Task

Nothing happened along the way, and he returned safely to the Outer Court.

After arriving at his residence, he summoned his servant Li Jun and his wife, asking about the recent condition of the Green Jade Corn.

"Reporting to Immortal Master, there have been no issues with cultivating the Green Jade Corn. It matures once every two months, but we irrigate it with ordinary spring water. And when we use mortal methods to remove pests and weeds from spirit rice, they return before long, so the harvest has not been ideal."

"Mm, I understand. I'll rent another ten mu of Spirit Fields. Once this batch of Green Jade Corn matures, we'll switch to planting this Golden Corn. Its cultivation method is similar to that of Green Jade Corn, with no special requirements."

He took out the Golden Corn Spirit Seeds he had bought at the Market from his Storage Bag and handed them to Li Jun.

"If it needs watering or the pests and weeds need removing in the future, come tell me in advance. I'll handle it personally."

Previously, he had not understood the spell arts related to Spirit Farmers, so the Green Jade Corn had never grown very well. By the time the Golden Corn was planted, he should have learned those few spell arts as well.

After making the arrangements, Fang Xiao took out the Green Jade Corn harvested over the past year and prepared to use this spirit rice to try brewing Spirit Wine.

According to the Spirit Wine Master's inheritance, brewing Spirit Wine required not only suitable spiritual materials, but also the wine starter used to make it. Different starters were suited to brewing different Spirit Wines.

Fortunately, that Spirit Wine Master still had some unused wine starter left behind.

He then sorted through the starters, found the one suitable for brewing spirit rice wine, and began preparing.

Aside from those special items, the process of brewing Spirit Wine was not much different from the brewing techniques of Blue Star in his previous life.

After several days of exploration and experimentation, he actually succeeded in brewing a batch of Spirit Wine.

It was not over yet. He stored the Spirit Wine in spare gourds, then used spiritual power and a special method to seal it away. Only after opening it roughly ten days later would the effects within the Spirit Wine be fully activated.

Over the next ten days, he cultivated while using the remaining spirit rice to make Spirit Wine.

At the same time, Fang Xiao's injuries improved greatly, though he still should not engage in prolonged battles. Fortunately, he generally ended fights swiftly.

It was time to visit the External Affairs Hall and see what was available. After all, the disciples who had entered the sect a year ago had now reached the time to carry out missions. If there was a suitable mission, he would accept it directly.

After reaching the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, his speed while flying on his sword had grown faster and faster. Disciples often came and went through the sect on flying swords. He did not fly at full speed, so he was not conspicuous among them, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at the External Affairs Hall.

"Long time no see. I didn't expect Senior Brother Huo to be on duty at the External Affairs Hall."

"Junior Brother Fang, you've actually reached the Qi Refining Sixth Layer in just a year. When I brought you to the Outer Court, I thought highly of you and Xiao Yan. As expected, your talent is extraordinary."

"You flatter me. This little cultivation is still far behind Senior Brother Huo's. After arriving at the Outer Court, I've only focused on bitter cultivation. I did run into Xiao Yan once, though."

"I've met him a few times. His cultivation is currently a notch below yours, but I hear he has exceptional talent in alchemy. It is said that a Golden Core Elder within the sect has already accepted him as a Nominal Disciple, and once he breaks through to Foundation Establishment, he'll be taken in as an official disciple."

"Junior Brother Xiao has actually encountered such a fortunate opportunity. It truly makes one endlessly envious. But Senior Brother Huo must not be far from Foundation Establishment either."

Fang Xiao was not particularly envious. Everyone had their own Dao path; he only needed to walk his own path well.

"Mm. Once I assign the first missions to your batch of disciples, I'll return to my clan to break through to Foundation Establishment. Junior Brother, you came to receive a mission, right? I can offer you some convenience. Here is the current list of missions. Choose according to your circumstances, but remember not to bite off more than you can chew."

"Then many thanks, Senior Brother Huo."

Fang Xiao had not expected Senior Brother Huo Daochen to be a clan disciple. He had only heard that the sect had two major factions: the clan lineage and the Master-Disciple lineage. But that was a matter for later. For now, the most urgent matter was choosing a suitable mission.

Guard duty was time-consuming and laborious, so he discarded it first. He could not handle technical work such as cultivating spirit herbs, refining artifacts, or concocting pills. His injuries would recover in a few more days, so taking on an investigation mission would not be a problem.

After carefully weighing his options, Fang Xiao ultimately selected an investigation mission.

"I've chosen. This one."

"Good. Then I wish Junior Brother a smooth journey."

After cupping his hands in thanks, he left the External Affairs Hall. There were still several days before the mission deadline. He could return and make preparations before setting off.

After returning to his residence, he summoned Li Jun and his wife to give them instructions, then followed them to the Spirit Fields. He cast the Minor Cloud Rain Art to irrigate the fields and removed the weeds and pests.

Once everything was finished, he did not linger. He mounted the Jade Boat and flew toward the Outer Court's gates.

The journey would take roughly three days, and Fang Xiao began recalling the mission details.

At the edge of the Tianshan Mountain Range was a cultivation clan known as the Song Family. Their ancestor had been a Foundation Establishment disciple of the Tianlan Sect. Later, with no hope of forming a Golden Core, he married wives and took concubines, establishing the clan here. The Song Family had remained dependent on the Tianlan Sect ever since.

The Song Family had now declined. Including the Song Family Patriarch, there were only two people with spirit roots. The Patriarch was at the Qi Refining Third Layer, while the other was at the Qi Condensation First Layer. In a few more years, they likely would no longer count as a cultivation clan.

Over the past few months, members of the Song Family had been disappearing without explanation. Despite investigating, they had found no cause. Now everyone was living in fear, terrified that they would be the next to vanish, so they reported the matter to the Tianlan Sect.

There was still some lingering bond between them. If the sect ignored them, it would chill people's hearts. Thus, this mission came to be.

After he arrived at the Song Family, someone called for the Patriarch.

"You are Song Qingshu? I am a disciple of the Mingxuan Outer Court of the Tianlan Sect, here to assist with the investigation into the disappearances."

He took out his Identity Token to prove his identity.

"That's right. I am Song Qingshu. Thank you, esteemed sect, for coming to save us."

Seeing Song Qingshu's reddened eyes and deeply worried expression, and hearing him use the word "save," Fang Xiao understood just how anxious he was. They were said to have disappeared, but those missing people had likely already died.

Seeing him like this, Fang Xiao did not sit down. He directly had someone lead him to the places where Song Family members had vanished—from the mountain forests where they had initially disappeared, to people now vanishing directly from their homes.

Song Qingshu was a cultivator, yet he could not see any trace of the culprit at all. He understood that this was simply not something he could solve.

Fang Xiao's cultivation was only at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, but the strength of his Spiritual Sense was already nearing the level of the Qi Refining Eighth or Ninth Layer. Though he had not yet reached the stage where he could project his Spiritual Sense outward, he still discovered some unusual traces at the scenes.

After investigating, he found a wisp of Yin Energy at the scene, so faint that it was almost impossible to detect.

"Could it be a Ghost?"

After Fang Xiao told Song Qingshu his thoughts, Song Qingshu's face turned deathly pale. If it was a Ghost that even he could not sense, then if it could not be dealt with, the Song Family was finished.

Before Fang Xiao came, both he and the Song Family had assumed it was the work of a demonic beast. They had never expected it to be a Ghost.

"But it is still too early to draw a conclusion. Tonight, I will hide nearby. I'd like to see exactly what is causing this trouble."

In the blink of an eye, night arrived. Nothing happened during the first half of the night, and Fang Xiao thought the other party might not appear tonight.

Just when the Song Family members were at their most exhausted, a stream of Yin Energy raced toward the Song Family, attacking a household at its edge.

Without hesitation, he sent his flying sword toward that stream of Yin Energy. If he delayed any longer, someone might die again.

A sword streaked across the sky, and Sword Qi directly dispersed the Yin Energy, revealing the Ghost's true form. It was actually a Yin Soul. The sharp aura of the flying sword seemed to startle the Yin Soul, which transformed into a stream of Yin Energy and fled.

Fang Xiao did not attack again. He rose on his flying sword and closely followed behind the Yin Soul, intending to see whether the Yin Soul was causing trouble on its own or whether someone was controlling it from behind the scenes.