Chapter 71

Chapter 71: One Move Short

A clean, elegant green-tangerine scent flowed into Yun Xi’s nose, and her nausea eased.

Two breaths later, once she felt better, she said to the boy, “I like this sachet. How many spirit stones?”

The boy waved his hands, flattered and nervous. “Senior, this sort of cheap thing isn’t worth paying spirit stones for. Just give me two spirit beads.”

Yun Xi could tell he was not lying. She casually took out two spirit beads and tossed them to him. Then she looked around. She had been too busy vomiting to observe her surroundings, but luckily this was inside a city. If it had been out in the wild, it would have been dangerous.

Yun Xi reminded herself again. This was not the sect, and she could not relax.

Fortunately, she had not even left the Teleportation Hall’s area. On top of that, her late-stage Foundation Establishment pressure was there, so no one without eyes would come looking for trouble.

The only one who had approached was the boy, and he was a mortal. He probably saw how miserable Yun Xi looked and wanted to sell his sachets, so he had worked up the courage to speak.

But the result was good. He did not anger a senior, and he even earned two spirit beads.

Yun Xi withdrew her gaze and said to the boy, who was about to leave, “Do you live in Bao Hua City?”

“Yes. I’m a mortal, but my family has cultivators, so we can live in Bao Hua City.”

“Then you’re very familiar with Bao Hua City?”

“Yes. I’ve lived here since I was born.”

“Then be my guide for one day. I’ll pay you two spirit stones. Are you willing?”

Yun Xi made the offer.

The boy’s eyes lit up, and he immediately said, “Thank you for trusting me, Senior. Of course I’m willing. Just call me Jiao Zi. That’s my nickname.”

Jiao Zi was thrilled. He had not expected such a windfall. In Bao Hua City, all the guide work was taken by children who could cultivate. A mortal child like him could only sell small items to survive. Two spirit stones were half a year’s income to him, so he agreed without hesitation.

Yun Xi also let out a breath and said, “Take me to see the shops that sell pills and talismans in the city.”

“Senior, please follow me. Bao Hua City’s shops are all concentrated on West Street. The largest is ‘Xi Zi House.’ I heard they sell everything in there.”

Yun Xi did not waste words and followed Jiao Zi to West Street.

At this moment, Yun Xi still did not know that when she stepped into the teleportation array in Hao Ran City, a disciple had already followed the trail all the way to Hao Ran City and was now asking around for her whereabouts.

At the same time, the mission to search the Bao Hua Mountain Range for the missing disciples had already been raised in level and requirements. Only Foundation Establishment disciples could accept it now, and it was posted in the Inner Sect Mission Hall.

When Hua Xuan Zi saw this, she thought for a moment and directly crossed Wei Yun Xi’s name off the list of people who had accepted the mission.

Two days later, Wei Zong Hao came to the Mission Hall to turn in a mission. Hua Xuan Zi told him that Wei Yun Xi’s mission had been canceled.

“Senior Sister, Yun Xi has already left the sect. What do we do now?” Zong Hao asked.

Hua Xuan Zi lowered her voice. “It’s fine. When she left, the mission’s level had not been raised yet. There’s a record in her identity jade token. As long as she returns safely, she can explain it clearly.”

“Also, after I crossed out her name, I could help her hide her trail. Yesterday, Senior Brother Ye from Pill Peak came to check what missions Yun Xi had accepted recently, and I fobbed him off.”

“Yun Xi said she had been watched and had to leave the sect for now. Remember to send Yun Xi a message and tell her to be careful. I don’t think those people will let it go.”

Zong Hao’s eyes darkened at that, but he still clasped his hands and said, “Thank you, Senior Sister, for the reminder. I’ve made you worry too.”

“It’s fine. I’m just handling official business. You should watch yourself.”

“All right.”

After Zong Hao turned over the spirit plants he had harvested, he went back to the herb field. He kept cultivating while watching the field.

Zong Hao found that cultivating beside the spirit field was smoother, because there was fertile soil and spirit plants, and it matched his spirit root well. Cultivating there was twice the result with half the effort, and he planned to make a push toward the ninth level of Qi Refining in the next three days.

Wei Yun Qing suddenly lost Wei Yun Xi’s trail, and that bad feeling surged up again. She gritted her teeth and flung the pill bottle in her hand.

“Hmph! I don’t believe you’ll never return to the sect.”

The next day, she made a big show of going to look for Wei Yun Xi, and she even let the other Wei Family disciples know.

Wei Yun Ting truly worried that something had happened to Wei Yun Xi. But she did not think Wei Yun Qing would run around like this for Wei Yun Xi. So on the surface, she looked anxious, but deep down, she was not too worried, because she believed Wei Yun Xi was steady and would not do anything out of line.

In the end, the Wei Family disciples found the herb field Wei Yun Xi had rented. They did not see Wei Yun Xi, but they did see Wei Zong Hao, whose cultivation had risen to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Zong Hao had just broken through. He cast a Dust-Cleansing Spell on himself, then opened the protective array and said, “Sister Yun Ting, Brother Zong Han, why are you here?”

Wei Yun Ting looked pleased. “Congratulations, Zong Hao. Your cultivation improved again.”

Zong Hao had already grown from a chubby kid into a lanky young boy. He grinned, simple and honest. “I have to thank Yun Xi. She lent me the herb field she rented so I could break through.”

When Yun Qing saw that Zong Hao’s cultivation was even higher than hers, her breath stuck in her throat. In the end, she asked, “Zong Hao, have you seen Yun Xi? She seems to be missing.”

Zong Hao glanced at Yun Qing in surprise, then said, “Junior Sister Yun Qing, don’t say things like that. Yun Xi just accepted a sect mission and went out. How could she be missing?”

“A sect mission? What sect mission? How did I not… know?” Yun Qing wanted to say, How did Senior Brother Ye not find it, but she forced herself to change her words halfway.

Zong Hao looked troubled. “With your relationship with Yun Xi, it’s normal that she didn’t tell you. But before she left, she showed me the mission she accepted. It was a mission to search for fellow disciples, so she left in a hurry.”

“Her friend?” Yun Ting asked, frowning.

“Yes. That Qin Tong Shuang.”

Once the Wei Family disciples thought back, they remembered who Qin Tong Shuang was. Then, out of the corners of their eyes, they glanced at Wei Yun Qing.

Wei Yun Qing almost got so angry she toppled over. Qin Tong Shuang was the companion Senior Sister Mu from the Outer Three Peaks had brought to slap her in the face. She had not expected Qin Tong Shuang to become friends with her own younger sister. It was so ironic.

Zong Hao chuckled. “You all know, so Yun Xi only told me in private before she left. She also left the herb field to me to take care of.”

Wei Yun Ting took a deep breath. “Fine. As long as Yun Xi didn’t disappear for no reason. From now on, anyone who takes an outside mission should say something, so everyone doesn’t worry.”