96: Chapter 96 Nine Frost Plains

"Yun Wuji, you go ahead first and scout around."

"You cast your gaze toward a corner of the flying boat, onto the red-robed man who was obediently shrinking back."

"This time, the four of you were ordered by the sect to execute a mandatory mission. Although the mission content could not be changed, the candidates executing the mission could still be manipulated to some extent."

"After all, money makes the mare go, and moreover, it wasn't your money being spent. Li Youcai and Yun Wuji had eagerly paid out of their own pockets to join the team."

"There was no help for it; the sense of security when executing a mission with you was still very high."

"Moreover, this mission was extremely special and should have been executed by inner sect disciples. Who knew what method Han Xuan had used to get the mission assigned down."

"As long as the mission was completed, you could bypass Zuiqing Lodge and head straight into Qixia Courtyard."

"The mission destination was named Jiushuang Plain, which abounded with a kind of spiritual flower named Jianqing Flower."

"Most of the cultivators of the Hehuan Sect practiced dual-cultivation type techniques. Although they borrowed affection to refine their Dao, their yang fire was prone to hyperactivity, and their yin qi was difficult to pacify, making them extremely susceptible to deviations in cultivation."

"Shuangsui Pill was a common medicinal pill used to neutralize the restless fire within the body and stabilize one's foundation of Dao, while Jianqing Flower was one of the main medicinal materials for refining the Shuangsui Pill."

"Your mission this trip was to inspect the growth status of the Jianqing Flowers within Jiushuang Plain and incidentally bring back a batch of medicinal materials."

"This belonged to a raid-type mission, so the more covert the better. It was best not to expose your identity at the very first moment upon arrival."

"Yes!"

"Yun Wuji hurriedly acknowledged, then flew up on his sword, without a single word of nonsense throughout the whole process."

"This brat had initially wanted to challenge you, but after enduring a few severe beatings, he was now more obedient than anyone else."

"Li Youcai, how are the materials I asked you to collect previously?"

"Guaranteed to satisfy you."

"Hearing this, Li Youcai, who was standing to the side holding a plate of spirit fruits, immediately stepped forward and handed over a jade slip."

"You probed your divine sense into it, nodding in satisfaction a moment later. Aside from cultivation, Li Youcai was exceptionally reassuring when handling other matters."

"Inside the jade slip was precisely the brief information regarding this trip's destination."

"Jiushuang Plain was nestled in the hinterland of the Shuangming Mountain Range, surrounded by mountains on all sides, and was originally just a small temporary gathering place for cultivators."

"Ever since the Hehuan Sect discovered that this place was rich in Jianqing Flowers, they had forcefully occupied it, built a city, and set up formations, now having formed a city of considerable scale."

"Currently, there were mainly three factions within the city. The strongest was naturally the Hehuan Sect's faction, and the second was a faction named Xuanding Pavilion."

"Xuanding Pavilion was one of the few first-rate sects in Xuanhuang Prefecture, with deep ties to the Tianfeng Dynasty, and its influence spread everywhere within the prefecture."

"For them to settle in Jiushuang Plain, even the Hehuan Sect had no choice but to silently give way."

"However, Xuanding Pavilion's faction did not act domineeringly. The cultivators stationed there were not very strong, and each time they would only purchase a small portion of Jianqing Flowers. Their demands were limited and would not affect the normal operation of the Hehuan Sect."

"As for the third party faction, it was a temporary faction formed by rogue cultivators, and they did not come here for the Jianqing Flowers either."

"The Shuangming Mountain Range was fraught with dangers, yet it contained thousands of rare treasures."

"With this safe buffer zone opened up by the Hehuan Sect, they frequently used it to penetrate deep into the mountain range's hinterland to search for resources."

"Your fingertips lightly twisted a strand of white hair hanging down from your forehead. This had appeared after breaking through your realm, but you did not care about such things."

"Feeling this reborn, powerful physical body, you faintly comprehended Feng Yuan's state of mind of 'Fighting! Awesome'. Cultivators of Jiushuang Plain, do not let this seat down..."

"..."

"Have you heard?"

"Beneath the city walls towering over a hundred zhang high, two disciples dressed in the outer sect attire of the Hehuan Sect were leaning against ice rocks, chatting in low voices."

"Directly above the tall city gates were written three large characters — — Jiushuang City."

"Heard what? Hurry up and keep talking!"

"Having heard no follow-up for half a day, the other disciple almost pulled out his magic artifact."

"Hehe~"

"The person who spoke grinned widely, then looked left and right, lowering his voice to say:"

"Fairy Consort Yue has come to Jiushuang City!"

"Which Fairy Consort Yue?"

"Naturally, it's the number one beauty of Xuanhuang Prefecture, the Young Sect Master of Tingxue Cliff."

"At this moment, a handsome youth holding a folding fan approached the two of them, smiling with evil charm."

"Hehehe~"

"The three of them looked at each other, revealing a synchronized smile that all men understood."

"Who are you? Go line up."

"After the laughter died down, the city-guarding disciple's expression suddenly turned cold. Raising a finger, he pointed straight at the dragon-like winding queue behind him, his face full of solemnity."

"The youth twitched the corners of his mouth, his smile freezing on his face. After a soft huff, he strode toward the back of the queue."

"Queue then!"

"In the center of the queue, you heard all of this into your ears, your eyes moving slightly."

"Tingxue Cliff?"

"Hearing these three words, your throat couldn't help but tighten, and your legs trembled slightly."

"Yesterday's grudge was like having needles on your back!"

"At this moment, that youth who should have walked to the back of the queue walked straight toward you."

"This young lady, have we met somewhere before?"

"The youth revealed a harmless-looking smile, but a pair of eyes were glued tightly onto your face."

"Today, you wore a goose-yellow palace dress, your face obscured by a pink silk scarf, but that ethereal and refined temperament still attracted quite a few gazes."

"Young master, how many women have you said these words to?"

"Hearing this, you chuckled softly, casually tossing the topic back."

"The pickup line was too cliché; in your past life, you stopped using it after elementary school."

"Uh..."

"The youth scratched his head, not knowing how to respond for a moment, still muttering in his mouth:"

"The trick taught by Second Brother is useless."

"And..."

"You suddenly stepped closer, the faint fragrance on the woman's body causing the youth's pretty face to blush slightly."

"Young lady, your disguise technique is truly unpresentable."

"After speaking, you leaned forward slightly, gently breathing a wisp of warm air into her ear, then chuckled delicately and drifted away gracefully."

"Leaving only that young girl standing frozen in place, her pretty face having long since turned as red as a monkey's buttocks."

"A long while later, the young girl who recovered her senses hurriedly searched among the crowd for that streak of goose-yellow figure, only to find that the other party had long since vanished into the sea of people."

"Detestable!"

"The young girl stamped her foot and suddenly shouted toward an empty spot."

"Aunt Qiu, go help me check her identity."

"Yes!"

"After a cold voice rang by her ear, the young girl's expression eased slightly, then she cursed in a low voice through gritted teeth:"

"When we get back, I must make Big Brother beat Second Brother up; he actually dared to trick me!"

"On the other side, after entering the city, you walked straight toward Jiushuang City's most luxurious tavern. You wanted to see what the so-called number one beauty of Xuanhuang Prefecture actually looked like."

"Just as you stepped across the tavern's threshold, you raised your eyes casually, but when you saw the face of the person walking towards you, you were struck as if by lightning, as if you had been nailed alive to the spot."

"No way..."

"..."