Chapter 429: Brought Back

Chapter 429: Chapter 429: Brought Back

Two months had passed since the Pills were sent out.

Bai Mo didn’t know if the white-haired elder had received them, but based on his calculations, the man’s Pill tasting convention shouldn’t have started yet.

At most, it was the time when guests from afar would arrive early to visit one another and build connections.

While waiting for news, Bai Mo spent his days studying the Outer Pill and trying to coax some information out of the mad Cultivator in the black prison.

But the man was incredibly tight-lipped.

Normally, he was never idle, constantly looking for someone to preach his Immortal Ascension Skill to.

But when it came to things he didn’t want to talk about, he wouldn’t utter a single word.

’Of course, it’s also possible he’s genuinely forgotten. He might only remember when his mind is clearer.’

Frustrated, Bai Mo could only give up for the time being.

During these days, the only good news he received came from the six men he had hired.

"Oh!? They caught him?"

Bai Mo shot up from his chair, tossing aside the Pill Book he was halfway through.

"That was fast, wasn’t it?"

Yuan Chu, who had come to deliver the news, was just as surprised. He recounted what Zhen Yuan and the others had said.

"The hunchback you were looking for is quite a capable Poison Dao Cultivator."

"He kept all his belongings in an underground lair and never planned on going too far."

"After a few attempts, Zhen Yuan and his men finally managed to capture the hunchback inside the lair."

Bai Mo straightened his clothes and walked outside with Yuan Chu.

"Where is he now?"

Yuan Chu replied, "In the Outer Sect."

He sounded a little helpless.

"You know how it is. The Foreign Affairs Hall’s rules are sometimes completely inflexible. Without a special reason, an outside Cultivator like him isn’t allowed into the Inner Sect."

The hunchbacked Cultivator wasn’t wanted by the Foreign Affairs Hall, nor was he known for causing major trouble, so he simply couldn’t be brought in.

Bai Mo understood these kinds of rules.

Fortunately, the man had previously attacked sect members in the Celestial Barrier Mountain range and caused quite a bit of trouble.

This served as an excellent charge against him.

So, Bai Mo went personally and, after much pleading and persuasion, managed to get the Foreign Affairs Hall to recognize the man’s crimes.

It only took two days for Bai Mo to complete the imprisonment procedures and triumphantly welcome the man back.

His efficiency was truly astounding.

But when Zhen Yuan and the others arrived, escorting their prisoner, Bai Mo was startled.

"Senior Brothers, what happened to you...?"

He saw that among the six men he had hired, two had lost an arm, and both were disciples of the Hundred-Forged Iron Lodge.

The two of them seemed unconcerned.

"This fellow has some skills. First, he lured us into a trap and injured us with the preparations he’d laid out."

"And when we were finally capturing him, he launched a brazen attack and used his poisons to claim one of our arms."

Hearing this, Bai Mo took a careful look at the small, frail old man slumped limply in the prison cart.

His breathing was very faint, his body was twisted, and his face didn’t look overly aged.

At a glance, he just looked like a listless mortal elder.

But his hands, fingernails caked with blackish-purple dirt and emitting an acrid odor, revealed he was anything but ordinary.

Recalling the man’s proficiency with poisons, Bai Mo guessed it was likely toxic residue.

As Bai Mo stared, the hunchbacked old man seemed to sense it and slowly raised his head.

"Who are you?"

Bai Mo smiled, took two steps forward, and asked:

"I hear you possess the method for refining the Outer Pill?"

At these words, a sharp glint flashed in the hunchbacked old man’s murky eyes, and his face filled with vigilance.

"You’re trying to scheme for the inheritance I possess?"

"Don’t even think about it!"

Seeing this, Bai Mo shrugged and paid him no more mind.

’It seems that unlike the mad Cultivator in the prison, this one isn’t the sharing type,’ he thought.

Ignoring the old man for now, Bai Mo turned to the two injured men from the Hundred-Forged Iron Lodge. Before they could speak, he proactively offered them two Pills.

"You’ve both worked hard. Since you were injured on a task for me, please accept this Pill."

"Supplemented with some blood-rich food, regrowing your severed arms shouldn’t be difficult."

Upon hearing this, delight immediately spread across their faces.

"Junior Brother, you are too kind."

"It’s only right."

The Pills he gave them were a stark, blood-red color—they were Jiao Soul Pills.

Bai Mo had refined them himself after gathering the necessary materials, and their quality was excellent.

As the injured disciples from the Iron Lodge accepted the Pills, the eyes of the two men from Can Gu Valley flickered.

"What a remarkably pure Pill!"

"Indeed. It has almost no impurities."

As disciples of Can Gu Valley, they were extremely sensitive to such clean and pure items.

Bai Mo then took out two cloth pouches and handed them to the pair.

"There are twenty thousand Spirit Stones in each. Please, count them."

The two from Can Gu Valley smiled.

"There’s no need to count. We trust it’s all there."

"If you have another job like this next time, Junior Brother, please don’t hesitate to find us."

They were more than happy to build a relationship with an Alchemy Cultivator such as him.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they took their leave.

The members of the Hundred-Forged Iron Lodge wanted five Pills, a private matter not meant for the others’ ears.

THWAP!

A stack of Pill Formulas landed in Bai Mo’s hand.

"We’ll trouble you then, Junior Brother. These are the Pills we need. Once you’ve refined them, just let us know, and we’ll come pick them up."

The disciples from the Hundred-Forged Iron Lodge said their piece and then departed as well.

Only then did Bai Mo turn to Zhen Yuan.

"Senior Brother, regarding the Pill you requested, I’ve had some thoughts. How about you come to retrieve it in a little while?"

"Alright!"

Zhen Yuan didn’t have much to say. He simply agreed and left Mi Mountain.

After sending off all six men, Bai Mo pulled the prison cart into the black prison by himself.

Ah Er, who had been dozing off by the stone house, was startled awake by the sound of the rattling wheels and ran over to help.

These past few days, it had been running up the mountain every day, not only tilling the soil and planting seeds but also tending to the wilting plants and trees.

It was truly exhausted.

As the prison cart swayed its way into the black prison, Ah Er couldn’t help but shiver at the sight of the environment inside.

With its keen senses as a Spirit Beast, it could easily perceive the dangerous nature of the prisoners.

When they passed the mad Cultivator’s cell, Bai Mo stopped.

TAP! TAP!

Bai Mo tapped lightly on the wooden bars, waking the mad Cultivator who was dozing inside.

"Take a look. Is this the man?"

The mad Cultivator opened his eyes and immediately saw the hunchbacked old man in the prison cart. His gaze fixed on him, and he cried out in shock:

"How is it you!?"

"Why are you here too?"

By the looks of it, he had completely forgotten that he was the one who had pointed Bai Mo in the right direction.

The hunchbacked old man saw him as well, but merely let out a cold, disdainful snort.

"You madman... so you’re still alive."

Seeing that the two weren’t exactly exchanging pleasantries, Bai Mo wasted no more time and pulled the prison cart deeper into the black prison.

There were plenty of cells in the black prison.

Bai Mo opened a cell, unlatched the prison cart, and pushed the man inside.

"Since you’ve come to my black prison, you’d best stay here quietly."

Bai Mo said, "To be frank, I too am skilled in the Alchemy Dao. When we have time, we can have a little exchange."

The hunchbacked old man waved his hand dismissively.

"Go, go, go. I have nothing to say to you people..."

Bai Mo chuckled and led Ah Er back outside.

The moment they were outside, he took out two Pills and instructed Ah Er:

"Here are two Pills. One brings clarity, the other brings confusion."

"From now on, every so often, you are to bring those two men their meals. Grind up these Pills and mix them into their food..."