Having taken care of a small matter, Bai Mo left the restaurant alone, carrying a rather large bundle.

The moment he stepped out the door, a deliberately suppressed commotion broke out inside the restaurant.

The appearance of a Pill Master was no small matter in Immortal Arrival City.

It wasn’t just about Bai Mo’s age; it concerned the Cultivators in the restaurant personally.

The Pill Masters in the city were aloof and superior. They were so arrogant they practically looked down their noses at everyone, and ordinary Cultivators found it difficult to even get a chance to see them.

Bai Mo’s actions, at the very least, gave these Cultivators a hopeful misconception.

’This Pill Master seems approachable to Loose Cultivators. Maybe we’ll have a chance to interact with him.’

Hearing the clamor behind him, Bai Mo shook his head slightly, slung the bundle over his back, and departed.

A waiter from the restaurant had wanted to help, but Bai Mo turned him down.

He could only watch from the restaurant entrance as Bai Mo walked away.

A man with a limp made his way to the doorway.

"Truly impressive. To think he came from a Loose Cultivator background and forced his way into becoming a Pill Master."

He had heard about Bai Mo’s origins from Lanshan and was filled with admiration.

The waiter had just chimed in with a few words of agreement when the man turned his gaze on him.

"Weren’t you thinking of cultivating?"

"From now on, just go to his shop and buy more Pills. It’s always a good idea to build a closer relationship with a Pill Master."

The waiter’s face fell.

"My monthly wages are so low. How could I possibly afford that?"

The man patted his shoulder.

"Even so, don’t think I’m going to give you a raise."

"If you want money, go get it from Celestial Barrier Mountain. What real man stays cooped up in the city doing menial chores?"

The waiter pouted but said nothing. He moved to help the man back into the restaurant, but the latter forcefully shrugged him off.

"I’m just limping, I’m not that far gone!"

...

Bai Mo crossed the long streets and finally returned home.

Without even stopping to rest, he opened the bundle and poured out the medicinal herbs inside.

The numerous herbs were pressed together and still damp. Bai Mo carefully sorted through them one by one.

The quality of these herbs was excellent.

Bai Mo’s standards for selecting them had become a bit higher than before.

Higher quality herbs made it easier for him to refine Pills that possessed a Pill Fragrance.

The shop was his public face. If Bai Mo wanted to make it a success, he had to put on a good show.

After efficiently processing the herbs, Bai Mo set up his Pill Furnace and a bronze pot, then started a fire.

He was used to his own equipment at home; it was much easier to work with than what he could find elsewhere.

He was out of Climbing Vine, so he couldn’t refine Evil Exorcism Pills. Instead, Bai Mo planned to refine three other types of Pills, including Qi Absorption Pills.

By now, Bai Mo could refine these three types of Pills with his eyes closed, especially since his Alchemy Skill had greatly improved after his recent outing.

Wisps of smoke drifted out from the ventilation hole.

It was soon noticed by many people.

"Shopkeeper Bai is back?"

Nearby, Young Master Wang and Young Master Wei emerged.

The two of them conversed as they watched the column of smoke.

No one would have expected these two young masters to still be in Immortal Arrival City.

"Shopkeeper Bai saved our lives that day. You need to thank him properly in the future," Young Master Wei said seriously to Young Master Wang.

The latter nodded.

"Of course. I will."

After speaking, he sighed. "唉, the matter with the Li family is settled, so why have our families ordered us to remain in the city?"

Young Master Wei’s expression darkened.

"They want the two of us to act as the vanguard, to open up business channels in the city."

’I’m afraid that given the city’s current situation, the others don’t dare to come, so they’re pushing us out to test the waters.’

Young Master Wang snorted heavily.

"What a load of crap. Everyone knows what we’re capable of."

"If they really wanted to open up new channels, they shouldn’t have sent us!"

Young Master Wei glanced at him and warned:

"Reinforcements from our families will be here in a few days. You’d better not say things like that anymore."

"If someone overhears, it will be bad for us."

"I know!"

After their exchange, the two glanced at the familiar smoke rising from Bai Mo’s house and were about to head back inside.

"Huh, something seems off about Shopkeeper Bai’s smoke... the direction is wrong."

"Don’t overthink it. Shopkeeper Bai already fixed it last time..."

「The sun set and the moon rose.」

Bai Mo ate some dry biscuits. The rich, oily food from the restaurant was enough to sustain him until midnight.

The fire in the Pill Furnace slowly died down.

Bai Mo took out five Pills with coarse surfaces. With a squeeze of his fingers, he broke each one open.

Five perfectly round, snow-white Pills fell out.

A rich Pill Fragrance wafted out.

Satisfied, Bai Mo placed them in a pill bottle.

’Using the Pill-within-a-Pill method really does preserve most of the medicinal efficacy. The chance of producing a Pill Fragrance is much higher.’

’More importantly, the yield has increased significantly.’

Bai Mo considered the profits but ultimately decided against raising his prices.

His Pills were already five Broken Spirit Stones more expensive per bottle than elsewhere. If he raised the price again, sales would likely plummet.

His customers were Loose Cultivators just struggling to get by. They didn’t care about the profoundness of his Alchemy Skill.

If they felt his prices were too high, they would just go elsewhere and make do with cheaper alternatives.

Besides, since his yield had increased, his profit per furnace batch was already much higher. The returns were more than substantial.

So, he might as well keep the original price.

Having come to this conclusion, Bai Mo put away his Pill Furnace and bronze pot and went to sleep in his clothes.

He had to open the shop tomorrow, so it was best to look sharp and well-rested.

「The next day.」

At the crack of dawn, Bai Mo removed the shop’s door boards.

Bathed in the morning light, the shop opened its doors to customers for the first time in a long while.

However, to Bai Mo’s surprise, the moment he opened up, he found a crowd of people packed in front of his shop.

Bai Mo jumped. Just as he was about to speak, the crowd started clamoring.

"Shopkeeper Bai, do you buy medicinal herbs here!?"

"Alchemist Bai, take a look at mine! They’re top quality!"

"Pill Master..."

The scene was chaotic. If it hadn’t been so early in the morning with few other shops open, it certainly would have attracted a crowd of gawkers.

"AHEM!"

"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment!"

Bai Mo held up his hands in a calming gesture, and the crowd immediately fell silent, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

Bai Mo was surprised at how effective his words were. He paused for a moment before collecting himself and saying,

"It’s true that I buy medicinal herbs, but I am selective about their quality!"

"Besides, I’ve used up all the shop’s Spirit Stones and haven’t recouped them yet, so I’m afraid..."

Bai Mo was a bit embarrassed. He had already announced his intentions back at the restaurant.

He just hadn’t expected them to show up the very next day. It was all a bit too sudden.

"Shopkeeper Bai!!"

A sharp cry rang out. Bai Mo turned to see Lanshan pushing through the crowd toward him.

Lanshan was a relatively well-known figure among the Cultivators who frequented Celestial Barrier Mountain.

Moreover, herb-gathering Cultivators in Celestial Barrier Mountain were naturally a step below members of the Demon Hunting Teams.

Seeing Lanshan arrive, none of the other Cultivators dared to block his way.

Lanshan strode closer, followed by Han Meng, who looked at Bai Mo with a mixture of shock and respect.

"Are you short on funds, Shopkeeper Bai?" Lanshan asked in a low voice.

"I have seventy or eighty Spirit Stones here. If you wouldn’t mind, Shopkeeper Bai..."

Bai Mo was a little surprised.

’The Demon Hunting Team has been living off their savings for so long, how could they have any surplus?’

Lanshan explained, "I only found out yesterday myself. Shen Yang and the others sold the account book from the Li family."

"I remembered you saying that the account book could be valuable, Shopkeeper Bai, so Shen Yang put the word out."

"We never expected two young masters to show up and offer eighty Spirit Stones right off the bat. They were some real fat sheep..."

Hearing this, Bai Mo didn’t stand on ceremony and said at once,

"In that case, I won’t be polite. I’ll borrow some Spirit Stones from you, Brother Lanshan, and I’ll pay you back soon!"

Lanshan laughed heartily.

"Don’t mention it! Besides, I came here to buy some Pills. We’re heading into the mountains today..."