Chapter 444: The Official Chronicler

Chapter 444: Chapter 444: The Official Chronicler

Ah Er quickly finished its tasks.

Wiping the sweat from its forehead out of habit, it tossed the rag into a basin of water and let out a long sigh of relief.

It glanced back toward the doorway and saw the hem of Bai Mo’s robe dangling from the recliner. Faint snores drifted from his direction.

Ah Er instinctively moved more quietly. Just as it was about to carry the basin outside to empty it, it caught sight of the stone mortar and pestle in the corner.

It had been custom-made for it.

The pestle was forged from an exceptionally hard and valuable metal so that it could crush ores.

After a moment’s thought, it walked over and put the pestle away.

It carried the basin outside, washed the rag, and hung it up to dry. Only after pouring out the dirty water did it realize how late it was; night had already fallen.

Outside, the sky was filled with stars. Occasionally, wisps of the Great Suanni’s Spirit Charm would drift out, flickering as they lit up a small patch of the world.

Bai Mo was sound asleep.

Ah Er, however, noticed the main door was ajar. It tiptoed over and slipped outside.

A wave of immense joy washed over it. The moment it was through the doorway, it prepared to break into a run.

But as it turned, it ran headfirst into something with a dull THUD.

Ah Er was quite sturdy. Before it could even cry out while clutching its head, it heard a pained exclamation.

"Ouch! You’ve nearly killed this old man!"

In front of it were two men who looked to be about fifty. One had fallen to the ground while the other frantically tried to help him up, creating a scene of flustered chaos.

Ah Er was dumbfounded.

It couldn’t gauge the depths of these two men’s power, no matter how hard it stared.

And yet, after one little bump, here they were, whining in pain.

’Are they here to cause trouble?’

Its eyes narrowed, and it instinctively moved to draw its pestle.

"What happened?"

Before it could make a move, Bai Mo’s voice sounded from behind.

Turning to look, it saw Bai Mo had come out at some point. His expression was placid, perhaps because he had just woken up.

Upon seeing Bai Mo, the two old men’s eyes lit up, and they helped each other to their feet.

"Can it be that you are Grandmaster Bai!?"

Bai Mo looked at the two men, a flicker of doubt rising in his mind.

’They’re undoubtedly Core Formation Cultivators, but they don’t have powerful physical bodies. The Spiritual Qi flowing through them is agile, yet it lacks any truly remarkable qualities.’

’No wonder Ah Er could send one of them tumbling.’

’They must cultivate some highly specialized technique.’

Bai Mo gave a slight nod and had Ah Er bring out a table and chairs to receive the guests outside.

"Outsiders are not permitted inside the Mi Mountain Black Prison. I hope you two seniors will not find this arrangement lacking."

The two old men glanced toward the interior past the doorway. A flicker of regret crossed their faces, but they quickly smiled and said:

"It’s no matter. A sky full of stars is the perfect backdrop for conversation. Grandmaster, let us speak with you here in the mountain breeze..."

Its escape thwarted, Ah Er expertly set out the table and chairs, poured tea, and served water, eager to see what these two old men were up to.

The two men glanced at it.

They had clearly seen the hostility on the sturdy Spirit Beast’s face just a moment ago.

If the master of the house hadn’t come out, a fight might have broken out.

Now that it was serving them tea, the two old men felt compelled to offer a few polite words.

After that, one of them took out a thick book—at least a finger’s width—and placed it on the table with a THUD.

It was remarkably thick.

Bai Mo glanced over and saw four large words on the cover: *Jing River Pill News*.

Baitouweng’s Pill Assembly was held on the banks of the Jing River.

"Hehe, to be perfectly frank, we are chroniclers from the Cyan Heron Academy of the Great Liang Dynasty."

"It was at the Jing River Pill Assembly that we heard of Grandmaster Bai’s accomplishments, so we boldly volunteered to come and deliver this book."

"And, of course, it was also an opportunity to meet Grandmaster Bai in person..."

The two old men got straight to the point, revealing their identities without delay.

Ah Er, standing nearby, couldn’t help but look up at them.

’To think this was all because of the Pill that Bai Mo sent to the Pill Assembly.’

"Chroniclers?"

Bai Mo was more interested in their title. ’Is it related to their cultivation?’ he wondered.

"That’s right. It’s best if my colleague explains," one of the old men said.

The one who had been knocked over by Ah Er nodded and slowly began to speak.

"We chroniclers are blessed by the grace and fortune of the imperial court and the academy. Our cultivation is bestowed upon us through a sudden infusion of insight, and in return, we must travel the world to gather news and stories for the court."

"Hehe, Grandmaster Bai, your Pill displayed a phenomenal vision at the assembly that day. It summoned the surging river waters, from which a flood dragon was born. The dragon grew horns, ascended to the heavens, and returned with the Pill in its mouth."

The old man smiled, his demeanor a world away from his earlier pathetic state.

"The mere leakage of its Pill Fragrance was enough to make the surrounding stone eggs bloom into stone flowers. It truly fills one with a sense of wonder and longing."

"That is why the two of us were moved to come and investigate the story of the Grandmaster."

Hearing them praise Bai Mo, Ah Er took the initiative to refill the guests’ teacups.

’After all, I was an assistant in making that Pill.’

Bai Mo smiled, accepted the copy of the *Jing River Pill News*, and casually flipped through a few pages.

"I’m just a Loose Cultivator who has been busy with alchemy. I have no other accomplishments to speak of. My life is quite dull, so there’s really nothing worth telling."

The two old men did not agree with this assessment.

"That is preposterous!"

"It is precisely your humble origins that make your story a perfect source of encouragement for our students."

"If Grandmaster Bai doesn’t mind, we implore you to tell us everything!"

Bai Mo thought for a moment.

"These stories you gather... who reads them?"

The two old men looked quite pleased with themselves.

"The Cyan Heron Academy accepts Cultivators from all corners of the world. With five thousand students in its care, it is a first-rate hub for cultivators to gather."

"A great many treasures and pieces of information also circulate through the academy."

"For example, take Grandmaster Qingyuan’s Two Dragon Pill Furnace. A Cultivator read his story, asked us to make contact, and we facilitated the transaction..."

’As expected,’ Bai Mo thought. ’A place like that is a hub for the exchange of fame and profit.’

At this thought, Bai Mo said:

"In that case, as an exchange of courtesies, why don’t you two gentlemen tell me about the grand events of the assembly that day..."

Hearing this, the two old men immediately broke into broad smiles.

"To be honest, we also know a thing or two about alchemy, and we like to think we grasped some of the true essence of the events at the assembly..."

As chroniclers, the two men were in their element telling such stories.

In just a few words, they painted a vivid picture of the various factions vying for supremacy at the assembly.

There were only a handful of Grandmasters, but the other participants were by no means simple characters.

Whether it was the mainstream methods of the Alchemy Dao or more obscure, heterodox techniques, all were on display as contestants vied for attention.

Bai Mo’s Pill, on the other hand, had appeared in the latter half of the event, overwhelming the competition with its phenomenal vision. Its Pill Fragrance alone had been enough to make stone flowers bloom, demonstrating its astonishing medicinal power.

It had secured victory in both style and substance.

It was only then that the gathered devotees of the Alchemy Dao realized that a new Grandmaster had been born.

That Pill was jointly activated by Baitouweng and the others. Its medicinal power was unleashed to its absolute limit, causing the entire ground to bloom with stone flowers.

Although the stone flowers weren’t alive, they were imbued with the Pill Fragrance, and people naturally came to collect them afterward.

The two chroniclers grew more and more animated as they spoke, talking all the way until dawn just by describing some of the techniques displayed by the Cultivators at the assembly.

As the stars began to fade, Bai Mo finally spoke a little about himself.

The two old men took up their brushes and recorded his words with meticulous care.

This first-hand account was only one part of their report.

Next, they would have to travel to Immortal Arrival City to investigate Bai Mo’s history.

Presumably, the people in the Demon Hunting Team would have their own stories to tell.

It was just a pity they were not allowed inside Mi Mountain.

Otherwise, they would have documented everything down to the Pill Furnace Bai Mo used and his everyday habits.