Plague-Avoiding Pill

The next day.

The aristocratic disciples of the Lingmu Sect, having bypassed the Enlightenment Hall's selection phase, entered the Advanced Study Hall ahead of others and were thus assigned to the northeastern area of the Advanced Study Hall.

Li Mo rarely came to this area, and the passing aristocratic disciples couldn't help but glance at him a few times.

He waited for a while before Lü Cuicui finally arrived.

"Cuicui!"

Lü Cuicui was startled. Upon realizing it was Li Mo, she immediately became nervous, constantly looking around. Seeing no familiar faces nearby, she hurried over in surprise.

"Why are you here?"

"Didn't you want to research the Puppet Technique of the Zai Zao Sect of Lu Country?"

Li Mo found Lü Cuicui's timid and shrinking demeanor, like someone having a secret rendezvous, somewhat amusing. He took out a palm-sized humanoid puppet from his Storage Pouch. Since it wasn't activated, the puppet remained in its miniature form.

"A humanoid puppet!"

Lü Cuicui was greatly astonished.

She took the humanoid puppet from Li Mo and played with it for a moment before her face lit up with excitement.

"The skin made of Jade algae mud and colorless glue is indeed the craftsmanship of the Zai Zao Sect. The internal mechanical structure is also completely different from the Lü Family's Puppet Technique, more closely resembling the form of a real human skeleton. Where did you get it?"

Li Mo briefly recounted his experience at the trade fair.

Lü Cuicui nodded repeatedly, her eyes shining as she looked at the humanoid puppet in her hands.

Seeing this, Li Mo smiled, "Alright, I'm going out to complete a commission. I'll lend you this humanoid puppet to study for a while. If you have any discoveries later, you must share them with me."

"Don't worry, hehe, thank you so much!"

Li Mo could tell that Lü Cuicui was genuinely excited.

Just as she was about to say something more to Li Mo, she looked up and suddenly blushed to the roots of her neck. Li Mo also noticed someone behind him and couldn't help but turn his head, freezing in surprise.

It was a disciple who was half a head shorter than Li Mo but at least twice his weight.

He held a melon in one hand and dried rations in the other, chewing mechanically, his eyes constantly scanning back and forth between Li Mo and Lü Cuicui, a playful smirk on his lips.

"Are you two on a date?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Cuicui became flustered.

"No, no, we're just friends. This, this is Li Mo, I told you about him before..."

Li Mo pondered for a moment and then recalled the fatty's true identity.

He was Lü Cuicui's brother, Lu Shun. Back when Ye Xunhuan confronted Zhao Huaxue, Zhou Zheng, and Tao Ran over Zhao Huaxue, Lu Shun was one of the aristocratic disciples Ye Xunhuan had enlisted for help, albeit appearing only as a background character.

Lu Shun rolled his eyes and looked at Lü Cuicui with an expression as if she were an idiot.

"It really is a date. You get nervous and stutter every time you lie. I'll tell Mother in a few days that you have someone you like. Oh, right, his name is Li Mo, and he's quite handsome."

With that said.

The fatty grinned at Li Mo, appearing quite amused, and walked towards the dormitory on his own.

Hearing this, Lü Cuicui's hair stood on end.

She quickly chased after him, waving her hands behind her back to signal Li Mo to leave, while simultaneously grabbing Lu Shun and pleading with him coquettishly.

"Brother, let's go to the Market in a few days, and I'll treat you to Nine Fragrance Crispy Pork. Please don't tell Mother, okay?"

"No!"

Lu Shun coldly refused, then turned to Lü Cuicui and grumbled, "I want to eat wind-cured civet."

"Okay, okay, okay..."

Li Mo watched the siblings leave, feeling a touch of envy for their bond.

In the blink of an eye, time flew to October.

After the summer flood season, the plum rain season continued for a while longer, with continuous drizzle every day.

Over the past month and more, Li Mo had been tirelessly completing various commission tasks, neglecting food and sleep. With his relentless pursuit of efficiency, he had managed to complete six missions consecutively. During this time, he also found a piece of Thunderstruck Wood, but unfortunately, it didn't develop any spiritual essence, so it could only be used as a blank for low-grade artifact talismans.

He sold this piece of Thunderstruck Wood, earning some extra money. Combined with the mission rewards, he had managed to save another sixty-odd Spirit Stones.

However, to gather the auxiliary ingredients for a Qi Refining stage Creation Pill, he needed at least eighty Spirit Stones.

According to the Elixir Recipe, the quality of the Creation Pill primarily depended on the level of the ethereal Demon Core.

If it was a Qi Refining stage ethereal Demon Core, the auxiliary ingredients needed to refine the Creation Pill would be negligible, requiring only nine spiritual herbs of at least thirty years of age. Moreover, these spiritual herbs were not uncommon and were even cheaper than those needed to refine the Qi Gathering Pill.

But if one were to refine a Golden Core Stage Creation Pill, or even a Nascent Soul Realm Creation Pill, even the so-called auxiliary spiritual herbs would be priceless treasures.

In addition to this.

There was another matter that troubled Li Mo: his bottleneck at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, which he had been unable to break through, causing him considerable anxiety.

"As expected of a major bottleneck."

Li Mo sighed inwardly, hoping that this upcoming external mission would bring him some fortuitous encounter to help him break through to the seventh layer of Qi Refining, or at least allow him to earn a large sum of Spirit Stones to gather the auxiliary ingredients for refining the Creation Pill.

The Flying Ship sailed through the sea of clouds, heading towards the Prefecture City of Shangfeng Prefecture.

After a period of rest, as the Flying Ship slowly descended, Li Mo, familiar with the way, went to the Heaven's Mandate Bureau within the Prefecture City. Using his identity as a disciple of the Lingmu Sect, he rented a fast horse and set off towards Zizhu Town in Longtan County.

Along the way, he noticed something unusual.

When it was time for the afternoon meal break, he dismounted and went to a roadside eatery.

"Boss, one bowl of Yangchun noodles, and four Steamed Cakes, to go."

"Coming right up!"

These roadside eateries, run by couples, were spaced at intervals along the main roads of the counties and prefectures. They were known for being very well-informed.

"Boss, I saw quite a few funerals on my way here. Is there a plague in this area?"

"Yes."

The old man brought over a steaming bowl of Yangchun noodles, sighing helplessly.

"Alas, the flood season is almost over, but Longyang County was still flooded, and many people died. Then came the plague. The imperial court organized many Doctors to go and rescue them, but they still couldn't control it. It has spread to our Longtan County these past few days. I heard that even near Prefecture City, there have been deaths."

Li Mo chatted with the old man for a few more sentences, a thoughtful expression on his face.

After eating his fill, Li Mo continued on his journey.

Suddenly.

Li Mo, on horseback, paused for a moment, interrupted his Lesser Heavenly Cycle cultivation, and opened his eyes.

"Plague-Avoiding Pill!"

The Plague-Avoiding Pill could only provide plague-avoiding effects for a period of time if taken before contracting the plague.

As for the Doctor's medicinal soup, it could only treat the illness after one had contracted the plague. The two were different systems.

Now that deaths had occurred even near Prefecture City in Shangfeng Prefecture, Plague-Avoiding Pills would surely be in short supply. After completing this mission, he could try his luck in Prefecture City.

He rode his horse all the way to Zizhu Town and found a wealthy-looking residence belonging to a family named Xiang.

It was evident that this was a prominent household in the town.

A grand courtyard with double lion statues guarded the entrance. The doormen, upon learning Li Mo's purpose, hurried inside to summon the master.

A moment later.

An old man, dressed in a silk robe and leaning on a cane inlaid with jade, emerged shakily, supported by several people. He looked at Li Mo.

"I am here on the orders of Senior Sister Wang of the Lingmu Sect to deliver this Jade Bottle. Please inspect it."

The Jade Bottle was sealed with wax to ensure it hadn't been tampered with.

The old man took the Jade Bottle and, after inspecting it, exclaimed excitedly to someone beside him, "Your cousin has finally sent the Plague-Avoiding Pill! It's worth a thousand gold, worth a thousand gold!"

Li Mo was taken aback.

But he didn't forget to take out the receipt and motion for the other party to sign.

This mission had a strict time limit, requiring delivery within five days. Therefore, he needed the other party to sign as proof so he could claim the mission reward upon returning to the Sect.

"Alright."

The old man handed the signed receipt to Li Mo.

After confirming it was correct, Li Mo smiled and put away the envelope. He had completed this mission.

As for claiming the reward, there was no rush.

Li Mo stepped forward and probed, "I see that quite a few people have died from this plague. I wonder how much a Plague-Avoiding Pill costs on the market now?"

The Plague-Avoiding Pill was a mortal-grade pill. Normally, a bottle could be bought for thirty to forty taels of Silver. He currently had four bottles, one of which was a gift from the Sect during his alchemist assessment, along with a furnace and an Elixir Recipe, which he hadn't sold yet.

The other three bottles were used for practice before he started refining Qi Gathering Pills, to ensure he was proficient.

"Alas, where would you find Plague-Avoiding Pills on the market now?"

The old man sighed and shook his head.

"After all, Plague-Avoiding Pills are immortal elixirs. Normally, they cost at least four or five taels of Silver per pill. How could ordinary folk afford them? When there are no disasters, who among the officials and nobles would need them? Now that the plague is rampant and people are dying in every village and town, they've started to panic. The Plague-Avoiding Pills on the market have long been snatched up. The elixirs supplied by the Lingmu Sect have all been given to imperial officials and soldiers."

Li Mo thanked him and rode away.

He intended to go to Prefecture City to inquire about the market price of Plague-Avoiding Pills.

As the old man had said, although such pills were sold on the market, they were by no means accessible to ordinary people.

Ordinary folk could only rely on fate, praying they wouldn't get sick. If they unfortunately fell ill, they could only seek medical help everywhere and see if they could survive.

Those officials and nobles, however, were clearly unwilling to leave things to fate and naturally opted to take Plague-Avoiding Pills.

Two days later.

Li Mo returned to the Prefecture City of Shangfeng Prefecture.

Within the city, there was a small Market catering to rogue cultivators, family cultivators, and visiting cultivators. Not only did cultivators frequent this Market, but occasionally some officials and nobles would also come to join the fun.

After a brief inquiry, Li Mo entered a shop that was still selling pills. He found it already crowded with people, all seeking to purchase Plague-Avoiding Pills.

"Everyone, everyone!"

The shopkeeper wore a helpless expression.

"Our shop is already trying its best to procure elixirs from other places, but we currently have no stock. We're powerless. The two alchemists haven't slept in two days; they simply can't go on."

"Each furnace only yields seven or eight pills, who can live on that? Our household has dozens of people!"

"My master said he has plenty of Silver, and he must buy Plague-Avoiding Pill today!"

"If I can't buy Plague-Avoiding Pill today, I'm not leaving..."

After standing in the crowd for a while, Li Mo understood the current market price of Plague-Avoiding Pill. It had increased by more than tenfold compared to normal times. Qi Gathering Pill, which used to cost only forty to fifty taels of Silver per bottle, was now being hawked for five hundred taels of Silver per bottle, or fifty taels of Silver per pill, yet it was still unavailable despite the demand.

"As expected of Prefecture City in Shangfeng Prefecture. Ordinary rural families can only earn thirty to forty taels of Silver in a year, barely enough to get by, with almost no ability to withstand risks. Yet here, a single Plague-Avoiding Pill costs fifty taels of Silver. Big cities are truly different, with so many magnates and wealthy merchants."

With this in mind.

He thought about the Silver the Eighteen Mountains Bandits risked their lives to earn, and how it might not even be as much as the money the wealthy here spent to applaud a performer. A sense of melancholy washed over him.

Perhaps Muzhou wasn't poor, only the countryside was.

The magnates and wealthy individuals in Prefecture City, fearing death, were going mad searching for Plague-Avoiding Pill.

For the imperial court, Plague-Avoiding Pill was not a strategic material. Doctors and the herbs needed for healing were the strategic materials to be controlled. For the lives of the wealthy, the cultivation world had its own rules of survival.

"Hmph, I've really struck it rich this time."

Thinking this, Li Mo raised a Jade Bottle to signal.

"I have a bottle of Plague-Avoiding Pill here, selling the whole bottle for six hundred taels!"

Such an opportunity was rare, appearing only once in decades. Ordinary plagues only spread between a few small towns, at most causing panic in a single county.

A plague that caused such panic in an entire Prefecture City was uncommon in the Da Gan Kingdom.

The crowd was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, seemingly disbelieving that Li Mo possessed Plague-Avoiding Pill.

However, with a thunderous boom, Li Mo revealed his Palm Lightning skill and then produced his Lingmu Sect disciple token.

"My Lingmu Sect disciple token is here!"

The crowd immediately erupted in commotion, rushing forward to inquire, some attempting to haggle.

Six hundred taels of Silver was no small sum.

Excluding the truly wealthy.

For some small merchants in Prefecture City, six hundred taels was already a considerable expense. Many households' annual expenses, including various servants, were only around eight hundred to a thousand taels. Zhou Zheng and Lu Tianyou's families were likely at this level, though expenses in Anle City were higher.

As for ordinary wealthy households in Prefecture City, their annual expenses were only around one hundred taels, and it would be even lower in county towns.

Li Mo had already calculated this with Wang Qi when he was in Hua'an Town.

A moment later.

Someone couldn't hold back and agreed to Li Mo's terms, being the first to produce six hundred taels of Banknotes.

Li Mo wasted no time, exchanging money for goods.

"I want one too!"

"Don't all rush, there's still..."

After making a substantial profit, Li Mo couldn't hide his joy. It felt like an unexpected windfall. He never dreamed that the Plague-Avoiding Pill he made for practice would now sell for such an exorbitant price.

"Shopkeeper."

Li Mo naturally wouldn't let such an opportunity pass. He immediately stepped forward and listed the various spiritual herbs required to refine Plague-Avoiding Pill.

"Give me one set."

Because the Lightning Refining Method also caused him some damage, he didn't want to harm his cultivation, so he only asked for one batch of ingredients.

"This?"

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, then, seemingly intimidated by Li Mo's status as a Lingmu Sect disciple, wore a helpless expression.

"Just one set of ingredients, of course, is fine. However, the prices of these herbs have also risen considerably. Please forgive me, esteemed immortal master."

The shopkeeper quoted a price that was on the higher side but not entirely unreasonable.

Li Mo nodded in agreement and paid the Silver.

Several hours later.

Li Mo's condition was slightly weakened and fatigued. He returned to the shop and, at the same price of six hundred Silver for ten Plague-Avoiding Pill, sold a bottle. He had also consumed one himself during this time.

However, this time he waited for a while before selling the bottle of Plague-Avoiding Pill.

The shopkeeper, perhaps fearing Li Mo would continue to compete for business, then released over a dozen bottles of Plague-Avoiding Pill at once, directly driving the price down to over three hundred Silver per bottle, a clear warning to Li Mo.

Li Mo knew that his actions of cutting into their profits were a major transgression. He immediately dared not linger, to avoid unnecessary trouble.

With three thousand Banknotes in hand, Li Mo sat down at a cheap tea stall near the gates of Prefecture City.

While the owner wasn't paying attention, he mixed his remaining few Plague-Avoiding Pill into the tea.

He didn't know how effective the Plague-Avoiding Pill would be after this, but after all, it was an elixir. It should still possess some medicinal properties to resist the plague, perhaps saving a life.

Just then, a notice was posted in the city: to prevent the spread of the plague, personnel movement would be prohibited starting tomorrow.

Relying on his status as a Lingmu Sect disciple, Li Mo gained the last opportunity to leave Prefecture City.

Several days later.

After returning to the Sect via Flying Ship, Li Mo went to the Refining Hall, intending to exchange his Banknotes for Spirit Stones.

"Banknotes?"

The Senior Disciple in charge of Silver and Spirit Stone exchanges at the Refining Hall shook his head.

"Esteemed Junior Disciple, our Refining Hall only handles exchanges between Silver and Spirit Stones. For these Banknotes from the Dao hóa merchant guild, you should first go to the merchant guild at the foot of the mountain to exchange them for Silver."

Li Mo was stunned.

He had thought these Banknotes were nationally circulated.

The active disciple at the Refining Hall seemed to notice Li Mo's confusion and explained.

"The reason our Refining Hall offers exchange services is twofold: first, to facilitate transactions for Sect disciples, and second, to make it easier for Refining Hall disciples to refine Silver Essence. But we can't refine Silver Essence with these Banknotes, can we?"

Silver Essence had a wide range of uses, not limited to artifact refining, thus its value was very stable.

Perhaps it was for this reason that countless mortals and cultivators chose Silver as the anchor for the value of Spirit Stones, and it also facilitated the imperial court's promotion of weights and measures, unifying the dynasty's laws and decrees.

"Junior Disciple, you must remember, this kind of thing is merely for the convenience of outside merchants doing business. We cultivators have Storage Pouches, so we only recognize Spirit Stones. Silver, to us, is just a commodity. To mortals, Silver is currency, while Spirit Stones are luxuries. As for these Banknotes... once you receive them, you should exchange them for physical silver as soon as possible. Otherwise, if they are accidentally burned or destroyed, they will truly be just a piece of paper."

After thanking him, Li Mo spent another half a day, finally managing to exchange all his earnings from this trip for Spirit Stones.

With three hundred and seventy-seven Spirit Stones on his person, he showed a look of contentment.