The Dao Ming Beast

Lin Qi finally discovered a major advantage of Luo Ci.

It was his good mindset.

One moment he'd be crying his eyes out, and the next he'd be acting like nothing happened.

He was even sharing pastries with Lin Qi with a smile, completely forgetting that he had declared he wouldn't speak to Lin Qi for three days not long ago.

He looked so silly that no one could even get angry at him.

With the Luo Family's escort, Lin Qi and the others no longer needed to transfer via spatial array formations. In less than half an hour, they arrived directly at Ming City's main city.

The cities in Cangwu Realm were divided into three tiers.

Luo City was a first-tier city, the most prosperous. There were only nine first-tier cities in the entire Southern Continent.

Desolate City, where Lin Qi was from, was located on the border of the Southern Continent and was notoriously a barren land, a third-tier city.

The current location, Ming City, was a subsidiary city of Luo City and was a second-tier city.

Lin Qi stood beneath the gate of Ming City, a small wooden sword strapped to her small frame, her face filled with anticipation.

"I've heard that Ming City is famous throughout the Southern Continent for producing fine wines. In Ming City, every household is skilled in brewing, especially the Spiritual Bamboo Wine from the Wine Immortal Pavilion. It's said that a single sip can lead to a breakthrough of one stage."

"That's fake!" Luo Ci finally had an opportunity to look down on Lin Qi.

He puffed out his small chest, tilted his chin, and said, "If a single sip could break through a stage, my mother would drink it every day. Why hasn't her cultivation increased? This clearly shows it's all exaggeration!"

Lin Qi touched her chin, looking at Luo Ci with pity.

"Does your mother know she gave birth to such a genius like you?"

Luo Ci shrunk his neck, feeling that Lin Qi's words weren't meant as a compliment, but he couldn't quite pinpoint why.

So, he waved his hand, tugged on Senior Sister Yuan Xi's sleeve, and started to act spoiled, "Senior Sister, look, Second Senior Sister is bullying me again!"

Her practiced, charmingly coquettish demeanor left Lin Qi in awe.

Yuan Xi patted his shoulder and said gently, "Alright! We need to find the Sect's Affairs Hall in Ming City."

Luo Ci snorted and followed closely behind Senior Sister Yuan Xi, as if wanting to distance himself from Lin Qi.

When they reached the Affairs Hall in Ming City, Luo Ci tugged on Lin Qi's clothes and whispered, "Are we going in with Senior Sister later?"

Lin Qi batted away his paw and said coolly, "Whatever!"

Luo Ci was persistent and reached out to grab her again. As soon as his paw touched Lin Qi's clothes, a layer of ice covered it.

Lin Qi calmly turned her head, "Speak properly, don't be so handsy!"

Luo Ci flinched and retracted his hand, immediately becoming very well-behaved.

While they were exchanging pleasantries, Senior Sister Yuan Xi had already gone to get the mission scroll stamped.

"Another one?"

The manager at the counter raised an eyelid, glanced at the scroll, and skillfully took out a jade token, leaving an imprint on it.

"After it's stamped, you'll need to return to the Affairs Hall within fifteen days to report the information you've gathered. Only then will the mission be considered fully handed over."

As he handed over the scroll, he noticed Senior Sister Yuan Xi's appearance and subconsciously frowned, "You're already a Golden Core cultivator at this age?!"

Although Senior Sister Yuan Xi was only twelve, her height was only slightly shorter than True Monarch Qingyun's. Her face was still a bit childish, making it obvious she was young.

"Yes, thank you, Senior Brother," she replied, taking the scroll and thanking him warmly.

Seeing Yuan Xi's young age and exceptionally polite demeanor, the manager felt a surge of appreciation and gave a few extra pieces of advice.

"The Affairs Hall regulations state that only Golden Core cultivators can accept this mission. Ming City is remote, and powerful Golden Core cultivators don't fancy this task. Those with slightly weaker cultivation either fail on this mission or return empty-handed, resulting in six consecutive batches of mission takers returning defeated."

"Junior Sister is still young and has a promising future. It's best to be cautious and not act impulsively."

Yuan Xi bowed respectfully, "Thank you for your reminder, Senior Brother."

The mission scroll was semi-sealed. Only after being stamped by the local Affairs Hall would the full information be revealed.

Lin Qi saw Senior Sister Yuan Xi holding the scroll and curiously leaned in to look.

[Case Details: Ming City has a monster that is skilled at hiding and escaping. It loves fine wines and breaks into a household every ten days to steal wine and kill people, leaving only the torso and consuming the heads.]

Mission Requirements: Find the demonic beast that steals wine and kills people, capture it, and bring it back to Tianyi Sect to quell the unrest in Ming City.

The scroll also contained information gathered by the previous mission takers.

Lin Qi glanced at it and felt that it was more or less the same, with not much useful information.

She looked up at Yuan Xi, "Senior Sister, this mission might be a bit tricky."

Luo Ci also stuck his head in, asking cluelessly, "What's tricky about it? Isn't it just finding a demonic beast and capturing it?"

He thought the mission was simple and straightforward, quite suitable for beginners.

Lin Qi looked at his sincere big eyes and twitched the corner of her mouth.

Senior Sister Yuan Xi patiently explained, "There were six Golden Core cultivators who took this mission before, but the information they all found was similar. They couldn't even determine the beast's strength. Either all six cultivators were slacking off and not completing the mission seriously, or this beast is very powerful. The latter is more likely."

"Third Junior Brother, we need to use our brains when facing matters; we can't just look at the surface."

When it came to giving advice, Luo Ci happily nodded after hearing Senior Sister Yuan Xi's words, which made Lin Qi a little indignant.

She had sincerely advised the kid before, hadn't she?!

"Senior Sister, should we find an inn to rest and gather some information first?"

As soon as Lin Qi finished speaking, Luo Ci bounced up, extremely excited.

"Half the inns here belong to my family. Wherever you want to go, I'll take you!" He waved his short arms, looking so proud.

He then grabbed Senior Sister Yuan Xi and sprinted off in a certain direction.

Lin Qi thought, since we're here, we might as well, and followed along.

Then, the three of them stood before the magnificent and dazzling Wine Immortal Pavilion. Vehicles passed by non-stop on both sides, creating a bustling scene.

Three young children stood side-by-side, dressed in simple clothes, a stark contrast to the luxury and extravagance of the Wine Immortal Pavilion.

Lin Qi glanced at Luo Ci, who stood in the middle. "Is this yours?"

Luo Ci proudly put his hands on his hips, lifting his head with a face full of pride. "Of course!"

So it was true that Luo Ci's mother drank Spiritual Bamboo Wine every day.

So my friend's family is truly wealthy beyond measure... Lin Qi felt a tiny bit envious.

"Young Master Luo, let's go, lead the way!" Lin Qi said, looking at Luo Ci with amusement.

Yuan Xi tugged at Lin Qi. "This might be a bit inappropriate."

How could they go on a mission and take advantage of their junior brother to eat and drink and enjoy themselves?

Lin Qi grabbed Senior Sister Yuan Xi. "Senior Sister, this mission is quite difficult. The Wine Immortal Pavilion is the liveliest place in Ming City, so it will be much easier to gather information. If you feel uncomfortable, we can pay for our own accommodation, and we won't take advantage of Third Junior Brother."

Yuan Xi was swayed by Lin Qi's words.

While she was still hesitating, Lin Qi had already pulled her into the Wine Immortal Pavilion.

Although Luo Ci was short, the moment he stepped into the Wine Immortal Pavilion and flicked the jade token at his waist, the aura of the young master of the Luo Family instantly emerged.

"Where's your boss?! Just say the Luo family is here!"

Lin Qi hadn't expected such boldness and directness.

Seeing the gazes cast their way, Lin Qi couldn't help but want to cover her face.

"Senior Sister, I was wrong! I shouldn't have overestimated Third Junior Brother's intelligence."

The waiters at the Wine Immortal Pavilion had sharp eyes. They immediately recognized the Luo family young master's jade token on Luo Ci's waist and respectfully led the three into a private room.

Soon, a young man, elegant and refined, dressed in white with a golden crown, walked out.

He had a clear and bright laugh and a steady demeanor. "Why didn't Fifth Young Master inform us in advance of his arrival? I could have made arrangements."

Luo Ci tilted his head. "Who are you? Shouldn't the boss here be my eldest sister?"

The man named Chen Yun chuckled. "I am Chen Yun, the manager of the Wine Immortal Pavilion, employed by the eldest young lady."

"Oh, no wonder. Eldest Sister just likes good-looking men." Luo Ci nodded with a serious expression.

Chen Yun unfurled his folding fan and bowed to Luo Ci. "Then I thank Fifth Young Master for the compliment."

Luo Ci was someone who responded to gentleness rather than force. Faced with such a mild and enthusiastic person, he immediately became flustered.

"No need, no need. I'm just here to complete a mission."

He leaned closer and asked Chen Yun, "Have you heard of that demonic beast that enjoys eating human heads and fine wine?"

Chen Yun's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this. "Fifth Young Master is investigating the matter of the Dao Ming Beast?!"

"Dao Ming Beast?" Lin Qi asked curiously.

Chen Yun explained, "That's the nickname the people of Ming City gave it."

He sighed and began to talk about the Dao Ming Beast.

This chapter is 2,500 characters first, and I'll update another 1,500 tonight.

Alright, it's Little New Year today, I was lazy