169: Chapter 169 Accepting the Mission

You know very well that the "Spirit Beast Feeding" task is indeed dangerous for ordinary Qi Refining Stage Cultivators; Yao Beasts are fierce and hard to tame, and a moment of carelessness can lead to injury or even severe injury, but you are different, for you are a woman who possesses the purple trait "Peerless Elegance".

This trait not only grants you breathtaking beauty, but also carries a special kind of affinity; you had already figured out its effect when you were in the Ten Thousand Mountains. Those Yao Beasts that have not yet opened their spiritual wisdom, as long as they are not exotic species with an extremely bloodthirsty and violent nature, will often develop an instinctive sense of closeness to you and generally will not harm you.

The Yao Beasts kept by the Zhao family in the Spirit Beast Garden are mostly domesticated breeds used for transportation, pulling carts, or producing fixed Materials, so even if they have a bad temper, they absolutely cannot reach the level of ferocity of those wild Yao Beasts in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

"Rest assured, I am confident," you smile slightly at the two women. "If it really doesn't work out, I'm just going to give it a try; if I truly cannot handle it, it won't be too late for me to come back and join you in farming."

Jiang Xuechan is stunned for a moment looking at your confident smile. Having spent some time together, the two women know that you are a person with very strong opinions and never do things without certainty, so they do not try to persuade you further.

You turn around and walk towards the counter for accepting tasks.

Just at this moment, the Guest Elders around who are selecting tasks also hear the conversation between the three of you. Your stunning beauty is already the focus of the crowd, and seeing you now actually intending to take on such dirty and tiring work, many people immediately start whispering.

"Did I hear that right? She actually wants to take the task of taking care of Spirit Beasts?" A female Guest Elder wearing a pale yellow dress sneers. "Going to shovel excrement and feed those beasts is not only dirty and smelly, but also extremely dangerous. With her thin arms and legs, she'd better not get smashed to pieces by a single slap from a Yao Beast."

"Exactly, she's probably crazy about wanting to show off." Another female Cultivator with high cheekbones chimes in, her tone filled with thick jealousy. "She probably won't last a few days before she comes running back crying. Yao Beasts don't understand how to cherish beauties; if her face gets scratched up then, it will be miserable. After all, her face is probably the only valuable thing she has left on her entire body."

A low burst of laughter erupts around you.

Your eyes are calm, and you do not even pause your footsteps. You know very well why these female Cultivators have such great hostility towards you.

Since you entered the Guest Elder area, because of your excessively stunning beauty, many excellent young male Cultivators of the Zhao family have focused their attention on you. This has directly led to a significant reduction in the quality candidates available for some veteran female Guest Elders, or those new female Cultivators who want to change their fate through marriage.

In their eyes, you are just a vase with nothing but beauty and inferior Spiritual Roots, yet this vase has stolen all their thunder, naturally inciting jealousy and hatred.

You do not care, but Jiang Xuechan has a fiery temper. She turns her head abruptly, glares at those female Cultivators, and says loudly, "What business is it of yours what tasks others choose? Why are you so unable to bear seeing others do well? If you have the ability, you go take a Green-tier task; what kind of ability is it to be sarcastic here!"

The female Cultivator in the yellow dress, refuted in public, sinks her face and retorts, "Oh, I didn't name names, why are you so anxious? Besides, a person with inferior Fire Spiritual Roots who doesn't even exchange for the most basic Cultivation Technique, but instead exchanges everything for talisman paper, really thinks she can become a Talisman Master? Why would I bother being jealous of her?"

"Exactly!" The high-cheekboned female Cultivator covers her mouth and chuckles, her eyes full of contempt. "Inferior Spiritual Roots should have the self-awareness of inferior Spiritual Roots. Buying scrap Materials to draw talismans every day, dreaming the pipe dream of becoming a Talisman Master, it's truly laughable. When her initial contribution points are all gone and she can't even afford a spirit gathering pill, let's see how haughty she can still be."

"You—!" Jiang Xuechan is so angry her little face turns red, and she rolls up her sleeves, wanting to step forward to argue.

"Xuechan." You reach out to press on her shoulder, pulling her back gently.

You turn around, your gaze sweeping calmly over those female Cultivators who are looking triumphant.

You know what they are thinking; they are deliberately trying to provoke you, wanting you to start a fight in this task hall. The Zhao family's rules are strict; once Guest Elders fight privately, the punishment is at least the deduction of all contributions, or at worst, direct expulsion from the Zhao family. If you really were to fight, it would be exactly what they want.

"If you ladies feel idle, why not take on more sweeping tasks? That could also be considered making a contribution to the Zhao family." Your tone is cold. "Relying on your tongues will not earn you spirit gathering pills. As for whether I can become a Talisman Master, there is no need for you to worry; after all, how can a swallow know the ambition of a swan?"

You pause, your gaze lingering on them for a moment. "Besides, instead of worrying here about whether my talisman paper is burnt up, you ladies should think more about how to make the Zhao family's Young Masters take another look at you, after all…"

You do not finish your sentence, just smile, and turn to leave.

Your words do not contain a single dirty word, but every word stabs at the heart, and the expressions of those female Cultivators instantly become extremely ugly.

"Who are you calling a swallow?!" The female Cultivator in the yellow dress glares angrily, her spiritual power fluctuating faintly.

You do not pay any more attention to them, turning your head to say to Jiang Xuechan, "Xuechan, no need to pay them any mind, let's go."

After speaking, you ignore the exasperated curses coming from behind you and walk straight to the task counter.

In the Cultivation World, strength is ultimately respected. Once your strength improves and your Talisman Dao reaches Major Achievement, these people will naturally shut up obediently, or, when that time comes, you can personally make them shut up forever.

The Zhao family disciple responsible for registering tasks sees you walking over and immediately straightens his posture. You have recently become extremely popular in the Zhao family; almost all young disciples know that a "Fairy Lin" as beautiful as a heavenly being has arrived among the Guest Elders.

"Fairy Lin, are you looking to accept a task?" The disciple's attitude is quite polite.

"Yes, I am accepting that green-tier 'Spirit Beast Feeding' task." You point to the light screen on the wall.

The disciple is stunned for a moment, his face showing difficulty. "Fairy Lin, this task… is relatively dirty and also quite tiring. The most critical thing is that those beasts have bad tempers and occasionally hurt people. Are you… sure you want to accept this task?"

You nod, your tone firm. "I am sure."

Seeing you insist, he cannot persuade you further; after all, this is a Guest Elder's personal choice. He quickly records it in the register and hands you a jade tablet engraved with a beast's head. "The task is registered. You can report to the Spirit Beast Garden in the East District tomorrow at the Hour of the Dragon."

You take the jade tablet and say thank you. Subsequently, Jiang Xuechan and Liu Ya also successfully accept the task of tending to the spirit fields.

The next morning, the three of you head to your respective task locations.

The Zhao family's Spirit Beast Garden is located on the east side of Qingyang Lake, occupying a vast area, with strict Formations laid out all around it. As soon as you walk to the entrance of the garden, you smell a unique odor mixed with the stench of musk and medicinal herbs.