Chapter 503: A Job

Chapter 503: Chapter 503: A Job

"Oh my!"

"Why would Junior Brother Bai come to a place like this?"

On the Flying Ship, Ah Er was perched on the railing. It was observing the terrain to navigate while also steering the vessel.

Standing beside it were a few disciples who had been hired from a familiar marketplace.

The disciples chattered endlessly.

"We’ve been to this place before. We helped someone renovate it. It was a huge project."

"But the guy back then had a strange temper. He was a Senior Brother who joined the sect before us. He acted like everyone was out to get him, tsk tsk."

Recalling the experience, the disciple who spoke shook his head, seeming quite displeased.

However, another person shook his head in disagreement.

"I took on a private job for him once, digging a well. Some of the designs were very intricate. He seemed like a Senior Brother with very particular tastes."

"It took over ten days of work, but I earned several hundred Spirit Stones. That Senior Brother was extremely generous."

The group chatted amongst themselves before turning to Ah Er.

"Junior Brother Bai is a really good person."

"His Alchemy skills are superb, and he has a peaceful temperament. You’re his Spirit Beast, so you have to keep an eye on him. Don’t let him make any strange friends..."

As they talked, the disciples quickly arrived at their destination.

Seeing the small farmhouse courtyard, they all let out a "Hah!"

"This place is ancient."

One of them walked up to the courtyard fence, tapped on a wooden post, and a cloud of dust immediately puffed out.

He looked at Bai Mo.

"This is pretty serious. It’ll need a major overhaul."

Bai Mo sighed helplessly and waved his hand.

"Demolish what needs to be demolished, repair what needs to be repaired."

"About the Spirit Stones..."

The disciple who spoke rubbed his hands together.

Bai Mo said calmly, "I’m not short on Spirit Stones. I trust your craftsmanship, just do a good job for me."

"Alrighty! Junior Brother Bai, you’re so generous!"

During his time on Mi Mountain, Bai Mo’s Pills had earned him quite a reputation. The disciples doing the work knew he was wealthy, so they didn’t plan on cutting any corners.

The fence was torn down and the boundary was expanded outward.

The ground, covered in layers of wood dust, was dug up and repaved with white stone.

The small house was drafty in many places, a fact that didn’t escape the disciples’ critical eyes. It was completely rebuilt.

During this process, the disciple in charge of finding a water source discovered an underground spring.

"We can divert it and build a spring right in your courtyard, Junior Brother."

"But the spring water is slightly warm. I’m afraid it will create some mist during the winter."

He was worried it might affect Bai Mo’s ability to dry medicinal herbs.

Bai Mo considered it for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

With that, the disciples rolled up their sleeves and threw themselves into the work.

They carried all the necessary materials with them. They were seasoned experts in their trade, and Bai Mo could find no fault in their work.

Ah Er acted as the foreman, serving them good food and meat, while secretly trying to learn their techniques.

The disciples didn’t mind. It was the Spirit Beast of an Alchemy Cultivator, one that seemed destined for delicate work. It was no problem for them if it stole a few of their tricks.

Besides, after being treated to such good food and wine, they weren’t in a position to be difficult.

Amidst all this activity, about a month later, the azure-robed steward returned, landing on the construction site.

The disciples stopped what they were doing. As they watched Bai Mo greet the visitor, they also perked up their ears to eavesdrop.

The azure-robed steward made no effort to hide it from them. He casually took out a ten-foot-long scroll and unrolled it for Bai Mo to see.

On it was a painting of a sacrificial ritual.

Around the outer edge was a crowd of people, their heads bowed low, facing a high platform in the center.

On the platform, the three sacrificial animals were arranged. Several lavishly dressed Cultivators were presiding over the ceremony, making a sacrifice to a Demon Beast.

The Demon Beast’s head peeked down from the clouds, its eyes huge, its fangs sharp, and with four long horns.

The Demon Beast was positioned at the top of the scroll, taking up a very large portion of it, as if its status was extremely high in the artist’s mind.

The azure-robed steward pointed to several Pills soaking in the lamp oil of a tall lamp on the platform.

"Can you refine this kind of Pill?"

Bai Mo was waiting for more information, but when he saw the man just staring at him like that, he was taken aback.

"Huh?"

"Senior Brother, aren’t you going to give me a Pill Formula? Even a fragmented one would do..."

The azure-robed steward shook his head.

"Where would I get something like that?"

"You’ll have to improvise. As long as it can be soaked in lamp oil, evaporate as the oil burns, and release a scent, that’ll be good enough."

"They say this beast likes savory, meaty scents, so mix in some Demon Beast meat. Something like that should do the trick."

Such a slapdash attitude didn’t seem appropriate for a proper ritual.

Bai Mo thought for a moment before accepting the job, which seemed simple on the surface but actually had some intricacies.

But there were a few things he had to ask about first.

"This is for..."

The azure-robed steward said, "It’s a matter for Divine Dao Mountain."

"This painting has been circulating for a long time. It’s rumored that, when combined with a few other items, it’s the key to unlocking a great opportunity, which has led to a lot of conflict."

"A disciple from Divine Dao Mountain investigated and believes the Demon Beast in the painting is trying every trick in the book to lure people into sacrificing to it, in an attempt to walk the Divine Dao."

He paused, hesitating for a moment before continuing:

"This Demon Beast’s reputation isn’t very good, actually."

"According to the rumors, this beast often tricks people. It takes their offerings but never fulfills its promises, and it’s suspected of having some method to circumvent oaths."

"That’s why this painting has been passed around so many times, eventually ending up among the common folk..."

The eavesdropping disciples nearby had a moment of realization. ’So it’s getting its comeuppance! Now that a disciple from Divine Dao Mountain has taken notice, it’ll at least be captured and tortured.’

It wouldn’t have normally come to this, but the scroll found its way into the Xuandao Sect’s territory, where some Cultivators became obsessed with it and fought fiercely over it.

Bloodshed ensued, causing considerable losses.

One of Divine Dao Mountain’s arrangements was disrupted as a result, and the disciple in charge of it took the fall, which made him furious.

All he had was the scroll, with no corresponding ritual method.

Having Bai Mo refine the Pills was a plan to recreate the ritual, trick the beast into appearing, and then deal with it harshly.

’That makes things simple. I just need to refine the Pills without worrying about anything else. It’s not too much trouble.’

Seeing Bai Mo agree, the azure-robed steward nodded.

"Divine Dao Mountain is generous—perhaps also because of your connection with them. For this job, they’re offering five hundred Spirit Stones."

He asked tentatively, "It should take you a few days, Junior Brother. That’s a pretty good rate, isn’t it?"

Bai Mo waved his hand dismissively.

"Two days will be enough."

’It’s just to fool something, anyway. I don’t need to make it too high-quality. As long as the smell is strong enough, it’ll work.’

The azure-robed steward was a little surprised.

"Shall I wait here for a few days, then?"

"Fine."

Knowing that Bai Mo was about to start Alchemy, the disciples quickly swept clean the large bluestone slabs they had laid.

This spot was specially designed for placing a Pill Furnace and was extremely heat-resistant.

Then, they saw Bai Mo start two batches of Pills, adding many fragrant materials and some meat.

"That’s a Balan. It emits a fragrant aroma to prey on insects and small beasts, but the pistil at its center stinks, is poisonous, and can’t be eaten..."

The disciples watched, dazzled, only recognizing that one ingredient.

The second batch of Pills was soon finished.

Bai Mo took them out and compared them to the scroll in the azure-robed steward’s hand. They looked very similar.

The azure-robed steward took the three Pills, sniffed them, and felt his mind clear and his spirits lift.

"What a wonderfully strange fragrance."

Bai Mo pushed his hand down.

"Don’t smell it. It’s poisonous. Senior Brother, just give these Pills to Divine Dao Mountain. If they don’t work, I’ll refine more."

The azure-robed steward left.

A few days after his departure, the new courtyard was finally complete.

The ground was paved with tiles like white jade, the courtyard walls were tall, and the house was built from bluestone bricks.

The Pill Furnace was placed in the center of the courtyard.

The spring was located in a corner, its rising warmth forming a mist that created palm-sized clouds of vapor clinging to the ground.

It still looked rather plain, lacking any greenery.