Chapter 488: Chapter 488: Old Acquaintance

The flowers on Mi Mountain bloomed all spring.

Before long, three months had passed.

Ah Er had yet to see Bai Mo emerge from his seclusion, but several batches of herbs and ores had been delivered to his room.

In its spare time—perhaps on a whim, or perhaps from having eaten too much—Ah Er picked up a few books Bai Mo hadn’t looked at in a long time and began to study them on its own.

As for the disciples who visited Mi Mountain, those who knew Ah Er were stunned, while those who didn’t praised it highly.

After all, a Spirit Beast that knew how to read was seldom an ordinary one.

Judging by the way it occasionally flicked the beads of an abacus, one would think it a skilled practitioner from the Gu family.

Ah Er received similar praise from its own companions.

When the Black Prison was busy with a large influx of prisoners, Li Wuji would stay on Mi Mountain for a time. This was Ah Er’s only chance to get out for some air.

The sight of it puffing out its little belly with a book tucked under its arm truly made it stand out from the crowd, inspiring looks of admiration from its peers.

This made it secretly pleased with itself.

Once the new wave of prisoners subsided, Li Wuji visited Mi Mountain less frequently, and Ah Er lost its opportunities to go out.

Only a wild boar from the forest would occasionally come to visit.

Without Ah Er’s alchemy scraps to feast on, the wild boar had taken to rooting through the forest soil, searching everywhere for food with its enormous appetite.

As a result, it provoked a few entrenched Demon Beasts and, after suffering many defeats in a series of struggles, finally learned to be more cautious.

Ah Er was overjoyed when it saw the wild boar approaching Mi Mountain, its nose twitching and its grunts echoing softly.

It went up the mountain, unlocked the chicken and mouse cages, and let them forage for themselves. Then, it hopped onto the wild boar’s back and went for a ride around the area.

Just as Qin Wen arrived, he saw a wild boar whose bristles were as coarse as pine needles skid to a sudden stop.

Dust billowed from beneath its four hooves, and Ah Er went flying from its perch behind the boar’s neck.

THUMP!

Ah Er was knocked senseless by the fall. The wild boar, meanwhile, simply twitched its snout and turned its head in confusion.

Ah Er pushed itself up and looked back as well.

It jumped in fright when it saw Qin Wen, scrambling to its feet.

’Although it didn’t know how Qin Wen had managed to enter the Sect, it knew he was from Immortal Arrival City, just like Bai Mo. This was a visitor from back home.’

’This was important.’

Ah Er took off at a run. It was only when it was back inside the boundaries of Mi Mountain that it remembered Bai Mo was still in seclusion.

By the time it came back out, the wild boar, having been spooked in the woods and wary of strangers, had already disappeared.

POOF! With a puff of smoke, Ah Er transformed into a Daoist Child with rosy lips and pearly teeth. It respectfully cupped its hands in a salute to the disciple who had escorted Qin Wen.

"My master is occupied with alchemy and has not yet emerged from seclusion. He is unable to see old acquaintances at this time."

With its bright, distinct eyes darting about, Ah Er said with a smile:

"Could you perhaps wait for my master to emerge, Senior Uncle? Or maybe give us a few more days’ grace?"

"That way, I can also catch up with my Uncle Qin..."

The Foreign Affairs Hall disciple who had brought Qin Wen chuckled.

"Cut it out. Who doesn’t know about your reputation for chewing people out in the marketplace? Stop pretending to be some well-behaved child!"

"This gentleman is here to deliver this year’s tribute from Immortal Arrival City. A delay of a few days is no issue, but remember, he is not to go inside..."

Being called out like that right to its face, even the thick-skinned Ah Er felt genuinely ashamed in front of Qin Wen.

Once the disciple from the Foreign Affairs Hall had left, Ah Er quickly began pulling Qin Wen up the mountain.

"I was originally thinking I’d have to put you up in a place outside the sect gate. My master is busy with his alchemy, you see. I haven’t seen him in a long time either."

"I didn’t expect them to be so easygoing today. But it’s no big deal, really. I know people outside the sect; I could have found you a nice place to stay..."

Ah Er chattered on. When it grew tired of walking, it simply gave its body a shake, reverted to its original form, and continued climbing with ease.

Qin Wen followed it up the mountain, and before long, they came upon a thatched hut.

The hut was simple. The branches it was built from were covered in claw marks, and inside, there was nothing but a single bed.

Qin Wen looked it over and started to laugh.

"’It’s not bad at all,’ he said. ’It’s just a temporary lodging, after all. It’ll do just fine...’"

For the next few days, Ah Er diligently ran up and down the mountain.

It prepared all manner of fine food and wine, carrying the steaming dishes up the mountain.

Qin Wen didn’t dare to wander about on the mountain, as most of what Ah Er had planted there were rare and precious medicinal herbs.

He had spent long enough in their shop to have developed a discerning eye for such things.

Occasionally, a small Suanni would materialize out of thin air to peek at Qin Wen from a corner, but he paid it no mind.

A few days later, Bai Mo was finally liberated from his Pill Furnace.

The moment he opened the door, he found his Daoist Child was nowhere to be seen.

After a brief search, he learned it was up on the mountain.

Bai Mo paid it no mind. He washed up, but when Ah Er still hadn’t returned by late night, he went up the mountain to see what was going on.

He didn’t expect to find Ah Er on the mountain with dishes spread out, happily drinking and eating with someone.

The person sitting opposite it looked especially familiar. Bai Mo had to look a few times before he could confirm that it was indeed his own shop hand from Immortal Arrival City.

Ah Er’s cooking was undeniably excellent. Qin Wen was just about to reach for his chopsticks again when he sensed something was off. He turned his head and immediately spotted Bai Mo.

"Shopkeeper!"

He shot to his feet, pleasantly surprised.

Ah Er, slow on the uptake, dazedly registered Bai Mo’s presence and let out a yelp of surprise.

「A moment later.」

Bai Mo walked over and sat on the stool that Ah Er had obsequiously slid over for him, directly across from Qin Wen.

"Brother Qin, what brings you here?"

Bai Mo asked as he took the chopsticks.

Qin Wen replied, "Shopkeeper, you haven’t sent word in a long time, and you had mentioned going into seclusion. Wei An guessed you were making a move."

"However, times have been tough recently, both in the mountains and outside them. Using our usual channels, the shop hasn’t been able to stock many herbs."

He walked over to the thatched hut and brought out a large cloth sack.

"I took advantage of the time when Immortal Arrival City presents its tribute to the Immortal Sect. With most Sect Disciples too busy to spare a thought, I seized the opportunity to deliver this to you personally."

In fact, this was already Qin Wen’s sixth day on the mountain.

If Bai Mo hadn’t emerged from seclusion, he would have had to leave.

Bai Mo took the sack but didn’t open it, simply setting it aside.

"I appreciate this."

Bai Mo nodded.

"How are things in Immortal Arrival City? And the plague, have there been any more outbreaks?"

"Hmm," Qin Wen said.

"People still fall ill from time to time, but with your Pills, it’s never become a major incident."

"The Sect Disciples guarding the city are far more nervous than we are. Things only started to calm down just before I left."

Bai Mo thought for a moment, then turned to Ah Er beside them.

"When was the last batch of prisoners from the Black Prison delivered?"

Ah Er thought for a moment, then raised a paw and made a few gestures.

It had been half a month.

’So that means the disaster in the outside world has more or less subsided?’

Just then, Qin Wen asked in a low voice:

"Shopkeeper, are you preparing for something significant? Is there any way we can help?"

Bai Mo didn’t stand on ceremony and answered directly:

"My path to Core Formation is within sight. I need to refine a Great Pill in preparation for my breakthrough."

"All I’m lacking now are Spirit Stones, herbs, and ores. The more, the better."

"Brother Qin, when you get back, tell the Demon Hunting Team to be more diligent. Also... I’m afraid I’ll be out of contact for a long time after this..."

Bai Mo and Qin Wen spoke for a long time. Ah Er knew they were discussing important matters.

It didn’t dare to interrupt, so it just stayed to one side, refilling their cups with a sweet, low-alcohol wine.

Qin Wen’s expression was extremely grave.

’As expected of a Sect Disciple,’ he thought. ’The Shopkeeper is already aiming for Core Formation.’

An event like this hadn’t been seen in Immortal Arrival City for many, many years.

He promised, "Shopkeeper, rest assured. When I get back, I’ll have Wei An sell everything we own if we have to. We will gather more resources for you..."

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