Chapter 387: Seeking Help

Chapter 387: Chapter 387: Seeking Help

"...The Jiao Soul Pill Dong Min brought back, even the deacon praised it..."

"That’s right! After that senior brother took the Pill, along with some tonics to replenish his blood and qi, he’s already able to walk around outside!"

Listening to everyone’s chatter, Bai Mo finally got the gist of the situation.

’I wonder who this deacon is and why he’s being so kind, mentioning the Jiao Soul Pill to the disciples on multiple occasions.’

Bai Mo cleared his throat.

"Um, what are these side effects you all are talking about?"

"An ordinary person taking the Jiao Soul Pill shouldn’t suffer any ill effects. Even with a unique constitution, there shouldn’t be any major problems..."

The disciples all burst into laughter.

"Junior Brother Bai, you must be joking."

"Half of that senior brother’s body is no longer human. Horns are sprouting from his head, and he looks incredibly strange."

"But I hear he’ll be coming soon to ask you for a way to treat it. As long as he can change back, it won’t be a big deal..."

Business was coming to his door. It would be foolish not to take it.

However, refining the Jiao Soul Pill was no easy task.

’The key is the jiao soul. Without it, it’s absolutely impossible.’

A disciple immediately asked:

"Besides this Pill, don’t you have any other types of Pills, Junior Brother?"

Bai Mo paused, a few Pill Formulas flashing through his mind.

"I do have others, but they are more complex, and the ingredients are harder to come by. Of course, the price is different as well..."

"Just tell us, Junior Brother! We might just happen to have what you need!"

...

After finally seeing the disciples off, Bai Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

’Centenarian Rat, Life-Returning Reversal Wood...’

’These are all rare items, but my fellow sect members might actually manage to get them. For now, I should review the Pill Formulas in this area.’

Bai Mo remembered that among the Pill Books in his collection were the personal notes of several seniors who had specialized in this field.

They weren’t necessarily focused on healing the body and curing diseases; some were seniors who delved into the dao of creation. All roads led to the same destination.

Returning to his stone house, Bai Mo first fed Ah Er a Pill.

"Take this Pill, and you won’t have to worry about being affected by the flora on the mountain. Go on now."

The vegetation on the mountain was, after all, a product of Ah Er’s own effort.

Ah Er grew excited upon hearing this, let out a cry, and immediately ran up the mountain.

Only then did Bai Mo look away, pulling out a few notebooks and reading through them one by one.

「Three days later.」

One of the disciples who had visited before returned. Bai Mo put down his Pill Book and went out to greet him.

"There aren’t many jiao souls in the market that meet your requirements, Junior Brother. The stuff has too many uses, and lots of people want it."

"But I managed to gather the materials you mentioned. Take a look..."

"Of course."

Bai Mo accepted the cloth pouch from him, and the disciple added:

"The deacon mentioned that my senior brother’s constitution is unusual; he has a natural affinity for the water element. I hope you’ll keep that in mind, Junior Brother."

That was easy enough to handle. Bai Mo called for Ah Er.

"North of here, there’s a great river. Spirit Fish teeming with the qi of creation are born in it, so the river water must be extraordinary as well."

"Go to a place where the Spiritual Qi is dense and bring back two buckets of it."

Ah Er agreed. He took two steps, then turned back, chittering and gesturing.

"You can’t swim?"

Bai Mo thought for a moment, then took out a Fire-Extinguishing Water Element Pill and handed it to him.

"Eat this Pill. Even if you still can’t learn, you won’t drown."

As an Inner Sect Disciple, the man who delivered the materials naturally had a keen eye.

When he saw the quality of the Fire-Extinguishing Water Element Pill, the corner of his eye twitched imperceptibly.

The expressions of the two Cultivators approaching from a distance also changed.

Dong Min looked at the simple-faced Ah Er, unable to see anything special about the Spirit Beast.

’He just casually gave away such a precious Pill?’

The Cultivator he was supporting walked with a limp, and several lumps protruded from the half of his body hidden beneath his robes.

Even half of his face was distorted, with thick veins bulging and a small, sharp, purple horn extending from his forehead—a stark contrast to his originally handsome features.

He looked less like a human and more like a member of some other race.

"As expected of a truly skilled Alchemy Cultivator, so generous with his gifts!"

"Help me over there!"

Meanwhile, Ah Er saw the blue patterns on the Pill, sniffed its Pill Qi, and, overjoyed, tossed it into his mouth.

He chewed a few times, and as the medicinal power slowly spread, his fur became even glossier.

Bai Mo waved a hand. "Off you go."

Only then did he turn to Dong Min and the other man, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Senior Brothers."

Dong Min tore his gaze away from the departing Ah Er. The hand he had been using for support was released as the Cultivator he’d been helping stepped forward two paces to return the greeting.

Though they had just met, they already knew each other’s identities.

The disciple who had come to ask Bai Mo for Alchemy services didn’t mention leaving, simply staying behind silently.

He wanted to see how Bai Mo would handle the situation.

The Cultivator Dong Min had brought was named Fu Jiu. He was the master whom Dong Min served, having followed him from the outside world into the sect.

Fu Jiu’s voice was weak, lacking in resonance.

"I have suffered a great calamity, and I am counting on you, Junior Brother, to help me escape this predicament."

Bai Mo smiled.

"You exaggerate, Brother Fu. It was nothing more than a casual effort."

"You came here to...?"

Fu Jiu pulled aside his robes, revealing the upper half of his torso.

Keratinous spikes grew from his skin, with scattered scales distributed among them. Faint, fine, dark-red hairs could even be seen around the edges of the scales.

Fu Jiu pointed to the abnormalities.

"For some reason, the half of my body that regenerated has turned out like this."

"That said, it’s not all bad. An ordinary blade probably couldn’t even scratch this side of my body."

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"But I’m still human, after all. I want to return to my previous appearance. Do you have a solution, Junior Brother?"

Bai Mo walked around him, examining him. He pressed on the skin—it was indeed tough.

In just a moment, he already had a plan.

"After taking the Jiao Soul Pill, did you do anything else, Senior Brother?"

Fu Jiu replied, "I practice an unorthodox Cultivation Technique that can alter my meridians, allowing me to manipulate Spiritual Qi more to my liking."

"It is my foundational method. The reason my abilities far surpass those of my peers from the same sect is all thanks to this."

Bai Mo nodded, his expression unchanged.

"So, it’s a body-sculpting Cultivation Technique. Very impressive."

’This kind of situation is a trivial matter. My predecessors have seen many such cases, and the solutions have all been recorded and passed down.’

Seeing his expression, Fu Jiu and the other two men present all had a flicker of hope in their eyes.

"Junior Brother, do you have a way?"

Bai Mo said, "It’s not difficult."

"However, you should think carefully, Senior Brother. After taking the Jiao Soul Pill, you have now formed a Jiao Demon Dao Body, which will provide a unique advantage to your cultivation."

"Especially for the path of Body Refinement."

"To resolve your abnormalities, I’ll need to break down and reconstruct your physique. I’m afraid you’ll lose forty percent of the benefits of the Jiao Demon Dao Body!"

Fu Jiu’s expression changed slightly.

"This..."

Ever since this body had regenerated, he had indeed felt a difference.

As he consumed blood and flesh each day, his strength returned, and he could faintly feel a sense of power he had never experienced before.

After a moment of contemplation, Fu Jiu came back to his senses.

"A few days ago, my master came to see me. He said that there was something quite marvelous about my new physique."

"For this reason, he made some special arrangements for me."

"How about you allow me to go back and ask him about this?"

Bai Mo naturally had no objection.

"Of course you can, but you must be quick."

"The longer you delay, the more your physique will mature, and the more effort it will take."

Fu Jiu nodded. He bid farewell to Bai Mo and, supported by Dong Min, gradually departed.

The eyes of the disciple who had come seeking a Pill lit up.

"Junior Brother Bai, you never mentioned anything about that Jiao Demon Dao Body..."

Bai Mo replied casually, "It’s just one of the Pill’s potential effects."

"If you don’t want it, I can just block that part of the medicinal power."