Chapter 467: Plan

Chapter 467: Chapter 467: Plan

Clutching Bai Mo’s earnest instructions to heart, Ah Er set out.

He crossed mountains and rivers for several days and nights, finally arriving at the place where he had been attacked.

A few men from a Demon Hunting Team were talking and laughing, their faces flushed and healthy, a campfire blazing before them.

"When we get back, we have to find Blind Bai and the others and show this off. Damn it, people were talking us down right as we were leaving. I won’t forget them..."

"I heard the price of Demon Beasts in the city has gone up. After being delayed this long, I wonder if it’s still worth it."

"From the sound of Alchemist Bai’s voice, this thing we have is worth more than just a bit of money. We should hold onto it for a bit and see..."

As they relaxed, the dozen or so men’s minds started buzzing. Some cursed and grumbled, while others schemed about making money.

WHOOSH!

Ah Er’s Flying Ship approached, startling the men, who all looked up.

Once it was close, Ah Er grabbed the ship’s edge and deftly vaulted off, landing with a THUD that sent snow flying.

Quite a weighty landing.

"He’s here, he’s here..."

The men waved, and as soon as Ah Er got close, a massive meat skewer was shoved into his arms.

The man roasting the meat had once shot an arrow at him—the kind that grazed your scalp—and was now winking and grinning obsequiously.

Perhaps because the man’s cooking skills weren’t the best, the skewer was charred black in places, but it had a unique flavor all its own.

His appetite whetted, Ah Er decided to grant the man some face.

"...Heh heh, as expected of something raised by Alchemist Bai. Quite the set of teeth on him..."

Steam and heat wafted from the fire as the group continued to talk and laugh.

Once their bellies were mostly full, one of the men pulled out a cloth pouch tied to his waist and took out a fist-sized Golden Pearl.

Ah Er quickly tossed aside the wooden skewer in his claw and carefully took the pearl.

The Golden Pearl’s surface wasn’t perfectly smooth. It had the dull, matte luster of gold foil and was very heavy.

Ah Er shook it. There seemed to be liquid inside the Golden Pearl, sloshing about with its own momentum.

"When you use this Inner Pill, you have to pierce it and pour out the Golden Liquid inside. It can corrode gold and rot iron—it’s incredibly powerful..."

Many Crystal Charm Inner Pills had circulated through Immortal Arrival City, so naturally, many people had witnessed them being used.

After finishing their explanation to Ah Er, the men were unwilling to delay any longer and set off on their journey back.

They pocketed the Spirit Stones Ah Er had pressed on them, then kicked some snow to extinguish the campfire.

Once they were some distance away, they rubbed their faces hard, putting on dejected expressions to fool any prying eyes as they headed back the way they came.

Ah Er stirred, hopped onto the Flying Ship, and swayed unsteadily toward the gates of the Xuandao Sect.

Only the faint scent of grease remained, and soon even that vanished under a fresh blanket of snow.

「A few days later.」

Bai Mo examined the Golden Pearl in his hand. He gave it a slight squeeze, and its surface immediately caved in, startling him so much that he quickly let go.

’Is it really so wondrous?’

Few people ever encountered a Crystal Charm, so the world knew little about them. They were considered a rare and obscure marvel.

Ah Er was also curious. He stood on his tiptoes and reached out a claw to investigate, but Bai Mo simply flipped his palm and put the Golden Pearl away.

"Alright, time to get to work. With so many prisoners being delivered lately, who has time to mess with this thing?"

In the few days Ah Er had been gone, Bai Mo had received another six prisoners, all captured by Sect Disciples.

One of them was a Core Formation Cultivator, personally delivered by Wei Xianxing.

That was something Bai Mo naturally couldn’t have done himself.

Bai Mo had asked and learned that the man had offended Wei Xianxing’s wife and was casually suppressed and sent over to him.

Wei Xianxing had been quite nonchalant about it.

The troubles entangling him had finally come to an end for now. That Divine Being from the Divine Kingdom was no simple foe.

His wife had taken her subordinates to investigate, and there was no telling how many maelstroms they would be drawn into. It was doubtful whether Wei Xianxing would ever see her again.

The day after Ah Er returned, Bai Mo immediately sent this new batch of prisoners away.

All six of them were being sent to a sacrificial altar before their seats in the prison had even gone warm.

The reason was that a disciple from Divine Dao Mountain, while dealing with a natural disaster, had audaciously attempted to defy the heavens and block the flow of disastrous energy.

The Foreign Affairs Hall had approved it, allocating him a quota of a few prisoners and suggesting he use the old-timers who were just taking up space in the cells.

If they didn’t get this batch of people moving, they would go stale and become useless.

But the Divine Dao Mountain disciples who came to pick up the prisoners for their senior brother said:

"Junior Brother, do us a favor. Those morons in the Foreign Affairs Hall don’t know what they’re talking about. There are specific requirements for this selection. It’s best to use people who have recently been embroiled in worldly affairs."

"Those old-timers in your prison have been locked up so long they’re growing mold. How could they possibly be of any great use?"

After guarding the black prison for so long, this was the first time someone had tried to pull strings with Bai Mo directly.

Considering the considerable favor Divine Dao Mountain had shown him, Bai Mo agreed.

Ah Er, who had witnessed the entire exchange, received quite a few gifts from the disciples and eagerly saw them off a long way.

The prisoner cart rumbled away.

"Heh heh, Senior Brother has been waiting for a long time. Let’s hurry."

"To fight against the Celestial Dao, to openly block the flow of disastrous energy... Just thinking about it makes your heart pound..."

"...This is how we cultivators should be. Ready to shed our blood and give our lives..."

The disciples were in high spirits as they chatted, and one could faintly hear the angry curses of the prisoners who had yet to be broken by the black prison.

Bai Mo had rather complicated feelings about Divine Dao Mountain.

The higher-ups there seemed to worship Dharma Protectors and divine generals, were bound by countless taboos, spoke in mystical riddles, and strictly followed the rules.

But at the same time, they often had a heretical streak, a rebellion running in their very bones.

He could easily see this in that familiar trio.

They weren’t that hard to get along with, really.

He shook his head, clearing the thoughts away, and gave a light kick to Ah Er, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Stop that stupid grinning and light the furnace."

Ah Er hastily wiped the grin off his face, stuffed a string of mysterious little trinkets into his pouch, and hopped up to head inside.

Bai Mo glanced over and saw they were small Magical Artifacts, some new, some old, likely looted from others.

FWOOM!

With the guests seen off, flames once again ignited on Mi Mountain.

The fire was kindled from Fire Essence of the highest quality, and it burned the Pill Furnace red-hot.

This time, Ah Er wasn’t cutting herbs. Instead, he squatted before the furnace to control the heat.

The flames flickered, casting a yellow glow on his furry face and drying out his coat.

Occasionally, tongues of flame would lick out, towering over Ah Er and startling him into constantly adjusting the fuel to keep the heat steady.

It was not an easy job.

Bai Mo watched him from the corner of his eye while taking out a Pill Book to read about the experiences of his predecessors.

’The right time, the right place, the right people... Only today do I truly understand the importance of timing.’

Bai Mo sighed, moved by his recent experiences.

He had originally thought that the "timing" his predecessors spoke of referred to auspicious weather, the interaction of yin and yang, or a natural state of ambient energy.

But now, Bai Mo felt there might be a deeper meaning to it.

’When I have a free day, I should take a trip to Divine Dao Mountain and have the senior masters there calculate the most auspicious day for me to refine that great pill...’

Since it concerned the matter of his Core Formation, Bai Mo couldn’t help but take it seriously.

But that would mean he wouldn’t be so free anymore. He’d have to live by a strict schedule.

Training Ah Er in this new skill was also for the sake of his future Core Formation.

When the time came to light the furnace, he would need a reliable, trustworthy, and considerate assistant he was used to working with. Most importantly, the little guy was a diligent worker who rarely made mistakes.

In truth, Bai Mo was quite satisfied with him.