In the soft glow of the oil lamp.
Holding a thin bamboo knife and other tools, Bai Mo began to scrape away at the failed Pill.
'It's just a Tier One Pill. With my current comprehension, this should be manageable.'
A soft scraping sound filled the air as fragments of the Pill in his hand flaked off.
In just a moment, the rust-colored surface had mostly faded, revealing the mottled, discolored interior.
'This Pill isn't a complete failure. It probably still has a pathetic sliver of efficacy left...'
Scarcely daring to breathe, Bai Mo carefully used the bamboo sliver to separate the different colored powders, scraping them onto a sheet of oiled paper.
In the Cultivation Realm, there existed a peculiar art known as Pill Dissolving.
As its name suggested, the art was created to analyze the components of a Pill. It was developed by an extraordinary Loose Cultivator specifically to obtain the Pill Formulas monopolized by the major sects. Only those with exceptional comprehension could hope to learn it.
"Whew."
Bai Mo let out a soft breath. 'The senior who created this art was a true genius.'
'If not for this skill, I never would have been able to obtain a few Pill Formulas and establish a foothold in Immortal Arrival City.'
Bai Mo felt a wave of relief. If he hadn't finally grasped the Pill Dissolving Skill a few months ago, he probably would have sold himself into servitude to one of the great households by now.
'How could I be living this life of cultivation now?'
He touched his finger to some of the brown powder and brought it to the tip of his tongue for a light taste. The bitter, astringent flavor made him spit it out instinctively.
'Bitter and astringent, my tongue feels numb... Its medicinal properties are of a 'cold' nature. This is Earth Dragon Root, all right. I just don't know what other herbs were fused with it...'
By smelling the other components, observing their colors when steeped in Spiritual Water, and using other methods, Bai Mo identified thirty to fifty percent of the ingredients in just a few moments.
Failed Pills were often poisonous. If he weren't confident, Bai Mo wouldn't have dared to taste it. He had to supplement the tasting with other methods.
By the third watch of the night, Bai Mo finally stopped his work. He carefully placed the porcelain bowls from his worktable into a wooden bucket. The Spiritual Water inside them was now steeped with the failed Pill's components, and there was no telling if it was toxic.
'I'll deal with this tomorrow.'
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Bai Mo took out an old Pill Furnace. Beside it sat a small bronze pot. He then fetched some Spirit Wood and lit a fire.
'This is my bread and butter.'
Bai Mo tossed the already-processed herbs into the Pill Furnace, placing a select few into the bronze pot to roast them.
He even set some herbs on fire directly and collected the resulting ash.
Once all the ingredients were inside the Pill Furnace, it only took an hour for them to be refined into several gleaming white Pills.
Bai Mo opened the lid and waited for them to cool before removing the Pills from the furnace. These were Condensed Dew Pills.
'Six successful Pills, and one failure.'
Bai Mo was quite satisfied.
[Pill Master: Bai Mo]
[Realm: Qi Refining Second Layer]
[Status: Pill Apprentice (311/500)]
[Aptitude: Introspective, Moderately Perceptive]
His Pill Apprentice progress had increased by 5 points.
'Five hundred successful Pills before I can advance. Looks like this path of alchemy is a life of endless toil for me.'
'Still, the boost in comprehension after advancing is truly intoxicating.'
Bai Mo placed the Pills into a vial and closed his eyes. The entire Alchemy process replayed in his mind, step by step.
This was an ability he had only gained after his aptitude improved upon becoming a Pill Apprentice.
As Bai Mo reviewed the Alchemy process, he identified three flaws, all related to his technique while processing the herbs.
'Still not proficient enough.'
Bai Mo washed up before collapsing onto his bed and falling into a deep sleep.
A peaceful night's sleep.
...
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sound of knocking—crude, yet rhythmic—broke the silence.
Bai Mo was startled awake. A glance out the window revealed the sun was already high in the sky.
"Coming!"
He shouted in response. From the sound of the knocking, Bai Mo already knew who it was.
It was the landlord of his shop, Elder Tao.
He opened the door to find a swarthy, aged face at the entrance.
"Young Shopkeeper Bai, this month's rent..."
he said, dragging out his words as he got straight to the point.
Bai Mo was already prepared. He went back inside, retrieved a cloth pouch, and handed it to Elder Tao.
The old man weighed it in his hand for a moment, a smile spreading across his face. He opened it and counted. Sure enough, there were exactly twenty-five Spirit Stones.
Bai Mo complained, "Elder Tao, the rent keeps getting more expensive. It's gone up twice in the last three months."
Elder Tao sighed.
"It's going to get even more expensive. The whole city is like this."
Bai Mo froze for a second, his expression turning serious.
"May I ask, Elder Tao, did something happen?"
Elder Tao waved a dismissive hand and turned to leave.
"It's still too early to say for sure what's going on. But prices for many things in the city have become chaotic. You should keep an eye out..."
Although there was no shortage of people wanting to rent shop space in the city, tenants like Bai Mo who could pay the full amount on time were rare.
That was why Elder Tao didn't mind giving him a little warning.
Bai Mo's heart tightened. He closed the door.
'Lanshan and his people... their injuries can't have fully healed yet. There must be another reason they chose to enter the Celestial Barrier Mountain.'
'The Condensed Dew Pills and Righteous Qi Pills they asked for were just minor items. The real prize was the five bottles of Evil Exorcism Pills.'
'Those are Pills used to dispel a Demon Beast's Blood Curse, and that type of Pill is usually monopolized by the sects.'
'My Evil Exorcism Pill uses Climbing Vine as its main ingredient, a Tier One, mid-grade herb. While its effect is only half as potent as the pills from the Miaofa Sect, its main advantage is the price.'
'This was also why Lanshan chose to do business with me.'
'We've worked together many times and have a certain level of mutual trust.'
Bai Mo dragged a wooden box out from under his bed. Inside were several lengths of dried, twisted vines with a rough surface.
A quick glance told Bai Mo that he only had enough Climbing Vine for about five batches of Pills.
'I should probably mention this to Lanshan...'
With that thought, Bai Mo began his work for the day.
He set up the bronze pot and fired up the Alchemy Furnace. Before long, thin wisps of smoke began to rise.
...
「Nine days later.」
Lanshan knocked on the shop door, a gaunt man in tow.
"Lanshan, this Shopkeeper is so young. Are you sure you can trust his Pills?"
"This is about removing a Blood Curse!"
the gaunt man asked, his eyes bloodshot and filled with confusion.
The Blood Curse was a serious matter, the biggest threat to their Demon Hunting Team. If they couldn't remove it, they wouldn't be able to continue their work for long.
That was why they endured exploitation from the major sects, spending nearly half their earnings on methods to remove the Blood Curse.
Lanshan's expression darkened. "Don't you ever say that again!"
"You're new to the Demon Hunting Team, so you don't know Shopkeeper Bai's Alchemy Skill. Do you have any idea what it means for someone his age to be able to refine an Evil Exorcism Pill?! He's not someone you can judge!"
As for the Pill's efficacy, he had taken it many times himself. How could he not know how well it worked?
The sound of a wooden plank being lifted away came from the door.
Lanshan shot the gaunt man a glare before offering a quiet greeting.
"Young Shopkeeper Bai."
Bai Mo didn't hide his curiosity, openly looking the gaunt man up and down before letting the pair inside.
He put the door plank back in place and lit an oil lamp.
In the lamplight, Bai Mo asked, "And this is...?"
Lanshan quickly explained, "He's the son of an old acquaintance of my Demon Hunting Team. We're on good terms. He lost everyone in an accident in the Celestial Barrier Mountain, so I brought him into the team to look after him."
If the major sects found out Bai Mo was selling Evil Exorcism Pills, it might not be a catastrophe, but there was no guarantee some trouble wouldn't come looking for him.
Lanshan knew of his concerns, which was why he offered the explanation.
"No wonder," Bai Mo said with dawning realization. "His aura is unstable and his mind is in turmoil. I'm afraid he hasn't been able to cultivate for a long time."
'Lanshan has bought Evil Exorcism Pills from me many times. An old team member wouldn't have let his worries fester to this degree.'
"Exactly."
Lanshan gave a bitter smile. "A Heart Demon is beginning to form in Han Meng. Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought him here so soon."
He asked with concern, "Young Shopkeeper Bai, the Evil Exorcism Pills..."
With a flip of his hand, Bai Mo produced the Pills and set them on the counter he used for reading.
"Five vials, ten Pills in each. Ten Spirit Stones per vial."
A sharp glint flashed in Lanshan's eyes. "Impressive Alchemy Skill, Shopkeeper."
As he spoke, he reached into his robes and pulled out a pouch of Spirit Stones.
"Including the Condensed Dew Pills and Righteous Qi Pills, it comes to seventy-five Spirit Stones. Go ahead and count them, Shopkeeper."
Bai Mo took the pouch, weighed it in his hand, then opened it and gave the contents a cursory stir. He could tell the amount was correct.
"The Pills are all yours."
Lanshan chuckled softly and swept the vials into his possession with one large hand.
Suddenly, he pressed a hand down on Han Meng's shoulder, forcing him into a seated position.
"Sit still!"
"Take a Pill now and purge the Blood Curse!"