Bai Mo led Xu Ruyuan out. They meandered for a bit, as he intended to take a roundabout path back to his shop.

"Oh, right."

"Fellow Cultivator Xu, would you be interested in parting with the offering method for that Flesh Tai Sui?"

Thinking about what Xu Ruyuan had said, Bai Mo had grown interested in that technique.

’A method like that could be incredibly useful in a pinch.’

Hearing this, Xu Ruyuan’s expression turned serious, and he warned:

"Brother Bai, you have a bright future ahead of you. It would be best not to get involved with such things."

"Everyone who enters the mountain has something to rely on. But if I were to place my grass knot on the big tree stump at the mountain’s entrance, the wind would blow it away instantly."

He sighed, a hint of loneliness in his voice.

"I’m like a lonely ghost, never able to find peace when I enter the mountains."

Bai Mo shook his head upon hearing this.

"That’s just your way of looking at it."

"If you were to give this method to those brutes from Lanshan Mountain, who knows how they would use it."

Xu Ruyuan’s expression froze.

He often dwelled on the dangers of unorthodox arts and their potential repercussions.

But the members of a Demon Hunting Team were all heroes who walked the line between life and death.

If they were to truly encounter that Flesh Tai Sui, who knew how they would react.

"In that case, when I have a spare moment, I’ll write out a copy of the method and give it to you, Brother Bai."

The two turned into a narrow alley.

Xu Ruyuan immediately sized up the situation.

"It seems those two fellow cultivators are in a similar situation to mine—not very well-off."

"And this area isn’t large. Their eye for choosing a location is even worse than mine."

Arriving at Tai Ming’s home, Bai Mo knocked on the door.

A moment later, a woman carrying a cloth bundle opened the door.

"Alchemist Bai!"

Bai Mo nodded.

"Are you heading out today, ma’am?"

"Yes. The two brothers discussed it all night and have made up their minds."

"Let me show you in, Alchemist Bai."

Bai Mo quickly stopped her. "Please, don’t be so formal."

Just as he and Xu Ruyuan stepped inside, Huan Xiyi strode out.

Although he had trimmed his beard and hair, you could still see a certain sloppiness about him.

"Alchemist Bai is here!"

"Perfect timing. We have a lot of ideas..."

His voice trailed off. Huan Xiyi paused, looking at Xu Ruyuan with suspicion.

"This fellow cultivator... you look awfully familiar!"

Bai Mo was taken aback and glanced at the uncomfortable-looking Xu Ruyuan.

"This is the helper I found, Xu Ruyuan. Fellow Cultivator Xu."

"Do you two know each other?"

Before Huan Xiyi could speak, Tai Ming came out, steadying himself against the wall.

"Which fellow cultivator is it? I..."

His gaze fixed, his voice faltered. After a two-breath silence, he smiled in relief and said:

"Never mind. Let’s not bring up the past. From now on, we are fellow cultivators who will break bread together!"

Xu Ruyuan quickly composed his expression as well.

"Indeed, indeed."

Bai Mo looked at Huan Xiyi in confusion.

The latter whispered, "Fine. You, an old man, once knocked me out from behind. But considering you held back, I won’t pursue it!"

"Knocked you out from behind?"

Bai Mo’s gaze shifted between the two men.

’A scrawny old man and a sturdy man. To knock him out, would he have had to jump?’

Seeing Bai Mo’s disbelief, Huan Xiyi twisted his head around and pointed to the back of his own skull.

"It’s true! He hit me right here. It’s the only time in my life I’ve ever been clobbered like that."

Bai Mo shook his head.

"Since the three of you have cleared the air, you can work things out amongst yourselves."

"This is Tai Ming, and this is Huan Xiyi. They’re both old hands in the mountains."

Demon Hunting Teams were one thing; the vast mountains were large enough to accommodate them all.

Unless it was to steal another’s prey, no one was willing to start a fight.

But for people like Xu Ruyuan, limited by their strength, the areas they could actually explore were few.

As a result, conflicts between them were a constant occurrence.

Over time, there were no so-called innocents among them.

The three of them were all sensible, experienced men. Bai Mo trusted they could resolve things on their own.

After saying his farewells, he went on his way. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

There was a lot of foot traffic today.

Bai Mo didn’t intend to let the business pass him by.

He took down the door boards and opened the shop for business.

Most of the customers coming and going were regulars; there were few new faces.

It was a fact that Bai Mo’s Pills were more expensive than elsewhere. Many Loose Cultivators would just shake their heads and leave after hearing the price.

By now, Bai Mo’s reputation as a Pill Master had spread, providing another reason for the high prices.

How could Pills produced by a Pill Master not be more expensive than the ones outside?

Only the Cultivators who had actually taken one of Bai Mo’s Pills truly understood the reason why.

Many customers were referred by regulars. Bai Mo was aware of this, and transactions between them were always quite amicable.

Seeing his business finally picking up, Bai Mo at last took out the blank ledger he had acquired from Lanshan Mountain.

This type of ledger, used by Demon Hunting Teams, was simple and easy to use, making it extremely convenient.

After taking stock of his Pill inventory and his remaining Spirit Stones, Bai Mo did some calculations.

He discovered that nearly half of his quantifiable capital was tied up in Pills.

’The Spirit Stones I have on hand, ready to use, amount to only one hundred and thirty-one.’

’When you really need to spend them, they go fast.’

Bai Mo put down his writing brush and wiped his hands.

’Running a business is really something. Even though I have the capital to generate wealth, the money needed to maintain cash flow can’t be touched.’

’In reality, I’m not that well-off.’

Just like now, a large portion of Bai Mo’s assets had been converted into medicinal herbs stored in the back, yet to be used.

The value of those, however, was difficult to calculate.

Just as he finished his calculations, a horse-drawn carriage pulled up in front of the shop.

The carriage driver looked refined and very fair-skinned.

The man leaped down from the carriage, hurried into the shop, and asked Bai Mo directly:

"Are you Alchemist Bai? I was introduced by Fellow Cultivator Xu."

Bai Mo hurried out to greet him.

"I am indeed Bai Mo. A pleasure to meet you, Fellow Cultivator."

"Have you brought the medicinal herbs?"

The carriage was riding high, not weighed down. Then again, medicinal herbs weren’t particularly heavy.

The driver nodded.

"My master is returning to his hometown by waterway and is already on his way. He asked me to handle the handover of the medicinal herbs."

His tone was hurried.

"Shopkeeper Bai, please take a look. How about we say thirty Spirit Stones for the lot?"

Bai Mo lifted the carriage curtain. Seeing the bundles of herbs piled inside, he casually rummaged through them.

"Fellow Cultivator, you’ve been cheated. Many of these herbs are fakes."

"How could these few types of herbs grow in a cluster? But look, the roots of these plants are all tangled together."

Bai Mo shook his head. "Twenty Spirit Stones would be more like it."

The driver gave a wry smile.

"How could my master not know? But given the sheer quantity here, there must be a good number of genuine ones..."

"Those peddlers wouldn’t dare deceive my master to this extent!"

He said this through gritted teeth, seeming quite indignant.

Bai Mo held firm on the issue of quality, and the two haggled for a while longer.

The driver argued his case logically, and they finally settled on a price of twenty-five Spirit Stones.

"You’re not a driver, are you? You must be some kind of scholar."

"What kind of merchant haggles based on logic?"

Bai Mo said with a smile.

The driver took the Spirit Stones from Bai Mo and helped him unload the herbs, working up a heavy sweat.

"Indeed, I’m not. What driver is as frail as I am? I’m just a scholar who tutors the young master."

Once the herbs were unloaded, the driver jumped back into his seat and shook the reins.

"I have to catch up to my master before he boards the boat. Shopkeeper Bai, I’ll take my leave!"

Bai Mo cupped his hands in farewell.

After watching him disappear into the distance, Bai Mo turned and tossed the herbs into the shop.

’With this batch of herbs, I can forget about resting for the next few days.’

’First, I need to deliver the first batch of Pills and then take over Li Hu’s shop!’

Bai Mo’s hands fiddled with his abacus as his mind calculated.