Under the curious gazes of four pairs of bright eyes, Jiang Beiran took out a small jade bottle from his Universe Ring and said to them, "This is Hundred Flower Honey that I brewed myself, made by gathering the essence of various flowers. Its fragrance can help refresh your minds."
"Wow, Senior Brother, you know how to brew honey too?"
"Senior Brother, can you let me see what this honey looks like?"
"Senior Brother, can I taste the honey?"
Watching the three Yu sisters crowding in with eager faces, Jiang Beiran coughed heavily and swept a sharp glance over them.
"Mm..."
Realizing they had overstepped, the three sisters quickly retreated to their original positions. Nodding in satisfaction, Jiang Beiran opened the bottle of Hundred Flower Honey and addressed the five junior sisters: "This bottle contains the essence of Ice-Sealed Plum Blossoms, Golden Cherry Seeds, Velvet Herb Flowers, and Fire Oak Trees.
It has excellent effects in replenishing blood, boosting energy, moisturizing the skin, and preserving youth." When they heard the last eight words, the three Yu sisters and Liu Zijin's eyes immediately sparkled with excitement. Even Fang Qiuyao, who had been stubbornly looking away, couldn't help but prick up her ears.
Noticing their reactions, Jiang Beiran curled his lips slightly.
"It seems all of you are quite interested in this Hundred Flower Honey. Well then, how about this—the junior sister who performs best during this mission will receive a bottle as a reward."
The three Yu sisters immediately cheered. Though they couldn’t be sure whether Jiang Beiran’s claims about the honey’s effects were true, it didn’t cost them anything to believe a little. Besides, the fragrance of the honey was truly delightful—far better than any perfumes or powders they had ever bought.
After putting the now-effective Hundred Flower Honey back into his Universe Ring, Jiang Beiran looked at the five girls and asked, "How about it? Do the shoes fit? No need for formal reports—just answer directly."
"Mine... seem a bit tight," Yu Guishui replied.
Jiang Beiran glanced briefly at her feet, quickly estimating the size, and said, "Hmm, take them off and hand them to me. I’ll adjust them for you."
"Then I’ll trouble you, Senior Brother," Yu Guishui said as she removed her straw sandals and passed them to Jiang Beiran.
Taking the sandals, Jiang Beiran directly pulled out a strand of Wula grass from his Universe Ring and began weaving it into the existing structure. Watching the sandals visibly grow in size before her eyes, Yu Guishui blinked in astonishment.
"Senior Brother, your hands are so skillful!"
Yu Guizui, who had moved closer, added, "This isn’t just about skill, is it? Senior Brother, what kind of weaving technique is this? How can you continue weaving directly onto already-made sandals?"
But Jiang Beiran didn’t answer. Instead, he silently finished adjusting the sandals and handed them back to Yu Guishui.
"Done. Try them now."
Taking the sandals with an expression of disbelief, Yu Guishui carefully slipped them on.
"Wow, they really fit now! Senior Brother, you’re amazing!"
Seeing that the other two sisters were about to start clamoring again, Jiang Beiran quickly cut in, "Alright, no more noise. Does anyone else have issues with their sandals?" The remaining four shook their heads.
‘So they’re all the same size, huh…’
Jiang Beiran had prepared many pairs of straw sandals as backups, all made in the same small size for easy adjustments if needed. But it seemed that wouldn’t be necessary after all.
"Since there are no issues, let’s head to the Mission Hall to accept a trial mission."
"Yes!"
With his five junior sisters now far less eye-catching, Jiang Beiran felt significantly less pressure. At the very least, fellow disciples passing by wouldn’t keep turning their heads to stare. Arriving at the Mission Hall with practiced ease, Jiang Beiran had barely stepped inside when someone called his name.
"Beiran, Junior Brother?"
Recognizing the familiar voice, Jiang Beiran immediately turned and cupped his hands in greeting.
"Senior Brother Qin, greetings."
Returning the gesture, Qin Muyuan smiled.
"Here to fulfill your Iron Seal duties again?"
"That’s right."
Jiang Beiran nodded before turning to introduce the five junior sisters.
"This is Qin Muyuan, Senior Brother Qin. He’s a very responsible Assigning Elder."
Assigning Elders were Mission Hall personnel specifically responsible for issuing trial missions and later evaluating their fairness. They were usually selected from outstanding Iron Seals by the Mission Hall’s Virtue Plaque holders, so most were relatively young.
Once, a Virtue Plaque holder had wanted to promote Jiang Beiran to Assigning Elder, but his cultivation level was simply too low to command respect, so the plan had to be abandoned.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Qin," Liu Zijin and the other five said in unison, bowing.
When the five junior sisters saluted him, Qin Muyuan froze for a moment, feeling slightly puzzled.
‘Were these five junior sisters standing behind Beiran just now?’
But not wanting to breach etiquette, Qin Muyuan didn’t dwell on it too long and returned the greeting with cupped hands.
"Qin Muyuan of the Ten Thousand Swords Hall greets you, Junior Sisters."
Once introductions were complete, Jiang Beiran addressed Qin Muyuan again.
"Senior Brother Qin, this time I’ll be acting as the Iron Seal for these five junior sisters. Please assign us a trial mission."
Qin Muyuan was taken aback once more, his eyes filled with astonishment. He had known Jiang Beiran for years, and in all that time, the latter had never taken female disciples on trial missions. Yet now he was bringing five at once?
Seeing Qin Muyuan’s utterly shocked expression, Jiang Beiran had a bellyful of grievances he wanted to vent. But knowing complaints would be useless, he simply cupped his hands again and said, "I’ll trouble you, Senior Brother Qin." Snapping out of his daze, Qin Muyuan nodded.
"Alright, follow me."
After going through the familiar mission acceptance process, Qin Muyuan briefed Jiang Beiran on their trial mission.
"Recently, Fortune Gathering Village in Dragon Mountain Town has experienced multiple cases of child abductions. The villagers are deeply distressed. You are to set out immediately and investigate this matter."
With that, Qin Muyuan placed a sheet of paper filled with writing on the table.
"Disciples accept the mission."
After responding, Jiang Beiran took out an iron seal bearing his name from his Universe Ring and pressed it firmly onto the paper—this marked his official responsibility as the Iron Seal for the mission.
"May you have smooth travels, Junior Brother Beiran."
Then, as if realizing something amiss, Qin Muyuan quickly added to the five junior sisters, "And the same to all of you, Junior Sisters."
‘Strange, why do I keep overlooking these five junior sisters? Could they have practiced some breath-concealing technique? If so, that’s truly impressive—to reach such a level at such a young age.’
"Thank you, Senior Brother," Liu Zijin and the others said, bowing again.
"Mm, remember to listen to Junior Brother Beiran’s instructions on the way. He’s one of the few outstanding Iron Seals in our Heart Returning Sect. You’ll surely learn much from him."
"Yes," the five girls replied in unison, though their thoughts couldn’t have been more different.
Liu Zijin wasn’t particularly surprised, as she had sought out Jiang Beiran precisely because she knew of his capabilities. Fang Qiuyao, on the other hand, was somewhat disdainful. In her opinion, the only reason Jiang Beiran received so much praise was because he was overly cautious—she doubted he had any real skill.
As for the three Yu sisters, their curiosity about Jiang Beiran only grew. Initially, when Guardian Yu had told them he found them an exceptionally capable Iron Seal, they hadn’t paid much attention. After all, an Iron Seal was just an Iron Seal—they assumed they were all about the same, merely guiding new disciples through simple trial missions.
How impressive could they be? But after meeting him, Jiang Beiran’s series of actions made him seem like a bottomless treasure pouch, capable of producing anything and possessing skills far beyond their imagination. And now, even an Assigning Elder spoke so highly of him.
‘He really seems… like a quite capable senior brother?’ --- Contract signed, and today marks the first official recommendation.
Updates will now increase to two chapters per day. Hope everyone continues to support! More recommendation votes will motivate me to write even faster. ...
Special thanks to "Elegant Young Master Hai" for the Alliance Leader reward.
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(End of Chapter)