51. The Training Mission of the Scarlet Cloud Sect

Bai Liuli raised her hand and said, “Wuji, there’s something you must be extremely careful about: until you’ve made your mark, you absolutely cannot reveal that you are my younger brother. Otherwise, disaster will befall you!”

“Why is that?” Xie Wuji put away the medicinal pills, scooted over, and sat in the seat closest to Bai Liuli. They were in a pavilion at the moment.

With a charming smile, White Rose said, “Little brother, you don’t know—our eldest sister is thinking for your sake. Even though you’re now at Danxia Sect, so what? You’re a boy, and moreover, the emperor’s son. If anyone learns of your existence, they’ll see you as a threat—an even greater threat than our eldest sister. Right now, your wings aren’t yet fully grown. If someone targets you, you’ll have no strength to fight back. Eldest sister is doing this to protect you.”

“That’s right,” Bai Liuli nodded. “Once you hold a high position in Danxia Sect, or I have true power in my hands, then we can let the world know of your existence. But now is not the time. Don’t worry, though—the sect master of Danxia Sect and I are on pretty good terms personally, so I’ll explain everything to him.”

“All right, then. Thank you, eldest sister,” Xie Wuji replied.

Just then, a eunuch came running over, whispered a few words in Bai Liuli’s ear, and her expression changed on the spot. With a sweep of her hand, she slammed the table and said angrily, “Those old fools are at it again. Wuji, you must leave for now. If anything comes up, I’ll find you—you mustn’t come looking for me. There are too many eyes and ears in the palace; the more you show yourself, the more dangerous it is for you. It’s the dead of night—you came here quietly, so leave the same way. Don’t draw any attention!”

Seeing the indomitable Bai Liuli, Xie Wuji immediately obeyed and slipped away quietly.

By the time he returned, the sky had already lightened. Xie Wuji whistled as he swaggered back into Danxia Sect. Thanks to the incident a few days earlier—when he’d confronted Shi Zhenxiang in the marketplace—the disciples guarding the gate now recognized him, so he didn’t even have to announce himself and walked right in.

Just as he entered, he saw a crowd gathered near the main hall entrance. People were jostling each other, apparently watching something. Curious as ever, Xie Wuji squeezed into the crowd and found that Dongmen Qianyun, along with Fat Dragon and Thin Tiger, were there as well.

“Oh, you’re all here?” Xie Wuji grinned.

“Where did you go, Xie Wuji? I went looking for you this morning and you were nowhere to be found!” Dongmen Qianyun stood with her hands on her hips, clearly annoyed.

Xie Wuji wiped his nose and teased, “Little girl, missing your big brother again? Want me to pat your head, give you a hug, and lift you high?”

“You scoundrel! I’m being serious. The quarterly trials are out—over a thousand trial missions. Fat Dragon, Thin Tiger, and I were thinking we’d go out and get some experience,” Dongmen Qianyun said, casting her gaze to the distance.

In the distance stood a public bulletin board, styled like an imperial edict. Countless missions and bounties were posted on it. The trials at Danxia Sect covered everything, from faction disputes to helping nobles find lost cats and dogs—every kind of trial imaginable.

Naturally, the rewards for the trials varied greatly.

The trials were divided into four ranks: superior, intermediate, lower, and common.

“This time, I hear there are three superior-rank trials, but they’re extremely difficult. There weren’t any superior missions for the last two releases, but now there are three at once. If anyone completes one, it’ll be impossible not to become famous in the sect.”

“Intermediate missions already put your life on the line, let alone the superior ones. I say we should just honestly pick a common mission. The rewards may be lower, but at least we’ll get some spirit stones. Safety first, always safety first!”

“This one looks good—helping an old lady cross the road, heh heh…” The outer sect disciples seemed to greatly prefer low and common missions, which were quickly snatched up, leaving an awkward situation.

No one dared to take on the harder missions, afraid of risking their lives.

No matter the world, people cherish their lives. Fat Dragon nearly burst into tears: “What is wrong with everyone? Even all the common missions are gone!”

“Why don’t we try something more challenging?” Xie Wuji suggested.

“You don’t mean…” Dongmen Qianyun’s scalp tingled.

Xie Wuji pointed at an intermediate trial. “This one requires us to collect a five-colored snow lotus. Everyone who joins gets a human-tier spirit weapon. I know Tongzhou well—how about we give it a try?”

“But it’s at White Bone Ridge. That place is rumored to be crawling with monsters,” Fat Dragon said.

“We can try. Even if there are monsters, it’s still just an intermediate trial. If we can’t win, we’ll just run. We used to do trials for the spirit stones, but now we’re not short of those,” Thin Tiger said.

With Thin Tiger’s words, the others nodded in agreement.

Dongmen Qianyun saw the sense in it: “The rules say only inner and outer sect disciples can take on the trials. Xie Wuji and I aren’t disciples, but you two are. So use your names to sign us up. Let’s register the mission first, and wait for instructions before we set out.”

“Sounds good!” Xie Wuji went over to take the mission.

Meanwhile, a disciple watched Xie Wuji suspiciously by the trial board, then hurried to the Alchemy Hall.

“You’re saying Xie Wuji just signed up for a trial? And Dongmen Qianyun, too?” Ding Desheng sneered. Ever since the last incident, he hadn’t left his quarters for three days.

“It’s absolutely true—it’s a collection mission,” the disciple replied.

“No one’s taken the superior trials, right? Go tell the trials office to switch Xie Wuji’s mission to a superior one. Once a trial is accepted, it can’t be withdrawn. This is the perfect chance to make that arrogant brat pay! I’ve been seething with rage, and now I finally have an outlet. This time, I’ll make sure both he and that useless cripple never return, and let Dongmen Yong taste the pain of losing his beloved daughter! Hahaha!” Ding Desheng laughed wildly.

The disciple grinned wickedly. “As you command, Master. I’ll handle it right away!”

With that, the disciple left. At Ding Desheng’s side, Baili Qingyan spoke up. “Master, Xie Wuji deserves to die, and Dongmen Qianyun isn’t blameless. But those two disciples haven’t done anything wrong. Shouldn’t we…”

“Have you forgotten? Non-inner and outer sect disciples can’t take on trials. If those two withdraw, Xie Wuji and that cripple will no longer qualify. I’ve just been set up myself, and it’s almost certainly Dongmen Yong’s doing, so I need to make him pay too!” The thought of his recent humiliation made Ding Desheng’s beard tremble with anger.

Baili Qingyan hesitated, but as this was her master, she didn’t dare argue.

At noon, Xie Wuji was practicing in the courtyard when Baili Qingyan appeared again, dressed in sheer silk. Xie Wuji was momentarily stunned by her beauty.

“I hear you’re going on a trial, Brother Xie?” she asked.

“So it’s Miss Qingyan! Come, come, I just prepared some food—this is called a self-heating hot pot. Just add water and it heats itself!” Xie Wuji produced his treasured snack.

Baili Qingyan watched as the cold ingredients began to heat up on their own, marveling at the magic. Yet in her heart, she was worried for Xie Wuji’s life. Even she wasn’t confident about tackling a superior trial, and Xie Wuji, who hadn’t even reached the Golden Core stage, was courting death.

Baili Qingyan said, “Since I’ve taken your food, I can’t owe you. Here’s a Thousand-Mile Escape Talisman—if you’re in danger, use it to get away.”

“Such an amazing thing?” Xie Wuji exclaimed, unaware of the talisman’s true value.

Baili Qingyan bit her lip. “Be careful. Trials are no child’s play.”

“Thank you!” Xie Wuji grinned. “I bet a beautiful girl like you is pursued by lots of male disciples, right?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Baili Qingyan shot him a glance, her enchanting eyes sending Xie Wuji’s heart reeling. This girl was truly bewitching.

“Nothing—just asking, haha…” Xie Wuji laughed awkwardly.