The tunnel was low and narrow, seemingly dug in haste, barely allowing one to stand upright. Only in the central area had a stone chamber been carved out, with several chairs arranged inside, creating a hidden room.
When the courier arrived, there was already a man and a woman inside. The man was dressed as a traveling merchant, while the woman wore the attire of a servant girl.
The merchant sighed, “Lao Pan, don’t be impatient. The number of official and probationary members of Xianji is very limited. The rewards we can offer are nothing special. Unless it’s on their way, it won’t be quick for anyone to take over.”
His facial features were ordinary, but upon closer inspection, slightly discordant, as if he had made an effort to disguise his appearance.
Courier Lao Pan sat down on a chair, looking disheartened. “When will this ever end? Over a month ago, my cultivation progress stalled. Am I destined to be a courier forever? To live and die alone, far away from family and friends? Damn this mission!”
They had ended up in this situation because they had triggered a strange mission that had no time limit.
“Lao Pan, when we decided to take on this mission, you didn’t object,” the merchant frowned upon hearing this.
The servant girl, called Yingzi, snorted coldly. “Lao Pan, Dongyuan, didn’t we swear to never blame each other for mission choices? Instead of complaining, we should unite and complete the mission together.”
She had long eyebrows that reached into her hairline, and her pupils were slightly reddish, seemingly indicating a divine or demonic bloodline. However, her appearance was only passably pretty, nothing special among servant girls.
Nonetheless, she also bore subtle traces of disguise.
“It’s not complaining. It’s just that this mission… this mission…” Lao Pan hesitated for a long time before continuing, “The reason for failure is almost unacceptable. It was all because Yuzishou, the ‘Jade-Faced Flying Dragon’ of Tianxiang, fell for Qin Qing. He, as the master of Tianxiang, a renowned half-step cultivator, has never seen a woman before?”
“I also can’t understand. If we’re talking about beauty, Qin Qing isn’t even among the top female martial artists of her generation in the mortal world. She’s merely fresh and delicate, not nearly as dazzling as you, Yingzi, let alone someone like the Sword Immortal. Why did Yuzishou suddenly take a liking to her?”
Yingzi replied coldly, “What’s wrong with Qin Qing? Why wouldn’t the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon fancy her?”
“This isn’t the point,” Lao Pan slumped dejectedly. “We’ve been stuck here for so long, and we don’t even know what’s changed back home. If we’re gone too long, we might be discovered.”
“You have to get back first,” Yingzi shot back again.
The merchant, Dongyuan, sighed bitterly, “I just hope a senior from ‘Xianji’ will arrive soon. Even a probationary member should be able to resolve this matter smoothly. I certainly don’t want to really become a traveling merchant.”
Their strength was quite decent among the Nine Towns, but none of them could accept the consequence of no further cultivation advancement.
As Yingzi was about to speak, she suddenly felt a cold breeze, instinctively making her hair stand on end. She turned to look at the entrance, but unfortunately, it was empty, with no figures in sight.
“What’s wrong?” Lao Pan and Dongyuan followed her gaze.
“Nothing…” Yingzi turned her head back, her eyes suddenly freezing, her pupils constricting sharply as she saw the figure sitting at the uppermost chair.
He wore a dark wide robe, his face covered with a mask that exuded majesty and dignity, appearing both young and old. Sitting there, he was like a bell or a pine tree, calm and imposing, his aura lofty and vast, making people instinctively bow in submission.
“Yuan… Yuanshi Tianzun…” Yingzi’s lips trembled, her expression shocked, recognizing the identity represented by the mask.
Was he an official member of Xianji, even one of its leaders?
Due to the overwhelming fame of Yuanshi Tianzun, Yingzi instinctively associated him with that figure.
Lao Pan and Dongyuan swallowed hard, their expressions a mixture of shock and joy—shock at his title and his ability to approach them undetected, and joy at finally not having to wait any longer.
To their eyes, the figure in the dark robe and mask was unfathomable and immeasurable.
“Did you request assistance from Xianji?” This “Yuanshi Tianzun” was actually Meng Qi, who had just arrived. He controlled his throat, producing a dignified and solemn middle-aged male voice.
Dongyuan, the merchant, inhaled deeply, his joy evident. “Your Holiness, it was indeed us who requested assistance.”
“Tell me the details slowly.” Yuanshi Tianzun remained seated, his left hand supporting his right hand resting on his knee.
His robe was very wide, and something seemed hidden behind his back.
Feeling his vast and mighty aura and hearing his solemn and dignified voice, Lao Pan dared not disobey. He smiled bitterly. “It’s rather embarrassing to explain.”
“Our last cycle mission accidentally triggered a special mission. We could choose whether to come to the Nine Towns to complete it. If we chose to, the mission would have no time limit, and we would be directly teleported into the Nine Towns, ending only when we obtained the ‘Qilin Pendant,’ which had been passed down for generations in Tianxiang. Because the reward was quite generous, we eventually decided to come.”
“Our team wasn’t strong enough, and the Qilin Pendant was guarded by the half-step cultivator, the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon. We could only disguise ourselves and infiltrate Tianxiang, planning to act gradually. At the time, I was a gardener, Wang Dongyuan was a house servant, and Yingzi and Qin Qing were servant girls.”
Meng Qi’s voice was deep and heavy. “Because servant girls often interacted with the master, Qin Qing was noticed by the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon?”
“It’s rather embarrassing to admit,” Dongyuan’s face slightly reddened. “Qin Qing was originally an ordinary servant girl. She barely managed to get the opportunity to serve in the study, giving her a chance to approach the Qilin Pendant. But deep down, she was still a martial artist, not a servant meant to attend others. She was poised and dignified, not rejoicing at the master’s rewards, nor trying to please him when ignored, giving off an impression of being aloof and independent.”
“It was precisely because of her different demeanor from other servant girls that the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon took special notice of her, often chatting with her, caring for her, and taking her along. At first, we were actually happy about this, thinking the mission was within reach.”
“Later one night, when Qin Qing thought no one was around and removing her disguise was harmful to her face, she briefly took it off, planning to put it back on before dawn. However, the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon had a sudden whim and came looking for her, catching her in the act of removing her disguise. He was stunned by her beauty.”
This was truly a clichéd and classic scenario… Meng Qi tried his best to maintain his composure, but couldn’t help a twitch at the corner of his mouth. Fortunately, the mask concealed this.
“How did you know all these details?” Yingzi asked, as Yuanshi Tianzun, seated before them, questioned with dignity.
She helplessly replied, “Now that Qin Qing had gained the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon’s favor, naturally other women who had their eyes on him started gossiping. We gradually found out the details. At the time, the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon didn’t expose Qin Qing’s disguise but instead secretly observed her, confirming that her purpose for disguising herself was the Qilin Pendant, and identifying our relationship with her. Then, he captured us and brought us before Qin Qing, producing the Qilin Pendant and questioning her intentions.”
“Fortunately, we had prepared an excuse in case of failure, so we didn’t expose the existence of the Six Cycle Master. However, the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon, in his rage, imprisoned Qin Qing and expelled us three from Tianxiang.”
“Later, we learned that at the time, the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon refrained from killing us because he feared it would irreparably damage his relationship with Qin Qing. Afterwards, he directly gave the Qilin Pendant to Qin Qing, saying, ‘If you want it, it’s yours, but you cannot leave my side for even a step.'”
What a domineering town master… Meng Qi was too tired to mentally criticize anymore, suppressing his laughter as his voice rang out, “Then what happened?”
Since the team had obtained the Qilin Pendant, wasn’t that considered completing the mission?
Looking at the expressions of Bei Ming and the other three, it seemed there was another explanation…
“Then our mission changed. It became ‘Qin Qing obtained the Qilin Pendant, but this member was imprisoned. We must find a way to rescue her.’ And it’s still an indefinite mission,” “Courier” Lao Pan gritted his teeth in frustration over the indefinite mission.
You guys are really unlucky to get caught up in such a ridiculous event. Fortunately, my team has always focused on strength… Meng Qi silently commiserated with them.
“Please, Holy Master, help us rescue Qin Qing,” after describing the events, Lao Pan, Yingzi, and Wang Dongyuan all bowed respectfully, their attitudes sincere and earnest.
Then they watched as Yuanshi Tianzun, with his vast and ancient aura, slowly stood up and said indifferently, “Gather your belongings and prepare for your return.”
With that, Yuanshi Tianzun walked into the depths of the tunnel, his back view giving off an impression of towering majesty.
By the time they regained their senses and wanted to chase after him to ask for more details, they found that he had already vanished without a trace.
…
Tianxiang was located within a picturesque valley, filled with ginseng and polygonatum everywhere, with springs bubbling up from the ground. Amidst the faint white mist, occasionally emerged elegant or ancient buildings, resembling a paradise on earth.
It was already nightfall when two servant girls, carrying lanterns, walked toward the Fragrant Spring Pavilion.
“It’s the middle of the night, and she still wants to eat sweet dumplings! That wretch really knows how to think of things!” one servant girl muttered angrily.
The other servant girl also looked resentfully ahead. “I just don’t get what the master sees in her. Her looks are nothing special, and she always wears that sour face, as if the master had killed her whole family. Not a single kind word from her.”
“I’ve always heard people say, ‘Wife is not as good as concubine, concubine is not as good as a mistress, and a mistress is not as good as someone you can’t have.’ Now I see some truth in it. The master must like this kind of temperament,” the first servant girl said regretfully.
“We’re almost near the Fragrant Spring Pavilion. Don’t talk anymore. Even if the master isn’t focusing on sensing his surroundings, he can still hear us at this distance,” the second servant girl whispered anxiously.
They kept silent and walked slowly forward. Not long after, they knocked on the door of the pavilion.
Creak, the door opened, revealing Yuzishou, the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon. He had already broken through the spiritual eye barrier before the age of thirty, so he looked young and handsome, exuding majesty.
The two servant girls exchanged glances, both seeing resentment in each other’s eyes, but they could do nothing about it.
Yuzishou took the food box, closed the door, and placed it on the table. “Little Qing, come eat the sweet dumplings. Didn’t you say you missed the Lantern Festival before?”
“I missed the freedom and ease of the last Lantern Festival, not the sweet dumplings,” Qin Qing replied coldly, her beautiful face expressionless.
Yuzishou’s eyes were filled with affection, but he didn’t get angry. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly froze.
Thump, thump, thump, the door was mysteriously knocked on.
“Who is it?” Yuzishou gathered his aura and asked sternly.
Creak, the door opened, revealing a mysterious figure in a black robe.
He was tall, standing calmly there, wearing a strange Taoist mask that made him look both like a boy and a youth, both like a middle-aged and an old man.
Qin Qing’s expression was shaken, and she blurted out:
“Yuanshi Tianzun!”
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