Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Is His Name Lin Dao?

Rong Shu went to the Task Pavilion on Spirit Gathering Peak, submitted her tasks, and returned both waist plaques.

The clerk disciple who handled rewards was the same one as before, and after checking the totals, he said: “One Hundred Herb Garden task and one Spirit Beast Garden task, duration one month, for a total of 375 contribution points,” then transferred the 375 points to her name.

She dipped her head and said: “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

…

After leaving the Task Pavilion, she visited the Pill Treasury Pavilion and the Armory Pavilion one after the other.

Her barely warmed-up points were immediately spent again.

Three bottles of Fasting Pills, minus 6 points.

Six bottles of Spirit Gathering Pills, minus 300 points.

One low-grade treasure artifact dagger, minus 150 points.

Her remaining points were a pitiful 21, and that was only because she had already collected the fourth month’s new-disciple stipend for an extra 100 points.

The result was that she had almost spent it all.

As for the tiny remainder, she left it untouched. By the time she returned to Limitless Peak, the sky had already grown dark.

Yu Ruan Ruan had assigned a menial disciple to wait at the entrance of Rong Shu’s little courtyard. When he saw her return, he relayed Yu Ruan Ruan’s message: “Junior Sister Rong, Senior Sister Yu asked me to remind you not to forget tomorrow’s outing mission.”

Rong Shu nodded as she replied: “Got it, I won’t forget.”

[Alchemists’ subguild, here I come.]

After the menial disciple left, she went into the courtyard.

“Mundane money, bring some; spirit stones, the dagger, the flying boat, the brocade pouch with the talismans, the identity token, changes of clothes, a tent, a pillow…”

She packed her things.

When she finished, she checked everything again to make sure nothing was missing, then put it all into her storage pouch.

Since she would be traveling far the next day, she let herself relax for once. She skipped meditation that night, took a bath, then lay down in bed with great contentment and fell asleep.

…

The next morning, after washing her face, she fed herself a Fasting Pill, checked the contents of her storage pouch and the talismans in her brocade pouch one more time, and, certain all was in order, stepped out of her courtyard.

Outside the gate, she thought for two seconds and decided to stop by Joyous Hall first.

When she arrived, she found Qin Yuan already at the door.

She greeted him with a smile: “Third Senior Brother, morning.”

He was still dressed like a refined gentleman in white. Seeing that it was Rong Shu, he smiled and inclined his head as he answered: “Junior Sister Rong, morning.”

Just then, Yu Ruan Ruan came out with a maidservant, and her sugary, tender voice chimed: “Third Senior Brother, Junior Sister, you’re here.”

She darted forward to hug Qin Yuan’s arm, all affectionate.

Qin Yuan’s expression turned indulgent as he tapped her forehead with a curled finger and said: “Since everyone is here, let’s go.”

He waved a hand to summon the Azure Sky Falcon and added: “We have fellow disciples to team up with. We’ll meet them first.”

At that, Rong Shu’s heart stirred.

There were others?

Hadn’t Senior Sister Yu said it was just a task to look for low-level spirit beasts?

For a beast tamer like Qin Yuan, that sort of task should be easy, hardly needing anyone else’s help, right?

As if sensing her confusion, Qin Yuan explained: “We’re not on the same mission, only traveling the same road to Scarlet Sun City, so we agreed to go together for mutual support.”

If he were going alone, he certainly would not need fellow disciples to accompany him. But he was taking two junior sisters out. If danger did arise, a few more people would better protect them.

Especially… his glance slid, unbidden, toward Rong Shu.

He had not intended to bring a first-layer Qi Refining junior like her at all. If not for Ruan Ruan thinking of her feelings and fearing she would feel lonely staying on Limitless Peak, pestering him over and over to include Rong Shu on the trip, he would have left her behind.

Very well. If there was real danger, he would simply shield her a bit. They were, after all, disciples of the same master.

The three mounted the Azure Sky Falcon and flew toward the mountain gate.

The rendezvous point was the square before the main gate.

When they arrived above the square and the falcon began to descend, Rong Shu looked down.

Beside the spot where the Azure Sky Falcon was about to land stood four disciples. They must be the ones traveling with them.

Once the falcon touched down, Rong Shu hopped to the ground and turned to study the four.

Two Inner Sect disciples and two Outer Sect disciples…

Wait.

Her eyes narrowed, settling on one of the Inner Sect disciples.

He looked increasingly familiar.

Wasn’t this the Inner Sect Senior Brother she had bumped into at the dining hall on her second day in the sect?

She examined him carefully again. Sensing her gaze, the man frowned slightly. He became aware that someone was staring at him, and when their eyes met for two seconds, his expression remained calm as he looked away first.

Rong Shu confirmed it in her heart.

It really was that Inner Sect Senior Brother.

His looks were not striking, at best well-proportioned features. Toss him into a sea of handsome men and beautiful women in the cultivation world and he became a common face, plain and unremarkable.

Another Inner Sect disciple whom Rong Shu did not recognize greeted Qin Yuan first as he said: “Senior Brother Qin.”

Qin Yuan looked over and asked: “Are all your people here?”

“They’re all here,” the Inner Sect disciple replied with a nod.

Qin Yuan swept his gaze across the four and said: “I am Qin Yuan, mid Foundation Establishment, in the sect six years, and a beast tamer.”

“Since we will be traveling together for a stretch, fellow disciples, why not introduce ourselves and get to know one another first?” he continued.

At that, the Inner Sect disciple who had spoken to Qin Yuan began: “Dai Zhou, early Foundation Establishment, twenty years in the sect, a sword cultivator.”

The familiar one followed: “Lin Dao, early Foundation Establishment, twenty years in the sect.”

Rong Shu stole a glance at the only one she knew, Senior Brother Lin Dao.

[So his name is Lin Dao. As expected, he is at the Foundation Establishment stage.]

The two Outer Sect disciples, a man and a woman, introduced themselves in turn.

The man said: “Wan Li Xuan, ninth layer of Qi Refining, eighteen years in the sect, also a sword cultivator.”

The woman said: “Tao Yu Shuang, eighth layer of Qi Refining, fifteen years in the sect, a first-grade alchemist.”

Yu Ruan Ruan smiled sweetly at the four as she said: “I am Yu Ruan Ruan, seventh layer of Qi Refining, five years in the sect, an ice-attribute Heavenly Spiritual Root.”

She then added, gesturing beside her: “This is my junior sister, Rong Shu, first layer of Qi Refining, not quite four months since entering the sect.”

Only Lin Dao, who had once met Rong Shu in passing and knew she was a new disciple, showed no change in expression. The other three, on hearing that their fellow traveler included a brand-new disciple at the first layer of Qi Refining who might drag them down, wore varying looks and clearly had objections.

Still, since Rong Shu had been brought by Qin Yuan and they were only sharing the road rather than taking the same mission, they let it pass.

Rong Shu had no reaction to Yu Ruan Ruan stealing her “self-introduction.”

She understood her role clearly.

[An accessory along for the ride. Not much use at all. And since I am of little use, I should be ready to be looked down upon.]