elder Pu looked at Bai Mo and said softly,
"Not many people usually buy this item, so the association doesn’t have much in stock. Only about thirty jin or so!"
Bai Mo immediately nodded.
"That’s more than enough! No one would normally stock this much. Only your esteemed association would have it!"
"I’ll take it all!"
Elder Pu looked at the female Cultivator.
"Go fetch all the White-Hair Flower from the warehouse. Remember to be gentle and don’t damage any of it."
Seeing Elder Pu give such an uncharacteristically specific warning, the female Cultivator glanced at Bai Mo, nodded quickly, and went on her way.
"Fellow Daoist, is there anything else you need? The association has recently received a lot of medicinal ingredients, and they are all of excellent quality."
Bai Mo shook his head.
"I came out in a hurry today and didn’t bring enough Spirit Stones."
"No matter," Elder Pu said. "I can still show you around, fellow Daoist. You may have reason to return in the future..."
Bai Mo felt it would be rude to refuse, so he followed him and looked around for a long time.
He didn’t leave until the female Cultivator returned, he took the White-Hair Flower, and paid three Spirit Stones.
"Elder Pu, why..."
The female Cultivator finally found an opportunity and quickly asked her question.
"I’m afraid that young man is a Pill Master."
Elder Pu said cryptically.
"How many Pill Masters are there in Immortal Arrival City? Hurry and send someone to find out."
