Chapter 346: Complications

Chapter 346: Chapter 346: Complications

It took Bai Mo a quarter of an hour of wild guessing, but he finally pieced together what Ah Er had been through.

The main reason he could figure it out was that Li Wuji had heard about Mu Valley’s affairs, so his deductions weren’t completely baseless.

Bai Mo squatted down, looking directly into Ah Er’s small eyes.

"So you’re saying you went out, ran into a pack of beasts, went over to take a look, and were suddenly harassed by them?"

Ah Er nodded with a grave expression.

"Then you’ve been going out every day because you clashed with them and now you just can’t let it go?"

Ah Er froze for a moment, then hurriedly chittered a few times.

’Wouldn’t saying I can’t let it go make it sound like my fault?’

’I’m the innocent victim here! Seeking revenge over and over is only natural.’

Bai Mo rubbed its head and stood up.

"This has been going on day after day. It seems things have gotten serious..."

Li Wuji shrugged and said helplessly:

"Mu Valley takes an unorthodox approach. It’s nothing like the Beast Raising Skill of Beast Taming Peak, and the Spirit Beasts they cultivate often have flaws."

"Your Spirit Beast here is certainly inexperienced. He didn’t even realize they were trying to court him. A blockhead like that is bound to get on their nerves."

Bai Mo chuckled.

"They’re not even the same species. How could he possibly know?"

Now that he understood the situation, Bai Mo let Ah Er go and moved two baskets of medicinal herbs out from a corner of the stone house.

Li Wuji came over to help.

"Mu Valley’s Spirit Beasts are certainly undisciplined. Their mixed bloodlines are probably too chaotic..."

"Still, for your Spirit Beast to attract their attention shows it must have some extraordinary qualities. Has its bloodline purification been successful?"

Bai Mo didn’t investigate the specifics. In any case, it was a good thing.

At noon, a message arrived.

The elder who was supposed to inspect the Black Prison had been delayed. His visit was postponed indefinitely.

Bai Mo tried to find out the reason, but received no answer.

So Bai Mo put the matter aside. After discussing it with Li Wuji, he spent three days refining a golden pill for him.

On the day the golden pill was completed, the door to the stone house opened, and a rich Pill Fragrance wafted out.

For once, the Black Prison was quiet; no covetous sounds could be heard.

As Bai Mo stepped out, he paused and glanced toward the Black Prison.

’These Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators have astonishing senses; they’ve actually recognized the pill’s nature.’

’And I’ve only refined it twice before this.’

Looking slightly excited, Li Wuji roused himself from meditation and stood up.

Before Li Wuji could speak, Bai Mo handed him the golden pill.

"Once this golden pill enters your stomach, it will dissolve into a liquid and wash away the foundation of your Core Formation."

"It will be up to you to guide the resulting essence of Spiritual Qi and use it for Body Tempering."

Li Wuji accepted the golden pill and put it away carefully.

"I know."

He possessed nothing of value at the moment; he was in no position to repay Bai Mo for all his effort.

But the two had already agreed that he would owe him for now and they would settle it later.

Li Wuji returned to the cave he had carved out to begin his secluded cultivation, and would likely not be seen for some time.

Bai Mo’s life returned to its usual routine.

Cultivating, studying the Pill Book, and occasionally grinding herbs to feed the fish so they wouldn’t die.

It seemed monotonous, but in reality, every day brought new knowledge. It was intensely interesting, a pleasure that outsiders could not possibly understand.

During this time, a disciple from Mu Valley visited. It was only one person, who offered a hasty apology before leaving behind a piece of white bone and a box of special feed.

Bai Mo didn’t pay it much mind. It was just a small interlude, not worth his attention.

The bone segment was likely from some rare and exotic beast, making it quite precious. Bai Mo put it away for safekeeping.

As for the box of special feed, it was a concoction from Mu Valley and would be considered high-grade on the market. It had a complex smell that Bai Mo couldn’t quite identify.

’Ah Er is used to eating Spirit Pills; who knew if it would want a change of pace?’

Bai Mo set it aside for him just in case.

The days passed quickly, and the Foreign Affairs Hall sent no new prisoners.

Bai Mo was enjoying the peace, but one day, visitors arrived at his door.

POUND! POUND! POUND!

Someone was pounding heavily and urgently on his door.

Bai Mo hurried to open it.

When the door opened, a tall and a short figure came into view.

One had unusually long arms, while the other had short limbs—a striking contrast.

"Haha! Brother, have you been well!?"

"It’s been many days. Seeing you again, Brother Bai, your presence feels even stronger."

Yuan Chu and Gong Gui greeted him.

The latter, Gong Gui, was adorned with jade tassels, gold chains, and silver locks. He wore makeup, a gold-threaded brocade robe, and looked for all the world like the pampered only son of a rich old man.

The sight of him was so dazzling that Bai Mo had to blink.

"Ah, it’s you two Brothers. Please, come in."

Mi Mountain had always been a place of many rules. Disciples from other peaks were reluctant to linger, and those from the Divine Dao Mountain lineage in particular had many taboos concerning the place.

Yet Yuan Chu and Gong Gui showed no signs of concern, calmly following Bai Mo into his stone house.

As soon as they stepped inside, the rich fragrance of herbs, piled high around the room, filled their nostrils.

Yuan Chu rubbed his nose and chuckled. "Your place has quite a unique atmosphere, Brother."

Bai Mo invited them to sit and poured them tea.

"For someone like me who follows the Alchemy Dao, this is just how we live."

’It’s not as if I’m someone who’s only scratched the surface of the Alchemy Dao and given up on improving, just to spend my days in idle pleasure.’

’When you’re truly immersed in studying the Alchemy Dao, it’s hard to keep your surroundings tidy.’

"By the way, where is Brother Xiong Xin?"

The three of them were usually inseparable, but now there were only two.

Gong Gui adjusted the heavy silver lock on his chest, which must have weighed at least two pounds. He took a sip of tea, his tone indifferent.

"Brother Xiong was injured at Jade Spring Pass. He’s still recovering and couldn’t come."

Yuan Chu shot him a helpless glance and added:

"It was a life-threatening injury. He was slashed from his shoulder down to his stomach; you could even see his intestines."

"He’s still bedridden."

Bai Mo was startled and shot a quick glance at Gong Gui.

"Is he out of danger?"

Yuan Chu shook his head.

"He’s fine, but his vital energy was severely damaged. He’ll have to lie low for a while."

"It’s thanks to him that we were able to return from Jade Spring Pass. Otherwise, we would’ve had to fight for another two months..."

Gong Gui’s expression remained unchanged, even a little cold.

"That’s right."

"This..."

Seeing this, Bai Mo thought a rift had formed between them.

The perceptive Yuan Chu seemed to sense what Bai Mo was thinking and quickly explained.

"Brother Gong has earned the favor of Dharma Protector Money Turtle and is undergoing special training. They say he’s currently in a state of ’nurturing his qi,’ so he has to keep his emotions stable..."

Bai Mo was relieved to hear this and started talking with them about his life since entering the inner sect.

Their experiences were largely similar—they were all serving the sect, just in different ways.

After they had chatted for a while, Yuan Chu changed the subject.

"Brother, did you know an elder is coming here for an inspection?"

Bai Mo was surprised, wondering why he had suddenly brought this up.

"Of course. He was supposed to have arrived already, but for some reason, he’s been delayed."

Yuan Chu looked at Gong Gui, who silently took out a palm-sized turtle shell and placed it upside down on the table.

An invisible force spread out, creating a palpable sense of isolation.

Only then did Yuan Chu speak.

"One of the seniors from our Divine Dao Mountain is accompanying the inspection team, which is how we heard some things."

"Oh?" Seeing how serious they were, Bai Mo began to pay close attention.

"Please, explain in detail, Brother."

"If nothing is wrong, an elder wouldn’t visit Mi Mountain for decades," Yuan Chu said.

"So why would something like this happen all of a sudden?"

"The truth is, they’re coming for one of the prisoners in your care."

"Who?" Bai Mo asked.

"We don’t know. We only heard that this person has a profound background and connections to a mighty figure from ancient times. That’s what’s causing all the trouble..."

Yuan Chu was very frank.

"Word is, there’s going to be trouble on Mi Mountain. Our senior knows we’re acquainted with you, so he hinted that we should come and see where you stand."

"If you don’t want to get involved, just say the word. We can have you transferred away..."