I called it a "guild" but it was pretty much an office where the authorities, common people or other organizations posted requests for missions. They could range from escort missions to monster subjugations, or rooting out bandit camps, or collecting specific spirit herbs or beast parts. Sort of like a fantasy role-playing game or fantasy slash isekai story back in my previous world.
Even though cultivators were supposed to be above such things, they couldn't resist the lure of money. Hence they were pretty much mercenaries. Then again, the rewards usually involved cultivation resources such as spirit stones (hopefully they wouldn't change the currency to coins in the future), pills and elixirs, so it wasn't as if they were doing it purely out of greed. Sometimes it was necessary, particularly for those desperate cultivators who didn't have much access to resources in their sects either because of their rank or their sect's poverty.
I studied the leaflets of missions that were being posted all over the bulletin board, but I knew I couldn't just choose any of them. I wasn't here to make money and get resources – I could easily do that if I had stayed in Heaven and Earth Sect. They provided missions as well – in fact, my assignment as Peak Master (and basically a security guard of the sect) paid me very well. No, I wanted to find a mission that would take me close to where Lan Bei Er was.
So I decided to ask around. Approaching one of the administrative staff, I cleared my throat.
"Um…"
The guy raised his head to look at me, bored. "What's up, kid? You already chose a mission? Or do you need help choosing one?" He placed a finger on his chin as he studied me. "You look like a rookie. First time?"
"Yeah, first time," I confirmed, inwardly relieved that my disguise had paid off. With these plain black robes, I looked just like any orthodox cultivator. Not that demonic cultivators looked that much different from orthodox cultivators…well, it depended, actually. There were many demonic cultivators who embraced the mutations that demonic qi and techniques brought them, growing to immense physiques, sporting horns and claws, and some even sprouted wings. Then you have the demonic cultivators who chased after eternal beauty, preserving their youth and being pretty much incubus or succubus. These would appear very beautiful or handsome, but that would be far from ordinary.
Me, I chose to stick to an ordinary appearance. Why should I change it? I had no desire to be super handsome, but I also felt uncomfortable with growing horns and turning into a monster. It had something to do with me being a normal person in my previous life, I guess. Even if I was a villain, I was going to be one with style, not a superficial villain chasing after all the things other people were chasing.
"Hmm, I would recommend the herb gathering missions then. There's one next to the city, which involves collecting the white lily. It's an important ingredient for the Purifying Pill, and it's currently in short supply, so the alchemists are panicking over it. You'll be paid very well. That said, the white lily is located in places next to rivers and ponds, which are generally populated by aquatic beasts, so you'll have to be careful."
"Understood." I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to outright reject that mission. I still had a question, though. "Um, would you happen to know if there's any White Herb Sect members nearby? Especially someone named…Lan Bei Er?"
"Lan Bei Er?!" The guy jolted up, suddenly wide awake. He glared at me. "One of the most beautiful senior sisters in Tian Xuan Continent? A direct disciple in the White Herb Sect? Kid, I advise you not to pursue her. Look at yourself, you don't even look like you come from one of the major sects. It'll be like a toad trying to feast on swan's meat. Just give up."
"No, I just have something to return to her," I lied, making something up on the spot. "We were involved in the attack on the Heaven and Earth Sect about a month ago, and she helped me. Now I need to return something to her…"
"Ah, so that's what it is." The guy shrugged. "I don't know where she is right now, I'm sorry. And even if I do, the information is confidential. I can't tell anyone where who went, or who accepted what missions. Privacy and all that."
"I understand."
"However, I do know that there are several White Herb Sects who are undertaking herb gathering missions like the one I recommended you, so you can try your luck."
"…okay." It was a start. Even if I didn't see Lan Bei Er, if I could run into members of the White Herb Sect, I might be able to collect some information from them. it was better than not doing anything.
So I accepted the mission and went off to the Verdant Forest. According to the map the staff member had given me, there was a huge river winding through its heart, and White Lilies were supposedly growing alongside its banks.
"The alchemists will be very grateful to you if you get it for them," he told me. "Also, many of the alchemists are from White Herb Sect."
He was giving me a hint. Essentially, as long as I could get into the good graces of the alchemists of White Herb Sect, I might better my chances of finding Lan Bei Er.
"But don't get any funny ideas. Return whatever you owe her to her, and then leave it at that. In the end, the both of you are from totally different worlds."
"Yeah, I heard that the first time." The staff member's words were truer than he realized them to be. We were really from totally different worlds. I was a demonic cultivator and she was an orthodox cultivator. However, I didn't care about the chasm between us. I fell in love with her at first sight and I was going to court her.
Even the Heavens can't stop my love!
Not wasting time on petty arguments, I immediately left for the Verdant Forest and proceeded straight for the river. During my journey there, I kept an eye out for any other cultivators. I wasn't worried about accidentally revealing my real identity – my disguise was perfect, and I had learned the Black Shadow Sect techniques to further create the illusion that I was one of them.
But I craved information. Hopefully I could find a White Herb Sect member or two…
"…okay. This is weird."
In the end, I reached the river without actually running into any orthodox cultivator. Admittedly, the Verdant Forest was a big place, but you would think I would at least see a fellow human somewhere. There were literally dozens of missions taking place in this forest, and each mission was carried out by groups of cultivators. It felt…lonely somehow.
Next time I embarked on a mission like this, I should gather a party. Funny…I couldn't trust any of my fellow demonic cultivators, so I kept my distance from them, but now that I was alone out here, I could feel an acute sense of isolation.
Shaking my head and reminding myself that I was a villain, I stopped by the river bank and observed the rows of white lilies growing near the shore. There had to be hundreds of them, enough to fill the shelves of the alchemists who made the requests. And if the alchemists happened to be from White Herb Sect, all the better. I could make use of this chance to establish a connection and find out the whereabouts of Lan Bei Er.
Those thoughts were interrupted when I noticed dark shadows skimming just under the surface of the river. The first one broke through the surface, a massive shape that stretched to almost ten meters long. Ridged armored scales ran along its back, and its powerful tail whipped out with such force a sonic boom smashed ripples through the water.
Diamondback crocodiles. And not just one – an entire swarm of them.
The lead diamondback crocodile lunged at me, its jaws wide open as if to swallow me whole. Of course, it didn't mean to do that. Unlike snakes, crocodiles did not swallow their prey whole or devour them in a single bite. Instead, they clamped their jaws down on their target, sinking serrated teeth into their flesh and seizing them mercilessly. Then they would drag the poor victim to the bottom of the river to drown them.
Protected by armored scales, diamondback crocodiles were not easy to deal with. On the other hand, their pelt was highly sought after because they could be fashioned into very durable armor. For this reason, the various militaries of the kingdoms in the Tian Xuan Continent had high demand for their scales.
Unfortunately, my quest this time wasn't to collect diamondback crocodile scales.
Using Shadow Steps, I avoided the diamondback crocodile's jaws and emerged from the side. Before it could turn around, I punched its soft underbelly and blew a hole through its gut with Heaven and Earth Strike. I didn't bother with Shadow Strike – there was nobody here to witness me fighting, and I didn't want to waste time fighting a spirit beast when I would rather spend it looking for the girl I love. Shadow Strike was pretty weak, and it wouldn't be enough to kill the diamondback crocodile.
Better to fight swiftly and end it swiftly.
The diamondback crocodile grunted and fell, a gaping hole in the middle of its torso. Writhing, its blood spilled into the soil. I avoided its tail that lashed about from its death throes and hopped toward the rows of white lilies. Lifting my head, I glanced at the other dark shapes in the river.
The rest of the diamondback crocodile swarm had floated past the surface and were watching me warily, having seen what I had done to their vanguard. I glared at them, emitting killing intent, and suddenly the entire swarm of diamondback crocodiles spun about in the water and fled in a panic, disappearing into the depths of the river. Other than faint ripples that expanded lazily across the top, there was no longer any trace of them.
"Smart," I muttered under my breath. At least they knew how to preserve their lives. If the opponent had been human, I doubted they would have backed off. It was funny…some people were more idiotic than spirit beasts.
Proceeding to collect the white lilies, I packed them into my spatial pouch. I didn't take all of them – we needed to leave some of them so that they could grow and reproduce. I wasn't some greedy moron who would kill the goose who lay golden eggs. I would rather just take the golden eggs and keep the goose alive to lay more eggs.
With my mission completed, I trudged back toward Dragon Gate City. I wondered if I had just wasted my time. I didn't even run into a single cultivator during my trip here, and it was unlikely that I would encounter one on my return…
Just when the thought crossed my mind, I sensed a flare of qi in the distance. Kicking off the ground, I sprinted through the forest. That aura was familiar – I was sure I recognized the qi. Emerging into a clearing, I saw that my instinct had been right.
Lan Bei Er had conjured a barrier to protect herself from the assault of a demonic beast. Opposite her, a humanoid monster about five meters towered high up, its muscular frame bulging. A single red eye glowed in the center of its head, and its greenish-brown hide had a rough texture. Wicked claws curved from its hands, and its feet ended in deadly talons, leaving deep impressions in the soil.
A Cyclops…or a Yimu, if you wanted the Chinese term. They were a ferocious demonic tribe that often gave over to aggressive bouts of violence, laying waste to entire villages. They were considered pretty powerful among the various demonic tribes and were often used by demonic sects as shock troops. I had seen Master command a legion of them before, and I knew firsthand how devastating they could be.
And one of them was bashing Lan Bei Er's white barrier right now, leaving expanding cracks along the luminous surface. Lan Bei Er was buckling, a single line of blood trickling from her mouth. However, she stood strong, stubbornly resisting her attacks. Her specialty lay in healing and defense, not offense, which explained the lack of injuries on the Cyclops. That only made it more confident, and it intensified its onslaught gleefully.
Seeing the miserable sight, I felt rage flare inside me. Disappearing into the shadows, I appeared right in front of Lan Bei Er, raising a hand and catching the Cyclops's claws before they could hit her barrier again.
"How dare you attack my woman?" I hissed and obliterated its head and chest with a single Heaven and Earth Strike. For a moment, it looked like a single eye had appeared in the middle of its misshapen body, an orb of gushing blood resembling a pupil, and then it toppled over.
"H…Hei Ye?" Lan Bei Er gasped, lowering her barrier and staring at me in shock. She probably couldn't believe that I had just suddenly shown up in front of her. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you," I replied. She gaped at me, and I smiled. "I told you, I fell in love with you at first sight. Of course I'm going to continue pursuing you."