Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Yin Disciple rose to his feet, showing no anger at the rejection.

"We may not have a formal alliance, but we are fellow Daoists nonetheless!"

"You are a newly-promoted Pill Master, after all. If you ever need anything, feel free to visit us. I’ve already informed my men."

The other two men also rose to their feet.

Li Zheng called for Ah Cheng, then said to Bai Mo,

"Immortal Arrival City doesn’t have a Pill Assembly. It’s just the few of us holding down the fort."

"Young friend, when you have time, remember to come out for a visit. You were certified in Celestial Mountain City, but you’re an Immortal Arrival City man now."

"As for the Miaofa Sect, you don’t need to worry. Bringing up the Xuandao Sect would just make it seem as if we old-timers aren’t doing our part..."

Bai Mo rose to see them out.

’He didn’t know exactly who these men were, but at least they bore him no ill will.’

After the three Pill Masters left, the old stall owner finally came out.

He set down the empty teapot and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"My Lord of Heaven, I never thought I’d see those three."

Bai Mo stood at the entrance to his shop, watching the three Pill Masters walk down the street. No one dared to come within thirty feet of them.

"Those three... are they a big deal?"

The old stall owner gave him a thumbs-up.

"The biggest deal there is."

"They control the city’s pill industry. As long as the Miaofa Sect doesn’t intervene, they have the absolute final say."

After a moment of thought, Bai Mo asked,

"What’s their reputation like?"

The old stall owner thought for a moment. "It’s complicated."

"For years, the prices of pills and medicinal herbs in the city have been very stable, and that’s all thanks to those three."

"Small fluctuations might happen, but for people like us, it’s just the difference between eating gruel and having a full meal. At the same time, it’s completely cut off any path to striking it rich through speculation."

Thinking Bai Mo was contemplating his own place in all this, he added a word of advice.

"You don’t need to worry, Brother Bai. Those three are concerned with the entire pill supply chain, the whole series of industries upstream and downstream."

"Your business is still small. No one will pay it any mind."

Bai Mo nodded. He already had a plan for dealing with his three new peers.

’We’ll just have to mind our own business.’

’My little shop isn’t big enough to have any major impact on the city’s pill trade.’

’If I came from a powerful family, this would probably be a completely different scenario, wouldn’t it?’

The city had its own intricate politics.

While the three had come today to visit a new peer, their visit was not without a hint of a warning.

The old stall owner talked with Bai Mo for a while longer before taking his leave.

Having known Bai Mo for a long time, he was sure that Bai Mo wasn’t the type to cause trouble.

Bai Mo saw him out, his mind already turning over his own plans.

Bai Mo ran his shop diligently for three days.

At last, Bai Mo saw Lanshan return.

Han Meng still followed behind him. The two entered the shop and set down a bag of Climbing Vines.

Lanshan let out a sigh.

"Shopkeeper Bai, this is all of it. It’s what Jing Ren and Jing Yi didn’t manage to collect last time."

Bai Mo took out some of the Climbing Vines to inspect them and was quite satisfied with their quality.

"This is already quite good."

With that, he moved the Climbing Vines to the back of the shop.

Bai Mo fetched his bag of Spirit Stones. He settled his remaining debt and paid for the Climbing Vines, clearing the slate with a total of sixty-three Spirit Stones.

Lanshan handed back five Spirit Stones and took two bottles of Righteous Qi Pills instead.

Bai Mo asked curiously, "Run into something poisonous?"

"A swarm of venomous hornets has nested along the path on the Mountain Entrance Map. It’s a species we’ve never seen in these parts."

As Lanshan was stowing the Righteous Qi Pills, Bai Mo asked,

"How do the Pill Masters in the city operate?"

Lanshan stiffened for a moment. He pondered the question, his brow furrowing slightly.

"They’re undoubtedly the big shots of the city."

"When we go into the mountains, their people buy up most of what we gather."

"I can’t say I’ve ever had a problem with how they conduct their business, though."

As Lanshan spoke, his eyes flickered.

"Why do you ask, Shopkeeper Bai?"

"Those three... colleagues... paid me a visit."

Upon hearing this, Lanshan immediately sat down nearby.

"Shopkeeper Bai, let me tell you about those three."

"Li Zheng was originally a Loose Cultivator who had a fortunate encounter. He rose to prominence after a period of harsh cultivation and has gathered quite a few people to his side.

He runs the biggest medicinal herb supplier and Pill Shop in Immortal Arrival City!

Yin Disciple, I hear, is the one with the most refined Alchemy Skill of the three. He’s well-connected and has deep ties to the Miaofa Sect."

"As for Yang Jing..." Lanshan instinctively lowered his voice.

"He keeps a large group of enforcers and controls the Cyan Flood Dragon Water, the waterway leading to Celestial Barrier Mountain. His operation there is deeply entrenched."

Bai Mo was surprised that Lanshan knew so much about the three Pill Masters.

He couldn’t help but lean forward, listening intently.

Lanshan curled his fingers, counting.

"Those three rake in the most profit in the pill industry by taking a cut from herbs and pills, as well as through large-volume pill sales."

Bai Mo nodded at his words.

"My business is so small, I doubt it will attract their attention."

Lanshan looked surprised.

"You were actually worried about that, Shopkeeper Bai?"

Bai Mo wasn’t particularly worried, he just said,

"No, it’s just good to know the inner workings of the trade."

Lanshan nodded emphatically.

"Their control over the pill trade, their methods notwithstanding, is inseparable from Yin Disciple’s Alchemy Skill."

"Shopkeeper Bai, for you to have become a Pill Master at such a young age, I see no problem with you surpassing Yin Disciple in the future."

"When that time comes, what’s so hard about carving out a piece of their business for yourself?"

Lanshan didn’t seem too concerned about them either.

His respect for the three Pill Masters stemmed only from their status in the city.

Loose Cultivators like them, who scraped by in Celestial Barrier Mountain, couldn’t care less about the city’s power structure.

"Oh, right, Shopkeeper Bai. On our way back, we saw a lot more Cultivators in the mountains. They seemed to be searching for something..."

"The market’s bound to see an influx of medicinal herbs. You should keep a close watch, Shopkeeper Bai!"

Bai Mo smiled wryly.

"I’m afraid that’s not unrelated to me."

With that, he brought over the bounty notice listing the various herbs and handed it to Lanshan.

Lanshan glanced at it, then casually tucked it into his robes and gave Bai Mo a thumbs-up.

"So this was your doing, Shopkeeper Bai."

After asking Bai Mo a few questions about the details, Lanshan left the shop.

There were two people laid up back home, waiting for him to return with the Righteous Qi Pills.

"We won’t disturb you any longer, Shopkeeper Bai. May your business prosper."

Bai Mo saw them out, offering a tip just as they were parting.

"The honey from those venomous hornets is extraordinary, it has many wondrous effects. The wax is a good material as well."

"If it’s convenient for you, Brother Lanshan, perhaps you could bring some back next time for me to have a look at."

Lanshan was startled and exchanged a glance with Han Meng.

"I was so focused on how venomous they were, I never thought we almost missed a treasure."

"I’ll remember your words, Shopkeeper Bai."

With that, the two of them left.

Only when they were some distance away did Han Meng lick his lips and ask softly,

"Why didn’t you tell Shopkeeper Bai about your plan?"

Lanshan looked annoyed and slapped him on the back, sending him stumbling forward.

"Too impatient!"

"It’s true we’re trying to recruit people, but he’s a shrewd man, always thinking about his next step. What happens if he says no?"

Han Meng scratched his head.

"Wouldn’t it be better to give Shopkeeper Bai a heads-up?"

"So it’s not so sudden when the time comes."

But Lanshan was firm.

"Let’s wait until we actually have some chance of success. I don’t want to lose face over nothing."

Of course, Bai Mo was unaware of their conversation. His mind had already turned to the *Star-Pointing Seven Hands*.

Out in the world, blades have no eyes.

Even a Pill Master should have some means of self-preservation.

And close at hand lay two small, browning flowers, on the verge of withering.

Sunflowers.

The day before, Bai Mo had bought these two flowers for two Spirit Stones from a Cultivator who came to his door.

From the look of them, they had already lost about thirty percent of their medicinal properties.

He would have to roast and grind them into a powder tonight.