Bao Wen Academy, Ancestral Grotto
"This mission is simply unbefitting of my status!" - Exclaimed one of the students in a disgruntled voice.
A senior disciple passed by and heard the remark.
"Oh, who might you be?" - She asked with an amused expression.
"Ye Jianhong, the young master of the Ye house! The illustrious Ye family is one of the main pillars of Sun Lotus city!" - The student said with a proud voice.
"Sun Lotus... city? Never heard of it. Who is in charge there?" - She said with a confused tone.
"The city is ruled by the city lord, of course. He is the most powerful gu master and a good friend of our Ye family. I even met him personally." - Ye Jianhong boasted shamelessly.
"Hahaha! You silly country bumpkin. I mean which immortal is in charge there. But you don't seem to even know that." - She ridiculed him.
"Immortal?" - Ye Jianhong asked back with a confused voice.
"Every region is controlled by one of the immortals. This is proof that your city is a mere speck of dust on the map." - She said.
"Hah, who needs to know about that? A person is either strong or weak. I am worth a hundred of you anyway!" - Ye Jianhong retorted angrily.
"Haha! Young man you are such a droll, this is the first time I've seen someone this foolish. I hope you won't be offended, but I would be better off talking to a rock." - She said and left.
The other students chuckled, and Ye Jianhong's face reddened with anger.
"You can all laugh at me, but I will definitely show you all!" - He said loudly.
A muscular disciple pulled Ye Jianhong to the side to have a word with him shortly after.
"Young friend, don't stir trouble. The woman you just spoke to is one of the elder's relative. Don't let her looks fool you, she has used lifespan gu to retain her youthful appearance. She is far stronger than any of us." - He warned.
"Hmph! I don't need you to tell me that. I know full well who she is!" - Ye Jianhong replied softly. In fact, he had no idea.
Seeing his advice falling on deaf ears the disciple sighed to himself and left.
Zhao Min and the others were observing the events on the sideline.
Ye Jianhong suddenly turned to them.
"Zhao Min! How can you sit by and let others badmouth our home?" - He questioned.
Zhao Min looked at him with an irritated expression.
"Shut up! They are not mocking Sun Lotus city, they are mocking your ignorance. Even if they mocked that place, they would be right. That place is not a city anymore. It was destroyed! The Ye family are nothing but insects on a leaf, so spare me your self-importance and come. We have a mission to complete." - He said with a cold voice.
Ye Jianhong's face reddened with anger.
"How dare you order me! We are of the same age. Don't think you are any better just because you were selected as the temporary group leader." - He shouted.
"Maybe. It is not up to you to decide, and I'm not going to argue over this. The mission has to be turned in by the end of the week, and we haven't started yet. So if you don't want to be punished, then come now!" - Zhao Min said with a stern voice.
"Fine! I will go, but not because you ordered me, but because I want to!" - He said and followed along.
"I'm surrounded by idiots!" - Zhao Min thought to himself as he dragged along Ye Jianhong, and Jin Ju.
Jin Ju didn't miss his chance to stop and gawk at every occasion: the academy's framework, the decorated pavement or just the various plants growing like weeds.
"Stop staring at the plants! You can pick them after we are finished." - Zhao Min reprimanded Jin Ju.
Jin Ju cast down his gaze in embarrassment. He put his hands in his pocket where he grasped a small clump of herbs he collected.
"These are worth half a primeval stone per stalk on the market. They are growing everywhere around the academy grounds!" - He thought to himself.
Zhao Min noticed Jin Ju's attitude, but didn't comment on it further.
"Just when I thought I escaped my responsibilities finally, now I'm entrusted with leading this team. But it is only temporary. I just have to make sure they complete the mission." - He thought to himself.
They approached the academy's gate, where a student was on duty. He was wearing a yellow uniform with a green sash.
"Excuse me." - Zhao Min said.
"What is it?" - The student asked.
"We are here to embark on the academy's mission." - Zhao Min said.
The student looked at them.
"First year's herb gathering mission?" - He asked.
"Yes!" - Zhao Min replied.
"That way." - The student motioned with his hand and stepped to the side.
Zhao Min thanked him.
Jin Ju nodded politely.
Ye Jianhong ignored him.
Then a voice called out from behind them.
"Hey, wait for me! I found some clues about the mission."
The three of them turned around. They saw Yu Lingxin hurrying towards them.
"Sister Lingxin! Where were you?" - Jin Ju perked up.
"She has finally turned up. That's good. The minimum headcount was set at three, but four is advised." - Zhao Min remarked.
* * * * *
Lingering Mountains Grotto, Golden Peak Pagoda
Bao Lang Chao arrived in the Lingering Mountains Grotto unceremoniously. He floated down towards the mountain of Golden Peak Pagoda.
Suddenly, a solid cloud crashed into him with a high momentum. Bao Lang Chao was almost sent flying by the impact as he tumbled in the air.
After a few seconds, he finally stabilized himself.
"What was that?" - He looked at the cloud angrily.
"Qinyang! I trusted you to fly it straight. We almost hit something in the air!" - Called out Hao Meng and took back the Ice Cloud gu from Qinyang.
"I didn't do it on purpose. That was turbulence! " - She excused herself.
Hao Meng looked at her direction strangely.
"The wind, I say! There was a gust of wind that came suddenly." - Qinyang clarified.
Hao Meng continued to stare, his face drained of color as he noticed the person standing in the air.
Bao Lang Chao dusted off and tidied his clothes. He looked at the young couple with disapproval.
"Young man, young lady. What are you two doing? Flying around without a care." - He addressed them.
"Never mind, you two come with me." - He said plainly and captured the two of them.
A huge leaf appeared and rolled around the two of them tightly. Hao Meng and Qinyang were packed tight like sardines in a can.
Bao Lang Chao entered the Golden Peak Pagoda with the leaf roll floating behind him.
"Who is this? Are we going to die?" - Qinyang whispered in trepidation.
"I've never seen this person. He was standing in the air just now, he must be an immortal." - Replied Hao Meng reassuringly.
What he implied was that if this was an immortal, he would have to give face to his mother, who's also an immortal. Thus, they would be let off.
But this sentence just cemented Qinyang's worries even further.
"I'm becoming refinement material..." - She lamented to herself. She felt that it was better to be eaten by a snake monster, than to be turned into refinement material.
A few minutes later, Bao Lang Chao arrived in a room in the Golden Peak Pagoda, which was filled with all sorts of exotic flowers.
A beautiful woman wearing a pink dress, with a huge fan in hand, was sitting on a chair.
"Lord Chao, you are here again." - Greeted the woman with a sweet smile.
"Mm, greetings, Fairy Wen Jie."- He greeted the supreme elder of Wen clan formally. He bowed slightly.
"What's the occasion? I see you've brought something with you."
"Oh, this? I wonder if fairy can make some deductions for me as per our agreement. I wonder, what's in the leaf roll?"
Wen Jie fanned herself and peeked at the leaf roll from behind her fan. A hint of laughter played on her face.
"Hm, playing a game? Lord Chao must be in a good mood. So be it!" - She pinched her fingers and started deducing.
Qinyang and Hao Meng felt weirdly comfortable in the leaf roll. They felt as if they were being wrapped tightly in a blanket. The material of the leaf roll was smooth and soft.
Qinyang's heart was racing. She felt excited and nervous at the same time.
A moment later, Wen Jie was already done with deducing.
"I can feel it. I can feel love. Despair. Oh, the confusion! There are two mortal people inside." - She said plainly.
She didn't deduce further, as her interest drooped. She didn't really care about the love lives of mortals.
Bao Lang Chao nodded and brought the leaf roll in front of him and unfurled it.
Hao Meng and Qinyang fell on the floor awkwardly. Qinyang was flustered, while Hao Meng was red in the face.
"These two young fellas have been flying around recklessly. I brought them here to teach them a lesson." - Bao Lang Chao said lightly.
Wen Jie looked at the two of them as she chucked softly. She recognized Hao Meng by his face. She nodded in recognition.
"I see. So it's little Meng and his girlfriend." - She said with a faint smile.
"Young men these days fly around recklessly. I apologize on their behalf." - She continued.
With a wave of her hand, she transported the two of them to another room.
"Now, Lord Chao, what is the real occasion? You are here for more than the usual." - She asked in a flowery voice.
"As I said, I'm here for fairy to deduce some matters for me." - Bao Lang Chao replied with a solemn expression.
"I need you to verify some information for me." - He continued.
Wen Jie sat down on the chair and beckoned him to sit down too.
Bao Lang Chao sat on the chair opposite to Wen Jie.
Bao Lang Chao presented his questions one by one. He asked a few more unrelated questions to disguise this one. Now, he held two items, one in each of his palms.
In his left hand was the remains of a Life Tablet gu. It belonged to Lang Chun.
In his right hand there was a wood path immortal material that was visibly split in two.
"Are these two items related to the same person?" - Asked Bao Lang Chao.
Fairy Wen Jie took the items in her hand and studied them. Then she activated her killer move to start the deduction.
"I can feel sorrow, jealousy, hope and anger..." - She narrated as the two items chased each other floating in the air.
Bao Lang Chao carefully observed Wen Jie's every movement.
After an incense stick of time, Wen Jie finished this deduction.
"Yes. These two items are related to the same person." - She confirmed.
"How?" - Asked Bao Lang Chao.
"The remains of the Life Tablet gu are obviously related to a mortal. The wood path immortal material, on the other hand, is related to the mortal's death."
"What happened to this mortal?" - Asked Bao Lang Chao.
"Hm, according to the deduction, this mortal was betrayed."
Bao Lang Chao stood there silently for a moment. His expression was unreadable. Then he spoke in a low tone.
"I see. You've helped me a lot, Fairy Wen Jie. You can have this wood path material as a reward." - He said, and handed the wood path material to Wen Jie.
"This confirms two things. First, my suspicions are confirmed. Xu Lian is really the culprit behind Lang Chun's death. Second, Xu Lian is not a spy from Wen clan. If he was, they would not have exposed dirt on their own agent. That would just put him under an investigation." - He evaluated in his mind.
Bao Lang Chao asked a few more question. Sometimes he pretended to be surprised or angry, mostly just nodded and said something along the lines: "Hm, as expected."
After the session of deductions ended, Bao Lang Chao left with a few immortal materials shorter. But now he was in possession of the information he wanted.
On the way home, Bao Lang Chao's face became grim as he thought of his son, Bao Xu Lian.
* * * * *