Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Purchasing Medicine

CREAK!

The back door swung open, releasing a gust of musty, dusty air tinged with the ancient scent of medicinal herbs.

Bai Mo waited for it to dissipate before stepping inside to open a window and air the place out.

"I’m back."

Surveying the familiar layout of the room, Bai Mo felt a sense of grounding reassurance.

He had just rolled up his sleeves, ready to start cleaning, when he heard a familiar voice.

"Well, well! Brother Bai is back!"

His neighbor’s window slid open, revealing a pale, listless face.

Bai Mo paused what he was doing, a hint of exasperation on his face.

"You’ve been toiling all night. Shouldn’t you be getting some rest instead of listening for sounds from my house?"

The neighbor’s expression didn’t change, as if he hadn’t heard a word. He casually tossed a sheet of paper over.

The page fluttered, making a rustling sound as it sailed precisely through the window and landed in front of Bai Mo.

Bai Mo’s brow furrowed. He reached out and, with a crisp SNAP, snatched the paper from the air just as it lost its momentum.

The left edge of the page was ragged, as if it had been torn from a book.

Bai Mo examined its contents closely. He saw columns of medicinal ingredients and some notes on refinement techniques, though parts were worn away and missing.

"Is this a Pill Formula?"

The neighbor nodded and yawned, looking completely drained.

"Brother Bai, give it a try. Even if you only manage to produce something with a sliver of medicinal effect, that’ll be enough."

As he spoke, he clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture.

"Please, do me this favor and put some real effort into it. If it works, I’ve got plenty of customers lined up!"

Bai Mo scoffed, retorting irritably,

"Where did you get this Pill Formula? It doesn’t even have a name or description for the Pill. You’d dare to just eat whatever it makes?"

The neighbor let out an "Ai!" and said, full of self-righteousness,

"Look at the ingredients! Ninety percent of them are quality herbs. Taking it can’t possibly be a mistake!"

"I got this from the tomb of a great senior!"

Bai Mo knew that people who dabbled in Talismans often had shady connections and a penchant for dealing with antiquities.

He just hadn’t expected the man to go so far as to procure a Pill Formula for his... personal hobbies.

"Fire Almond, Blood Python Pill, Sunflower, Sleepless Night..."

Bai Mo chuckled.

"They’re quality ingredients, alright. A truly drastic concoction. Anyone who didn’t know better might think you have a rather... delicate problem, my friend."

The neighbor’s face finally soured. He was about to retort when Bai Mo continued,

"Do you have any idea that this is for a Tier Two Pill?"

The Pill Formula listed over twenty types of ingredients, and twelve of them were substances that an ordinary pill apprentice would find difficult to handle.

Even without knowing the Pill’s name, he could deduce its tier from the components.

"Hah, you must be joking, Brother Bai. I know you people who run Pill Shops have your tricks. Besides, you even buy waste pills..."

"If you can’t refine the original Pill, making a simplified version shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

The guy might be a scoundrel, but the Tier Two Pill Formula was real.

So, Bai Mo had no intention of giving it back.

"Fine. I’ll look into it. But the medicinal properties are volatile. If the final Pill isn’t what you’re hoping for, don’t blame me!"

The neighbor’s face lit up.

"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Bai!"

SLAM!

The window across the way shut. He had probably gone to get some actual rest.

Bai Mo studied the Pill Formula for a long time before folding it up and tucking it into his sleeve.

’I’ve heard that most Pill Masters keep a few Tier Two Pills on hand for sale. It’s the foundation of their livelihood. I suppose I can give it a try now.’

While the Pill from this formula wasn’t something to be shown to the public, it was suitable for practice.

Besides, there was probably a sizable market for this sort of thing...

Shaking off his thoughts, Bai Mo picked up a broom and began to sweep.

It took him about an hour, but once the room was tidy, Bai Mo could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

’The priority right now is to refine some Pills and get the shop up and running!’

...

By afternoon, Bai Mo was strolling out the door.

He had twenty-one Spirit Stones on him. He tucked them into his robes, planning to spend them all. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

However, the moment he stepped onto the street, Bai Mo froze.

The street, once packed with stalls and ringing with the shouts of vendors, was now eerily quiet.

It was completely empty, without a single stall in sight.

Bai Mo’s brow furrowed.

These stalls had relied on sheer numbers to attract their considerable foot traffic.

If the number of stalls dropped drastically, even those who wanted to stick it out would see no reason to continue.

After a moment’s thought, Bai Mo started walking toward the tavern where the Demon Hunting Teams gathered.

He walked at a brisk pace, the familiar greetings from stall owners he used to hear now absent.

Feeling a little wistful, Bai Mo arrived at the tavern, the jade pendant at his waist swinging with each step.

A waiter with a cloth draped over his shoulder spotted Bai Mo immediately.

"Hey! Shopkeeper Bai, long time no see!"

Bai Mo smiled in response and followed the waiter to the second floor.

The stalls on the street might be gone, but business in the tavern was still booming.

The first floor was full, and the second floor was mostly occupied as well.

The waiter led Bai Mo to a seat and began diligently wiping the table.

"I stopped by your shop a few days ago, hoping to buy a bottle of Pills, but you were closed."

Bai Mo chuckled. "I was away on a long trip. Been closed for a while. I’ll be open the day after tomorrow."

"Bring me two small side dishes and a bowl of white rice. No Demon Beast meat. Just bring whatever you think is good."

The waiter acknowledged the order and left.

Sitting at his table, Bai Mo scanned the surrounding patrons. Most were rugged members of Demon Hunting Teams.

There were also some who were clearly Cultivators that had been treasure-hunting in the mountains; their auras weren’t as intense, and they had large black bundles resting beside them.

These Cultivators were whispering amongst themselves, exchanging information at the tavern, trying to figure out a way forward.

The waiter quickly returned with the food and set it down.

"Enjoy your meal!"

Bai Mo nodded. Before the waiter could walk away, he said softly,

"Could you pass a message to those men over there for me..."

The waiter followed Bai Mo’s gaze and saw a few of the treasure-hunting Cultivators.

The Cultivators looked glum, showing little appetite for the food in front of them.

"No business again today. Someone came to chase us away from the city gate..."

"Are they trying to starve us?!"

"We spent half a month in the Celestial Barrier Mountain. We can’t just let this drag on. If we don’t sell our goods, they’ll lose their value."

Just as they were talking, the waiter suddenly approached them.

"Gentlemen, Shopkeeper Bai over there invites you to join him. He has important business to discuss."

"Shopkeeper Bai?"

"Who’s that?"

The waiter quickly lowered his voice. "He’s Shopkeeper Bai from the Pill Shop. His Alchemy Skill is superb."

"Many of the top experts from the Demon Hunting Teams get their Pills from Shopkeeper Bai!"

The Cultivators exchanged a look.

’Why would the Shopkeeper of a Pill Shop want to see us?’

After a moment’s hesitation, two of them stood up.

"You two wait here. We’ll go check it out!"

"He sells Pills. Who knows, maybe there’s a chance to do business with him!"

The waiter led the men over, gave their stools a quick wipe, and invited them to sit.

"Shopkeeper Bai, I’ve brought them over."

"Good, thank you." Bai Mo dismissed the waiter before turning to the two men sitting across from him.

"Have you two just returned from the mountains?"

Bai Mo had singled out this group because the mud clinging to their black cloth bundles was still damp.

The two Cultivators had many wrinkles on their faces.

However, considering that their hard life aged them prematurely, he estimated their real ages were around forty.

"We have. What can we do for you, Shopkeeper Bai?"

Bai Mo put down his chopsticks and said with a serious expression,

"I came out intending to purchase some medicinal herbs, but unfortunately, the market is closed, and the shops are too expensive."

"Do any of you happen to have medicinal herbs in your bags?"

One of the Cultivator’s faces lit up with joy, but he was immediately suppressed by his companion.

The latter wore a grave expression.

"We have herbs, of course. We were just wondering about the ’important business’ the waiter mentioned..."

Bai Mo smiled.

"It’s nothing bad. Now that you can’t do business on the street, I don’t want to go through any extra trouble either."

"If you want to save yourselves some trouble in the future, you can bring your goods to my shop first, and I can sell a portion of them for you."

"I’ll have to ask you two to spread the word to your colleagues as well..."

Hearing this, the two Cultivators’ expressions grew solemn.

"What gives you the confidence to make such a claim?"

Bai Mo unfastened the jade pendant from his waist and placed it on the table.

"Do you recognize this?"