"Go on a mission?" Lu Yang was baffled. Why would she suddenly seek him out to take on a mission?
"Yes! Senior Brother Lu, you are well-traveled and knowledgeable, often journeying in the outside world, so sect missions are bound to be second nature to you."
"Senior Brother, do you still remember our very first mission together? The time we caught the Painted-Skin Demon? Back then, if you hadn't given the Painted-Skin Demon athlete's foot, it probably would have gotten away."
"Since then, I've gone out on missions a few times myself. Even though I completed them, the journeys were full of twists and turns, with a huge element of luck involved."
"So I thought, could I invite you to do this mission with me this time, Senior Brother?"
Lu Yang was quite surprised. "The sect only requires each disciple to complete two missions a year, and you've already hit that target, Junior Sister. Besides, Phantom Bubble is selling like hotcakes—even Nascent Soul cultivators aren't as wealthy as you. You don't have much need for contribution points either, so why would you go out on a mission out of the blue?"
Tao Yaoye threw a couple of playful punches with a "hei-ha!" "To slay demons and eradicate evil, of course! As disciples of an orthodox sect, isn't it only right and proper that we right the wrongs of the world?"
"Fair enough."
"So, will you come with me, Senior Brother?" Tao Yaoye clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly as she tilted her head up to look at Lu Yang with eager anticipation.
Lu Yang fell into thought. Over the past three months, he had been focused on breaking through to the late Golden Core stage. Meng Jingzhou had invited him out multiple times during that period, and he had turned him down every time. If he agreed to Junior Sister Tao's request now, wouldn't he be guilty of favoring romance over friendship?
"I'll go."
His master was Daoist Buyu, and Daoist Buyu was a secular cultivator, so naturally, he was one as well.
As a secular cultivator, blindly secluding oneself in closed-door cultivation was ill-advised; heading out on missions to see the wider world was only natural.
"Wonderful!" Tao Yaoye beamed.
"Wait a moment. Let me ask Old Meng if he wants to come along."
Tao Yaoye had anticipated this long ago and smiled. "I already asked Senior Brother Meng. He's in closed-door cultivation right now and can't tear himself away."
"Ah, is that so? Let's go, then." Lu Yang felt a twinge of regret; he had been hoping for a carriage ride.
Conveniently, the marriage-proposal parties had all been tricked away by Daoist Buyu's underhanded schemes. Otherwise, the moment Lu Yang stepped outside, he was bound to be surrounded by a horde of Body Integration mighty figures eager to pitch their disciples, daughters, granddaughters, and more to him.
...
Aboard the flying boat, Lu Yang asked what this mission was about.
"The mission originated from the household of Squire Song in Yuanhe County, Qingshui Commandery, Yunzhou. They have an eerie painting. Every night at the midnight hour, strange noises come from it. Several passing cultivators visited Squire Song's residence, but all of them were powerless before the painting. The last cultivator stated that ordinary cultivators couldn't handle it and advised Squire Song to seek help from an immortal sect."
"I see."
The flying boat docked in Qingshui Commandery. The two disembarked, rented two horses, and rushed to Yuanhe County.
Upon arriving in Yuanhe County, they gave the horses' rumps a slap, and the two mounts galloped back to their owner on their own.
"Shall we head to Squire Song's house?"
Lu Yang shook his head. "No rush. Let's first ask around among the locals about Squire Song's background and character, as well as the situation in the Song family."
"Alright."
The present Tao Yaoye was quite different from when she had first entered the sect. Back then, though she had stunning looks, she had still been slightly green. Now, at eighteen years of age, she was slim and graceful, playful and charming; along the way, countless passersby couldn't help but turn their heads to look.
Both carried an extraordinary bearing, clearly appearing not to be trifled with, so no one dared attempt to harass Tao Yaoye.
"Boss, two bowls of wontons! Put extra vinegar in mine," Lu Yang called out as he chose a wonton stall.
"Right away!"
When the two bowls of wontons were served, Tao Yaoye took a bite and whispered a complaint, "Senior Brother, this stall's wontons taste pretty mediocre."
"It's supposed to be mediocre. It's almost mealtime, yet there are barely any customers eating wontons here, which shows just how mediocre they taste."
"Then why are we eating here?"
"Only when business is slow is the boss willing to chat with us... Boss, how long have you been running this stall?"
"Nearly thirty years! Not to brag, but who in all of Yuanhe County doesn't know my wonton stall?"
"Judging by your looks, you two must be from out of town?"
"We're physicians from neighboring Panlong Commandery. Someone in the Song family fell ill and hired my junior sister and me to come take a look. But we're unfamiliar with the area and haven't found Squire Song's residence yet."
"Oh, you're looking for Squire Song! It's not far from here. Just head straight down this way, pass an intersection, turn left down one street, and you're there."
Lu Yang naturally knew it wasn't far from the Song residence; he had deliberately picked a wonton stall nearby.
Lu Yang kept his head down, eating the wontons in small bites, and slurped a mouthful of broth. Truly sour.
Seeing that Lu Yang had gone quiet, the stall owner was the one who wanted to chat instead.
"Physician, who in the Song family is sick? Is it Squire Song?"
Hiring physicians from a neighboring commandery showed just how gravely ill the person in the Song family had to be; this was prime material for post-meal gossip.
"That, I cannot say." Lu Yang smiled and shook his head, then asked offhandedly as if just remembering something, "Shopkeeper, are you familiar with the Song family?"
"The Song family is a clan that only rose up in the past twenty years or so, mainly relying on Squire Song. This Squire Song is quite a character himself. In his youth, he passed the exam to become a xiucai, but after that, he never attained further imperial honors and drifted along aimlessly. By middle age, he had lost both his wife and his son, frowning all day long."
"Then one day, no one knows how, but the man suddenly had an epiphany and went into business. No one knows how he managed it, but either way, his silver grew day by day, and he regained his vigor. Afterwards, he remarried and had children—three sons and a daughter."
"Squire Song can be considered a philanthropist. He built two academies and donated quite a few books."
Tao Yaoye nodded upon hearing this. Looking at it this way, Squire Song seemed to be a good person; the only suspicious point was how he had suddenly gained the knack for doing business.
Still, that didn't seem to have much to do with their mission.
"Oh? Isn't this Senior Brother Lu Yang?"
A voice carrying a hint of pleasant surprise rang out. It was melodious, delicate, and tinglingly sweet.
Lu Yang turned his head to see the newcomer and was equally surprised. "Junior Sister Lan Ting?"
From far away, Lan Ting had spotted a familiar back at the wonton stall, and only after coming closer was she sure it was Lu Yang.
Seeing Lan Ting approach, Tao Yaoye was one step ahead, rising to step between the two and greeting Lan Ting warmly: "Junior Sister Lan, what brings you here?"
Lan Ting offered a dazzling smile, her beauty dazzling to the eye. "So it is Junior Sister Tao. This humble girl only saw Senior Brother Lu Yang just now; forgive me."
"As cultivators, we must keep our ears open in all six directions and our eyes alert to all eight quarters. It seems Junior Sister Lan's cultivation is still lacking."
"Junior Sister Tao is mistaken. Cultivators keep a sharp perception out of fear of running into danger. Could this humble girl possibly encounter danger here?"
Lan Ting continued with a beaming smile, "Besides, with Senior Brother Lu Yang here, what danger could there possibly be? Junior Sister Tao, you really underestimate Senior Brother Lu Yang."
Hearing the exchange between the two women, Lu Yang felt he ought to show some courtesy.
"Boss, another bowl of wontons!"
Chapter 514