Task

Seeing the mountain hare's reaction, Qin Fengming was overjoyed. Spirit Numbing Powder truly had a remarkable effect...www..com... But to fully understand the medicine's effects, he still needed to find some large animals for testing.

Half an hour later, a sturdy mountain boar weighing over a hundred pounds appeared before Qin Fengming.

Such prey was exactly what Qin Fengming had hoped for. He silently came up behind the boar. Facing it, he lightly moved his left hand, and with a soft clack, five Heart-Questioning Nails struck the boar precisely.

The mountain boar had thick hide and coarse flesh. Though the Heart-Questioning Nails were incomparably sharp, they only pierced its fur and hide; not one managed to enter deep into its body.

Even so, as the hidden weapon mechanism clicked, the sturdy boar weighing over a hundred pounds instantly collapsed, its entire body limp and powerless to resist.

Under Qin Fengming's watchful gaze, barely the time it took to drink a cup of tea later, the boar wobbled to its feet and fled toward the depths of the mountain forest, grunting and squealing.

After these two tests, Qin Fengming had gained an understanding of Cold Star's effects. Faced with this numbing medicine, even an expert with profound inner strength would undoubtedly collapse at once and be unable to rise.

However, Qin Fengming could not predict how long it would take to dispel the effects. Presumably, it would recover somewhat faster than the mountain boar.

Even if it recovered several times faster, with his Azure Cloud Maze movement technique, he could still approach and subdue his opponent without the slightest doubt.

In the days that followed, Qin Fengming returned to practicing swordsmanship and the Lightness Skill.

When the Dark Night Hall Master had departed, he had said that Qin Fengming would receive no missions for two years. After those two years, however, he would officially become a disciple of Dark Night Hall and carry out dangerous missions as a matter of course.

At the thought of this, Qin Fengming secretly felt a measure of anticipation.

Time passed slowly. Every day, aside from practicing his sword, Qin Fengming practiced the Azure Cloud Maze movement technique. Sometimes, he would also go deep into the forest to find wolves, insects, tigers, and leopards and test Cold Star on them.

While practicing martial arts, he also made time to visit Danyun Peak twice, specifically to see his master, his mistress, and his junior senior sister.

Summer and winter alternated, the sun and moon sped onward, and in the blink of an eye, another year passed.

That day, just as Qin Fengming was sitting cross-legged in his room and cultivating his inner strength, a person dressed in black and wearing a black veil over his face suddenly appeared in the courtyard.

The instant the black-clad man appeared, Qin Fengming had already leaped up and shot toward the door.

The black-clad man watched Qin Fengming for a long while before finally speaking in a low voice:

"Not bad. After two years of arduous training, your inner strength has grown much deeper. From today onward, you, Qin Fengming, are officially a disciple of Dark Night Hall and may participate in Dark Night Hall's missions."

As he spoke, the black-clad man raised a hand, and a black plaque flew toward Qin Fengming.

Qin Fengming reached out and caught it. The plaque felt icy cold in his hand, as though it were made of some kind of metal. One side bore the carved character "Dark," while the other was carved with the words "Eleven."

The black-clad man watched Qin Fengming without the slightest ripple of emotion in his eyes and spoke again in a low voice:

"This is your identity plaque. In every branch of Luoxia Valley, all disciples will treat the sight of this plaque as the sight of the Valley Master. With it, you can mobilize anyone in Luoxia Valley. This plaque was made from special materials and cannot possibly be forged. As long as the plaque exists, its holder exists."

"This disciple understands." Qin Fengming bowed and saluted, replying respectfully without saying anything more.

"From now on, whenever I assign you a mission, I will first display the Hall Master's command plaque. Only after seeing the Hall Master's command plaque may you obey and act. Otherwise, no matter who it is, they have no authority to assign you a mission—not even me or the Valley Master. Look carefully. This is the Dark Night Hall Master's command plaque."

As he spoke, a plaque identical to the one in Qin Fengming's hand landed in Qin Fengming's grasp. Looking down carefully, Qin Fengming saw that it bore only the character "Master."

"This disciple understands. From now on, I will recognize only the command plaque." As he spoke, he flicked his hand and sent the Hall Master's command plaque back.

"Qin Fengming, I will now assign you your first mission after joining Dark Night Hall. Make your preparations. Two days from now, go to Haobai City and seize a Jade Box there.

"First go to our sect's branch in Haobai City. Then contact Fifth Senior Brother of Dark Night Hall. At that time, the two of you will go together to a bandit stronghold occupying a mountain sixty li east of Haobai City and retrieve the Jade Box."

The black-clad man looked at Qin Fengming, his tone utterly emotionless, as though it had drifted over from some distant place. After a brief pause, he added:

"For this mission, Fifth Senior Brother will take the lead. You will cooperate at your own discretion. As for the methods you use, judge for yourself. I hear that you have already mastered the Azure Cloud Maze movement technique, one of our sect's three most difficult arts. With such strength, even if you encounter the supreme expert of our Yingzhou Prefecture, you may not be able to defeat him, but escaping with your life should pose no problem at all."

The black-clad man's voice was hoarse, but his explanation was detailed. After raising his hand and tossing Qin Fengming an envelope, he turned and vanished into the dense forest.

When Qin Fengming opened the envelope, it contained only a single sheet of paper. There was not a single word on it, only a drawing of a Jade Box. Flowers, birds, insects, and fish were carved across its surface, while the front bore a keyhole. It looked exceptionally exquisite.

Qin Fengming carefully examined the drawing of the Jade Box. After ensuring that he had missed nothing, he took out a flint and burned both the letter and the envelope completely.

This mission was the first task Qin Fengming had undertaken since joining Luoxia Valley.

At this time, Qin Fengming was, at most, a fifteen-year-old boy. Children his age were mostly still at home, playing with their parents.

For this solitary journey to carry out a mission, Qin Fengming had no choice but to make some preparations. He flew off and found Elder Wu, asking him for a detailed map of Yingzhou Prefecture, and prepared travel expenses. Finally, he selected a fine steed.

As for the things Qin Fengming requested, Elder Wu did not ask the slightest question and simply provided everything he requested to'

At the end, Elder Wu even gave him a detailed account of all the sect's branches. He handed Qin Fengming information on the hidden branches scattered throughout the various regions as well. After telling him to commit it to memory, he had him burn it.

Using a single day, Qin Fengming thoroughly studied the map and the information on the branches. Afterward, he went to the Treasure Pavilion, found a copy of Record of Strange Tales from the Martial World of the Great Liang Kingdom, and carefully read through it as well.

By then, Qin Fengming had gained a rough understanding of the martial world of the Great Liang Kingdom.

Two days later, a fine horse galloped out from Luoxia Valley's hidden base and raced toward Haobai City.

Passing through villages and towns, traveling by day and lodging by night, Qin Fengming finally saw Haobai City appear before him after nearly a month and a half on the road. He had taken no shortage of detours along the way, but with the aid of his steed, he still arrived more than ten days ahead of the date originally set by the Hall Master.

Haobai City bordered Qijia City and Luyu City, the three cities forming the points of a tripod. The city's scale and layout were almost identical to those of Qijia City, and from a distance, it looked magnificent and imposing.

Qin Fengming dismounted before the city gate and followed the flow of people inside. Pedestrians thronged the streets, while cries of vendors hawking their wares rose one after another. The scene was extremely lively.

It was noon, and Qin Fengming's stomach was growling with hunger. His first priority was naturally to fill his belly.

When he looked up, a tall restaurant appeared before him. Three large characters—Juying Tower—hung above the restaurant's main entrance. Holding his horse's reins, Qin Fengming turned and walked toward the inn.