Chapter 354: Preparation

Chapter 354: Chapter 354: Preparation

Bai Mo entered the cell to investigate. He found that the deceased’s insides had been completely pulverized; his palm sank into the body as if it were soft cotton.

Prisoners in other cells keenly sensed that something was wrong.

"What’s happening out there?"

"Is someone trying to break out of prison? Who is it!?"

Bai Mo ignored them. He simply went out, found the Jinyu disciple who had yet to leave, and informed him of the news.

The news was sent out, and a response came three days later.

A Core Formation Cultivator from the Jinyu lineage arrived. After examining the body, he took it away, saving Bai Mo the trouble of cleaning up.

"Perhaps they didn’t want us to get any more information, so they decided to silence him for good."

Bai Mo was puzzled.

"But wasn’t it said that the deceased was their only heir?"

The visitor was dismissive.

"That’s true, but it wouldn’t be strange to kill him to protect his own kind."

Bai Mo stiffened.

"You mean the giant’s kind?"

"Mm, can’t say for sure. Who knows."

"It’s good that he’s dead, anyway. At least it’ll be a lot quieter for you here..."

The incident caused quite a stir.

In recent years, there had been few who dared cause trouble within the sect. This time, it had directly attracted such a heretical demon.

The disciples couldn’t help but gossip about it.

But Bai Mo knew it wasn’t some heretical demon, just a savage giant from ancient times. It had its own rules for survival, with no concept of orthodoxy or heresy.

According to the news from Divine Dao Mountain, the giant had already been suppressed.

They couldn’t communicate with it, and the sect didn’t kill it either, merely imprisoning it in a certain Secret Realm.

Bai Mo’s life gradually returned to normal.

Occasionally, he sent letters to Celestial Mountain City to ask for news.

Ah Er was let out and began to interact with people.

Bai Mo threaded a red string through a pill bottle and hung it around its neck. One look and anyone could tell it was domesticated, so there was no need to worry about trouble.

Sometimes, Bai Mo also sent it to the rundown market where they raised oysters and sold aromatic pearls.

He had heard that the oysters there were beginning to produce pearls again. Those aromatic pearls were extremely gentle, peaceful, and nourishing items, very suitable for use in alchemy.

Meanwhile, finding himself with some free time, Bai Mo finally turned his attention to the pile of things that had been spewed out of the Sea Eye.

Ah Er returned with the aromatic pearls just in time to see Bai Mo burying a piece of twitching flesh in an earthen pot.

Then, with extreme care, he sealed a tiny purple seed in the soil.

Ah Er waited for Bai Mo to finish, then quickly presented the aromatic pearls it had brought back.

Bai Mo took them and held them up to the light. They were full and round. As expected of the first batch of aromatic pearls, their quality was consistent.

He stood up and saw Ah Er’s gaze fixed on the fish basin in the corner, a trickle of drool at the corner of its mouth.

He gave its head a smack.

Bai Mo sighed.

"I still have a use for these fish. You’re not to touch them."

"If you really can’t stand it, go north. There’s a man there who loves to fish. He’s very lonely."

"If you sincerely ask him, he definitely won’t refuse you."

"GRUHH!"

Ah Er cried out and looked away; it was unclear if it had taken his words to heart.

The next evening, the seed Bai Mo had planted sprouted.

By the time Ah Er noticed the movement and woke Bai Mo, the ancient plant was already a palm’s-length tall. Its main stem was slightly curled and had sprouted five-lobed, patterned purple leaves.

The plant emitted a faint fluorescent glow in the night, looking utterly strange and marvelous.

"So fast!"

Bai Mo leaned in for a closer look.

This plant was called the Abyssal Vine.

Not many in the current era had seen this vine. The plant only grew on the corpses of high-level sea creatures, but it did not feed on them.

Bai Mo had used a piece of flesh to successfully nurture the vine seed until it sprouted.

After examining it thoroughly from top to bottom, Bai Mo turned and instructed:

"You will watch this thing for me. Don’t let the soil in the pot dry out, don’t let it get broken in the slightest, and you must apply Spiritual Spring water to it every day."

Bai Mo spoke sternly, and Ah Er, understanding the gravity of the matter, agreed with equal solemnity.

Bai Mo ruffled its head.

"I was planning to take you out of Celestial Mountain City to see the world, but I forgot about this."

"Now you’ll have to take care of everything here in the mountains, in this stone house."

Bai Mo began to plan his trip to Celestial Mountain City.

He had many acquaintances there and had been corresponding with them through letters carried by the Beast Taming Peak.

「Then one day.」

A letter was presented to Bai Mo.

It was actually a commission, and the reward was substantial.

’Capture a Pill Ghost?’

According to the letter, the client wanted to hire several Alchemy Dao masters to capture a Pill Ghost.

If they succeeded, they would be given twenty thousand Spirit Stones. Even if they failed, it wouldn’t be a wasted trip; they would still receive two thousand Spirit Stones as compensation for their trouble.

The client was clearly well-informed. They knew that several masters from the Pill Sect were heading to Celestial Mountain City, which was why they had made contact specifically by letter.

If the letter had come from Celestial Mountain City, or even Immortal Arrival City, Bai Mo wouldn’t have found it very strange.

But this letter had come through the connections of Shui Ziming, the former number one senior brother of the outer sect.

Since coming to the inner sect, that group of prodigies from the outer sect had all but vanished.

This was the first time Bai Mo had received any information from them.

The client was a Cultivator from a vassal sect under the Xuandao Sect. Their Sect Leader had once been a member of the Xuandao Sect, but had left to establish his own sect after his path to the Dao became hopeless.

Someone from that small sect probably knew Shui Ziming and was calling in a favor.

As for why they didn’t ask the Xuandao Sect for help directly, Bai Mo believed they had their concerns and had therefore opted for a private commission.

Shui Ziming had done Bai Mo a favor in the past, so it was difficult to refuse. Thus, he replied to the letter, asking to meet the client in Celestial Mountain City.

He didn’t agree directly, choosing to remain cautious first.

Besides, it was still uncertain whether he could even persuade one or two seniors to make the trip with him.

「Two months later.」

The weather grew cold and dry.

The Abyssal Vine by the stone house’s door had grown to the length of a person’s forearm and was beginning to climb the wall.

Bai Mo finally received a letter from the second Pill Sect master, who stated that he had arrived in Celestial Mountain City and was staying at the Jinghong Inn.

And so, Bai Mo decided to go and meet them.

After requesting a leave of absence from the Foreign Affairs Hall, Bai Mo summoned Li Wuji and briefed him on the matters of the Black Prison.

"I don’t know when I’ll be back from this trip. It could be more than three months."

Li Wuji cupped his fists. As he moved, the power of his physique radiated out, hot as a furnace, startling away many snakes, insects, and rats.

"Go on, Junior Brother. I will watch over the Black Prison."

Bai Mo cupped his fists.

"My thanks!"

The departure was set for three days later. Bai Mo first went to Silkworm Valley to see An Caiwei.

"I’m heading out for a while. Senior Sister, would you like to travel with me and go home to visit?"

An Caiwei shook her head, a weary look on her face.

"No, I fell too far behind during my Qi Refining Stage."

"You yourself told me that if I don’t solidify my foundation, my path to the Dao in this life will be hopeless. How could I dare to slack off?"

As she spoke, she suddenly shot Bai Mo a sidelong glance.

"You never show up without a reason. Spit it out. Why did you really come here?"

Bai Mo didn’t feel awkward at all. He just smiled and said:

"You’re as perceptive as ever, Senior Sister."

"It’s like this. I’ve heard that Silkworm Valley is full of treasures. Like that rose-colored light from last time, I was hoping you could help me get some."

An Caiwei snorted coldly.

"There’s more than just the rose-colored light. There’s also the Bright Spring and the Cold Wind. They are all things of heaven and earth, inexhaustible in supply."

"I’ll bring you some of each?"

Bai Mo’s eyes lit up, and he nodded at once.

"That would be fantastic! I heard the Bright Spring is used for dyeing cloth in Silkworm Valley. I never thought you’d be able to bring some out for me..."

Not wanting to needle him with her words, An Caiwei changed the subject, asking about the recent disturbance on Mi Mountain and the purpose of Bai Mo’s trip.

Bai Mo told her everything.

"So, it’s still about the Pill Sect’s assessment..."