Chapter 532: Chapter 532: Desire

"Well now! Isn’t this one of Junior Brother Bai’s people!?"

A Cultivator in the marketplace cried out in feigned surprise.

"It’s been ages!"

Ah Er looked toward the voice and saw a tall, sturdy man with dark skin.

It was Wei Xianxing. It recognized him.

This was the man who had reportedly guided Bai Mo during his outer sect days at Broken Blade Peak. It dared not show disrespect and immediately went over.

’But wait,’ it thought. ’Didn’t he marry a woman from the Divine Kingdom and strike it rich?’

’I even went to the wedding feast myself.’

Ah Er looked doubtfully at Wei Xianxing, who was wearing an apron and arranging an assortment of miscellaneous goods on the narrow stall in front of him.

The stall was covered in a chaotic jumble of odds and ends.

With a POOF, a cloud of smoke erupted from its body. It transformed into the shape of a young boy and bowed respectfully.

"Junior Martial Uncle Wei, what are you doing here?"

Ah Er asked, blinking its eyes.

Wei Xianxing let out a long, heavy sigh that stirred the fallen leaves in front of his stall.

"I’ve fallen on hard times. Had to set up a stall."

Ah Er was surprised.

"The last time I saw you, Junior Martial Uncle, you were so wealthy! It was nothing for you to be decked out in gold and silver!"

Wei Xianxing spread his hands in a grand gesture.

"Used it all up for my Core Formation."

Ah Er looked at him again, wanting to say something but holding back.

Wei Xianxing knew it wanted to ask about his wife, so he said candidly,

"That wife of mine... I never expected to see her again. And even though I heard she made another fortune, with this whole mess involving the Divine Beings..."

"She took off a long time ago."

Ah Er was stunned for a moment, then sighed.

"Wealth, once scattered, can always be regained. Don’t let it get to you, Junior Martial Uncle."

Wei Xianxing was momentarily speechless, then broke into a laugh.

"You little rascal, getting all poetic on me."

"But enough about that. What are you out looking for? Come see if I have it here first."

Ah Er said, "A Qi Storage Gourd. You know, the kind for storing really exotic types of qi."

"A Qi Storage Gourd," Wei Xianxing repeated, then walked off to the side.

"Hang on a minute."

A moment later, he came back after asking a few disciples he was friendly with.

"So that’s what you’re after."

Wei Xianxing rummaged through a pile of miscellaneous items and pulled out a packet of pitch-black seeds, handing it to Ah Er.

"I’ve roamed far and wide all this time. I’ve managed to collect a few strange and wonderful things."

Ah Er glanced at the seeds, his expression immediately turning troubled.

"But... I need the Qi Storage Gourd soon. If I plant this now, I’m afraid it’ll be too late..."

Wei Xianxing laughed heartily.

"You little tyke, I bet you haven’t read up on this properly."

"I asked around. Where are you going to find one ready-made? Once it’s grown, the gourd is only usable for two months."

"You always have to plant them right before you need one..."

Greatly surprised, Ah Er quickly pulled a book from his chest. He flipped through several pages, his eyes scanning them rapidly, then flipped back and forth to look again.

"He’s right!"

Wei Xianxing shoved the seeds into his hand.

"Take them back. Junior Brother Bai will figure it out. It’s not for you to worry about, especially when you haven’t even done all your reading."

Ah Er looked sheepish.

It took the seeds, but feeling sorry for Wei Xianxing, it also picked out a few more items from the stall to take away.

...

Ah Er rushed back to the cliffside.

Bai Mo adjusted the heat beneath his Pill Furnace, then took the items it had brought back.

"Brother Wei is running a stall now?"

Bai Mo was surprised. After Ah Er nodded and explained the circumstances, Bai Mo sighed,

"He’s really been through a lot."

Ah Er scratched his head and made a few gestures.

Bai Mo smiled. "The Qi Storage Gourd isn’t all that difficult to grow."

"Find a time when it’s foggy at night, plant the seeds, then crush this pill and sprinkle it into the soil. You’ll have a gourd in just three days."

As he spoke, Bai Mo handed him a dark, blackish Pill.

Ah Er found it quite novel and examined the Pill over and over again.

Bai Mo began to inspect the other items it had picked up from Wei Xianxing.

"The secret isn’t in the Pill, but in the gourd seeds."

"This species has been cultivated by generations of Cultivators. It’s long been different from what grows in the wild, and some specially prepared strains are exceptionally rare."

Suddenly, Bai Mo’s hand paused. He picked up a jade hairpin and asked,

"Why did you choose this?"

The jade hairpin was palm-sized and looked to have some years on it.

Ah Er looked over, then began to squeak and gesture an explanation, even making a motion like stabbing with the hairpin.

Bai Mo smiled silently.

"It’s true that this has special powers, but I can’t give it to you. It would be all too easy to kill someone in a fight with this hairpin."

Ah Er’s eyes immediately went wide.

Bai Mo narrowed his eyes, studying the jade hairpin and speaking softly.

"It has a divine nature within it... This is an item from the Divine Kingdom."

"I’d imagine this was part of the dowry his wife gave him. Brother Wei wouldn’t sell that."

"Which means... perhaps she asked him to sell it to raise Spirit Stones? So she never left?"

Hearing Bai Mo’s words, Ah Er thought for a moment and recalled that there were several other ancient-looking and very valuable items on Wei Xianxing’s stall.

It told Bai Mo this, and Bai Mo confirmed its suspicions.

"Forget it. Brother Wei isn’t an idiot, and he’s loyal to the sect. I won’t worry myself over his business."

’When Wei Xianxing held his wedding, many sect disciples attended. The bride’s identity was never hidden from the sect.’

’She must have been investigated many times already.’

Bai Mo walked back to the Pill Furnace, immersing his focus within it.

This batch of Pills would yield over a hundred units, and their value was not small. He could not afford to be lax.

These Pills were intended for offering tables, to be used in place of the three sacrificial meats and produce.

Seventy-two Pills were to be placed in each of the nine basins.

This was but a small part of the offerings for the grand ritual, which spoke to the ceremony’s extravagance.

Ah Er lingered nearby, unwilling to leave after catching the scent of the Pill Fragrance.

Bai Mo shot it a glance.

"The medicinal properties of this Pill aren’t too intense. Once they’re refined, I’ll set some aside for you."

"Now go and do your work!"

Hearing this, Ah Er was overjoyed. It took off in a hurry, washed its hands, and then dove into the pile of medicinal herbs.

Almost without thinking, it found the herbs that had yet to be processed, skillfully peeled and bundled them, and handed them over to a gray-furred mouse for drying.

That night, it groped around in the dark of the courtyard, found a suitable spot, and planted the seeds of the Qi Storage Gourd.

It crumbled the darkish Pill from Bai Mo, mixed it with water, and washed it into the soil.

"SQUEAK!!"

Having carefully completed the process, Ah Er was just straightening up when the gray-furred mouse beside it suddenly let out a piercing shriek, its fur standing on end.

Ah Er quickly raised its head and saw something strange approaching in the distance.

It looked like a few points of red light.

As it drew nearer, Ah Er saw it was Zhu Tong. The neighbor was sitting on a soft sedan chair carried by puppets, approaching from a distance.

The dark circles under his eyes were heavy, and the bloodshot veins in his eyes were almost as red as those on the puppets carrying his sedan.

"Has your master received his assignment for the grand ritual?"

Zhu Tong asked, his voice raspy.

"He has."

Bai Mo stepped out from the courtyard, shaking his hands dry and asking in a clear voice,

"Brother, for you to return at this hour... has the Voodoo in the Celestial Barrier Mountain been purged?"

Zhu Tong nodded, then shook his head with difficulty.

"After several months of toil, we finally managed to purge the source of the Voodoo in the mountains."

"But the Voodoo has already spread across the land at the hands of a Divine Being. Our actions were ultimately futile."

Bai Mo nodded and said comfortingly,

"My home city, Immortal Arrival City, is right on the edge of that mountain range. Your efforts have at least brought peace of mind to the people in the city."

"That in itself is a great act of kindness."

Zhu Tong waved his hand. "There’s bound to be lingering poison in the mountains. We still have disciples in there cleaning up."

"I want to participate in the grand ritual, so I didn’t stay long. It makes no difference at this point whether I’m there or not."

"I received news that the trip to Five Elements Ridge is in half a month!"

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