Chapter 386: Arriving in Droves

Chapter 386: Chapter 386: Arriving in Droves

Dong Min was exceedingly cautious.

"It’s a Pill I bought from a fellow sect member. It’s said to have the ability to reconstruct the body..."

"Is there a problem?"

The green-robed disciple put away his booklet and shook his head.

"It must be a rare Pill. Its medicinal properties are quite potent. I’ve never seen it before."

"But judging by his condition and comparing it to descriptions in the books, there’s probably no major issue..."

With that, he added some medicinal herbs to the basin of bloody water, gave a few instructions, and left.

Their job was only to keep the heavily injured disciples alive. As for actual healing and full recovery, that required a professional senior physician.

Of course, if the injured found some way to heal themselves before then, they would be more than happy to see it happen.

Seeing that the green-robed disciple didn’t intervene, Dong Min breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Sir, try circulating your Cultivation Technique and see if you can guide the growth of your meridians..."

Meanwhile, the green-robed disciple had just walked out of the cave when he saw an old Taoist approaching, drenched in sweat.

He quickly went forward to greet him, asking with concern:

"Martial Uncle, why are you so exhausted?"

Hearing this, the old Taoist practically jumped in place, fuming.

"What a load of crap!"

"All these Sect Disciples... they’ve all been dumped on me!"

"The sect insists on holding me in such high regard. What the hell am I supposed to do!?"

After a moment’s thought, the green-robed disciple placated the old Taoist and said in a low voice:

"There’s a disciple in there who privately bought a Pill from someone, and the effect seems to be quite good."

"Why don’t we..."

"Oh?" The old Taoist’s expression froze, then turned thoughtful.

"And you? What was your assessment of the Pill’s effects?"

Seeing that his Martial Uncle understood his intention, the green-robed disciple gave a self-satisfied smile.

"Inner Sect Disciples have some wealth to their name, after all. If we guide them to try it, and it actually works, it will lighten your burden, Martial Uncle."

"As for the Pill’s specific effects... my skill is too low to fully grasp them. You would have to be the one to judge."

The old Taoist waved his large sleeve.

"Lead the way..."

...

「The days flowed by.」

Day after day, Bai Mo shuttled between the Black Cells and his stone house, occasionally heading up the mountain to tend to his herbs.

He didn’t find the routine dull, however.

It had been three months since that crazed Cultivator was sent over.

Aside from his focus on pills, this man was the only other person on Bai Mo’s mind.

During his patrols of the Black Cells, Bai Mo had often seen the man in a half-dead state, convulsing as if having a seizure.

After rescuing him several times, he learned from the prisoners in the neighboring cells that the man’s condition was caused by his Spiritual Qi running rampant, leading to a cultivation deviation.

Consequently, Bai Mo sent a message to the Foreign Affairs Hall.

Two disciples came to take a look but only told Bai Mo not to worry and to just keep a closer watch on him.

"The Spiritual Qi in his body can still circulate freely. The sect made a special exception for him."

"Without the support of his Spiritual Qi, he probably wouldn’t last three days. Fortunately, he’s in the Black Cells, so he can’t stir up any major trouble. You don’t need to be afraid..."

After seeing the disciples off, Bai Mo understood why the other prisoners were so focused on the crazed Cultivator.

They probably thought they could uncover the secret of how he could freely manipulate Spiritual Qi within the cells. A pity for them, it was likely just wishful thinking.

One day, just as Bai Mo emerged from the Black Cells, he was startled by a piercing shriek.

The shriek was filled with panic and grievance, and it sounded somewhat familiar.

Running outside, he saw a disciple from up the mountain standing on a Flying Ship, holding a short rod and sweeping away encircling vine-like tentacles.

After several sweeps, he finally managed to drag a creature resembling a bear cub out from the vines.

The disciple from the Foreign Affairs Hall descended on the Flying Ship, holding Ah Er by the leg.

"Sigh, Junior Brother, what kind of plant are you growing on this mountain? Does it actually devour living things?"

Bai Mo took his badger back from the disciple. It felt heavy, so he dropped it on the ground.

"It’s just a carnivorous vine. Nothing malevolent."

"Heh," the Foreign Affairs Hall disciple chuckled.

"Your Spirit Beast got a real scare."

Bai Mo glanced at Ah Er. Seeing its eyes welling with tears, he knew it had been genuinely frightened. He handed it two Feeding Pills as a distraction.

Come to think of it, a vine that actively hunts prey would indeed be a major natural predator for small beasts and insects in the wild.

"Why did you bring it back, Senior Brother?"

Bai Mo asked with a smile.

"As for your Spirit Beast’s education in the Outer Sect... it’s gone about as far as it can. It’s not human, after all. You can’t ask for much more,"

the Foreign Affairs Hall disciple said.

"The disciple in the Outer Sect in charge of its training felt the time was right, so he arranged for someone to bring it back."

"It only ran into trouble because it suddenly darted away as we were passing the mountainside."

Having returned the Spirit Beast, the Foreign Affairs Hall disciple was about to leave.

Bai Mo saw him off.

Just as he was leaving, the disciple remembered something.

"Oh, right. As I was on my way here, I saw quite a few disciples heading in this direction. Are you planning something, Junior Brother?"

Bai Mo was taken aback.

’I rarely interact with people. They can’t be looking for me, can they?’

"There’s a market not far from here," he said. "The aromatic pearls produced by the spirit clams there are quite remarkable. Perhaps they’re all headed there for those..."

"Maybe so."

The Foreign Affairs Hall disciple didn’t dwell on it, said his farewells, and left on his Flying Ship.

Bai Mo then picked up Ah Er by the tip of its ear and led it back towards the stone house.

The slow-witted badger, still licking its Feeding Pill, shuffled its feet and followed Bai Mo.

WHAP!

A simple Pill Book was tossed down in front of Ah Er.

"Let’s see how many words you recognize."

A moment later, watching Ah Er’s gaze shift between vacant and contemplative, Bai Mo sighed.

"You definitely weren’t paying attention in your studies."

Of course, he wasn’t trying to teach a Spirit Beast Alchemy. Only someone with far too much time on their hands would do something so pointless.

Then again, it wasn’t unheard of. He’d heard that on Pill Peak, there was a whole troop of Spiritual Apes capable of Alchemy—a story often told as a marvel.

What Bai Mo wanted his Spirit Beast to learn, however, was merely how to process medicinal ingredients.

Ah Er was a diligent worker. As long as it could learn the process, Bai Mo wasn’t worried about it making any mistakes.

As he was pondering how to teach it, there was a sudden knock at the door, accompanied by what sounded like several voices.

He opened the door to find several disciples paying a visit.

"Are you Junior Brother Bai Mo?"

Bai Mo was surprised, thinking of the Foreign Affairs Hall disciple’s words.

’They’re really here to see me?’

Though he thought this, his expression remained unchanged.

"What can I do for you all?"

"Heh, why don’t you come out and talk, Junior Brother..."

So Bai Mo stepped outside and listened to the reason for their visit.

"You’ve come seeking the Jiao Soul Pill?"

Bai Mo had no idea when he’d gained such a reputation among the other disciples.

Then he heard one of them say, "Junior Brother, you are an expert at body reconstruction and conditioning meridians."

"Since you guard the Black Cells, we dare not ask you to come to us. We only wish to request a single Jiao Soul Pill. The price is negotiable."

Bai Mo quickly waved his hands.

"Wait, where did you all hear about the Jiao Soul Pill? Was it Brother Dong?"

The disciples all talked at once.

"It was Dong Min, yes. A sect steward recommended him as well, which is how we found out about this Pill."

"They say there are some side effects, but that those can be treated later. Compared to the injuries our brothers have, that’s nothing..."

Hearing this, Bai Mo immediately frowned.

"’Side effects’? Since when does the Jiao Soul Pill have side effects?"

"The most you could say is that it’s a bit unpleasant when the medicinal properties kick in. Who’s been slandering my work?"

Sensing there was more to this story, Bai Mo quickly pulled the group aside. They sat down at the foot of the mountain, preparing to discuss the matter in detail.

"Tell me everything that happened. Please, start from the beginning..."

The disciples happily sat down.

They had come seeking his Pills and had been worried they wouldn’t be able to get a word in with him.