Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Suspicion

Unwittingly, the half-month term of the task was about to end.

To keep anyone else from competing for it, Rong Shu went to the Task Pavilion on Spirit Nurturing Peak the day before the task expired and extended it for another half month.

When the registrar disciple heard Rong Shu’s “outrageous” request, his eyes nearly popped out as he blurted: “You want to add another half month to this task?”

He had worked the Task Pavilion desk for years, and this was the first time he had ever seen a disciple choose to continue the forbidden valley task.

Rong Shu nodded: “Yes.”

There were many blade arts carved into the rock wall in that forbidden valley, and she had grasped only a sliver of them. Naturally, she was reluctant to leave. If the sect secret realm weren’t opening after another half month, she would have extended it even longer.

As for whether others might get suspicious, Rong Shu was unconcerned. The reward for this task was generous; she could frankly say she was in it for the reward.

By now the registrar disciple’s look at Rong Shu had wholly changed. There was puzzlement, shock, and perhaps even a trace of admiration as he said: “Alright, I’ll register it for you.”

Shocked or not, a task quota delivered to the door was not something he could refuse, and he had no authority to stop Rong Shu from taking any given task.

When the registration was complete, Rong Shu offered thanks: “Many thanks, senior brother.”

“Junior sister, will you keep doing this task in the future?” Seeing she was about to leave, the registrar disciple couldn’t hold back and asked.

Rong Shu paused, then replied with shy honesty: “Probably… the rewards for this task are quite substantial.”

With that, she truly left.

Watching her back as she went, the registrar disciple muttered under his breath: “How odd… is that little girl not afraid of that lunatic? Or is that lunatic not completely mad, realized she’s just a little girl, and didn’t make her cry?”

No matter how he racked his brains, he couldn’t come up with a definite answer.

There had been female disciples who took this task before, but none as young as Rong Shu. Perhaps it really was because she was young and pleasant to look at, so she didn’t feel the task was that hard?

…

When Rong Shu came again the next day to do the task in the forbidden grounds, the same three sect elders were on inspection. Seeing that she still intended to continue, all three were inwardly astonished.

They said nothing, though. After the customary inspection, they let her in as usual.

Rong Shu knew full well they might harbor suspicions, but she kept her face blank as if she had noticed nothing, and obediently followed the guiding sect elder into the forbidden grounds.

When they reached the Black Stone Slab, the guiding sect elder did not depart as before after bringing her there; instead, he stopped and asked of his own accord: “Little girl, why are you still doing this task?”

Rong Shu scratched her head and answered with guileless frankness: “Reporting to sect elder, because the rewards are generous.”

“Do you not find it frightening?” The sect elder gave Rong Shu a meaningful glance.

He did not say clearly what was frightening, but anyone with eyes could tell what he meant.

“Ah? It’s alright… I always keep my distance,” Rong Shu muttered. Then, as if realizing her words were ill-chosen, she covered her mouth and added in a muffled voice: “…I do cook on time.”