22: Mission Hall

The sounds of various missions being posted and teammates being sought rose and fell, as noisy as a marketplace. The Cultivators coming and going also looked hurried, as if staying for an extra second were a crime.

Struggling through the crowd, Hong Yu finally managed to understand the layout of the first floor. Inside the vast hall of the first floor, mission boards were everywhere, shimmering with fluorescence, clearly enhanced by Formations.

People were constantly pasting special yellow papers onto empty spaces, which recorded all sorts of missions. Others stood before the mission boards in thought, peeling off the yellow paper once they had confirmed their target, then heading to the front desk. Once confirmed, the mission was officially accepted.

After figuring out the process, Hong Yu also began selecting a mission suitable for himself.

However, after searching for a long time, he didn't see any missions that would allow him to leave the mansion.

For instance, the first mission was tending to spirit fields. Hong Yu was all too familiar with this; it was the mission he had done most as an Outer Sect Disciple. Furthermore, the reward for the mission in the Inner Sect was a full six Spirit Stones, three times that of the Outer Sect.

The second mission was for an Alchemist apprentice, assisting the Alchemist while also learning some Alchemy knowledge. The reward was ten Spirit Stones a month.

The third mission was collecting Puppet Materials, such as Yin Corpse Wood, Sun-Facing Grass, hundred-year Yao Beast hearts, and so on. These types of Materials were purchased at a premium with no limit on quantity, and the rewards were quite substantial.

As for most of the others, they involved running errands and handling various chores, with rewards ranging from a few to a dozen or so Spirit Stones.

The more Hong Yu looked, the more determined he became to leave the mansion. At this rate of earning Spirit Stones, it was unlikely he could save up ninety thousand Spirit Stones even in a hundred years, let alone the fact that the sect rules required the fine to be paid in full within a month.

After searching patiently for a while longer, Hong Yu still couldn't find a suitable mission. He simply walked toward the front desk and approached a vacant spot.

The receptionist at the front desk was quite sweet and cute, with a constant smile that made one feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze. Hong Yu glanced at the number tag hanging on her chest—Number Six. He took a closer look, and after confirming that this Number Six was very big and white, he asked with a smile.

"How should I address you, Young Miss?"

Number Six smiled and said, "You can just call me Number Six. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Young Miss Number Six, do you know if there are any missions suitable for me that have high rewards and require leaving the mansion to complete?"

Number Six said, "Could you please show me your identity token? I'll check for you."

Hong Yu hurriedly handed over his identity token. After receiving it, Number Six placed the identity token onto a jade plate in front of her, then handed it back to Hong Yu, while saying, "You only entered the mansion yesterday. Why are you already thinking of taking a mission today, and one that requires leaving the mansion at that?"

"Because I am indeed short on funds and cannot afford the daily expenses needed for Cultivation. That's why I thought of earning some Spirit Stones first. I heard that missions involving leaving the mansion pay more, so I came to ask."

"Then why leave the mansion?" Number Six asked with some curiosity. "You should know that Xuan Yun Residence occupies the best Spiritual Vein within tens of thousands of miles and has set up Restrictions. Non-mansion personnel are strictly forbidden from entering. If you want to go out, just renting a flying boat costs twenty Spirit Stones, and the journey takes as long as ten days. You'd be better off taking other missions first while staying Inside the Mansion to Cultivate."

Hearing this, Hong Yu's face turned bitter. He hadn't expected it to cost money just to leave the mansion, and the journey was so far. However, he still insisted, asking tentatively, "Young Miss, please just help me look."

"Alright then!"

Seeing Hong Yu so persistent, Number Six flipped through the mission records and said casually, "There's a large-scale mission: investigating the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of Outer Sect Disciples at Qingqiu Mountain. The reward is one thousand Spirit Stones, and the cultivation limit just happens to be Cultivators at the Fifth Level of Qi Refining or above. Do you want to take it?"

Hong Yu was just about to agree. After all, his goal wasn't to do the mission; he only wanted to find a reason to flee from Inside the Mansion.

Moreover, this mission sounded very dangerous. He could even use it to escape the investigation of Xuan Yun Residence.

However, before he could speak, he heard a sharp, mean, and familiar female voice from the side.

"Oh, isn't this the penniless brat who crashed into my flying boat yesterday? What kind of mission are you here to take?"

Hong Yu followed the voice and saw Mu Xue looking at him with a sneer, with the same three men he had seen yesterday still standing beside her.

They were holding a yellow paper, showing they were there to accept a certain mission.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but frown, the hatred in his heart instantly surfacing. He asked coldly, "What I'm doing is none of your business."

Hearing Hong Yu's unfriendly tone, the willful Mu Xue's eyebrows shot up. Just as she was about to start cursing, the Senior Brother surnamed Sun who had held her back yesterday stopped her again, saying with a smile.

"Junior Brother Hong Yu, right? My name is Sun Yang. I'll apologize to you on Mu Xue's behalf. Yesterday was our fault first, so I'm offering my apologies here. We are all ordinary Disciples, and as they say, it's better to resolve a grievance than to keep it. There's no need for us to get Life Qi over such a small matter, don't you think?"

Sun Yang's words were polite, which made Hong Yu look at him with a bit more respect. He wasn't one to hold a grudge over trifles, and yesterday's incident was solely Mu Xue's fault, having nothing to do with the others.

As the saying goes, one doesn't strike a smiling face. Sun Yang's humble attitude made Hong Yu a bit conflicted. He had always been one to judge the situation rather than the person. Although he disliked Mu Xue from the bottom of his heart, his attitude softened when facing Sun Yang, and he said, "This has nothing to do with you, Senior Brother Sun. Since you've put it that way, then let's call it even. I'm busy taking a mission to earn Spirit Stones, so I won't keep you any longer."

Sun Yang continued with a beaming smile, "What mission is Junior Brother taking? Why not do a mission with us? Our mission this time has a very generous reward. Even if split equally, you'll receive quite a bit. It can also be considered our apology for offending you yesterday. We'll be seeing each other around, so we can support each other on the path of Immortal Cultivation in the future."

Mu Xue already had quite a good impression of Sun Yang, so she had been restraining herself while he spoke. But hearing this, she could no longer hold back and said quite indignantly, "Senior Brother Sun, why add another person to split the Spirit Stones? I don't want him sitting on my spirit boat!"

The other two men also had expressions that said it should be so.

Sun Yang then smiled and said to Hong Yu once more, "Junior Brother, please wait a moment while I have a few words with them."

He then pulled Mu Xue and the others a few steps away and whispered in Mu Xue's ear in a very low voice.

"Junior Sister, I've investigated this Hong Yu. He was brought into the mansion by Pang Hu. I know he offended you, but it's not easy to deal with him Inside the Mansion. Why not take this opportunity of performing a mission to trick him into coming out and use someone else's blade to kill him? First, it's to help you get revenge, and second, this mission is not simple. Having an extra scapegoat would be killing two birds with one stone."

Hearing this, Mu Xue's eyes lit up, and her gaze toward Sun Yang was almost melting as she said tenderly, "I knew you had me in your heart, Senior Brother. You're the best!"