Chapter 440: Letters

Chapter 440: Chapter 440: Letters

Li Wuji glanced at the stiff corpse on the ground. ’What unfortunate timing,’ he thought.

He took a few steps forward, cupped his fist, and said with a light smile,

"Congratulations, Junior Brother. After more than a year in seclusion, you’ve finally achieved your goal."

Bai Mo returned the salute.

"Thanks to your good wishes, Senior Brother. It went rather well."

His original intention for this seclusion had been to comprehend the way of the Outer Pill.

However, this path had been developed to such a profound state by his predecessors that it gave him the opportunity for a breakthrough.

He simply went with the flow, spent a little more time, and thus broke through.

The two disciples from the Foreign Affairs Hall hadn’t expected this encounter. After offering their congratulations and exchanging pleasantries, they took out a document.

They explained the reason for their visit.

"Since you’ve come out at just the right time, Junior Brother, please inspect this corpse and sign the document as well."

Bai Mo’s gaze fell on the corpse. With the keen perception of an Alchemy Cultivator, he could tell at a glance the prisoner was long dead.

"He’s dead through and through."

According to the register, this fellow had been imprisoned for over two hundred and fifty years.

Before being captured and brought to the Black Prison, he had been a genius of some minor sect, but he had unfortunately fallen to a demonic path.

He used humans as sacrifices and raised them like livestock. After his crimes were exposed, he was captured by disciples of the Xuandao Sect.

Bai Mo didn’t have a strong impression of him. The man had a withdrawn personality and wasn’t very active.

He had, however, never given up on the thought of escaping, constantly making small moves, only to be utterly suppressed by the Black Prison’s restrictions.

At this thought, an idea sparked in Bai Mo’s mind.

"Wait a moment, you two Senior Brothers. Let me ask, where are you taking this corpse?"

The Foreign Affairs Hall disciples answered truthfully.

"To Fate-Burning Valley. We’ll use the fiery pits there to reduce the corpse, and any potential hidden techniques within it, to ash."

Even those ashes had some use; they were, after all, the final remains of a Core Formation Cultivator.

"That is a proper method of disposal."

Bai Mo nodded and said,

"May I... do something with him first?"

"Junior Brother, you intend to..."

"This man was constantly honing his own cultivation. He likely nurtured a fine Golden Core. I have great use for it."

The two Foreign Affairs Hall disciples were slightly startled. They exchanged a look and shook their heads.

"I’m afraid we cannot grant your request, Junior Brother."

"A Golden Core is a serious matter. What if this person used a Secret Technique to entrust his life to it? He might be able to cheat death and could even harm you in the process..."

It wasn’t that they were intentionally making things difficult for him.

Thinking of the Foreign Affairs Hall’s caution when dealing with prisoners, Bai Mo silently nodded.

"That makes sense."

He quickly signed his name on the document and personally escorted them out of the Black Prison.

Before leaving, the two disciples offered a piece of advice.

"Junior Brother, if you want a high-quality Golden Core, you can just buy one from the people in the War Hall."

"They fight people year-round, so they aren’t short on such things. Why covet the tainted Golden Core of a dead man, one that hasn’t even fully dispersed?"

The War Hall was full of cultivators of all kinds of methods. They were all top-class killers, extremely pragmatic, and didn’t have many moral scruples.

Presumably, many of them used a Secret Technique to preserve the Golden Cores after slaying an opponent. They just didn’t publicize it.

Bai Mo thanked them for the reminder and watched them depart into the distance.

Li Wuji stood behind, watching Bai Mo’s back.

Now, his junior brother had a more spirited and vigorous air about him, looking like a proud chosen of the sect.

But that feeling vanished the moment Bai Mo turned around.

Bai Mo wore a faint, very peaceful smile.

"Senior Brother, why are you looking at me like that?"

Li Wuji shook his head.

"It’s nothing. I just feel that you’re too reserved, not at all like the other flamboyant disciples."

Having come from a background as a Loose Cultivator, Bai Mo truly didn’t know how to adopt such an attitude.

"Why pay mind to such things?"

Bai Mo smiled.

"I must thank you for all your help over the past year, Senior Brother."

Li Wuji waved his hand dismissively.

"It was my duty. Nothing worth mentioning."

"But now that you’re out, my part is done. I might need to go into seclusion for half a year myself."

He had already decided on his path to Core Formation and was now ready to begin.

...

Having come out of seclusion, Bai Mo naturally inspected everything, inside and out.

Mi Mountain looked the same as always, but the vegetation on it was more lush, having grown vigorously.

And in Bai Mo’s perception, the mountain’s aura was incomparably more moderate and peaceful than when he had first taken charge.

This was likely the work of the Great Suanni.

It had come here to use Mi Mountain’s accumulated yin and baleful energy to balance its own yin and yang and to stabilize its soul.

This phenomenon was the inevitable result of its own extremely potent yang energy acting as a counterbalance.

Ah Er diligently cleaned the inside of the stone house.

When it finished its work, it had swept up a pile of multicolored crystals that was taller than itself.

This was residue from when Bai Mo had been practicing the refinement of Outer Pills. Before crystallizing on the walls, it had been some kind of harmful gas.

After it finished bustling about, just as Ah Er was dragging its small den into the house, Bai Mo returned from outside.

He lit the oil candle in the house. As the flame illuminated the room, a fragrant aroma drifted through the air.

Inhaling it could calm one’s mind and spirit.

This kind of candle oil was extremely expensive; an ordinary Cultivator couldn’t afford to use it.

The man and beast huddled together and began to go through the letters that had arrived during Bai Mo’s seclusion.

Most were from Immortal Arrival City, informing him of trivial matters and reporting on the sales of his Outer Pills.

According to the letters, the Outer Pills were extremely well-received in the city, and the price was thirty percent higher than the clerks had anticipated.

The one who wrote the letter was Wei An. Between the lines, he was hinting for Bai Mo to send another batch of Outer Pills back whenever he could.

Bai Mo took out a scattered handful, about a hundred or so in all.

"Put these away. We’ll send them to Immortal Arrival City when the time is right."

Ah Er casually grabbed a bag, packed the Pills inside, and set it aside.

As for the other letters, most were from familiar fellow disciples and friends, which Bai Mo read one by one.

After the previous two letters, there had been no more news from Old White-Head.

Calculating the time, his Pill Tasting Convention should be over by now.

At this moment, several famous masters were probably gathered together, compiling the outstanding techniques and Pills from the convention into a book.

When it was published, a copy would be reserved for him, Bai Mo.

"I wonder what kind of evaluation my Pill received at the convention,"

Bai Mo said, almost to himself.

Seeing Ah Er’s dazed and confused look, Bai Mo explained,

"If everyone thinks highly of it, then we’ll have officially made a name for ourselves."

"The kind where no matter where we go, anyone who sees us will feel obligated to invite us into their home for a cup of tea."

Having the skill is one thing, but displaying it in a respectable and grand manner is another entirely.

To see the Pill was to see the man.

Sending a Pill to the Pill Tasting Convention was equivalent to Bai Mo making a personal appearance.

Ah Er still didn’t understand, but it had a gut feeling that this was something very impressive.

"GRUH!"

It let out a supportive, somewhat excited cry.

Bai Mo stretched languidly, took out his sect Token, and hung it on Ah Er’s waist.

"Tomorrow, you’ll go to the War Hall. See if anyone is selling Golden Cores, and try to buy one or two."

"Remember, don’t be too conspicuous. Show them the Token before you do anything else."

"The Cultivators in that place are too arrogant. I’m worried they’ll skin you alive and tear you limb from limb. After all, your hide is so smooth and your flesh so tender..."

"GRUH?"

Ah Er was slightly stunned.

Bai Mo patted its head.

"It’s getting late. Get some rest. You’ll set out first thing in the morning."