Dugu Yan thought for a moment, then quickly came up with an explanation.
In the original timeline, she and Ye Lingling had been on good terms, but they hadn't met at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Their elders were old friends, and Dugu Yan had known Ye Lingling since they were young.
Now that Dugu Bo had established himself in the Heaven Dou Empire, he wanted to find a stable path forward for his old friend's family. That was why he had brought up Ye Lingling.
In their younger years, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling had been playmates. They had been apart for so long that Dugu Yan couldn't help missing her. So she wanted to ask someone reliable to bring Ye Lingling from Silvis City to Heaven Dou City.
Of course, she wasn't a fool. She wouldn't entrust this matter to someone she barely knew.
The shop Qin Yuan was in belonged to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and it had once been a jewelry store with an extraordinary ability to rake in money.
The jewelry store had closed just one night ago, and Qin Yuan was now accepting commissions there. It stood to reason that he was someone the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had singled out for a close relationship.
Someone like that was sure to be trustworthy.
Of course, rather than saying Dugu Yan trusted Qin Yuan, it would be more accurate to say she was more willing to trust the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's reputation.
[Three Star Commission Mission detected. Accept Dugu Yan's commission and safely escort Ye Lingling to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Mission complete: receive the max-level Self-Created Soul Skill Virtual Reality Saber Technique.]
A mission the system rated three stars could never be simple.
Take the previous two-star mission, for example. Qin Yuan had thought it was just a simple Soul Hunting trip, but who could have guessed those traitors would suddenly turn on him?
Fortunately, Zhao San was an idiot. He hadn't tried to secretly win the others over, but had put his greed on full display. Otherwise, if they'd been stabbed in the back, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
This three-star mission wouldn't be easy, either. There was even a significant risk lurking beneath the surface.
However, Qin Yuan needed to use this commission as an opportunity to befriend Dugu Yan, then get in touch with Dugu Bo and obtain the Immortal Herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Why are you in such a hurry to bring her here? Since your families have been close for generations, won't she come on her own?"
Qin Yuan asked another question, hoping Dugu Yan's answer would help him assess the potential risks involved.
Dugu Yan scratched her head, looking a little embarrassed. "It's like this. Lingling hasn't been doing well at Plant Junior Soul Master Academy, and there are spies from all sorts of factions there. Her life has constantly been under surveillance."
"Grandpa Ye hasn't sent any word yet, and he won't be able to reach Silvis City anytime soon. If we wait until Lingling graduates from the Junior Soul Master Academy before bringing her to Heaven Dou City..."
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling had kept in touch by letter. After learning what Ye Lingling wanted, she had gone to Qin Yuan.
Of course, she had already been looking for someone before that. She just hadn't found a suitable person to take the commission.
Only two Nine Heart Begonia Soul Masters could exist in any one generation. Whoever got Ye Lingling could monopolize the Nine Heart Begonia legacy, so it was no wonder those factions had their eyes on her.
After Qin Yuan accepted the commission, Dugu Yan relaxed a little, then added, "Lingling and I don't have a token we agreed on. If you explain our history to her, she'll believe you."
Qin Yuan nodded to confirm, then returned to the shop and compiled the details Dugu Yan had given him.
Chen Ze was out looking for suppliers and hadn't come back yet.
Now that Qin Yuan had a mission to handle, he didn't want to linger.
This mission was even more dangerous, and he didn't want Chen Ze getting caught up in it.
He left a letter behind and then departed.
As for the sign outside the shop, he specifically instructed them not to take it down.
That would reassure Dugu Yan, for one, and give him time to accumulate more Commissioned Tasks to sort through one by one when he returned.
Silves City was the capital of the Silves Kingdom.
In his earlier years, Qin Yuan had traveled to many cities across the continent to make a living. Silves City had been one of them.
He knew perfectly well that the Silves Royal Family had won over countless factions, large and small, to consolidate its rule. In fact, as long as Qin Yuan was willing to support the Silves Royal Family's rule, he could even get a modest mansion in the city.
The Imperial Family's indiscriminate efforts to win people over had made the situation in the city exceedingly complicated.
Qin Yuan was familiar with the ways of all sorts of shady characters. Anyone else would have been afraid to get involved in this mess.
He had his reasons for not bringing Chen Ze along, too.
On his own, he could respond to most threats more flexibly, and it would be easier to run if he had to.
A lone man was an inconspicuous target and unlikely to draw the attention of the major factions.
Once he entered the city, he went into a teahouse to rest.
As he drank his tea, he chatted with the waiter now and then.
"Hey, where's Plant Junior Soul Master Academy?"
After graduating, he had had no further contact with the academy. And because he came from a humble background, he didn't qualify to enroll in an Advanced Soul Master Academy.
As a result, he had stopped paying attention to anything involving academies. Although he'd been to Silvis City before, he hadn't bothered to learn where the academy was.
The waiter chuckled. Seeing that there weren't many customers in the teahouse, he struck up a conversation.
"Are you here to apply for a teaching position, sir?" The waiter didn't answer right away, but asked him a question in return.
Qin Yuan suddenly smiled and turned the question back on him. "What makes you say that?"
The waiter had worked at the teahouse for years and met all kinds of people. Now he was showing off his worldly knowledge.
"While waiting for your tea, you were looking through books. If you'll pardon my saying so, you don't seem like a man of great wealth, but you're dressed well. You look like a Soul Master to me."
"I've seen plenty of Soul Masters, but not many read in their spare time. If you're not here to apply for a teaching position, that'd be mighty strange."
The waiter's words gave Qin Yuan an idea.
He wasn't reading to apply for a teaching position. He was simply cramming information about Soul Master cultivation. But now that the waiter had said it, he could apply for a teaching position. Approaching Ye Lingling as a teacher wouldn't seem out of place.
"You're right. Life as a wandering Soul Master is feast or famine. I'd be better off finding a decent academy and getting a stable job."
The waiter beamed with pride, then added, "Sir, becoming a teacher isn't easy. In my humble opinion, you should review what's in your books a little more before applying."
"As for the academy's location..."
That afternoon, Qin Yuan arrived at the entrance to Plant Junior Soul Master Academy.
Plant Academy had junior, intermediate, and advanced divisions. It was one of the oldest academies in the Silves Kingdom.
The three academies stood side by side, and their combined scale was impressive—greater even than Heaven Dou Royal Academy's.
Qin Yuan sighed inwardly.
Back then, it wasn't that he hadn't considered attending an intermediate or Advanced Soul Master Academy.
Unfortunately, after leaving the Junior Soul Master Academy, there were no more work-study student placements. On top of that, he needed to save money to obtain Spirit Rings, so he had no spare cash to pay tuition. With no other choice, he had to make it on his own.
When he reached the academy entrance, he felt out of place.
As expected, the gatekeeper stopped him.
Seeing that Qin Yuan had an extraordinary bearing, the gatekeeper asked politely, "Sir, if you're here to see someone, I can pass along a message for you. But without permission from the academic affairs office, I'm afraid I can't let you into the academy."
Putting his thoughts aside, Qin Yuan explained his purpose. "I'm a Soul Master, and I'd like to apply for a teaching position here. Could you pass along the message for me?"
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