Chapter 455: Old Friend

Chapter 455: Chapter 455: Old Friend

After returning to Mi Mountain, Bai Mo calmed his mind and carefully recalled the scene of trapping the blue-robed maidservant in the furnace.

He closed the door, pulled out some Pill Books, and immersed himself in studying the sections on Demon Cultivator techniques for several days.

It wasn’t that he coveted such Demon Dao Pill Methods; he merely wanted to explore their underlying principles and mysteries.

If he truly wanted to replicate the effects of Demon Dao Pills, Bai Mo could achieve it with his own methods. There was no need to risk dabbling in such taboos.

During these few days, Ah Er had slept its fill.

When it hopped back onto its crude Flying Ship, it tried another test run.

Perhaps its hard work paid off, as it actually managed a smooth takeoff.

It flew a wobbly circle around Mi Mountain without incident, prompting Ah Er to raise its paws and cheer aloud.

It immediately rushed to the stone house’s entrance, gave Bai Mo a quick greeting, and then dashed off Mi Mountain.

The other Spirit Beasts in the area, who were familiar with Ah Er, already knew it had gotten a Flying Ship. They were envious and had been eagerly awaiting its arrival.

They were just waiting for it to show up.

So, when Ah Er appeared in the distance piloting its Flying Ship, the Spirit Beasts in the surrounding mountains, forests, and disciples’ homes erupted in a frenzy.

The cries and calls of beasts filled the uninhabited areas, creating a lively scene.

After a full three days of frolicking, the Spirit Beasts all returned to their respective homes.

Ah Er, immensely pleased with itself, had shown off to its heart’s content and was utterly delighted.

By the time it headed back, the pathetic amount of Spiritual Qi it had was long gone.

It had no choice but to pilot the Flying Ship close to the ground, occasionally getting out to push it for a while.

After a long trek, it returned to Mi Mountain, only to see two young women standing before it.

They were escorting a thin, pale-faced man in black, and were observing the entrance, seemingly hesitant to proceed.

Lan Ru was quite surprised to see a small beast pushing a Flying Ship toward them.

"Whose Spirit Beast is that?"

Her friend beside her said sweetly:

"It probably belongs to someone living nearby. Why don’t we ask it?"

But Ah Er paid them no mind. Seeing the black-clothed man’s hands and feet in shackles, it knew he was a prisoner being delivered.

’This is important business.’

’What’s with these two? They show up without knowing the first thing and don’t even knock.’

It tossed its Flying Ship aside, scurried to the entrance, and leaped up, grabbing the door knocker and slamming it against the stone gate.

The gate echoed with loud bangs.

After a moment, the gate opened on its own, and Bai Mo walked out.

Ah Er let go of the knocker, landed steadily on the ground, and pointed at Lan Ru and the other young woman, letting out a few high-pitched squeaks.

"Shopkeeper Bai, it’s been a long time."

Lan Ru had blossomed into a poised and graceful young woman. She and her friend were both wearing the sect’s standard uniform, a blue and white outfit, but they carried themselves with two different styles.

This was likely due to her past experiences with a Demon Hunting Team.

Compared to the gentle young woman beside her, she possessed a more heroic and spirited air.

Bai Mo cupped his hands in greeting and smiled. "Indeed, it has been a while."

Seeing that they knew each other, Ah Er started gesturing and squeaking again.

Bai Mo looked a little surprised.

"Since you were already here, why didn’t you knock?"

Lan Ru and her friend exchanged a glance, both looking a bit embarrassed.

"We thought we had to wait for a specific time for the gate to open."

Bai Mo glanced at the Cultivator they had brought. He was indeed at the Core Formation realm, qualified to be imprisoned in the Black Prison.

"Do you have the token from the Foreign Affairs Hall?"

"Yes."

Lan Ru handed over a bamboo token.

Bai Mo inspected it; it was genuine.

"Didn’t the disciples from the Foreign Affairs Hall teach you the rules of the Black Prison? It only opens for those who knock to enter or exit. Otherwise, it stays shut."

Lan Ru was surprised.

"That person didn’t mention it. They just asked if we were familiar with the path and sent us on our way."

’Probably a new disciple in the Foreign Affairs Hall, not thorough or careful enough.’

’They’re probably in for a scolding.’

Bai Mo shook his head.

"My apologies, I’ve made you two wait."

He welcomed the two young women into Mi Mountain and led them toward the Black Prison.

The two young women looked around curiously.

They had heard a lot about the Black Prison, but this was the first time they were seeing it for themselves.

Her friend secretly tugged on Lan Ru’s hand and pointed to a stone house with its door wide open.

Inside, piles of medicinal herbs were visible.

Many of them were expensive ingredients. Sometimes, when they needed to hire someone for Alchemy or required materials for their Cultivation Techniques, they had to save up Spirit Stones for some time just to afford them.

Lan Ru wasn’t too surprised. She often corresponded with Lanshan.

According to his letters, Shopkeeper Bai’s current Alchemy Skill was on a completely different level compared to his time in Immortal Arrival City.

’For someone of his standing, it’s only normal to have such a stock of herbs.’

Bai Mo recalled what Lanshan had written in his letters, then looked at the man in black and asked:

"Did you two capture this prisoner yourselves?"

"Of course!"

Lan Ru looked slightly proud, lifting her chin.

"This bastard is a lecherous Demon Cultivator. If he hadn’t been seriously injured in a conflict with others during the collapse of the Divine Kingdom, we never would have been able to catch him."

Bai Mo observed her aura; she had reached Foundation Establishment, but her foundation was still weak.

’Judging by Lanshan’s progress, he’s probably close too. Once he truly succeeds in Foundation Establishment, his accumulated power will likely put him a step ahead of his sister.’

"This man is at the Core Formation Realm, after all. To be subdued, was it poison?"

Bai Mo could tell the man’s complexion was terribly wrong. He figured the man was still mobilizing the power of his Golden Core to fight against the poison.

Seeing Lan Ru nod, he sighed.

"To fall for such a potent poison... his carelessness was more than just a little. For his state of mind to be this poor, it’s no wonder he met with this calamity today."

He led the two women into the Black Prison.

He found an empty cell, pushed the man inside, and then paid him no further mind, turning to leave.

Lan Ru and her friend grew fearful as they saw the strange appearances of the other prisoners in their cells, and felt the oppressive auras they emanated, which made it hard to breathe.

The two women quickened their pace and followed Bai Mo out.

He carved a confirmation message onto the token and handed it back to Lan Ru.

Bai Mo reminded them, "It was one thing before, but now that the Divine Kingdom has collapsed, all sorts of Cultivators are coming out to pick up scraps and get involved."

"With your cultivation levels, it would be best for you two to stay far away from that area."

Many of the new prisoners in the cells had been captured in the Divine Kingdom’s territory, so Bai Mo knew a little about the situation.

Lan Ru graciously accepted his advice.

"We were just passing through, it was a coincidence. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to get involved in that matter..."

"Mm."

Mi Mountain was not a place to linger. Bai Mo saw them out and said:

"I still take orders for Pills. If you need anything, Lan Ru, you can still come find me."

"Just like in Immortal Arrival City, I won’t overcharge you..."

"Got it!"

Lan Ru gave a dazzling smile, then pulled her friend and departed.

When they arrived, they were merely curious. But now, after seeing the Black Prison, they felt this was truly a place of great importance.

Not a suitable place for catching up.

Even after the two women had walked some distance away, Bai Mo could still hear their clear voices in discussion.

The gentle young woman seemed extremely curious about him, an Alchemy Cultivator.

"SQUEAK!"

While Bai Mo had been in the Black Prison, Ah Er had already pushed its Flying Ship back, intending to clean it in a corner.

With a rag slung over its shoulder, it motioned for Bai Mo to step back a bit and get out of the way.

Bai Mo glanced at its Flying Ship. Seeing that the edges and bottom were covered in grass stems and dirt, he looked at it with disdain.

Just as he took two steps back, Bai Mo looked at Ah Er, and a sudden thought struck him.

"Wait a second..."

Ah Er looked at him in confusion. Before it could ask anything, it saw Bai Mo point a finger at it.

HUMMM!

A Pill Furnace materialized and fell over Ah Er, trapping it inside. Hearing the reverberating metallic sound, its heart trembled.

Immediately after, a gentle wave of heat washed over it, scaring it so much that it leaped up and slammed into the Pill Furnace with a loud CLANG.