Bai Mo nodded as he listened to Xu Ruyuan’s report on their progress.
"So, you’re saying Tai Ming and his companion haven’t been slacking at all?"
Xu Ruyuan quickly replied, "They’re sparing no effort. The two of them have been advising on medicinal properties, recruiting Cultivators, and they even understand matters concerning the herb fields."
"On many matters, an old relic like me from a past generation still needs to consult them."
Bai Mo understood.
"As long as they’re working diligently, that’s all that matters."
As he spoke, he pointed to the storefront he had just acquired.
"In the next few days, I’ll start on a batch of profitable Pills. At the same time, I’ll have the two storefronts combined into one."
"After that, we can start buying medicinal ingredients as the situation allows."
’Setting up such a large-scale medicinal herb operation... it would take at least a thousand Spirit Stones just to get it off the ground.’
’What kind of Pill could be that valuable?’
Xu Ruyuan wanted to ask, but seeing Bai Mo’s serene expression, he swallowed his words.
Instead, he said, "That place... I remember it used to be some kind of general store..."
"The owner went to do business elsewhere, so now the shop is mine," Bai Mo said.
Xu Ruyuan understood.
"Good. I’ll let Brother Tai Ming know."
With the Fire Marrow Pills as a safety net, Bai Mo was feeling quite confident.
Tier Two Pills were a rare sight on the market in Immortal Arrival City.
Including himself, you could count the number of people in the city capable of refining them on one hand.
"By the way, now that I’ve taken over the shop next door, I plan to register it with the Law Enforcement Squad."
"Do you know the ropes?"
When Xu Ruyuan heard this, he quickly waved his hands to stop him.
"Brother Bai, you mustn’t!"
"These days, everyone in the city’s Law Enforcement Squad is practically a shark. Their methods are nothing like before, and they don’t even bother to hide it anymore."
"If you go, you’ll definitely be extorted!"
Bai Mo nodded as he listened, and after a moment of thought, he said, "Why has the Law Enforcement Squad become like this?"
Xu Ruyuan just said, "I don’t know."
"But your paperwork is all in order, and with your status as a Pill Master, it won’t be too late to register after they’ve cleaned up their act!"
’Last time, those disciples from the Marvelous Method Sect were put in their place here. Logically, they shouldn’t dare to cause trouble again.’
So Bai Mo decided not to concern himself with it further.
"Alright, we’ll do that then."
After seeing Xu Ruyuan out, Bai Mo went straight to find Master Wang the carpenter.
Master Wang was with his apprentice, busy helping someone repair a piece of old furniture.
"What? You want to combine the storefronts?"
Master Wang clicked his tongue, somewhat shocked.
The whole neighborhood had watched Bai Mo rise up. It felt like only yesterday he was a mere medicine boy, and now he was a Pill Master running a major storefront.
Things were changing so quickly; it really made one sigh.
"Is it Li Hu’s shop next door?"
Master Wang thought aloud, "So that kid really left?"
Bai Mo said, "That’s right. Master Wang, can you find the manpower?"
Master Wang thought for a moment.
"It’s just combining the storefronts. Of course I can find the men for it."
"But you’re a Pill Master now, and the shop is large. Doing a beautiful job that meets the proper standards won’t be so easy."
Bai Mo smiled.
"Master Wang is a veteran in this trade. I’m sure it won’t be difficult for you to find a capable person for the job!"
Master Wang didn’t look self-satisfied, and just said, "You flatter me, Shopkeeper Bai. I’ll go take a look around and find some seasoned craftsmen who’ve worked for the merchant guilds..."
The preparations couldn’t be completed in a day or two.
Manpower, earth and stone, and lumber all needed to be selected and measured.
「The next day」
A few sturdy men showed up at the door.
With Master Wang leading them, Bai Mo had nothing to worry about and let them point, sketch, and take measurements.
The men were very polite and respectful toward Bai Mo; they had likely been warned before coming.
Bai Mo explained his plans, the most important of which was, without a doubt, the Alchemy Room.
𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
After hearing Bai Mo’s requirements, the men took notes and left.
Master Wang left with them.
Bai Mo was about to go back to his cultivation when he suddenly heard some deep, resentful cursing.
He looked up and saw Ma Bozi and Han Meng walking over side-by-side.
Han Meng could only offer a series of wry smiles in the face of Ma Bozi’s grousing, unsure of how to reply.
As the two of them drew closer, they composed their expressions.
"We heard about your shop, Shopkeeper Bai, and since we were in the area, we thought we’d stop by and take a look."
Ma Bozi said heartily, "Is there anything you need help with?"
Bai Mo invited the two of them inside.
"It’s fine. The professional craftsmen will handle everything."
"But you, Brother Ma, did you run into some trouble?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Han Meng just gave an awkward smile and said nothing.
Ma Bozi, however, had no intention of hiding anything.
"I don’t know who’s disrupting the market, but all day long, they’ve been luring all the pretty little songbirds away."
"Poor me! Usually, they at least put on a little act, but now I’m left drinking with a few old Chais! It’s just not right!"
Ma Bozi grew angrier as he spoke and slammed his hand on the table, making the tea slosh in the cups.
Bai Mo’s expression darkened.
’He immediately thought of Sun Qiao and his degenerate friends.’
Ma Bozi didn’t notice Bai Mo’s expression and continued his tirade.
"Sigh, it’s just that they’ve found some new Pill. I know the pill peddler; he’s just a shady operator. There’s no way he could get his hands on a Pill with that kind of effect."
"I never thought those three Pill Masters would stoop to this kind of business..."
It was unclear what Ma Bozi had gone through, but his sense of injustice was incredibly strong.
Han Meng, who had run into him by chance, saw this and, afraid he would say the wrong thing, quickly tugged on his sleeve, bringing his rant to a halt.
Han Meng took over the conversation and asked softly, "Shopkeeper Bai, do you have a place to stay these days? Why not come stay at our place for a few days?"
Bai Mo, recovering his composure, shook his head.
"No need. The craftsmen have set aside a place for me to eat and sleep. It won’t affect my cultivation or Alchemy."
Ma Bozi spoke up, "If you find it too noisy, Shopkeeper Bai, you can also stay at my place for a few days. I’ll make sure there’s plenty of wine."
"My brothers haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you yet, haha!"
Han Meng immediately looked displeased and quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, the medicinal herbs we brought back—is there anything useful among them?"
"I don’t know yet. I’ll need a few days to study them."
"Heh, with your eye for things, Shopkeeper Bai, I’m sure finding a substitute for the Climbing Vine will be a simple task..."
’Bai Mo really couldn’t guarantee he’d find a usable substitute.’
After seeing Han Meng and Ma Bozi off, Bai Mo sorted through the medicinal herbs.
He set aside the ones he was familiar with. As for the ones he didn’t recognize, he would have to consult the Pill Book and study their medicinal properties.
This was another extremely energy-consuming task.
He was busy with this until night fell.
Bai Mo was sitting cross-legged in meditation, restoring his energy.
Cultivation at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer seemed different from before.
Bai Mo felt his progress was extremely slow.
"I really should find an Array to aid my cultivation," Bai Mo opened his eyes and muttered to himself.
The thought had barely formed when the faint sound of a door being pushed open reached his ears.
Bai Mo’s gaze sharpened. He shot to his feet, strode to the window, and pushed it open.
Looking closely, he immediately saw the lights on in his good neighbor’s house. A few young, well-dressed masters were slightly drunk, their arms draped around each other’s shoulders.
They had debauched looks on their faces and swayed as they walked, yet their expressions were unusually energetic.
The men were shoving each other playfully when suddenly, his good neighbor Sun Qiao met Bai Mo’s gloomy gaze.
His spirits lifted instantly, and he praised loudly, "Shopkeeper Bai, your skills are truly divine!"
The other young masters also spoke up gratefully.
It was all just phrases like "a blessing for us enthusiasts" and "we will surely repay you."
’Seeing that the medicinal aura on one of them was already nearly fifty percent gone, Bai Mo knew just how wild they had been.’
Helplessly, he sighed and said, "While the Pill’s power hasn’t completely dissipated, you should cultivate for a while. It will be of great benefit."
’He truly didn’t want to see the reputation of his Pills ruined by these men.’