Chapter 494: Chapter 494: Leisure

Everyone was surprised.

Li Wuji explained, "Junior Brother Bai once used prisoners from the black cells to grow herbs, which drew the wary attention of the Foreign Affairs Hall."

That was part of the reason he was sent here to Mi Mountain.

The Foreign Affairs Hall needed a disciple with a strong disposition to come over, to not only assist in guarding the place but also to keep a watchful eye on him.

"I think I heard about that. There was some debate about it within the hall back then..."

One of the Foreign Affairs Hall disciples recalled something.

Only a few people had handled that matter, and these disciples just so happened to not be among them.

But Junior Brother Chen shook his head.

"Not many people know that kind of technique. And since it’s rather taboo, ordinary people rarely study it. Senior Brother, could you be mistaken?"

Li Wuji shook his head, not at all displeased.

"If you had come earlier, you would have seen the prisoner with a flower growing out of his head."

He glanced around but didn’t see the prisoner in the cell he remembered.

"The flower has long since matured and was picked by Junior Brother Bai. That prisoner was taken away, probably due to the winter disaster."

Previously, the harsh winter and heavy snows had brought disaster everywhere.

Prisoners in the black cells came and went, a constant cycle of new faces replacing old ones.

The prisoner in whom Bai Mo had planted the flower seed hadn’t escaped his fate just because his vital energy was damaged. It was destiny; he was beyond saving.

"Junior Brother Bai’s accomplishments in the Alchemy Dao are famous both inside and outside the sect. How could he be the ordinary person you claim?"

Li Wuji was direct, stating it just like that.

He was also one of the top Inner Sect Disciples. If not for the limitations of his constitution, he would have broken through the Core Formation bottleneck long ago.

Li Wuji had dealt with Pill Peak many times in the past. Thinking back now, he didn’t believe the Pills refined by Pill Peak disciples were any better than Bai Mo’s.

Junior Brother Chen was somewhat convinced and said hesitantly:

"Could I ask Warden Bai for a little guidance?"

"I’d like to ask him in person..."

Li Wuji’s brow furrowed, and he refused immediately.

"Junior Brother Bai’s alchemy is crucial! It’s related to his Core Formation. How can he be disturbed by outside matters!?"

The other Foreign Affairs Hall disciples also chimed in.

"That’s right, that would be inappropriate."

"Junior Brother Chen, you should find another way..."

Taking someone from the black cells was a major affair; there was no such thing as a substitute.

Junior Brother Chen hesitated for a long time, walking through the cells again, but he still couldn’t decide on a person.

’This one’s probably just not very skilled.’

Li Wuji thought to himself.

He mulled it over for a moment and proposed an idea.

"Junior Brother Bai has a Spirit Beast. It’s learned quite a few skills from him and often finds prisoners in the cells to test Pills on. I imagine it has some ability to judge people."

"When I see it, I’ll just have it give some suggestions."

To be able to repeatedly test Pills on prisoners without harming their vital energy or their lives—that was a skill in itself.

The Foreign Affairs Hall disciples thought of that chubby Spirit Beast, only remembering that it was exceptionally good at waiting on people.

Thinking about it that way, Ah Er suddenly seemed like a hidden master.

"That’s a great idea. In any case, it’s always good to have it take a look."

"Right. Maybe it could even find the right moment to pass a message to Junior Brother Bai and ask for his opinion?"

With just a few sentences, the matter was decided.

Junior Brother Chen had no choice but to agree.

The group departed, taking a prisoner for the Pill test with them.

Li Wuji retracted his distant gaze, returned inside Mi Mountain, and closed the gate.

Unlike Bai Mo, he paid attention to the sect’s affairs.

The matter of the black cell prisoners was of great importance and never to be taken lightly.

For someone to be able to obtain a Foreign Affairs Hall token and repeatedly come to take prisoners must mean there had been a discovery in the Celestial Barrier Mountain range.

Li Wuji knew the sect had brought back many things from the other side of the Celestial Barrier Mountain range, intending to investigate and reconstruct events from ancient times.

...

On the altar.

A five-colored streamer emerged from the furnace, fluttering about unpredictably.

Bai Mo studied the clear, five-colored, misty Pill Liquid inside the Pill Furnace, then turned and instructed Ah Er:

"Go find Senior Sister and have her help you get a bottle of Floating Life Spring."

"I hear this spring is a sacred product of Silkworm Valley and is extremely expensive. Give her some extra Spirit Stones."

Beside him, Ah Er curiously touched the five-colored streamer, finding it fascinating.

It was just trying to wrap the streamer around its body when it heard Bai Mo’s command.

It jumped in fright and, ignoring the silk-like streamer tied around it, quickly gave a solemn nod of agreement.

Not daring to delay, Ah Er hopped off the altar and set off.

But as it jumped onto the Flying Ship, something unexpected happened. One end of the streamer seemed to have merged into its body and couldn’t be removed.

Bai Mo had naturally noticed this but said nothing.

This five-colored streamer was not a bad thing. Out in the world, it was a usable treasure that couldn’t be easily refined.

But Bai Mo didn’t have a container for it, so he could only let it disperse.

Ah Er pawed and fiddled with it repeatedly, but it was all useless.

It glanced guiltily back at Bai Mo, instantly regretting its actions. Not daring to ask, it headed toward the main part of Mi Mountain wearing the streamer.

Li Wuji noticed the sound of Ah Er calling for a great goose.

The Spirit Beast was standing on a hilltop, screeching at the top of its lungs. It was hard not to hear it for miles around.

Li Wuji flew out, and when he saw Ah Er, he couldn’t help but be a little surprised.

"What’s with the getup?"

Although the satin-like streamer wasn’t ugly, it didn’t suit Ah Er. The combination was just plain weird.

Ah Er’s face fell, full of helplessness, and it didn’t answer.

"Ah er?"

It was a bit confused. This Senior Uncle usually focused on his cultivation and rarely came out.

So, Li Wuji told it about the visitor from Pill Peak.

"Do you have any reliable candidates in mind?"

Hearing this, Ah Er lowered its head and fell into deep thought.

It went in and out of the black cells often and actually knew quite a lot about the prisoners inside.

Plus, Bai Mo had instructed it before it used people to test Pills, so it had some experience in this area.

So it nodded, took out a booklet, and crookedly wrote down the locations of a few cells, tearing out the page and handing it to Li Wuji.

Li Wuji hadn’t expected it to be so quick. He put the slip of paper away and asked again:

"Is Junior Brother Bai doing okay?"

Ah Er nodded and gestured a few times, indicating that everything was going smoothly.

Alchemy was complex; it was impossible to have everything under control.

But the few hiccups that had appeared were all resolved by Bai Mo, so Ah Er didn’t feel it had been difficult at all.

"Mm, that’s good."

Li Wuji waited with it for the great goose to arrive, handed over the letter and Spirit Stones, and only returned to the mountain after seeing it off.

By the time Ah Er returned to the altar, the sky had already darkened.

"Ah er! Ah er!"

Ah Er gestured animatedly, explaining about the visitor from Pill Peak.

Bai Mo listened distractedly, casually using a Qi-gathering technique to pluck the streamer off its body.

"Which names did you give him?"

Ah Er wrote down the locations of the few cells again.

There was a reason for each choice. The first few on the list were surly and aggressive; when it had passed by them, it had repeatedly sensed their ill intentions.

Since it also happened to think their bodies were suitable, Ah Er had sent their names over.

’It’s not like going to Pill Peak is a good thing anyway.’

"Mm, they’re all pretty good choices."

Bai Mo recalled the individuals locked in those cells and nodded in agreement.

"There are a few others who would have been more suitable, but the difference isn’t great. It’s fine."

Glancing at the heat of the Pill Furnace, Bai Mo began to test Ah Er on what it had recently learned.

"Do you still remember what I taught you yesterday?"

"Those three techniques for processing vine bodies, show them to me..."

With a solemn expression, Ah Er took out two old vines and began to knead and rub them.

Contrary to what outsiders might think, when the Pill Liquid in the furnace was stable, Bai Mo was actually quite idle, not busy every single moment.

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