Chapter 417: Death by Old Age

Chapter 417: Chapter 417: Death by Old Age

His days in Immortal Arrival City were rare moments of peace and quiet.

So Bai Mo simply took the opportunity to rest for some time.

Occasionally, he would offer guidance to the shop’s clerks, clearing up their confusion.

To him, their questions were rather elementary, so helping them was truly effortless.

Bai Mo also made sure to visit the Mountain View Tower disciples in the city.

After all, if he wanted them to keep a closer eye on the shop and the Demon Hunting Team, he had to maintain the relationship.

But when he arrived at the Mountain View Tower, he found that most of the disciples had been replaced.

Evidently, the sect had been undergoing frequent personnel changes lately.

Brother Zheng spoke with Bai Mo.

The sect hadn’t criticized him for using the Yin-Devouring Thunder Poison without permission. They only said he had used it improperly, nearly causing the ley lines to collapse and rivers to change their course.

"With your skills, why not establish your own Alchemy Dao organization? You would only need to recruit a few Pill Masters."

"Just tending to a single shop seems a bit unambitious."

Bai Mo waved his hand dismissively.

"That would take too much effort. I have no interest in managing something like that."

"Besides, the profits wouldn’t necessarily be any better. After all, Pill Masters need to make a living too."

"Things are good as they are. Besides selling Pills on my behalf, the shop also brings me an extra twenty to thirty thousand Spirit Stones from time to time."

Brother Zheng shook his head and chuckled.

"I’d long heard that you were an unworldly and uninteresting character from your time guarding the black jail. Seeing you now, it seems the rumors were true..."

After giving out a considerable number of Pills at the Mountain View Tower as a token of his goodwill, Bai Mo returned to his shop.

He spent some time supplementing and organizing the Pill Book manuscripts he had left at the shop, and the days passed by.

In the blink of an eye, a month went by.

When it was time to return to the sect, Bai Mo packed his bags and departed quietly.

Ah Er was very reluctant to leave. He had been living quite comfortably at the shop these past few days.

The old Shopkeeper had grown very fond of him, thinking him honest and capable of working diligently.

Besides imparting knowledge from the books, he would also find snacks for him from time to time, making Ah Er very happy with the treats.

The people of Immortal Arrival City were not only experts at dissecting Demon Beasts, but they also had a deep understanding of their habits.

The city’s elders, relying on their experience, could handle Demon Beasts and Spirit Beasts with ease.

Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Ah Er trotted over to the shop.

The old Shopkeeper saw him just as he was taking down the wooden door panels for the day.

"So early today?"

He was surprised for a moment, but then understanding dawned on him. He lightly stroked his beard.

"I see. It must be time for Brother Bai to return to the sect."

"Arh!"

Ah Er let out a cry of confirmation and pulled a bottle of Pills from the cloth pouch on his chest, holding it out to the old Shopkeeper.

It contained Pills for regulating one’s health, which Bai Mo had specifically instructed him to deliver.

The old Shopkeeper nodded and accepted it.

"Ah, you learn good things in a great sect."

"He didn’t come to say goodbye, so Brother Bai must want to leave quietly. I won’t go to see him off, then."

"Go on now. When you’re back next time, remember to come visit this old man..."

So Ah Er left, and the old Shopkeeper watched him go.

Soon after, a streak of green light rose from the Pill Shop’s backyard and vanished into the distance in an instant.

Some sharp-eyed members of the Demon Hunting Teams noticed.

"Is that Alchemist Bai leaving?"

"’Fraid so. By my count, he’s been back long enough. No way he’d stick around the city any longer than he has to."

"You say that like this place is so bad. No matter how you slice it, this is still where Alchemist Bai got his start, isn’t it?"

Bickering, a few of them hurried out to inform Lanshan.

Before long, all his acquaintances knew that Bai Mo had once again returned to his sect.

His departure and return, though seemingly quiet, had actually left a considerable impact.

...

「One month later.」

「Xuandao Sect, Inner Sect, Foreign Affairs Hall.」

A group of disciples with unstable auras chatted as they handled their affairs. Many had just returned from the Celestial Barrier Mountain range.

Bai Mo was answering the routine questions of a disciple from the Foreign Affairs Hall.

However, unlike before, the golden thread Suanni embroidered on this disciple’s chest was gone.

Normally, the Suanni insignias on their chests were quite impressive.

"Brother Bai, why are you only returning now? You’re cutting it close on the last day."

Bai Mo shook his head and sighed.

"Just bad luck."

"On my way back, I happened upon a small kingdom performing a ritual. Got struck by the lightning they summoned and had to spend a few days recovering..."

The Foreign Affairs Hall disciple looked at Ah Er by Bai Mo’s feet.

He currently wore a look of indignation, his fur still scorched black and curly.

The disciple laughed.

"That was the Che Shi Kingdom, wasn’t it? I remember they were planning to summon lightning to temper a royal Spiritual Artifact recently."

"That’s just how things are there. They have to perform a ritual to summon lightning periodically. Otherwise, if their guardian Magical Artifact isn’t maintained, its power will diminish greatly."

"But that little kingdom has very close ties with our sect, and they’re always respectful and proper. You didn’t extort them, did you?"

Bai Mo quickly shook his head.

"No, I only took a token sum of five thousand Spirit Stones, and some of their local specialty herbs."

When the Flying Ship fell from the sky, the Cultivators of the Che Shi Kingdom were scared out of their wits.

The Prince presiding over the event almost burst into tears.

He’d fought so hard for the assignment, only for it to end in disaster. How could he not feel aggrieved?

Luckily, Bai Mo had sensed something was wrong when the dark clouds gathered and had immediately used the lightning-repelling Talismans he carried on his person.

’It seems those Talismans gifted by the senior brothers who requested Pills were the real deal—incredibly effective.’

They had nullified eighty percent of the lightning bolt’s power.

Bai Mo, who wouldn’t have been seriously harmed in any case, only ended up with some superficial wounds.

Only Ah Er had his fur scorched and curled by the electricity, almost catching fire. His resentment was palpable.

Seeing how relaxed the Foreign Affairs Hall disciple was, Bai Mo pointed at his chest.

"Brother, didn’t you used to have a Suanni embroidered here?"

Hearing this, the disciple glanced left and right, stretched, and let out a long breath before lowering his voice:

"The old beast died of old age. They still haven’t decided where its Divine Soul will go to be venerated."

"In any case, it’s not going to be our Foreign Affairs Hall that gets it."

"The sect will have to assign a new one that can command respect. Then we’ll see what we get to embroider on our chests."

Bai Mo was greatly surprised.

"So that’s the reason!"

The Foreign Affairs Hall disciple was nonchalant.

"Why the big reaction? It’s not like the old ancestor ever appeared before you. Why should you care whether it’s here or gone?"

Bai Mo replied,

"It was an exotic species, after all, with an inherently long lifespan..."

"Hah!" The Foreign Affairs Hall disciple laughed.

"No matter how long, everything dies of old age eventually."

"Alright, I’ve finished your registration. You can head back to your mountain now."

"Many thanks, brother!"

Bai Mo took his leave, and led Ah Er outside.

The Flying Ship rose once more, heading back towards Mi Mountain.

Along the way, Ah Er scratched himself ceaselessly, scattering bits of scorched fur and letting them fly away on the wind.

This continued until a disciple flew past below them on his sword, getting a face full of fur and shouting a curse. Startled, Ah Er finally stopped.

Bai Mo didn’t dare admit fault. He just sped up, piloting the Flying Ship to make a quick getaway.

Before long, they had returned to Mi Mountain.

Li Wuji had just finished inspecting the black jail and was walking out.

Seeing the gateway to Mi Mountain open by itself, he guessed that Bai Mo had returned.

"Brother, you’re finally back."

He greeted with a smile, then noticed Ah Er’s appearance.

"It looks like your trip was quite arduous."

Bai Mo laughed. "It was nothing."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and then Li Wuji took out a stack of documents.

"Perfect timing. An elder sent these over a few days ago."

"I hear a certain bigwig is being transferred here. They’re just coming to recuperate their Divine Soul, so we should leave them alone unless it’s necessary."