Zhao Yunxiao was not overly envious even as he recognised that Nie Hanchang was beginning to embark on the path to success.
After spending so many years at the sect, he had already gotten used to seeing things like this happen to those around him.
Many of them soared brilliantly and became established inner disciples, leaving him in the dust during the process.
However, there were also some who got ahead of themselves and ended up suffering irreversible injuries while attempting to push themselves one step too far.
Rather than taking such risks, all Zhao Yunxiao wanted was to walk the path of cultivation in a slow and steady manner.
This was definitely the safest way for him to reach the goal that he had always wanted – freedom!
Since the ingredients had already arrived, Gu Qiansi quickly started cooking with the condiments that she had brought.
She was not only a good cook, but she was an efficient one as well.
Before long, the quartet found themselves sitting around a fire as they happily enjoyed some freshly roasted meat.
The warm juices from the meat felt especially comforting in the cold nights of early spring.
As he savoured the taste in his mouth, Zhao Yunxiao could not help but feel proud of himself for having made this arrangement.
Not only was this far better-tasting and more nutritious than the food served in the canteen, but it was also nice that they could have their meal in peace for the first time in a while, without getting any strange looks from the other sect members.
He could only hope that Nie Hanchang and Gu Qiansi would not tire of this arrangement too soon!
As they were enjoying their meal, Zhao Yunxiao finally succumbed to Lu Zhiying's relentless barrage of questions, and started sharing about his demon subduing trip in detail.
Unfortunately, it was a depressing story about how the demon was simply taking revenge on the humans who had mistreated it in the past, so the atmosphere quickly turned solemn as he kept speaking.
With such an atmosphere, the group was not really in the mood to stay much longer after dinner, and promptly returned to their residences.
But before they left, Gu Qiansi still made sure to properly store the leftovers in the big cauldron.
The cauldron was armed with special arrays that allowed it to keep any food nice and fresh. Even after some time had passed, these leftovers could still be enjoyed as though they were freshly made.
This was a vital part of their meal arrangement plan, making it possible for anyone to come enjoy their meals here even if Gu Qiansi was not present to personally make it for them on the spot.
Nevertheless, returning to his residence did not mark the end of the day for Zhao Yunxiao.
The first thing he did was check his inventory.
Even though the mission that they were going on tomorrow was a simple one, it was still better to be safe than sorry.
No matter the situation, the last thing he wanted was to be caught completely unprepared.
After which, he started to perform the necessary maintenance on his equipment.
Due to Nie Hanchang's sudden request last night, Zhao Yunxiao had yet to find the time to inspect the gear that he had brought along for the demon subduing trip.
Rather than procrastinating it any longer, Zhao Yunxiao thought that this was the perfect time to do so, especially since he was intending to bring most of it along with him this time as well.
Lastly, he did up a general plan for the experiments that he was intending to carry out. After all, that was the whole reason behind going on the mission in the first place!
By the time he was done, Zhao Yunxiao only had a few hours left for his daily meditation.
***
Zhao Yunxiao started off his morning with some light practice before heading off.
But this morning was a little different for him.
Instead of going to the canteen for free breakfast, he headed straight for the Clear Thoughts Pavilion.
With Gu Qiansi coming along on the mission, Zhao Yunxiao thought that going to the canteen for breakfast would simply be a waste of his stomach space!
Clear Thoughts Pavilion was the largest and most accessible rest area located in the Outer Grounds, and thus doubled as a common gathering point for outer disciples.
As always, Zhao Yunxiao was the first to arrive, but that was only relative to the two young ladies.
By the time he arrived at the Clear Thoughts Pavilion, there were already numerous other outer disciples present, most of whom were getting ready to go ahead with their plans for the day.
Unsurprisingly, there was not a huge response to Zhao Yunxiao's arrival since most people were in the midst of discussions on what to do next.
Even those with whom Zhao Yunxiao was acquainted mostly greeted him with just a polite nod.
But when Gu Qiansi and Lu Zhiying arrived with their arms linked, it was as though time itself had suddenly come to a stop at the pavilion.
Everyone put down what they were doing, and the busy discussions went silent.
All attention was drawn over to the two ladies, especially that of the male disciples.
"Good morning, Senior Martial Brother Zhao!" Lu Zhiying waved enthusiastically.
She was in a really good mood today since she was about to go on her very first sect mission!
However, her excited greeting once again drew aggro for Zhao Yunxiao from the surrounding male disciples.
Zhao Yunxiao instantly regretted suggesting the crowded Clear Thoughts Pavilion as their meeting point.
"L-Let's go," Zhao Yunxiao urged while trying to ignore the death stares coming from all around him.
"Yeah..." Gu Qiansi was just as conscious of the looks that they were getting, and agreed immediately.
Lu Zhiying naturally had no objections.
Just like that, the trio quickly left the Clear Thoughts Pavilion and headed for the sect entrance.
As they exited the sect grounds and were making their way down Purple Plum Mountain, Lu Zhiying could not help but look around in fascination.
It was only a month ago when she had followed the guide up Purple Plum Mountain, taking this exact same path to join the Black Tortoise Sect.
And now, she already had her own friends who were bringing her on an exciting adventure together.
How time flies!
Of course, Zhao Yunxiao would have quickly corrected her if he could read her thoughts.
Yes, they were going on a mission together. However, it was definitely not supposed to be an exciting adventure.
If anything, he wanted it to be the complete opposite.
The less exciting it was, the better!
Following the safe path, it did not take long before the group arrived at Black Tortoise Inn at the foot of the mountain.
But instead of renting spirit horses like the Mystic Cavalry had done, the trio chose to rent normal horses this time.
After all, they were on a simple mission with minimal rewards, not to mention that they would have to split the rewards among the three of them.
Therefore, they would have to save costs wherever they could, or the costs simply would not justify the benefits.
Even then, Lu Zhiying's eyes lit up when Zhao Yunxiao led her horse to her.
"Do you know how to ride it?" Zhao Yunxiao asked.
"Yes! I'm sure I will know how to do it!" Lu Zhiying nodded.
"...Do you know how to do it or not?" Zhao Yunxiao felt the corner of his lips twitch. "If you don't, why don't you ride with Gu Qiansi instead?"
Lu Zhiying had already formed her spiritual meridian root and was now at the Primary Foundation Building realm, so Zhao Yunxiao was not too worried about her getting hurt.
But if she did not know how to ride a horse, then it might end up delaying the completion of the mission.
"No! I want my own horse!" Lu Zhiying complained. "I will learn quickly, and I can pay out of my own pocket as well!"
"And what exactly are you intending to pay with? I don't take credit," Zhao Yunxiao rolled his eyes.
As a new disciple, Lu Zhiying had yet to even collect her first paycheck from working at the Herb Gardens, so there was no way she could have any sect points!
"This... is Senior Martial Brother Zhao suggesting that I pay with my body...?" Lu Zhiying asked in a shocked manner, deliberately covering her chest at the same time.
Zhao Yunxiao: "..."
"Enough nonsense," Gu Qiansi immediately interrupted. "Just let Junior Martial Sister Lu have her own horse. She would have to learn sooner or later, so why not now? It's not like we don't have time, either. There are still four days until the monthly cultivation lecture. That's more than enough time."
Moonrise City was the nearest city to Purple Plum Mountain, and it would take less than a day to get there even on regular horses.
Considering the difficulty of the mission, they had more than enough time to spare.
"Yes, yes..." Zhao Yunxiao shrugged before handing over the reins.
"Yay!" Lu Zhiying grabbed the reins and immediately leapt onto the horse.
Neigh-!
The horse cried and set off immediately.
"Watch ou-!" Gu Qiansi called out in concern, but cut her words short as she saw what happened next.
"Haha! This feels great!" Lu Zhiying laughed as the horse trotted around in circles with her holding the reins.
It seemed like she already had absolute control over the horse.
"Well... that went a lot better than I expected," Zhao Yunxiao said wryly.
"Yeah..." Gu Qiansi nodded in agreement.
Even though they were cultivators, neither of them had expected Lu Zhiying to pick up horseriding in such an effortless manner.
Those born with talent were truly different!
After paying for the horse rental, the trio promptly left Black Tortoise Inn for their next destination.
On the way, Gu Qiansi shared some rice balls with everyone, which she had specially made for them early this morning.
Munching on those delicious rice balls lifted Lu Zhiying's mood even further as she cheerfully commented on the various sceneries along the way, marvelling at the simple wonders of nature.
In actual fact, the view along their way paled in comparison to the view that one could get on Purple Plum Mountain.
Perhaps it was the feeling of horseriding for the first time, or perhaps it was the feeling of finally leaving the mountain after having her restrictions lifted.
Regardless of the actual reason, Lu Zhiying could not help but feel a newfound appreciation for these simple things that even ordinary mortals would think little of.
Seeing this, Zhao Yunxiao and Gu Qiansi exchanged glances in satisfaction.
It definitely felt good seeing their cute junior martial sister enjoying herself like this!
Unfortunately, dark clouds started gathering overhead soon after they began their journey, almost as though the heavens were jealous of their joyful moment.
"Seems like it's going to rain soon, and it might be a heavy one as well," Lu Zhiying commented after spotting the dark clouds hanging overhead. "Shall we seek shelter somewhere?"
While they could always continue travelling in the rain, it was not exactly the most comfortable experience.
"Don't worry, we are reaching our destination soon," Zhao Yunxiao said. "We will be able to take shelter there."
"We are?" Lu Zhiying looked around them, but there was no sign of civilisation anywhere.
In fact, ever since taking a small fork in the road earlier, they had been travelling on a narrow road through the woods for a while now.
"That's right, the farm is just around the corner," Zhao Yunxiao pointed ahead.
"So, what is this farm?" Lu Zhiying asked. "I have been waiting for the answer since yesterday!"
"It doesn't exactly have a name, but it is where the Gu Family resides," Zhao Yunxiao explained.
"Gu Family?" Lu Zhiying exclaimed in surprise before turning to look at Gu Qiansi. "Does that mean...?"
"It is just a small farm, so don't get your expectations up," Gu Qiansi replied with a smile. "But you guessed it right – this is where my family resides."
She was just done speaking when the trio finally cleared the narrow road, entering a huge clearing.
The first thing that drew their attention was the lovely wooden house at the far end of the clearing, with light smoke escaping its small chimney. Attached to it was a ranch that housed poultry.
In front of the house was a decently sized piece of farmland where crops like oats, garlic, and carrots seemed to be growing well despite the cold.
It was a simple setup, but one that looked neat and organised nonetheless.
"Well then, Junior Martial Sister Lu," Gu Qiansi said. "Welcome to my home."