Chapter 514: Inheriting from Daoist Buyu, Naturally Belongs to Mortal World Cultivation

"A mission?" Lu Yang was thoroughly bewildered. Why on earth would she want to drag him into a mission?

"Mhm. You are a man of vast experience, Brother Lu, always wandering the outside world. Completing a sect mission would surely be second nature to you."

"You remember our very first mission together, Senior Brother? The time we went to capture the painted-skin demon. If you hadn't been there to give the demon athlete's foot, it likely would have slipped away."

"Since then, I've gone out on a few missions myself. Though I completed them, the paths were treacherous and heavily reliant on sheer luck."

"So, I was wondering if I could trouble you to accompany me this time, Brother?"

Lu Yang was genuinely surprised. "The sect only requires each disciple to complete two missions a year. Surely you've already met that quota, Junior Sister? Besides, the Phantom Illusion is selling splendidly; you possess more wealth than even those at the Nascent Soul stage. You have little need for contribution points, so why venture out for a mission for no apparent reason?"

Tao Yaoye struck a brief martial pose, shifting dynamically. "To slay demons and vanquish evil, of course! As disciples of a righteous sect, is it not our bounden duty to smooth out the injustices of the world?"

"True enough."

"Then will you come with me, Senior Brother?" Tao Yaoye clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly as she looked up at Lu Yang with expectant eyes.

Lu Yang fell into silent contemplation. For the past three months, he had been entirely devoted to breaking through to the late Golden Core stage. During this time, Meng Jingzhou had invited him out multiple times, and he had refused every single one. If he agreed to Junior Sister Tao now, wouldn't he be guilty of valuing romance over friendship?

"I'll go."

He had learned his craft under Master Buyu, a cultivator of the mortal realm, and so he was one as well.

For a cultivator of the mortal dust, perpetual seclusion was unwise; it was only natural to go abroad on missions to broaden one's horizons.

"Wonderful!" Tao Yaoye's face lit up with a radiant smile.

"Hold on a moment, let me ask Old Meng if he wants to come along."

Anticipating this, Tao Yaoye smiled and said, "I have already asked Brother Meng. He is currently in deep seclusion and cannot pull himself away."

"Is that so? Then let us depart." Lu Yang felt a twinge of regret; he had been looking forward to riding in a carriage.

Fortunately, the marriage-proposal processions had all been tricked into fleeing by Master Buyu's underhanded schemes. Otherwise, the moment Lu Yang stepped out the door, he would surely be swarmed by a horde of Body Integration masters eager to introduce their disciples, daughters, and granddaughters.

Aboard the flying vessel, Lu Yang finally asked about the nature of their quest.

"The request comes from Squire Song's estate in Yuanhe County, Qingshui Prefecture, Yunzhou. They possess a bizarre painting. Every night at the hour of the rat, strange noises emanate from it. A few passing cultivators visited Squire Song's home, but all were entirely helpless against the painting. The last cultivator stated that ordinary cultivators could not handle it and advised Squire Song to seek help from the immortal sects."

"I see."

The flying vessel docked in Qingshui Prefecture. The two disembarked, rented two horses, and hastened toward Yuanhe County.

Upon arriving in Yuanhe County, they gave the horses a light slap on the rump, and the beasts faithfully trotted back to their owner on their own.

"Shall we head straight to Squire Song's estate?"

Lu Yang shook his head. "No rush. Let's first ask around about this Squire Song—his background, his character, and the state of the Song household."

"Alright."

By now, Tao Yaoye was vastly different from when she had first entered the sect. Back then, though exceptionally beautiful, she had still possessed a hint of girlish innocence. Now, at eighteen years of age, she stood tall and elegant, playful and charming, drawing the gaze of countless passersby along the way.

Yet, as both carried an extraordinary aura that clearly signaled they were not to be trifled with, no one dared to molest her.

"Shopkeeper, two bowls of wontons, and put extra vinegar in mine," Lu Yang requested, selecting a particular wonton stall.

"Coming right up!"

When the two bowls of wontons arrived, Tao Yaoye took a bite and whispered her critique, "Senior Brother, the flavor of this wonton stall is rather mediocre."

"Mediocre is exactly right. It's almost mealtime, yet there are barely any customers eating here, which shows just how mediocre the taste is."

"Then why are we eating here?"

"Precisely because business is slow, the owner will be willing to chat with us... Shopkeeper, how long has this stall of yours been open?"

"Nearly thirty years now. Not to boast, but who in all of Yuanhe County doesn't know my wonton stall?"

"Judging by your appearance, you two are from out of town?"

"We are physicians from neighboring Panlong Prefecture. Someone in the Song family is ill, so my junior sister and I were invited to take a look. Being strangers in a strange land, we haven't found Squire Song's estate just yet."

"Ah, looking for Squire Song, are you? It's not far from here. Go straight down this road, pass the intersection, turn left at the next street, and you're there."

Lu Yang naturally knew it wasn't far from the Song estate; he had deliberately chosen a wonton stall nearby.

Lu Yang lowered his head, taking small bites of his wontons and sipping a spoonful of the broth. It was exceptionally sour.

Seeing that Lu Yang had fallen silent, it was the stall owner who grew eager to speak instead.

"Physician, who exactly is ill in the Song family? Is it Squire Song himself?"

To summon physicians from a neighboring prefecture indicated how severe the illness must be—the perfect material for post-dinner gossip.

"That, I cannot say." Lu Yang smiled and shook his head, then as if suddenly recalling something, asked casually, "Old vendor, are you familiar with the Song family?"

"The Song family is a clan that only rose to prominence within the last twenty years, entirely dependent on Squire Song. Squire Song is quite a character himself. In his youth, he passed the elementary civil exam to become a scholar, but achieved no further honors and lived a mediocre life. By middle age, he had lost both his wife and his son, spending his days in perpetual sorrow."

"Then one day, out of nowhere and for reasons unknown, he suddenly had an epiphany and went into business. No one knows how he managed it, but his silver multiplied day by day, and his spirits revived. Later, he remarried and fathered three sons and a daughter."

"Squire Song can be considered a charitable man; he has built two academies and donated a good number of books."

Tao Yaoye nodded as she listened. From this account, Squire Song seemed to be a good man. The only suspicious point was how he had suddenly gained the acumen to conduct business.

However, that seemed unrelated to their current mission.

"Oh? Is that you, Senior Brother Lu Yang?"

A voice carrying a hint of pleasant surprise rang out, melodious, sweet, and enchanting to the ear.

Lu Yang turned his head to see the newcomer and was equally surprised. "Junior Sister Lan Ting?"

From afar, Lan Ting had spotted a familiar silhouette at the wonton stall, and only upon drawing closer did she confirm it was indeed Lu Yang.

Seeing Lan Ting approach, Tao Yaoye stepped forward first, placing herself between the two, and greeted Lan Ting with forced warmth, "What brings you here, Sister Lan?"

Lan Ting offered a captivating smile, her beauty dazzling to behold. "So it is Sister Tao. This sister only had eyes for Brother Lu Yang just now, please forgive me."

"As cultivators, we must have ears that hear in six directions and eyes that see in all eight. Your cultivation still lacks refinement, Sister Lan."

"Sister Tao's words are misguided. A cultivator's sharp perception is meant for avoiding danger. Could this sister possibly encounter danger in a place like this?"

Lan Ting continued with a radiant smile, "Furthermore, with Brother Lu Yang present, what danger could there possibly be? You underestimate Senior Brother Lu, Sister Tao."

Hearing the dialogue between the two women, Lu Yang felt he ought to contribute something.

"Shopkeeper, another bowl of wontons."