"Old Zhao, off again today?"
"Of course I am. It was that girl who got my leg healed. How is picking a few dozen herbs to thank her any trouble?"
Moondrift City was as crowded as ever with people coming and going. Cultivators and ordinary folk walked side by side, each going about their own lives. An old man in plain clothes was greeting an old friend as he hoisted a woven wicker basket onto his back.
"Hello, Grandpa!"
"Oh, young miss, out for a stroll in the city? Is there something I can help you with?"
"No, no. My junior sister and I are here on an errand today. We'll be heading back to the palace soon. I'll see you there."
"Ho ho, of course. I'll bring you some fine herbs."
The ones who had come over to greet him were a group of three girls in spotless white robes trimmed with red. At their waists hung small jade tags, one side carved with the word "Goddess" and the other with "Alchemy." Wherever they went, the townspeople welcomed them with smiles.
The girls chatted warmly with the townspeople, never putting on airs. Lately they had been politely turning down the snacks the locals pressed on them, but even so, their manners and bearing endeared them to everyone who saw them.
"The weather's nice today."
Old Zhao laughed cheerfully. He looked toward the foot of the mountain outside the city, where the alchemy palace stood. A great many people were making their way there now.
Several weeks had passed since the day of the "Heaven-Pillar Light," and much in Moondrift City had changed beyond recognition.
King Jongliean had been healed and had made a full recovery. He had kept all three of Bai Fanxian's conditions without a single attempt at evasion. The Goddess Alchemy Palace was no longer considered one of Moondrift City's factions, yet its disciples retained the same privileges as the townspeople. On top of that, they seemed to be treated with even more respect than before.
As for the Crown Prince, after resting for about ten days he was walking about as usual. Only a few days ago the townspeople had seen the young man climb the mountain to thank the alchemy palace in person. He had also decided to return and succeed his father. He meant to put what he had learned in his studies to work, carrying the city as far forward as it could go.
"Well then, I'll be off."
The old man bade his friend farewell and left the city. The path up to the Goddess Alchemy Palace was packed with people streaming in both directions. Since the palace had reopened, its customers had multiplied enormously, partly because its main rival, the Wild Bloom Sect, had collapsed. Now, anyone looking for good medicine thought of the Goddess Alchemy Palace first.
But that soon brought a shortage of materials. Thanks to Bai Fanxian's training, the palace had enough workers. But with the entire city flocking to buy its medicines, the Seabound Caravan simply could not deliver supplies fast enough.
Luckily, Luo Qingyan had made a suggestion. She proposed that the palace buy herbs directly from villagers who brought them in to sell. Doing so would stimulate the city's economy, and it would also forge a bond with the people and win their lasting loyalty to the palace. Medicine made from ingredients they had gathered themselves would surely give them more confidence in it, too.
No wonder that these days, not only those who gathered herbs for a living but even elderly folk with time on their hands had begun shouldering baskets to earn some extra money. Even low-grade herbs were fine, because Bai Fanxian had already prepared formulas for every medicine that could be made from them and that the market wanted.
"Such a lively place..."
Old Zhao smiled and sighed as he looked at the changes that had come about in just a few days.
In all his years living in Moondrift City, he had never seen anything like it.
He could only hope it would stay this way forever...
.
.
.
"Lady... Empress!"
Inside the Goddess Alchemy Palace, the bustle went on as it always had. Many young female disciples were busy restocking shelves that emptied again so quickly, even though they had only just filled them. The number of customers passing through in a day had soared into the thousands, so much so that anyone who wandered by without knowing better would never have believed this was merely an alchemy palace.
They would surely have taken it for a large and popular trading hall.
"...Just call me the way you always did."
Bai Fanxian sat in the middle of a frantic office. Disciples who kept the records and closed the accounts bustled around her, heads spinning. Su Lin, who had rushed in clutching documents, bowed and apologized profusely for having slipped into the old form of address she had used for so long.
Once everything had been settled, Luo Qingyan had not hesitated to step down and return the title of "Alchemy Empress" to Bai Fanxian. The longtime disciples had found it odd at first, but not a single one objected after seeing the Grade-7 medicine refined that day, along with everything else Bai Fanxian had done to restore the palace to greater prosperity than ever.
"What is it?"
"The junior sisters working in the central alchemy palace are complaining that there are too many customers inside... Even though the queues are orderly, the customers spilling outside are still blocking the way, Lady Bai..."
Su Lin read out the report anxiously. The central alchemy palace had been the same size since long ago. Extending it or rebuilding it would disrupt far too many other things, but if the problem went unsolved, it would soon become a burden on the disciples working there.
"...Move Vermilion Pills, Thousand-League Steed Pills, and River-Calm Pills out of the central alchemy palace. Open the side annex temporarily, selling only these three."
Bai Fanxian flipped through the papers, quickly looked them over, and issued her decision.
"Huh... Why, Lady Bai?"
"Senior Sister, Lady... the Empress has had us tally each day's medicine sales for some time. It seems those three are the most popular by far. About four in ten customers come specifically to buy them."
A junior sister buried in a pile of documents, her whole face smeared with black ink, grinned and explained. She admired the new Empress (?) enormously. Bai Fanxian had adapted methods from the modern world to suit the palace's needs. As a result, even disciples who had once toiled unnoticed in the records department felt their work was far more valued.
"I-Is that so?"
"Vermilion Pills are a Grade-1 medicine that treats minor external wounds and replenishes blood. That makes them popular with mercenaries and travelers. They're plentiful and cheap, so they're practically a staple that everyone has to carry."
"As for Thousand-League Steed Pills and River-Calm Pills, they're mainly known for restoring strength after exhaustion and replenishing energy. Sometimes even ordinary villagers buy them to brew and drink after hard work."
"...Their popularity can't be helped. I'll talk with the trading hall and the medicine shops in the city about having them stock some of these as well."
Hearing Bai Fanxian's words, Su Lin breathed a sigh of relief. If that could really be done, it would lighten their burden enormously.
"Is there anything else?"
"Sage White-Beard just sent word about the purge of Wild Bloom."
"..."
"The Sage discovered a place called the 'tower' beneath the Wild Bloom Sect's main building... He found a great many human bodies there, shriveled and dried out from the loss of their life force. Even that Li Jiyao was found among them..."
"...Is that so?"
Bai Fanxian leaned back in her chair, deep in thought.
That "tower" had to be where Wild Bloom gathered and stored life force.
The medicines they refined were actually curses that transferred life force to a chosen target. If Wild Bloom had risen on the backing of so many powerful figures that it stood as the foremost sect in Moondrift City, then the number of victims whose life force sustained those curses must have been just as great.
Human lives, used like tools.
"Were there any survivors?"
"...Most died the moment they were released from the curse's bond, Lady Bai."
Su Lin read out the report with a pained expression. Bai Fanxian let out a long sigh and hurriedly changed the subject.
"If there's nothing else, go and get some rest yourself..."
"Yes, Lady Bai... Ah, Elder, is there something you need?"
Just before Su Lin could leave, Grandmaster Lu Qing appeared at the door. Since that day he had been living in the underground room, refining high-grade medicine one batch after another, so much so that he hardly saw the sun or the moon.
Bai Fanxian knew the old man had something weighing on his mind and was trying to forget it through hard work. But after several weeks, it seemed his bottled-up feelings had reached their limit.
"...I have something I want to talk to you about. Do you have a little time?"
Even that sentence, sent through qi so that only Bai Fanxian could hear it, had slipped into the speech of the modern world. Something truly grave had to be at stake.
"...Mm."
Bai Fanxian turned and gave instructions to the few young female disciples, who answered eagerly. She and Grandmaster Lu Qing walked to the back of the herb garden, then leapt up and came to a stop on a rooftop dozens of meters away.
Little Red was lying there, basking comfortably in the sun. It opened its eyes, saw who had come, and tucked its face back in to resume its nap, leaving the two undisturbed.
"What is it?"
Bai Fanxian studied Grandmaster Lu Qing's face, which betrayed both confusion and uncertainty. She had once thought he might be feeling guilty for letting those Ancient Demons escape, but it seemed she had been wrong.
"Do you remember the reason I gave you before I came to this Myriad Demon World?"
In the end the old man sighed and began to speak. At his question, Bai Fanxian nodded slowly.
"To find the lover you were separated from..."
She had not forgotten it either. She had even thought of asking to borrow the information network of the Seabound Caravan, and King Jongliean's too.
"Let me help..."
"I found her."
Grandmaster Lu Qing cut in before Bai Fanxian could finish. He gave a forced laugh, his face full of confusion.
"But I don't know what to do..."
"Where did you find her?"
Bai Fanxian ran through the possibilities in her mind.
Perhaps the woman had married and started a family. Was that why the old man was so troubled and at a loss?
But a few seconds later, she realized she was wrong.
"..."
It was not something as simple as the other party having a husband at all.
"On the day you refined the Celestial Path Elixir, I recognized her the moment I saw her up close..."
"..."
"Her name is Ye Lin..."
"And she's the Wild Bloom Sect Head... the successor of the Ancient Demon Astaroth..."