"You are my little apple~ No matter how much I love you, it's never enough~" In the back mountains of the Heart Returning Sect, Jiang Beiran buried peacock grass seeds one by one into the soil at his newly acquired cultivation site.
Just as he was about to sprinkle some black scale powder into the dirt, a small black shadow suddenly flew toward him at incredible speed. Glancing sideways, Jiang Beiran extended his index finger and held it steady before his chest. In the blink of an eye, a silver-gray hummingbird appeared and perched on his finger.
Skillfully extracting a rolled-up note from the hummingbird's feathers, Jiang Beiran unfurled it and found it was sent by Wu Qingce.
[Three exotic beasts have gathered in the Birch Leaf Forest.]
"Hmm, the timing does seem about right."
"Giao~ giao~" While Jiang Beiran was reading the note, the impatient hummingbird opened its beak and chirped repeatedly.
"Got it, got it."
Responding casually, Jiang Beiran tucked the note into his Universe Ring and pulled out a piece of dried viper meat, tossing it into the air.
"Giao!"
With a cry, the hummingbird darted upward like lightning, snatching the meat midair. After gulping down the meat in two bites, the hummingbird flew back to Jiang Beiran and chirped twice more, as if currying favor.
"Only one piece per visit."
As he spoke, Jiang Beiran took out a small slip of paper, wrote a line of characters, and tucked it into the hummingbird's feathers.
"Giao..."
Letting out a dejected cry, the hummingbird knew Jiang Beiran wouldn't relent once he'd made up his mind. It turned and flew down the mountain. As dusk approached, Jiang Beiran left the Heart Returning Sect after making all necessary preparations.
Within the time it took an incense stick to burn, he arrived at a small town near the Birch Leaf Forest.
"Ah~ Esteemed guest, please come in! What would you like? Our specialty is the Green Mist Emerald tea from the nearby Breeze Villa—rich, mellow, refreshing, and fragrant. Guaranteed to satisfy!"
Faced with the enthusiastic waiter, Jiang Beiran nodded.
"I'm meeting a friend. His surname is Liu."
"Oh~" The waiter immediately understood.
"That guest is upstairs. Let me show you the way. Watch your step—the floor is a bit dirty."
Judging by the waiter's eagerness, Jiang Beiran could tell Wu Qingce had either ordered premium tea or left a generous tip. Following the waiter upstairs, Jiang Beiran soon spotted Wu Qingce sitting by the window.
"Thanks, you can go now."
As he spoke, Jiang Beiran pulled two copper coins from his waist pouch and handed them to the waiter.
"Thank you, sir! Thank you!"
The delighted waiter bowed repeatedly before retreating downstairs. Seeing Jiang Beiran approach, Wu Qingce—dressed in plain hemp clothing—stood up and called out, "Brother Wang, you're finally here! Please, have a seat."
Nodding, Jiang Beiran sat across from him. Just as he was about to speak, three options appeared before his eyes.
[Option 1: Directly ask about the exotic beasts. Reward: Seven-Star Ancient Moon Blade (Mysterious Grade, Low Tier)] [Option 2: Discuss matters related to the Heart Returning Sect. Reward: Coiled Dragon Silver Mace (Yellow Grade, Mid Tier)] [Option 3: Engage in casual small talk. Reward: Random Basic Attribute Point +1] 'Someone's trying to steal our prey?'
Jiang Beiran had intended to ask Wu Qingce which beasts had entered the forest, but it seemed there were "interested parties" in the teahouse. Choosing Option 3, he said, "Heard the news? Eastern Unity City is suffering from another disaster."
Wu Qingce blinked in surprise but quickly caught on.
"What kind of disaster?"
"Locust plague. Lots of casualties. Let's hope it doesn't spread here."
As they chatted, Jiang Beiran used his spiritual sense to scan the teahouse and discovered a fourth-rank Mysterious Master sitting on the first floor.
'Strange.
Could this Mysterious Master also know about the treasure in the Birch Leaf Forest? That doesn’t make sense...' Puzzled, Jiang Beiran and Wu Qingce chatted for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea before the system notification sounded.
[Option task completed. Reward: Agility +1] With a glance, Jiang Beiran signaled Wu Qingce to change locations.
The two left the teahouse together.
"Take care, gentlemen~" The waiter at the door waved enthusiastically.
Once they reached a secluded pavilion, Jiang Beiran checked their surroundings for any cultivators before speaking.
"There was a Mysterious Master in the teahouse. Not sure if they're after the Birch Leaf Forest."
"A Mysterious Master!?"
Wu Qingce was shocked. The odds of randomly encountering a Mysterious Master in such a rundown town were slim.
"Mm. Either way, stay alert. First, tell me what's happening in the Birch Leaf Forest."
"Understood."
Wu Qingce nodded.
"Aside from the second-grade Lightning-Striped Beast we saw earlier, a second-grade Evil Laughing Beast and a second-grade Bloodshadow Beast have also moved in."
'Good.
The divination was right this time.' As one of his special skill points, Jiang Beiran's [Divination] wasn’t particularly low-level, but its success rate was far from reliable. Yet whenever it did work, the rewards were always substantial.
"Let's rest for now. We'll enter the forest at Hai hour."
"Yes!"
Wu Qingce replied, then pulled out a chessboard from his Universe Ring.
"Then... would Senior Brother like to play a few rounds? Just for guidance, of course."
Seeing the eager look in Wu Qingce's eyes, Jiang Beiran chuckled.
"Fine. You take white and move first."
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
They played deep into the night at an inn. Though he kept losing, Wu Qingce grew increasingly excited with each game. Just as he finished counting the pieces and prepared for another round, he felt a flick on his forehead.
"Ow!"
Rubbing his forehead, Wu Qingce looked at Jiang Beiran with confusion and a hint of grievance.
"Neglecting our mission for fun. Do you deserve that?"
Wu Qingce immediately realized his mistake.
"Is it already Hai hour? I thought the night watchman just struck once. Has another shichen passed already?"
No sooner had he spoken than the sound of a gong echoed outside.
"Dong! Dong!"
"The air is dry—beware of fire~" "Senior Brother, you're even more precise than the night watchman..."
Admiringly, Wu Qingce quickly stowed the chessboard in his Universe Ring.
"Let's go."
Under the cover of night, Jiang Beiran led Wu Qingce out of town along a gravel path. Before they had gone far, another system prompt appeared.
[Option 1: Head straight to the Birch Leaf Forest. Reward: Dragon-Shaped Soft Body Technique (Mysterious Grade, Mid Tier)] [Option 2: Enter the forest at Chou hour. Reward: Spikeflame Sword (Yellow Grade, Mid Tier)] [Option 3: Have Wu Qingce release his Profound Energy. Reward: Random Basic Skill Point +1] 'So the person in the teahouse really is a problem...'
With this thought, Jiang Beiran chose Option 3 and turned to Wu Qingce.
"Use your Profound Energy to speed up."
Though puzzled, Wu Qingce complied.
"Yes."
Activating his Rolling Cloud Technique, he concentrated his Profound Energy into his feet.
"Move."
PS: Today, I suddenly encountered a very philosophical question and wanted to ask you all—at what age did you realize you weren’t actually a super handsome guy?
(End of Chapter)