Hong Bao's Bad Luck

"Fairy Caiyi's Flower Civet has suddenly contracted a strange illness. It is growing more irritable by the day and refuses food. Whoever can cure it will be rewarded with five hundred Sect Contribution Points."

This Sect Mission reminded Ye Zhen of the time he had happened to see Fairy Caiyi a month ago. Back then, Fairy Caiyi had been holding Flower Civet and seeking treatment at the Sect Main Hall. Though he had only glimpsed them from afar, Ye Zhen had still noticed that something was wrong with Fairy Caiyi's Flower Civet.

More accurately, he had heard it from Flower Civet's cries.

Ye Zhen had not expected that, a month later, the Flower Civet's problem still had not been resolved. Wasn't this Flower Civet's life a little too miserable? Even its most fundamental need could not be met.

At that thought, the corner of Ye Zhen's mouth curled up, revealing a strange smile.

Of course, what attracted Ye Zhen most was the reward of a full five hundred Sect Contribution Points. Fairy Caiyi truly deserved to be called a True Disciple; she was lavish with her spending.

Ye Zhen had browsed nearly every Sect Mission. Even Human-tier high-grade missions, which required the best among the Inner Disciples to complete, offered at most two hundred Sect Contribution Points.

And among the thousand-odd Sect Missions here, the highest reward was only three hundred Sect Contribution Points. That mission also required three months to complete.

Five hundred Sect Contribution Points were absolutely an enormous fortune for an Outer Disciple. The exchange price of a single Blood Origin Pill was only twenty Sect Contribution Points.

"Sir Deacon, I'll take the final Sect Mission posted by Fairy Caiyi." Ye Zhen pointed at the last Sect Mission as he spoke.

The Sect Deacon in charge of Sect Missions had been dozing with his eyes narrowed. Ye Zhen's words startled him awake, and he immediately widened his eyes and began to curse. "Kid, do you have a fever? Or have those five hundred Sect Contribution Points dazzled you blind?"

"Do you know this mission Fairy Caiyi posted has been hanging here for twenty-one days? Do you know how many Inner and Outer Disciples have taken it?"

"Twenty-three Outer Disciples and eleven Inner Disciples took this mission. The luckiest among them were kicked off Fairy Maiden Peak with one blow. The unluckiest Inner Disciple is still lying in bed, and he definitely won't recover in less than three months.

"That is only because this old man has been discouraging people here every day. Otherwise, that number would have increased by several times at the very least," said the Sect Deacon.

"Heh, that bad?" Ye Zhen sighed softly. Just as the Sect Deacon thought Ye Zhen had given up, Ye Zhen added, "But I'm confident."

"Hmph!" The Sect Deacon snorted and rolled his eyes dramatically at Ye Zhen. "Confident? Before this Sect Mission was posted, several True Disciples interested in Fairy Caiyi—especially that Fan Chuyu—were beating their chests so hard they shook the heavens. They said exactly what you did. And what happened? Didn't they all return with their noses in the dirt?"

"Kid, let me tell you, this Sect Mission is only Fairy Caiyi's last resort—treating a dead horse as though it were alive. Even the sect's elders have examined Flower Civet. You should go do whatever it is you ought to be doing and stop asking for trouble."

"Thank you for your concern, Sir Deacon, but I really am confident!" Ye Zhen said again.

Ye Zhen's words angered the Sect Deacon so much that his eyes rolled skyward. "Kid, you really want to take it?"

"I really do!"

"Then this old man will register it for you. When Fairy Caiyi splits you in half with one palm, don't blame this old man for not warning you!" Once the matter was settled, the Sect Deacon swiftly registered the Sect Mission for Ye Zhen.

"Ordinary people cannot go up Fairy Caiyi's Fairy Maiden Peak. And though you've taken this Sect Mission, it still depends on when Fairy Caiyi has time. This old man can only send her a Talisman Signal. If Fairy Caiyi is free, or is willing to let you treat her Flower Civet, she will naturally come find you," said the Sect Deacon.

"Alright, thank you, Sir Deacon. But please add one sentence to the Talisman Signal. Tell her that I once observed Flower Civet from afar and have an eighty-percent chance of curing it," Ye Zhen said solemnly after pondering for a moment.

For no other reason than next month's pill supply, and to obtain those five hundred Sect Contribution Points, Ye Zhen was going all out.

For an Outer Disciple to earn five hundred Sect Contribution Points, even if he completely abandoned cultivation and completed Sect Missions day and night without rest, it would likely take two or three months, perhaps even longer.

Under normal circumstances, accumulating five hundred Sect Contribution Points would likely take half a year.

"Now I'm starting to believe you really are confident." As he spoke, the Sect Deacon took out a Jade Talisman. As Spiritual Light flashed, a streak of talisman light shot into the sky and vanished in an instant.

"Alright, go back and wait for news. If Fairy Caiyi has time, someone will naturally notify you!"

There was nothing else he could do. Still, Ye Zhen truly hoped Fairy Caiyi would come find him within two days. Otherwise, his sect benefits for next month would be finished.

Today's matter with the Sect Mission had given Ye Zhen a new path for cultivation—Sect Missions.

When he reached a bottleneck in cultivation, he could take on a few missions to hunt vicious beasts, or even Monster Beasts. Perhaps then the bottleneck would be broken through.

Actual combat was, in truth, the best standard of testing and the best path to improvement.

Ye Zhen made up his mind. Once this Sect Mission was complete, he would go claim the reward for breaking through to Blood Refining Fourth Level—a Marrow Cleansing Pill. Together with the reward for taking first place on the Fish Dragon Path, and five hundred Sect Contribution Points to back him up, perhaps he could complete Marrow Cleansing and Body Tempering in one go, break through to Blood Refining Fifth Level, and then leave the sect to gain experience.

Just as he was lost in thought, a figure suddenly shot diagonally toward him from the side. The collision came as swiftly as a golden blade cleaving through the air.

Instinctively, Snake-Wandering Steps flickered beneath Ye Zhen's feet. His shoulder gave an inexplicable shake, shedding part of the force of the impact as he dodged aside. Yet the other person was too fast, and Ye Zhen was still sent stumbling.

"Ye Zhen, are you blind? You dare deliberately ram into me?"

Amid the furious shout, Ye Zhen saw a black tumor beside the man's eye twitching nonstop, tugging along with Hong Bao's furious roar.

In an instant, Ye Zhen understood. Hong Bao was deliberately picking a fight. Ye Zhen's luck was simply bad; on his way back to the peak, he had run into this bully, Hong Bao.

These past days, Ye Zhen had not shut himself away to train. He had mingled among the Outer Disciples of East Arrival Peak and learned much about the place.

For example, in the eyes of the other Outer Disciples, on East Arrival Peak, it was fine to offend the first or third place on the Earth Ranking, but the second-ranked Hong Bao absolutely could not be offended.

Hong Bao could be called a unique scourge who ran rampant across East Arrival Peak. He had fought fellow disciples more than a dozen times, yet rarely received any real punishment. Instead, it was always those Outer Disciples he had bullied who received harsh punishments.

Last year, an Outer Disciple named Shi Cheng had accidentally offended Hong Bao. Hong Bao then picked on him several times. The last time, the matter was taken to the sect, and the final outcome was that Shi Cheng was judged to have a wicked heart and expelled directly from the sect.

Hong Bao was exceptionally strong and was among those most likely to break through to the True Essence Realm and become an Inner Disciple in the near future, so the sect valued him highly. It was said that one of the sect elders also had a special relationship with Hong Bao.

It was precisely due to that sect elder's protection that Hong Bao could run rampant on East Arrival Peak without being punished.

Moreover, although the sect forbade Outer Disciples from fighting privately, among eight thousand Outer Disciples, at least six thousand were hot-blooded men. There were countless daily bumps and frictions, and in moments of anger, throwing a few punches and kicks was far too common.

Therefore, the sect turned a blind eye to private fights between Outer Disciples. So long as no one died or was crippled, and no one reported it to the Guan Peak Deacon, no one pursued the matter.

"Ye Zhen, you deliberately rammed into me, yet you still won't apologize? Do you take me, second on the Earth Ranking, for clay? Let's see how I teach you a lesson!"

With an angry roar, Hong Bao's muscles bulged sharply. A heart-palpitating aura rose from his body. His fist blurred, then smashed toward Ye Zhen.

A layer of crimson radiance actually covered the huge fist hurtling toward Ye Zhen. The moment that crimson radiance appeared, it nearly suffocated Ye Zhen.

"True Essence?" Ye Zhen was greatly shocked. His heart sank without stop. True Essence and blood qi were powers on entirely different levels. Today, he was afraid he would have to suffer a loss.

But understanding that was one thing. Ye Zhen was absolutely not the type to stand there and let someone beat him. If you punched him once, he would bite a mouthful of blood from you.

Ye Zhen's fist moved, and an unstoppable momentum suddenly rose in his eyes. He met the attack with Five Peaks Unite, his entire aura instantly turning incomparably grim and tragic.

When narrow paths meet, the brave prevail!

Only fearlessness could find life amid certain death!

This was a truth Ye Zhen had realized while reflecting on the battles of the past few days.

Sure enough, Hong Bao's expression changed abruptly. Ye Zhen's desperate aura had startled him as well. Yet in the next instant, Hong Bao's aura surged wildly, crimson radiance flashing explosively all over his body.

"Hmph, Ye Zhen, if you want to die, then I'll grant you your wish—"

Smack!

A streak of blue light suddenly descended from the sky and landed on Hong Bao's cheek like a slap. Hong Bao was instantly struck as though by lightning, screaming as he tumbled through the air.

Almost at the same time, a mass of multicolored light pounced toward Ye Zhen. Ye Zhen felt his entire body shudder, and he could no longer move in the slightest. "Are you Ye Zhen?"

***

PS: I had finished writing this chapter long ago and should have been able to update on time, but the power went out at nine and only just came back now. This old pig writes on a desktop computer, so when the power was out, I couldn't retrieve anything. The electricity just came back, so I posted it immediately. Brothers, please forgive me!