Chapter 122: Chapter 121: Blood Spirit Worm

The main hall of the Recruitment Bureau was as solemn as ever. Lu Zhao stepped inside with a steady gait, his gaze sweeping over the somewhat empty hall before he headed straight for the side chamber where Wang Ping was.

When Wang Ping saw it was Lu Zhao, a smile spread across his face, though it carried a complex, hard-to-place undertone. "Junior Brother Lu, you’re here? Sit." He pointed to the meditation cushion opposite his desk.

Lu Zhao sat down as instructed and got straight to the point. "Senior Brother, I was wondering what this mandatory mission entails." His tone was calm, but his eyes were inquisitive.

Wang Ping set down the Jade Scroll in his hand, rubbed his fingers together, and mulled it over for a moment. "This mission... Tsk. How should I put this? I honestly can’t say if it’s a good thing or a bad one." He looked up at Lu Zhao, his gaze appraising.

"Oh? What makes you say that, Senior Brother?" Lu Zhao’s eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly as the string of caution inside him pulled a little tighter.

’For an old fox like him, seasoned by years in the General Affairs Hall, to say something so ambiguous... this mission definitely won’t be simple.’

"It’s a guard duty assignment in Lingze County, to the south," Wang Ping said slowly. "The place is pretty far from our Bixia County. A round trip takes quite some time, and the road isn’t entirely peaceful."

"The outpost is extremely remote, too. They call it guard duty, but you’re really just holed up in a godforsaken stronghold, killing whatever Demon Beasts happen to wander by."

"As for the Spiritual Qi there..." He shook his head. "It’s a far cry from the Sect’s cave abodes. It’s barely enough to maintain your cultivation—worse than even the Bixia Marketplace."

Lu Zhao listened quietly, his knuckle tapping unconsciously against his knee with a soft sound. This information was more or less within his expectations.

He was more concerned with the core issue. "If the posting is for an extended period, how are the year’s mandatory missions calculated? A disciple can’t be expected to miss their other mission quotas just because they’re stationed somewhere far away, right?"

"You can rest assured on that point, Junior Brother." Wang Ping waved his hand dismissively. "The Sect’s rules are flexible, not carved in stone! For this posting in Lingze County, as long as you can steadily endure it for two full months, it will count as one completed mandatory mission!"

"Furthermore, if you have the patience to stay for a full four months..." He paused for effect, slowing his speech. "Then, Junior Brother, all of your mandatory missions for this year will be considered complete!"

A flicker of interest sparked in Lu Zhao’s mind.

’Four months to take care of both of the year’s mandatory missions?’

The terms did sound quite tempting. He pressed on, "What are the specific dangers there? And how is the Merit calculated?"

"Dangers..." Wang Ping stroked his chin. "Lingze County is deep in the heartland of the Chen Country, and with the renowned might of our Bixia Sect to keep things in check, no truly organized group of Tribulation Cultivators would dare launch a large-scale, overt attack anywhere near the outpost."

"The main trouble is that the terrain is low-lying and the water systems are excessively developed. There are river forks, pools, and swamps everywhere, and Poisonous Miasma often develops. Consequently, it’s teeming with Water Attribute Demon Beasts—plenty of things like Iron-Scaled Crocodiles, Mire Lizard Beasts, and Mysterious Sound Toads."

"But rest assured, Junior Brother. The outpost is overseen by a Martial Uncle at the Foundation Establishment Stage, and the stronghold itself is protected by a Tier Two Middle-Grade Defensive Array. As long as you don’t foolishly leave the perimeter and wander into dangerous territory, your safety is guaranteed."

He paused, then began to detail the Merit rewards. "Stay for two months, you get ten Merit. Four months, twenty-five Merit. Six months, forty Merit." As he said this, an imperceptible glint flashed in his eyes. "And if you can grit your teeth and stay for a full year... you’ll earn twenty Merit for every two months!"

"Over the course of a year, that’s a grand total of one hundred and twenty Merit! What’s more, serving for a full year is equivalent to completing six mandatory missions!"

"For the following two years, Junior Brother, you won’t have to carry out any mandatory missions at all!"

One hundred and twenty Merit in a year! And no mandatory missions for two years!

The terms were so generous that even Lu Zhao was a little shocked.

Merit was notoriously hard to earn in the Bixia Sect, and mandatory missions were mentally exhausting. This post in Lingze County seemed too good to be true.

His suspicion only grew, and his brow furrowed slightly. "Senior Brother, if it’s truly as you say—the danger is minimal, the Merit is so generous, and it even waives future missions—then this ’cushy job’ should have everyone fighting over it. Why, then, did you initially say you ’couldn’t say if it’s a good thing or a bad one’? Forgive my bluntness, but... is there some hidden catch you’re not mentioning?"

The smile on Wang Ping’s face froze for a second before turning into a wry grin, as if Lu Zhao had hit a nerve. He sighed and lowered his voice. "Ah, I knew I couldn’t fool you, Junior Brother."

"The biggest problem with this mission isn’t the Demon Beasts you can see and kill, nor is it the obvious drawbacks like the long journey and thin Spiritual Qi. It’s... the Blood Spirit Worms!"

"Blood Spirit Worms?" The name was unfamiliar to Lu Zhao.

"That’s right, Blood Spirit Worms!" A look of exasperation crossed Wang Ping’s face. "The insects themselves are Non-Tiered. They’re so weak that even a mortal could crush a few of them."

"They can’t even penetrate a Cultivator’s Protective Spiritual Light. The problem lies in a peculiar ’Blood Poison’ they carry inside their bodies."

"If a Cultivator is bitten by one, or even just comes into contact with its fluids, they’ll be afflicted. The Blood Poison isn’t fatal, but it’s incredibly malicious. It makes your Qi and Blood churn, causes your Spiritual Power to stagnate, and leaves your whole body feeling sore and feeble, as if you’ve just recovered from a major illness. You’ll feel weak for three to five days at a minimum, and it can take as long as seven or eight days to get back on your feet!"

Lu Zhao’s brow furrowed. "The poison sounds nasty, but if there are only a few of them scattered around, one could just be careful to avoid them or deal with them promptly. Don’t tell me... their numbers are beyond reason?"

"Beyond reason doesn’t even cover it!" Wang Ping slapped his thigh, his voice rising a few notches. "According to the junior brothers who’ve returned from that post, the place is... absolutely swarming with them! They cover everything! Take one step, and you’ll have several stuck to the bottom of your shoe!"

"They’re dense, and they get in everywhere! And don’t think you’re safe just by hiding inside the stronghold’s Array."

"That Tier Two Array is meant to defend against powerful attacks during an invasion. Its Spirit Stone consumption is enormous. Who’s going to keep it running at full power around the clock just for these tiny, Non-Tiered bugs?"

"Normally, they only maintain a basic level of defense, just enough to protect the core buildings and the entrances to the cave abodes."

"The moment you leave your own cave abode, even if it’s just to take a few steps across the stronghold’s courtyard..."

He made a helpless gesture. "Those bugs are like flies drawn to a rotten smell; they’ll crawl out of some godforsaken nook or cranny!"

"You can’t keep your Protective Spiritual Light active every second of the day, can you, Junior Brother? The cumulative drain on your Magical Power is more than a Qi Cultivator can handle."

"But if you’re the least bit careless and get touched by one of those damn things..." Wang Ping shook his head. "Best-case scenario, your cultivation is set back a few days. Worst-case, the poison flares up while you’re on patrol or fighting a Demon Beast—now *that* would be a death sentence!"

"So, you see, all the junior brothers who take this posting swear they’re going to stay and rack up Merit. But usually, after toughing it out for two months—four at the absolute most—they can’t stand the misery anymore and sheepishly request a transfer back."

"Those who can grit their teeth and make it to six months are few and far between! As for staying a full year... in all my years here at the Recruitment Bureau, I can count the ones who’ve managed it on one hand!"

After hearing all this, Lu Zhao finally understood why this "cushy job" went unclaimed.

The threat of the Blood Spirit Worms wasn’t that they were lethal, but that they represented a ceaseless harassment and a constant drain on resources.

It was like being sliced by a dull knife, constantly wearing down a Cultivator’s energy, Spiritual Power, and even their will.

Being stationed in such an environment long-term would indeed be an ordeal.

"I see." Lu Zhao mused for a moment, his expression unreadable. He then asked, "Senior Brother, is the duration of the posting entirely up to the individual? Can a disciple stay for as long as they want? As long as the two-month minimum is met, the Sect won’t interfere?"

Wang Ping nodded. "Precisely. There’s a minimum, but no maximum. When you decide you want to leave, you just need to verify your length of service with the disciple in charge of handovers at the outpost, get it on record, and you can return to the Sect on your own to report the completion of your duty."

Lu Zhao put on a hesitant expression, as if he were reluctant to ask. "Senior Brother, one more thing. If I stay there for an extended period, what about the ten ordinary missions required each year? Don’t tell me I’ll still have Merit deducted for not doing them?" He recalled that there didn’t seem to be any clause in the sect rules exempting those.

Wang Ping was taken aback for a moment, then, as if he had just heard the funniest thing, he let out a snort of laughter. Pointing at Lu Zhao, he said, "Oh, my dear Junior Brother Lu!"

"You’ve been in the Sect for a while now. How can you still be so... earnest?"

He lowered his voice, a hint of worldly cunning in his tone. "Those ordinary missions? Who actually does them all by themselves anymore?"

"Just offer up a few Spirit Stones, and you’ll have plenty of new Outer Disciples, desperate for Spirit Stones, fighting to do them for you!"

"As long as the final record shows you ’completed’ ten of them, the Sect couldn’t care less who actually did the work! It’s an unspoken rule that everyone knows."

At this, Lu Zhao began to laugh as well. Wang Ping saw this and realized Lu Zhao had been putting on an act. Not at all angered, he chuckled and said to Lu Zhao, "If you don’t have the right connections to find reliable help, Junior Brother, just leave it to me!"

"I guarantee I’ll get it all taken care of for you. All you have to do is pay the market rate in Spirit Stones."

Lu Zhao showed a look of apology and cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute. "It was I who was being petty. I’ve troubled you, Senior Brother!"

"Don’t mention it, don’t mention it! We’re martial brothers; it’s only right that we help each other out." Wang Ping agreed with a broad smile, clearly well-versed in such arrangements.

After Wang Ping briefly went over the specific departure time and meeting point for the posting, Lu Zhao stood up and gave him a formal salute. "Thank you for clearing things up, Senior Brother. I’ll head back to prepare now."

Leaving the somewhat oppressive main hall of the Recruitment Bureau, Lu Zhao found the sunlight outside a bit jarring.

As Lu Zhao walked the path back to his cave abode, Wang Ping’s description of the Blood Spirit Worms echoed in his mind—’swarming,’ ’inescapable,’ ’a constant drain...’

He thought of a certain Magic from the Blood Shadow Corpse Refining Skill, and the corner of his mouth slowly curved into a faint smile. A sharp glint flashed in the depths of his eyes.

"Blood Spirit Worms, hmm..." he murmured to himself. Without breaking his stride, his figure soon vanished around a bend in the mountain path leading to his cave abode.

Lu Zhao returned to his cave abode. The stone door slowly swung shut behind him, sealing off the outside light and concealing the thoughtful expression on his face.

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