Chapter 8: Chapter 8: New Assignment

Early the next morning, Lu Zhao left the Zhou Family’s station in the Marketplace. He had just gone to report his Cultivation breakthrough and get a new Guest Minister Token.

The Token at his waist no longer read "Lowest-Rank," but "Middle-Rank."

According to the Zhou Family’s rules, Early-stage Qi Cultivation cultivators were Lowest-Rank Guest Ministers, Middle Stage were Middle-Rank Guest Ministers, and Late Stage were Upper-Rank Guest Ministers.

Early-stage Qi Cultivation cultivators received one Spirit Stone per month, Middle Stage received two, and Late Stage received four. Each month, they also received one Pill corresponding to their Cultivation level.

Getting more Spirit Stones and Pills was a good thing, of course, but Lu Zhao couldn’t help but press a hand to his forehead when he recalled what Steward Zhou Ming had just said to him.

Zhou Ming had subtly asked him if he wanted to become a member of the Zhou Family. Lu Zhao wasn’t an idiot; he knew it was a veiled suggestion for him to marry into the family.

There was no way Lu Zhao would agree, but he couldn’t be too blunt about it, either. He had to save face for Zhou Ming. Although the man had been strict with him at first, he had been quite good to him in recent years and helped him out a lot.

He could only say, "This is a major life decision. I must be allowed to consider it carefully."

’If it comes to it, I’ll just have to offend Zhou Ming.’

Lu Zhao thought to himself, though that wasn’t what he wanted either.

Following the Marketplace’s bluestone path, Lu Zhao arrived at the Nine Abyss Pavilion. As he pushed open the door, a bronze bell on the eaves chimed softly, the sound as crisp and pleasant as shattering Ice Crystals. Changfeng County had entered its cold season, and a light frost mist hung in the air.

The Shopkeeper was leaning against the sandalwood counter, holding a Warm Jade Hand Warmer. When he saw who it was, a smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. "Mr. Lu, here to buy Wind Pattern Stone again. That stuff isn’t common. After all, my Changfeng County mainly produces Ice and Water Spiritual Materials. The last batch of Wind Pattern Stone came all the way from Celestial County."

"No need for all that, Shopkeeper. Since you didn’t refuse me outright, you must have gotten some Wind Pattern Stone."

"I got some scraps. All together, it’s less than half a pound."

Lu Zhao’s fingertips brushed over the stones. He lifted the velvet cloth and sighed, "This month’s batch of scraps... it’s barely enough to carve a few small arrays. I’ll give you two Spirit Stones for it."

This was the third time Lu Zhao had come to buy Wind Pattern Stone. A month ago, after acquiring some Spirit Stones, he learned from someone else that Wind Element Spiritual Materials were scarce in Changfeng County.

He had planned to buy the large piece of Wind Pattern Stone, but when he returned to the Nine Abyss Pavilion, he discovered it had already been sold.

However, the Shopkeeper had promised to keep an eye out for him when the next merchant caravan arrived.

Just then, the sound of hooves striking ice came from outside. Three Cloud Patterned Horses with riders galloped past, each with a Spirit Talisman affixed to all four of its hooves.

The Shopkeeper’s pupils contracted sharply when he saw the Cloud Patterned Horses, as if he had remembered something.

Seeing this, Lu Zhao said impassively, "This business isn’t over yet."

The Shopkeeper sighed. "It’s never that easy."

The Shopkeeper waved his hand, seemingly having lost interest in further conversation.

After three transactions, Lu Zhao and the Shopkeeper had gotten to know each other. Through their conversations, Lu Zhao learned that the Shopkeeper was also from the Zhou Family and had only been assigned here to live out his retirement because of his advanced age.

Lu Zhao nodded in understanding. As he was about to leave, the old Shopkeeper added, "If your new Puppet is a success, remember to let this old man have a look. I’m very interested."

The cold mist drifted over the Marketplace’s bluestone road as Lu Zhao walked slowly toward the West Market.

As he passed a Spirit Plant stall, an old woman selling Frost Grass was arguing with someone. "The price of Water Moon Flower went up thirty percent this year, but Frost Grass only went up ten percent! Even the Zhou Family’s medicinal fields have a reduced harvest this year!"

「Early at 7:00 AM, three days later」Lu Zhao was setting up his stall as usual. Before long, his three Puppet Guards had all found new owners.

One of the buyers left an extra bat’s Poisonous Fang when taking out his Spirit Stones. "Mr. Lu, this Puppet is even more exquisitely crafted. Yesterday, it was all thanks to its warning that I was able to avoid the Poisonous Bats while exploring Black Wind Cave." Lu Zhao accepted it with a smile, knowing his new Puppet Guards were gradually gaining recognition.

「At Noon」In the mine, Ice Blades hung from the ceiling like swords. Lu Zhao’s Spiritual Pickaxe tapped lightly against the rock wall, and a piece of blue-black Cold Iron Ore fell with a clatter.

「At 5:00 PM」Lu Zhao was cultivating by the Cold Pool. In the distance, a few Guest Ministers watched the cyan figure by the water and whispered among themselves, "Mr. Lu’s progress is a cut above even some of the Zhou Family’s Direct Lineage."

When Zhou Ming arrived again, his eyes flashed with admiration as he looked at Lu Zhao. "Breaking through two minor realms in three years... that would be considered excellent even among the Direct Lineage disciples."

Seeing Zhou Ming, Lu Zhao stopped his cultivation, rose to his feet, and gestured with a raised hand. "It’s all thanks to the Zhou Family’s Pills and the nourishment from this Cold Pool’s Spirit Vein."

"Let’s not beat around the bush." Zhou Ming flicked open a Scroll, and a spectral image of a mountain stream appeared. "The Commander position at Cyan Rattan Stream is vacant. The Spiritual Spring there is five percent richer than the one at this Cold Pool."

Seeing Lu Zhao remain silent, he flipped his hand over to reveal a Jade Token. "Serve as Commander for three years, and you can return to the family."

Lu Zhao took the Jade Token, rubbing the patterns on its surface. "Didn’t Mr. Chen Jianghe just return from his post last month?"

After breaking through to the Middle Stage, Lu Zhao knew he couldn’t possibly be sent to mine ore anymore, so he had looked into a few things. The Commander post at Cyan Rattan Stream was one of the possibilities he had considered.

"He was careless and got invaded by cold poison. He’s currently recuperating in the medicine hall."

Zhou Ming’s smile faltered slightly before he spoke again in a warm tone. "You’re different from those with no hope for the Dao. You’ve reached the Middle Stage at such a young age. A superior Spiritual Land like this is perfect for rapidly increasing your Cultivation. For more details, you can ask the Steward at the Guest Minister Pavilion."

Zhou Ming left the side of the Cold Pool, leaving behind a meaningful parting remark: "You can also come find me if you’ve thought things through."

Early the next morning, green smoke wafted from a bronze, crane-shaped censer in a side hall of the Guest Minister Pavilion. Lu Zhao sat at a table, slowly unfurling the file in his hands.

Cyan Rattan Stream required a garrison of five people, with three rotating out every seven years. On the roster, one person was marked "Severely Injured," one was checked off in red ink as "Lightly Injured," and one was "Normal."

Seeing that he had finished reading the file, the Steward on duty took out a piece of Snake Shedding. "A swarm of Ink-Scale Snakes lies dormant in the deep stream. Their Cultivation is not high; the strongest among them are no more than Tier One Middle-Grade. However, they are cunning by nature, highly venomous, and adept at sneak attacks. The person who was severely injured was ambushed by one. Your duty there will be to repel these snakes and protect the Spirit Grass growing there from being destroyed by the Demon Beasts."

"Why doesn’t the Zhou Family just exterminate these snakes completely? Then they wouldn’t need five people to stand guard."

"There are too many of those beasts, and the Snake King is extremely cunning. The moment it sees a Late-stage Qi Cultivator, it flees into a Dark River. It’s incredibly fast in the water, and the area beneath Cyan Rattan Stream is full of Dark Rivers with complex currents. Late-stage Qi Cultivators are unwilling to go into the water after it. It’s usually Mid-Stage Cultivators like you who occasionally manage to slay an Ink-Scale Snake King."

After understanding the situation, Lu Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. The mission had some risks, but it was manageable.

"Where exactly is Cyan Rattan Stream? And can I return to the Zhou Family Marketplace during my service there?"

This was what Lu Zhao was most concerned about after learning the dangers of the mission.

"Cyan Rattan Stream is thirty li southwest of the Zhou Family Marketplace. Only three people need to be on-site each day. You can decide on the specific schedule among yourselves. But I must warn you not to be negligent in your duties. If the Spirit Grass is damaged by Demon Beasts, the guarding Cultivators will have to compensate for the loss themselves."

The Steward answered Lu Zhao’s questions, but worried that Lu Zhao might not take the mission seriously, he added one more thing.

Lu Zhao secretly breathed another sigh of relief. He had been worried that the distance would be too great, preventing him from returning to the Zhou Family Marketplace and affecting his Puppet sales.

’If it were really too far, I would probably have to pull some strings to get a different assignment. As for going to Zhou Ming... I wouldn’t do it even if it meant losing my connection to the Zhou Family.’

’Also, I need to find a merchant to partner with. It seems I can’t rely solely on my own stall anymore.’

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