Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Bai Mo asked the crowd of Cultivators to wait a moment and welcomed Lanshan and his companion into the shop first.

It didn’t take long. After they had chosen their Pills and he had deducted the cost, Bai Mo still owed them fifty-five Spirit Stones.

Lanshan uncorked a bottle, sniffed the Pill Fragrance, and grinned.

"As expected of Shopkeeper Bai. There aren’t many merchant guilds in the city that can offer Pills of this quality."

"It’s just... um, Shopkeeper Bai, are you really out of Evil Exorcism Pills and Qi Blood Pills?"

Lanshan sounded a little disappointed.

Bai Mo took two small vials from his sleeve and tossed them to Lanshan.

"Without Climbing Vines, even a master chef can’t cook without ingredients. How could I possibly have any Evil Exorcism Pills?"

Hearing this, Lanshan quickly opened one of the vials.

Inside, a perfectly round, crimson Qi Blood Pill lay quietly.

’A real life-saver.’

Lanshan tucked it away with satisfaction.

Seeing the man’s smug expression, Bai Mo warned him:

"This Pill’s effects are extremely potent. Last time, all of you were laid out for a long time. If you take two in a row, I’m afraid it could be fatal!"

With the power of a Qi Blood Pill, if someone were to die from taking it, there probably wouldn’t be more than a few ounces of flesh left on their body.

Even the beasts of Celestial Barrier Mountain wouldn’t give the corpse a second glance!

Lanshan waved his hand dismissively. "You’re joking, Shopkeeper Bai."

He thought for a moment, then specifically asked, "Is there anything you need, Shopkeeper Bai? We can keep an eye out for it in the mountains."

Bai Mo pulled out a piece of paper that listed quite a few medicinal herbs.

Lanshan looked it over and seemed troubled.

"So many? We don’t recognize all these herbs..."

The paper Bai Mo had given him listed nearly thirty types of herbs, with their purchase prices attached.

It was clear this list hadn’t been prepared specifically for them.

Bai Mo didn’t mind.

"It’s fine. Just see what fate brings."

"It would be great if you could just keep an eye out for Climbing Vines for me, Brother Lanshan."

That was a good idea, as it directly concerned the interests of his Demon Hunting Team.

Lanshan nodded seriously.

"I’ll check by that cliff on my way. Jing Ren and his team got the Climbing Vines there last time, so there might be some left."

After a bit more conversation, Lanshan left.

Bai Mo turned to the crowd of Cultivators at the door, his expression becoming serious.

"Alright, bring out your stock."

"But let me be clear: I’m not buying anything of poor quality."

Hearing this, the crowd stirred, everyone eager to show off their best goods.

"Make way, make way! Brother Bai, I’m here!"

The Cultivators wondered who it was and instinctively stepped aside, letting an old man squeeze into the shop.

The old man carried a massive bundle on his back, so large that from behind, all you could see were his two skinny legs.

It was the old stall owner who used to set up on the street.

Bai Mo was startled by the sight of him.

"How do you still have so much?"

The old stall owner, however, wore a fawning smile.

"Brother Bai, oh, my Lord of Heaven, you’ve transformed overnight into a Pill Master!"

"Ever since we first met you, everyone knew you were destined for great things!"

"Lord of Heaven, Lord of Heaven..."

Bai Mo narrowed his eyes, looking at the bundle the man had placed on the floor.

’That many herbs isn’t a haul a lone wolf should have, yet I’ve never heard of this old codger teaming up with anyone.’

"The Spirit Stones of Celestial Barrier Mountain aren’t that easy to earn. You should be careful."

"An old life may be worn out, but it’s not something Spirit Stones can buy."

The old stall owner paused, then understood and gave a wry smile.

"Let’s not talk about all that nonsense. Brother Bai, take a look at my herbs. See anything you like?"

"Brother Bai has always had a keen eye. It’s the Myriad Wonder Sect’s loss that they didn’t see it..."

Seeing the old stall owner rambling on, Bai Mo became even more certain that the man must have used one of the unorthodox methods of herb-seekers.

There were many such methods, though they weren’t known to ordinary people.

Many of them were harmful and came at a price so great that one could never live in peace again.

But judging by the old codger’s slippery appearance, he probably wasn’t the type to risk his life. He likely used a safer path.

Bai Mo opened the bundle and rummaged through it, indeed finding many high-quality, aged herbs.

The city’s medicine apprentices lacked a discerning eye and had failed to purchase them.

In the end, Bai Mo gathered the herbs he wanted, took out nine Spirit Stones, and tossed them into the man’s hand.

"Not bad."

The old stall owner chuckled and packed up the rest.

"Brother Bai has a sharp eye. I knew there was good stuff in there, but those apprentices just didn’t recognize it."

The rest of his herbs really wouldn’t fetch a high price, but if he kept them to sell off slowly, whether to clinics or apprentices, he could still make some profit.

Bai Mo sneered, pulled out another piece of paper from behind him, and slapped it into the man’s hand.

"Take a look at this. And don’t risk your neck when you don’t have to."

The old stall owner glanced at Bai Mo, then looked down at the white paper in his hand.

His eyes darted across it, and then he suddenly froze.

"A Sunflower, one Spirit Stone per stalk?"

"A Blood Python Pill, one Spirit Stone per pill, price negotiable for mature ones..."

The old stall owner swallowed hard.

"Is... is this for real?"

Bai Mo rolled his eyes.

"I’m spreading this news in front of so many people. Do you think I’m joking?"

The old stall owner straightened up, sucking in a sharp breath.

"Good, good, good!"

"Brother Bai truly deserves to be revered as a Pill Master! You already have the right bearing for it!"

Bai Mo waved his hand impatiently, shooing the man away.

"Go, go, go! Don’t disturb my business!"

At his words, the crowd surged forward, shoving the old stall owner out of the way.

They had assumed he was an acquaintance of the Pill Master, which was why they had let their guard down.

Who would have thought he was just that old slicker who hung around the city gate.

The old man was shoved stumbling out the door. On any other day, the old stall owner would have cursed them out, but today, he wasn’t in the mood.

Recalling the scene of seeing Bai Mo yesterday, it dawned on him.

’Yesterday, Brother Bai had just returned from out of town. Could it be he was out getting that darn Pill Master certification?’

He looked back at Bai Mo, who was mobbed in the shop, then clutched the bundle on his back, carefully put away Bai Mo’s list, and headed down the long street.

"He’s really made something of himself."

Perhaps it was a tacit understanding among the Loose Cultivators, or maybe there was another reason.

The news of Bai Mo becoming a Pill Master didn’t spread very quickly.

At the very least, the ripples it created were still confined to the Loose Cultivator community and had not yet reached other Cultivators.

As a result, Bai Mo spent the entire morning dealing with a crowd of Loose Cultivators.

It wasn’t until noon that Bai Mo could finally catch his breath.

Customers started trickling in, most of them regulars.

His previous customers had become somewhat reserved.

"Is Shopkeeper Bai in?"

Bai Mo looked up, putting down his neighbor’s Pill Formula, and saw a familiar face.

The usually beaming face looked a bit strained today.

Bai Mo, however, was the first to smile.

"I am. What can I get for you today?"

The visitor seemed to relax at the sight, walked into the shop, and began examining the Pills on the shelves.

"I heard... that Shopkeeper Bai has become a Pill Master?"

Bai Mo nodded matter-of-factly.

"I have."

The visitor froze for a second, his mouth suddenly dry.

"I thought it was just a baseless rumor..."

Bai Mo shook his head. "I’m afraid a lot of people think that."

"What, now that I’m a Pill Master, you don’t dare to joke around with me anymore?"

"You were always such a smooth talker..."

"Whoa!" The visitor took two steps back, waving his hands frantically.

"What are you thinking, Shopkeeper Bai? If I keep acting like that, even if you don’t mind, people outside will start talking."

He picked out two bottles of Qi Absorption Pills, paid the Spirit Stones, and left in a bit of a daze.

It wasn’t until he opened a pill bottle that the Pill Fragrance brought him back to his senses.

"The work of a Pill Master, huh... Tsk. How did I never see it before?"

Back in the shop, however, Bai Mo’s brow was slightly furrowed.

A few discreet gazes from not far away had lingered on him several times before moving away.

Bai Mo studied the people who were spying on him.

They looked very familiar. They were the same people who had repeatedly spied on and probed his shop before he left Immortal Arrival City.

’People from the Myriad Wonder Sect.’