Dusk fell.

The storefront was bathed in a layer of bright yellow light.

Han Meng rushed into the shop just before closing time.

"Shopkeeper Bai, do you have any Evil Exorcism Pills left?"

Bai Mo’s hands, which were fiddling with an abacus, paused. He nodded at Han Meng in greeting.

Then, he turned and retrieved three bottles of pills from a corner.

"This is all I have left."

Han Meng scratched his head. "It’s not quite enough."

"We’re heading into the mountains the day after tomorrow. Could you perhaps start up your furnace and make some more for us, Shopkeeper Bai?"

Bai Mo glanced sideways at Han Meng, a guess already forming in his mind.

"How many people are going into the mountains?"

"We’re taking the lead, coordinating with several other Demon Hunting Teams to merge our efforts. There will be a lot of us..."

With the weather returning to normal, Lanshan was ambitiously setting his plans in motion.

But there was nothing Bai Mo could do about it.

"I’m out of Climbing Vine."

"It’s the main ingredient. There’s nothing I can do."

Even a skilled housewife can’t cook without rice. No matter how profound Bai Mo’s attainments in the Alchemy Dao were, this was an impossible task.

Hearing this, Han Meng could only sigh in resignation. He put down thirty Spirit Stones, took the pills, and prepared to leave.

"I’ll talk to Big Brother Lanshan. With more people, we can send some out to look for more Climbing Vine for you, Shopkeeper Bai."

It hadn’t seemed like a big deal before, but Han Meng now finally realized the importance of this particular medicinal herb.

"Climbing Vine is hard to find, and it’s not a fast-growing plant. I imagine there isn’t much of it out there..."

Bai Mo’s fingers twitched, and he pushed six Spirit Stones back.

"According to my agreement with Big Brother Lanshan, I have a stake in the Demon Hunting Team’s affairs. I give a twenty percent discount on pills."

Upon hearing this, Han Meng couldn’t help but grin, silently tucking the six Spirit Stones back into his robes.

However, seeing Bai Mo pacing thoughtfully, he quickly composed his expression, held his breath slightly, and waited for Bai Mo to speak.

After thinking for a long moment with his eyes lowered, Bai Mo finally said:

"Wait here."

With that, he began selecting some medicinal herbs from around the shop.

Then, right in front of Han Meng, he began crushing and grinding the herbs. He did it meticulously, and it looked like quite an effort.

Han Meng watched from the side, wanting to offer help, but since he didn’t know what to do, he hesitated several times, not daring to speak up.

Because they hadn’t been dried, the herbs ended up as a mud-like paste.

Bai Mo took some oil paper, wrapped the paste up, and handed it to Han Meng.

"When you get back, mix this with some plant ash and let it dry. If anyone gets injured, just apply a little bit to the wound."

Han Meng took the oil paper package.

"Is this a healing salve? We have Condensed Dew Pills and some folk remedies that still work..."

Bai Mo pointed to the package. "It’s a poison."

A vein throbbed in Han Meng’s temple.

"This..."

Bai Mo explained, "It’s a mild poison. It just causes a bit of itching."

"I know that for minor external injuries, you guys like to rely on experience and apply some herbs you find outside."

"If you find an herb that can relieve the itching from this powder, bring it back to me. I’ll see if I can use it as a substitute for Climbing Vine."

Hearing this, Han Meng nodded repeatedly.

"That would be great."

He recalled Bai Mo once mentioning that the medicinal properties of Climbing Vine were extremely unique, making it a rare ingredient.

It would be wonderful if Bai Mo had another way.

Bai Mo waved his hand, sending him off.

"Go on back. Don’t let this delay your preparations."

"I’ll figure something out for the Evil Exorcism Pills. With so many people needing them, we can’t afford to be careless from now on."

Han Meng left the shop and hurried back.

’Big Brother Lanshan was right. Shopkeeper Bai really is a conscientious person.’

’Next time we come back from the mountains, we can’t be stingy with those few pounds of Demon Beast meat.’

He hurried away.

Meanwhile, Bai Mo put up the door boards to close the shop.

Starting tomorrow, he would close for five days to focus on refining the pills for his good neighbor.

After closing the shop and returning home to open a window for some fresh air, Bai Mo saw his good neighbor next door holding a Talisman, doing who-knows-what.

The man seemed extremely cheerful. He had a plaster on his head, his face was colorfully smeared with medicine, and he was humming a little tune.

He only snapped out of it when Bai Mo called out to him.

Bai Mo looked at the dust on the Talisman, which seemed like it had been sitting at the bottom of a chest for a long time, and grew suspicious.

"Are you stuck with those Talismans?"

The good neighbor said urgently, "Shopkeeper Bai, you can’t just say things like that!"

"There are specific ways to preserve Talismans! I put this powder on myself to ward off insects and rodents!"

Bai Mo put on a look of understanding.

"Starting tomorrow, I’ll officially begin the Alchemy process. I estimate I’ll have a batch ready for delivery in a few days."

"Tell those friends of yours to get their Spirit Stones ready."

Hearing this, the good neighbor’s spirits soared. His eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands in praise.

"Excellent, excellent."

"It’s truly one joyous occasion after another, one after another, hehe!"

Seeing his excited state, Bai Mo asked:

"What has you so happy?"

The good neighbor waved his hand and snorted coldly.

"That arrogant fool who sells fake medicine—I finally cornered him and got my revenge for last time."

"Heh, the city’s law enforcement team isn’t patrolling these days, so we scattered in all directions. That maniac couldn’t even catch a glimpse of our tails!"

Bai Mo keenly picked up on a key point in his words.

"The law enforcement team isn’t patrolling?"

The good neighbor grunted in affirmation.

"Not only that, but their discipline has gotten a lot laxer, too. I even saw some disciples from the enforcement team book out an entire venue."

"They drew over half the girls in the place."

Bai Mo fell silent for a moment, a doubtful look on his face.

"Is the Miaofa Sect..."

The good neighbor adopted a nonchalant expression and said breezily, "Hah, who cares about them?"

"The Miaofa Sect has been entrenched here for ages. What could possibly happen?"

"Besides, they’re all righteous sects. They have to have a justifiable reason for everything they do."

"They can’t just go around attacking and killing us common folk. Don’t overthink it. Just live your life in peace."

Seeing that his neighbor was even more casual about it than he was, Bai Mo put the matter out of his mind.

"Alright. I’ll be closing the shop for a few days. If any customers come by and you happen to see them, fellow Daoist, please do me the favor of letting them know..."

"Of course, of course!" the good neighbor said with a chuckle.

Watching Bai Mo dust off his sleeves, glance around, and prepare to leave, he quickly called out:

"Hey, Shopkeeper Bai! What’s the name of those pills? If people ask, it’d be bad if I said I didn’t know!"

Bai Mo had already decided on a name for the pill.

"Call it the Fire Marrow Pill. It drives yang energy into the very bones, nourishes the body, and is a first-class supplementary pill!"

With that, he flicked his sleeves and got busy.

A large pile of medicinal herbs was stacked in the room. Processing them was no easy task. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The good neighbor, however, remained stunned at his window.

’The Fire Marrow Pill... what a great name. A medicinal effect that profound... just hearing it makes it sound several levels higher than the inferior junk sold outside...’

...

For just a couple of bottles of pills...

Bai Mo worked late into the night, just to finish the preliminary processing of the herbs.

’Refining Tier Two pills is still too complicated,’

’The few Pill Masters in the city who can use them as their signature product and produce a steady supply probably have a lot of assistants.’

As he thought, Bai Mo looked over at the Pill Furnace and bronze pot that had been with him for so long.

’These old companions, scrounged up from outside... I wonder how much longer they’ll last me.’

He had chosen these two items from the market back then precisely because they were thick and durable.

’They have a solid foundation. Even if I switch to a new flame source in the future, they should be able to withstand it.’

Bai Mo stood up and stretched. As he arched his lower back, his bones let out a series of CRACKS.

After briefly washing up, Bai Mo patted his Pill Furnace, took a couple of steps, and lay down on his bed with a sense of satisfaction.

’After struggling for so long, I’m finally starting to see some real results.’

Seeing an insect buzz up from the pile of herbs, Bai Mo flicked a finger.

A speck of starlight flared, and the insect was instantly obliterated, leaving only a tiny piece of its carapace to fall to the ground.

His thoughts settled after the brief stir. Bai Mo exhaled, relaxed his body, and with a quiet mind, drifted off to sleep.