It was true that taking too many Pills could lead to resistance.
But most Cultivators would never reach that point, so there was no need to worry.
A situation like this old Cultivator's was extremely rare.
For it to happen to the caravan now... well, no one knew what to say.
Watching the caravan members rummage through their chests and crates without finding anything, both they and the old Cultivator looked terribly grim.
The old Cultivator, in particular, wore a look of deep disappointment mixed with resentment, his expression fluctuating erratically.
However, aside from the second and third carriages, the other wagons remained untouched, their contents a mystery.
Seeing this, Bai Mo pondered for a moment, then took out a bottle of Qi Absorption Pills and handed it to Lanshan.
"We are, after all, benefiting from their help. Our journey wouldn't have been this smooth otherwise."
"Brother Lanshan, take these Pills and let that old Cultivator have a look."
Lanshan knew that Bai Mo's Pills were indeed different from the ones commonly found on the market.
But he hesitated.
"Shopkeeper Bai, are you not going to cultivate anymore?"
Bai Mo said, "I still have a few on hand. It's enough for me."
"Last night, I felt my Spiritual Qi become restless and grow stronger."
Lanshan's eyes lit up.
"Did you feel an aching expansion in your meridians?"
Lan Ru also looked over with concern.
"Yes, I did," Bai Mo replied.
Lanshan nodded emphatically.
"In that case, Shopkeeper Bai, you must be about to break through. Once your Spiritual Qi strengthens, it will course through and widen your meridians, and you'll naturally reach the Third Layer."
The first three layers of the Qi Refining Stage were all about strengthening and expanding one's meridians to build a foundation for future cultivation.
Lanshan had been through this before; he was well aware of all the details.
He hesitated no longer and walked forward, bottle of Pills in hand.
"Fellow Daoist, what do you think of these Pills?"
His approach took both the caravan elder and the old Cultivator by surprise.
"Are you with this caravan?" the old Cultivator asked, a bit suspicious.
Lanshan grinned.
"Just have a look at the Pills. Nothing else matters."
Dubious, the old Cultivator took the bottle and gave the stopper a slight twist.
POP!
The stopper came off.
"Oh?"
Regardless of their medicinal efficacy, the appearance of Bai Mo's Qi Absorption Pills alone was enough to impress.
Not only were their surfaces smooth, but their perfectly round, pure white form made one feel they were something special at a single glance.
However, since these were from an earlier batch and Bai Mo hadn't used select medicinal herbs, there was no Pill Fragrance.
The old Cultivator brought it closer to his nose and took a faint sniff. His eyes immediately lit up.
Just the scent of the Pill was enough to stir a trace of vitality in his long-withered old body.
"This is it!!"
A flush rose to the old Cultivator's face.
He seized Lanshan's large hand.
"Fellow Daoist! This is the Pill I need!! Do you have any more!?"
Lanshan exerted a bit of force, trying to pull his hand away, but failed.
"I'm sure you've noticed we're not part of the caravan. These Pills are for our own use, so of course we don't have any more."
The old Cultivator's face fell upon hearing this, but he quickly pressed on, "Do you produce these Pills? Where did you get them? I'm willing to pay a high price!"
Lanshan found it difficult to answer and simply said evasively,
"We can discuss that later. The Pills aren't mine. Fellow Daoist, you should settle the cost of these Pills first."
The old Cultivator paused, then came to his senses.
"Of course. How could there be a large supply of such Pills on the market? How much for these Pills?"
Lanshan was taken aback. He turned his head and looked toward the carriage where Bai Mo was.
The old Cultivator had spoken loudly, so Bai Mo had naturally heard their conversation.
Just as he was about to speak, Lan Ru, who was beside him, urgently reminded him,
"When a caravan is on the road, Pill prices are marked up!"
Bai Mo nodded and called out loudly, "Four Spirit Stones!"
He had originally wanted to say three and a half, but on second thought, a round number was better.
The old Cultivator saw Bai Mo, and his once-cloudy old eyes shone brightly.
"Fair. Extremely fair."
He took out the Spirit Stones and started to walk toward Bai Mo.
Seeing this, Lanshan quickly blocked his path.
"Fellow Daoist, please restrain yourself!"
The caravan guards also turned their attention over. If the old Cultivator had truly tried to approach, they would have stopped him as well.
"Fellow Daoist, this is a restricted area of the caravan; you may not approach without permission! Furthermore, there is a young lady there!" the caravan elder warned.
The old Cultivator looked reluctant but shoved the four Spirit Stones into Lanshan's hand.
"Fellow Daoist, if you have more Pills to sell in the future, you must remember to send someone to Liao family Castle to inform me. I will buy them at a premium!"
"Oh, right..."
He seemed to remember something, pulled out two more Spirit Stones, and tried to press them into Lanshan's hand.
But Lanshan didn't dare accept them and simply dodged before heading back.
"Fellow Daoist, you must remember, you must..."
...
The caravan finally started moving again, leaving the old Cultivator behind.
Lanshan handed the four Spirit Stones to Bai Mo.
"That old Cultivator is most likely from a wealthy background. Does Shopkeeper Bai have any ideas?"
Bai Mo nodded.
"We can talk about this later."
"If we really want to develop this connection, that old man could serve as a foothold."
'To develop a resistance to ordinary cultivation Pills... To put it bluntly, even someone with Lanshan's family background couldn't manage that. He would make an excellent contact to leverage,' Bai Mo thought.
'The profits on this trade route are nothing to scoff at. Even at a price of four Spirit Stones, after deducting travel expenses, I can still guarantee a return. And that's not even mentioning that I could raise the price further. However, all of this will have to wait until I'm a certified Pill Master.' Bai Mo was very clear about this in his own mind.
The caravan hadn't been traveling for long, and Bai Mo hadn't yet re-entered his cultivation state.
The caravan elder came over.
Lanshan gave a wry smile.
"Old Sir, please don't make things difficult for me."
The elder chuckled. "Lanshan, you've done the caravan a favor. Otherwise, we wouldn't have brought you along."
"I don't make a habit of making things difficult for people. I just want to ask the young brother inside one question: can you get more of those Pills from just now?"
They were all in business, and he owed the caravan a favor. Bai Mo was just wondering how to respond.
Lanshan glanced inside, then said,
"Old Sir, you don't need to overthink it. I call the young brother inside 'Shopkeeper Bai,' so you know we're all in the same line of work."
"And let me add one more thing. I'm escorting Shopkeeper Bai to Celestial Mountain City, and it's not for the Xuandao Sect."
"He's going to get certified as a Pill Master!!"
The elder was visibly shaken by this. He looked at Lanshan's dead-serious expression, and it took him a long moment to compose himself and let out a breath.
"To be so talented at such a young age... The younger generation is truly formidable."
He then sighed with relief. "In any case, business is business. Our paths may very well cross again in the future."
"If you're interested, I hope Young Brother Bai will keep my Tong family Trading House in mind."
Bai Mo lifted the curtain, leaned out, and cupped his hands in a salute. "I've received your kindness. I will certainly keep you in mind in the future!"
Only then did the elder leave.
'At his age, regardless of whether he passes the Pill Master certification, it's always good to establish a friendly connection in advance.' The elder was very clear on this.
Besides, judging by Lanshan's tone, that bottle of Pills had come from Shopkeeper Bai in the carriage. No matter how you looked at it, the potential he represented was undeniable.
After he had walked away, Lanshan quickly explained,
"Shopkeeper Bai, these people are all merchants. If I hadn't said that, given their nature, they would never have given up."
"Being direct about it saves a lot of trouble."
He was worried that Bai Mo would mind him revealing some of his details.
Of course, Bai Mo didn't mind.
"I was just thinking about how to respond myself. What you did was perfect, of course. It's not like it's some shameful secret!"