Ultimately, Xu Yuan still accepted the seemingly mundane mission from his Master.
According to the rules of the Heavenly Dao Sect, a disciple must complete at least one trial mission each year.
But given his talent and status as a disciple of Mu Qianyan, even if he truly didn't want to go, no one would have said anything.
As he left the temple gate, two people who had received the news early and had come here to wait for him immediately surrounded him.
"Let's go. What's the target? Let's settle this quickly and then return early so I can give you some pointers on your cultivation," said Tian Liuli, without even glancing at the scroll related to the mission that he was holding in his hand.
Lin Qingque, on the other hand, took it over but was in no hurry to open it. She snorted and then said, "Miss bitch, it seems you're not from our Heavenly Dao Sect, are you? What's this? Even our internal affairs you wish to meddle in?"
Upon hearing this, Tian Liuli's eyes narrowed slightly, "What? You want to have another spell battle with me?"
"Bring it on, as if I'm afraid of you?"
The smile on Lin Qingque's face remained unchanged, but a hint of murderous intent flashed in her eyes.
It was only after returning to her room yesterday that she realized that her foundation was damaged, and naturally, she blamed Tian Liuli for this, feeling extremely irritated.
If it hadn't been for her senior brother comforting her yesterday, today...
She'd definitely have flattened this woman's chest!
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but fiercely gaze at Tian Liuli's chest, which was significantly fuller than her own.
"Junior Sister, Miss Liuli, stop arguing," Xu Yuan interjected with a helpless expression.
The two women looked at each other, saying nothing, but the message in their eyes was very clear to each other, almost like a 'don't leave after school' vibe.
Xu Yuan barely managed to "calm" the two and couldn't help but smile inwardly.
The more the two women disliked each other, the more advantageous it was for him.
"Hmph."
Lin Qingque huffed disdainfully, but then she remembered the gains from last night and suddenly wasn't angry anymore.
"Forget it. The magnanimous do not dwell on the transgressions of the petty," she said with a beaming smile and began to read the scroll seriously.
Tian Liuli felt something was amiss and glanced at her, then at Xu Yuan, remaining silent without saying a word.
"A demon suspected to appear in Ancient Moon Town? They want us to go investigate?" whispered Lin Qingque. "According to the local villagers, on full moon nights, howls of wolves and tigers are heard, and the town is frequently engulfed in thick fog at night. The next morning, many houses that were inhabited disappear without a trace, leaving the town in panic and hope for rescue."
The girl frowned slightly; she felt there was something tricky about the mission but couldn't quite put her finger on it.
That's why she deliberately read it out loud.
"..."
Tian Liuli knew she was speaking for her to hear; obviously, despite their grievances, she was more concerned about whether Xu Yuan could complete the mission.
After listening, Tian Liuli, showing no emotion, merely said, "Let's go. Quick battle, quick decision."
Xu Yuan, however, was aware of the secrets hidden behind this seemingly simple mission, and since he was thinking of using it to accomplish some things, he naturally wouldn't proactively point out the suspicions to them.
The three of them took to the air with sword control.
...
As the sun shadowed the moon and the larks flew together, the three proceeded together.
The next day, after traveling tens of thousands of li with stops and starts, the trio arrived above the small town.
To their surprise, despite the mission scroll mentioning the presence of a demon, the atmosphere in the town was not as heavy as they had imagined.
"Let's go in and ask someone," suggested Tian Liuli, her hands behind her back and a cool expression on her face, not posing any objection.
Lin Qingque, with her arms crossed, also snorted.
Xu Yuan gave a wry smile, but his mood was even more buoyant.
On the way here, just as expected, the tension between the two women had flared up again.
Lin Qingque was lively by nature, but she rarely came out with him.
Chattering all the way, she greatly annoyed Tian Liuli, who frowned from time to time.
Xu Yuan was aware of this, but he didn't go out of his way to take care of Tian Liuli; instead, he deliberately gave her the cold shoulder.
Then, the two of them started arguing.
During the quarrel, he, who had been wavering between the two, naturally got dragged into it as well.
That's why they both looked like they could start fighting at any moment now.
But Xu Yuan had no intention of mediating.
The worse the atmosphere between the two, the better it was for him.
He entered the city gate, planning on leaving the still-angry pair behind.
Unfortunately, although they outwardly ignored him, they were actually waiting for him to coax them, and they followed him in after all.
As soon as the two women showed up, they immediately sensed something amiss.
Not a single person present reacted to their arrival.
"Something's not right,"
Lin Qingque said with a serious expression, in a soft voice.
"Indeed, something feels off."
Tian Liuli spoke as if responding or talking to herself.
Despite not wanting to admit it, but with the three of their looks, their presence here did not cause any sensation, no surprise or curiosity from anyone.
This was indeed very odd.
Both of them thought the same thing at the same time.
Xu Yuan, however, seemed as if he hadn't noticed anything and kept chatting with a jewelry stall vendor.
Tian Liuli took a graceful step, and with a faint illusionary move, she appeared beside Xu Yuan and whispered, "Mr. Xu, something's not right."
"Hmm."
Xu Yuan nodded slightly.
"Indeed."
Looking at the vendor who was enthusiastically talking to him, he whispered, "What's wrong?"
"We might have, arrived a step too late."
Xu Yuan nonchalantly took out a copper coin from his storage bag, bought a bunch of vegetables, and looked at them: "What do you mean?"
"…I'm not quite sure, but maybe everyone in the town, is actually not alive."
Tian Liuli paused, her expression unusually puzzled for her.
With her realm and experience.
She also couldn't quite discern what exactly was amiss.
"Eh? Miss, would you like to take a look at the jewelry?"
Ignoring the vendor in front of her, Tian Liuli spoke in a hushed voice, "We should get out of here quickly."
"That works too."
Xu Yuan nodded, pretending to be clueless: "Since you say so, let's go."
Then, the next moment, both of them froze on the spot.
It was only after they turned around that they realized the street behind them, the town, everything had already vanished without a trace.
Nothing but a vast expanse of fog.
Beyond that, there was nothing.
Tian Liuli's Dao Heart trembled, and she felt unease.
This was her first time feeling this way since her rebirth.