55: Chapter 55 First Meeting with Teammates

Yue Zhenshan turned back and swept a glance at the two of them, then knowingly led them toward a deserted government office on the side of Luoquan City. "First, collect your equipment from the Evil Suppression Bureau, then I will take you to meet your teammates."

The iron door of the storeroom creaked open, and a chill mixed with the scent of rust, cinnabar, and cold iron rushed at their faces, stinging their nasal passages.

On the shelves against the wall, black iron waist tokens, Evil Suppression Blades, and talisman pouches were arranged neatly, along with several sets of black martial arts uniforms embroidered with the characters "Evil Suppression," folded squarely.

Yue Zhenshan raised his hand to sweep two sets of equipment off the shelf and threw them across the air; the black iron objects whistled through the air and landed steadily in front of the two.

"These are the standard-issue waist tokens of the Evil Suppression Bureau, which allow you to pass through all city defense checkpoints. The Evil Suppression Blade is made of hundred-refined steel mixed with meteorite iron, capable of piercing the yin bodies of ordinary ghosts. The talisman pouch contains twelve Soul-Fixing Talismans, three Evil-Breaking Talismans, and two Substitute-Death Talismans; they are all top-quality goods from the Bureau."

Wu Xi reached out and caught them. As his fingertips touched the black iron waist token, a bone-chilling cold drilled straight from his fingertips to his elbows, sending a shiver even into the gaps of his bones.

He weighed the Evil Suppression Blade in his hand; the frosted scabbard made his palm feel rough, and the coarse cloth wrapped around the hilt was tight. The weight was perfectly balanced and fit his hand just right, so he casually tucked it at his waist.

Niu Fei, standing beside him, had long been unable to restrain himself and drew the Evil Suppression Blade the moment he caught the equipment.

Hum—!

A clear ring vibrated against everyone's eardrums, and the snow-bright blade light shattered the shadows in the storeroom.

He slashed at the air three times in a row, the wind howling as it was torn by the force of the blade, causing the talisman papers on the shelves to rattle and shake. He grinned and laughed, "Good stuff! This blade is powerful! Brother, do you want to see me perform a set?"

Yue Zhenshan looked at him, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes. Without wasting words, he turned and walked away. "Follow me to the Martial Arts Hall to meet your teammates."

The doors of the Martial Arts Hall were wide open, and a draft carrying the scent of cinnabar and a faint smell of blood rushed to meet them.

The bluestone floor was worn smooth and glossy from years of combat. Weapon racks on both sides were packed full of swords, spears, and halberds, their blades gleaming with a connected sheet of cold light. The wind swirled the scattered corners of talisman papers on the ground, making them rustle.

Four people stood in the hall.

At the very front was Qiu Chuanxing, his back as straight as a javelin. His right hand was tightly gripped onto the hilt of the Evil Suppression Blade at his waist. His face was angular, his brows and eyes as sharp as a blade, and there wasn't the slightest hint of a smile. The Evil Qi on him, as if he had crawled out of a mountain of corpses in the ghost realm, made one's skin tighten even from seven or eight steps away.

Three women stood beside him.

Ling Muxue had her arms crossed over her chest, her black martial arts uniform wrapping around her lithe figure, her eyebrows arched.

Jiang Jiye stood in the middle with a faint smile on her face, her fingertips twisting a few talisman papers. Seeing them enter, she nodded slightly. Her brows and eyes were gentle; she looked like someone who could handle the situation.

On the very edge, Jiang Yuehong was huddled in the corner, her head buried so low it was almost touching her chest, her fingers twisting her clothes tightly.

These four were the entire team for the Mountain Cleansing Operation.

Yue Zhenshan paused his steps and raised his hands to press onto the shoulders of Wu Xi and Niu Fei. "Let me introduce you. These two, Wu Xi and Niu Fei, were personally selected by the Third Young Master. Starting today, they will join the Mountain Cleansing Operation team and go on missions with you."

The moment his words fell, Qiu Chuanxing's brows knitted together tightly. His fingers pressed heavily onto the hilt of his blade, and a soft "click" sounded, which was particularly jarring in the deathly silent hall.

He didn't even look at Wu Xi or Niu Fei, his gaze fixed firmly on Yue Zhenshan's face. "Guard Yue, the Mountain Cleansing Operation is a life-or-death task. The four of us have spent a whole month honing our coordination, covering attacks, defenses, and backups."

He paused, "Right before departure, the Third Young Master suddenly inserts two people. I am not questioning the Third Young Master's decision, but I am afraid that two novices will disrupt the entire team's formation. Once we reach the Domain of Wrongful Death, one wrong step means the whole game is lost, and everyone will lose their lives! Please report to the Third Young Master that this matter should be reconsidered!"

Yue Zhenshan's face sank instantly. Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Jiye stepped forward half a step, gently pulling on Qiu Chuanxing's sleeve. She smiled apologetically at both sides and said in a soft voice to smooth things over, "Captain, Guard Yue, please calm down."

"The Third Young Master's judgment has always been accurate. Since he personally selected them, they must have extraordinary abilities. Having two more people means two more parts of strength; when we reach the Domain of Wrongful Death, it's also extra support. It's a good thing after all."

Just as she finished speaking, Ling Muxue sneered from the side. The laughter was cold and sharp, directly shattering Jiang Jiye's attempt to smooth things over.

She took a step forward, lowered her crossed arms, and pressed her right hand directly onto her hilt. Her eyes swept up and down over Wu Xi and Niu Fei as if looking at two pieces of useless scrap metal, the ruthlessness at the corners of her mouth deepening. "Extraordinary abilities? I think they just used the Third Young Master's connections to come here and freeload on the merits, right?"

"The Mountain Cleansing Operation is about entering the Domain of Wrongful Death to fight for our lives against fierce ghosts, not going into the city for sightseeing! If you have real skills, don't just talk; don't try to pressure us with the Third Young Master either." Ling Muxue's voice suddenly rose, her chin lifted, bringing the matter directly to the table. "Let's spar in the ring! If you win against Qiu Chuanxing, I, Ling Muxue, will acknowledge you as a teammate! If you lose, get out early and don't stay here to delay everyone's death!"

As soon as these words were out, Niu Fei exploded on the spot.

He stepped forward, blocking directly in front of Wu Xi. His sandbag-sized fists clenched, making a rattling sound, and his copper-bell-sized eyes glared fiercely at Ling Muxue. He roared in a muffled voice, the sound shaking dust from the rafters, "You stinking woman, what are you yapping about! You dare bare your fangs at my brother? If you're not convinced, fight me! I'll send you flying with one punch and let you know how many eyes Grandpa Niu has!"

Wu Xi raised his hand and gently pressed it onto Niu Fei's shoulder.

Seeing Wu Xi stop Niu Fei, Ling Muxue became even more energized. She arched her eyebrows and was about to curse again, but her clothes were pulled tightly by someone.

Jiang Yuehong buried her head even lower, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz, her whole body trembling. "Don't... don't argue... everyone is a teammate... don't hurt the harmony..."

"Teammates?"

Qiu Chuanxing suddenly spoke, his anger instantly uncontrollable. He glared fiercely at Jiang Yuehong, then swept his gaze over Wu Xi and Niu Fei, his impatience spewing out like fire. "Our team already has a raw recruit at the Bone-Birth Realm who needs someone to protect them during every training session! Now, to make matters worse, two more people of unknown origin are added! This mission is pointless! Might as well tie stones to ourselves and jump into the river; it would be a quicker death!"

Jiang Yuehong's face turned deathly pale instantly, her eyes reddening in a flash. Her head was buried so low it was almost touching her chest, her lips trembling, tears falling drop by drop, and she apologized repeatedly. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry everyone... It's my fault for being useless... I've caused everyone trouble... I'm sorry..."

The atmosphere in the hall froze to the freezing point; even the air seemed to have solidified.

Yue Zhenshan's face went completely black, his Evil Qi surging out instantly, just about to erupt.

Wu Xi's gaze swept over the four people in front of him, without a shred of emotion in his eyes.

"First, my joining the team is the Third Young Master's order. If you have any doubts, go talk to the Third Young Master; don't bark at me."

"Second, once in the team, everyone has their own duties. If you can't hold the position you're supposed to hold, or can't do the work you're supposed to do, that's your problem; don't drag the whole team down."

His gaze swept past Jiang Yuehong, who was crying in the corner, without a second's pause, and landed back on Qiu Chuanxing's face.

"Third, if anyone drops the ball during the mission because of personal emotions—whether it's intentionally causing trouble or an unintentional mistake—if you ruin the team's mission and endanger a teammate's life..."

Wu Xi's tone sank suddenly, and a bone-chilling Evil Qi burst from his body instantly.

"I, Wu Xi, regardless of who you are, will kill you on the spot without the slightest hesitation."

He enunciated the last six words heavily, like a blade leaving its scabbard, revealing a cold glint. His Killing Intent splashed directly onto everyone's faces.

The hall fell into a deathly silence instantly.

Ling Muxue had been holding back energy to stir up trouble and spar, but Wu Xi didn't engage with her childish games at all. He had set the words directly on the line of life and death—if you dare to cause trouble during the mission, I will kill you.

Qiu Chuanxing stared fixedly at Wu Xi, let out a heavy cold snort, and turned his head away. The hand he had gripped on his hilt, however, quietly relaxed.

Seeing this, Yue Zhenshan immediately took the opportunity to break the silence. "Enough!"

"The four of you were all selected as top talents from the various teams of the Evil Suppression Bureau. The Third Young Master trusts your abilities, which is why he entrusted the Mountain Cleansing Operation, a mission concerning the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens in Luoquan City, to your hands!" He swept his gaze across everyone present, his tone carrying unquestionable authority. "Now that everyone is here, if you still have the leisure to bicker about these useless things, I think your usual training volume is insufficient!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces, hammering the bottom line of this mission into everyone's ears, word by word. "I will tell you one last time: in this Mountain Cleansing Operation, the level of cultivation is not the most critical factor!"

"In the center of the Domain of Wrongful Death, there is a supreme barrier treasure controlled by King Zhengmu, used to expand the boundaries of the ghost realm. Any Cultivator above the Seed-Fetus Realm who enters will be sensed by the treasure instantly and expelled by it. Only those at the Seed-Fetus Realm or below can enter without restriction."

"King Zhengmu relies on this treasure to expand the realm, but his own movements are also locked by the treasure in the vicinity. This is our opportunity!"

Yue Zhenshan's voice deepened by another degree. "The ghost realm is expanding outward every day. Every day, citizens are bewitched, devoured, dying without a whole corpse, their souls flying away and spirits scattering. Your mission is to infiltrate the Domain of Wrongful Death, figure out the distribution of ghosts inside, and gradually look for opportunities to break the situation."

"If you can get close to that supreme treasure and interfere with its operation, the Third Young Master can immediately break into the realm, clear out all the ghosts, and save the citizens of the whole city!"

"Therefore, for this mission, the minimum goal is to fully understand the ins and outs of the Domain of Wrongful Death and draw a map to bring out. The optimal goal is to directly destroy that barrier treasure and cut off King Zhengmu's Foundation!"

He waved his hand, turned, and walked toward the back door of the Martial Arts Hall, his footsteps thumping loudly on the floor. "No more nonsense! Everyone is here, now follow me to the trial grounds! I want to see if you are truly qualified to enter the Domain of Wrongful Death!"

No one spoke again; they followed one by one.

Qiu Chuanxing walked at the very front, his steps heavy. From time to time, he turned back to glance at Wu Xi, the scrutiny in his eyes not diminished in the slightest. Ling Muxue followed by his side, also looking back from time to time, but without her previous arrogance; there was a bit more of an indescribable sense of inquiry in her eyes. Jiang Jiye supported Jiang Yuehong, who was still sniffling, comforting her in a low voice, and also glanced back at Wu Xi from time to time, her eyes full of curiosity.

Only Wu Xi, walking at the very back of the team, kept his hand on the Evil Suppression Blade at his waist, moving forward all the way.