He took the Qi Blood Pill from the Pill Furnace.
Bai Mo held it up to his eyes for a closer look. The Pill's surface wasn't smooth, but covered in countless tiny pores.
Just from a glance at its red surface, most people's intuition would tell them it was nothing good.
In Bai Mo's eyes, however, the medicinal power contained within this Pill was nothing short of astonishing.
'The potency within is comparable to that of a tiger or leopard!'
'If this Pill wasn't just short of Tier Two, I'd have to rename it. The Tiger and Leopard Bear Power Pill sounds about right!'
Bai Mo was quite satisfied.
'My comprehension has reached a new level. My judgment can't be wrong.'
'Once ingested, this Pill should be able to make a person's potential explode by... hmm... forty percent, I'd say.'
Bai Mo concluded. That was already a very high percentage.
Just imagine: two mortal enemies are in a duel. The one who was originally slightly weaker takes the Pill, and his power instantly surges by forty percent.
Although it wouldn't last long, while the Pill was active, he could beat his enemy's brains out!
'Three Pills. Two more batches from the furnace, and that should be enough.'
With that thought, Bai Mo placed the three Qi Blood Pills into a vial, stored it away carefully, and lay down on his bed.
The mental energy consumed by refining one furnace of high-quality pills was more than Bai Mo had anticipated. He slept soundly, and when he awoke, the sun was just beginning to rise.
Bai Mo hastily tidied himself up and went to the front to open the shop.
The door to his neighbor's place hadn't been seen open since yesterday.
The young man was, on the whole, a kind and decent neighbor. Bai Mo had actually gotten along with him quite pleasantly.
'I wonder if he found an opportunity.'
Bai Mo mused, holding Alchemist Gou's handbook in his hand.
Time flowed like water. When the sunlight streaming into the shop reached its peak intensity, Bai Mo knew that half the day was gone.
It was at this moment that Han Meng stepped through the door.
"Shopkeeper Bai, we have results. Let's go."
Bai Mo, still holding a dry biscuit in his hand, was surprised to hear this. "So soon?"
'He glanced around the shop. Business had been good today; he'd already taken in fifteen Spirit Stones this morning.'
Bai Mo was a little reluctant to close up shop.
Han Meng reminded him, "Shopkeeper Bai, even a small fraction of the Li family's wealth would be worth more than ten days of business!"
That much was true.
But Bai Mo's attention was caught by something else.
"That jade pendant, it really..."
Han Meng nodded gravely.
"Let's go, then," Bai Mo sighed.
...
In a narrow alley, Lanshan and his men had been occupying a table for a long time.
The roast chicken on the table had even been replaced with a fresh one.
Lanshan glanced left and right, confirming that the men at his table were mere underlings who wouldn't be able to overhear him, before speaking:
"That jade pendant, it really is the token for that band of bandit cultivators."
He took out the jade pendant and handed it back to Bai Mo, his eyes betraying a hint of fear as he looked at it.
"So quickly..."
Bai Mo asked, "How did you confirm it?"
Lanshan pointed to Shen Yang.
"I had him take a trip to the underground market. It's not a place for polite company—all sorts of shady characters hang around there."
As soon as he said that, Bai Mo understood.
Bandit cultivators are still people. Once they change their clothes, no one can tell what they really are.
To fence their stolen goods, they have to be regular fixtures in the underground market.
"A smart move," Bai Mo praised.
"Shen Yang hung the pendant from his waist, and he hadn't made more than a few laps before they nabbed him," Lanshan said.
"It was extremely dangerous, but he made contact."
Shen Yang rubbed his neck, his voice full of lingering fear.
"He asked who I was, and I asked if he was from 'the mountain.' It took some probing before we confirmed each other's identities."
"After I said the Li Mansion was in deep trouble and urgently needed help, the man took off."
He rubbed a faint mark on his neck.
"He was going to kill me to tie up loose ends before he left, but I told him I had to report back to my master, so he let me go."
Bai Mo caressed the jade pendant. Though he had expected this, he was still a little shocked.
Lanshan pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Impersonating bandit cultivators isn't so easy. If our cover is blown, with our level of strength, there's practically no chance of escape."
Bai Mo said in surprise, "We won't be impersonating them for long. The city enforcement squad is out there fishing for them as we speak. A misunderstanding would be a real disaster."
Lanshan's expression turned serious. "So, Shopkeeper Bai, you're suggesting..."
Bai Mo said, "At best, we're just small-time players. We should be happy just using the pendant to get a head start. We go in first, loot one round, and get out immediately!"
The members of the Demon Hunting Team exchanged glances, thinking the idea was quite sound.
Lanshan nodded.
"I know the Li Mansion has a back door for the servants. When the chaos starts, we'll rush in, grab what we can, and get out."
"As for the enforcement squad Shopkeeper Bai mentioned, that's also a problem."
'Getting mistaken for a bandit cultivator and killed on the spot would be a truly unjust way to die.'
Bai Mo straightened up and said:
"There's always some risk. We hit and run. We'll wear black clothes, and once we get away and change, who's going to recognize us!"
"If it really comes down to life and death, we reveal our identities. In all the chaos, the enforcement squad probably won't want to get tangled up with us."
With a few more words, the group finalized the plan.
"I'll go refine two more batches of Pills. That should give everyone a bit more confidence."
Lanshan's spirits lifted at his words, but he still said:
"Shopkeeper Bai, you must be here in two days. Someone has calculated that the head of the Li family has only two or three days left."
Bai Mo nodded.
"I only need one day."
Hurrying back to his residence, Bai Mo didn't open the shop.
Instead, following the same procedure as the night before, he refined two more batches of Pills.
A plume of smoke and steam billowed up into the air.
Behind his residence, two young masters pushed open a door and saw the hazy pillar of smoke against the night sky.
"Heh, this fellow is certainly diligent. He doesn't even rest late at night!"
"Never mind him. From what we've seen and heard these past two days, it's getting harder and harder to get by in this city."
Young Master Wei said.
"At this rate, if our families play by the Myriad Dharma Sect's rules, we can probably carve out a place for ourselves here in Immortal Arrival City."
"But our mission hasn't changed. It's all about finding a way for our families to swallow up a share of the Li family's assets. We have to give it our all."
Young Master Wang nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"But something's strange with the Myriad Dharma Sect. They've been on an aggressive money-grab lately!"
"Even I understand the principle of not draining the pond to catch the fish or killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Doesn't the Myriad Dharma Sect? Yet their reforms are deeply unpopular."
Both knew that Immortal Arrival City was still one of the better-off places.
In some other market cities, it's even more ruthless. The Myriad Dharma Sect is basically just there to rob people blind.
The Loose Cultivators are seething with resentment; most of them have already fled.
Young Master Wei fell silent for a moment before offering a word of caution:
"Don't worry about it too much. Immortal Arrival City is a huge city, and it's backed by Celestial Barrier Mountain. With the resources it produces, no one would dare let this place truly fall into chaos!"
Young Master Wang nodded.
"Let's not dwell on it. I've already reserved a private room at the teahouse. We should head out first and play it by ear when the time comes!"
At the same time, all across the city, many others were leaving their homes, all heading toward the Li Mansion.
When Bai Mo arrived the next day, the streets and alleys were filled with people lurking in the shadows.
Before Bai Mo could look for his companions, Han Meng appeared from the side and pulled him away.
Bai Mo was bewildered. "Why aren't we waiting over there?"
In the spot where Lanshan and the others had been sitting, several burly men were now conspicuously seated. A large saber rested next to each of them as they stared intently in the direction of the Li Mansion.
They looked like trouble.
Lanshan explained, "That's a well-known Demon Hunting Team in Immortal Arrival City. Those men are called the Five Mountain-Cleaving Tigers!"
"They wanted the spot, so we couldn't very well refuse."
In fact, at this point, hardly anyone who had managed to secure a seat was a no-name.
Even a group like Lanshan's had to find a corner to wait in.
Lanshan then pointed out other figures to Bai Mo, teaching him to recognize the well-known characters from Celestial Barrier Mountain.
Like "Broken-Finger Zhang" and "Soaring Dragon Spear," and even stronger ones like "Old Man of the Cold River" and "Life-Snatching Lock"...
None of them were to be trifled with!