Mission

Li Yuan's gaze swept over the notices, searching for a task that suited his needs.

Suddenly, his eyes settled on a relatively clean sheet of paper:

[Letter Delivery Mission: Deliver a letter to the abbot of Quiet Heart Temple, thirty li away.

Requirements: Make one delivery every seven days for three months.

Payment: Five taels of silver per delivery.

Note: You must be able to defend yourself to some extent. The route will pass through the outskirts of the Mang Mountain Bandits' territory.]

Deliver a letter? Li Yuan's heart stirred.

It seemed the long commitment had kept anyone from taking it.

There was some danger, but with caution, he should be able to avoid trouble.

After a moment's thought, Li Yuan reached out and took down the notice.

He had just tucked it into his clothes when a low voice sounded beside him. "Taking a mission?"

Li Yuan turned and saw a man standing at his side, his face similarly covered, with only a pair of sharp, bright eyes showing.

"Yes," Li Yuan replied in a deliberately hoarse voice.

The masked man nodded and glanced at the mission Li Yuan had taken.

Without another word, he murmured, "Tomorrow at noon, go to Willow Leaf Alley in the east of Wuxi County. Find the third house and knock three long times and two short times. Someone will answer. Just say you're here to deliver a letter."

With that, the man melted back into the shadows and disappeared.

Li Yuan nodded, memorizing the address.

He didn't linger and soon returned to Blue Stone Village by the way he had come.

The next day at noon.

Li Yuan first went to Willow Leaf Alley in the east of town and knocked using the agreed signal.

An elderly servant-looking man opened the door. Hearing the words "deliver a letter," he led Li Yuan inside.

A dignified woman with a curvy figure, plain clothes, and an elegant air was waiting within. She appeared to be around thirty, with a few crow's-feet at the corners of her eyes. She gave her surname as Chen.

Madam Chen said little. After confirming that Li Yuan had accepted the delivery mission, she arranged for him to come and collect the letters at dawn every seven days.

He would deliver them to Quiet Heart Temple.

The first delivery was scheduled for three days later.

Even after securing a steady source of income, Li Yuan didn't let up.

The route to deliver the letters passed through the outskirts of the Mang Mountain Bandits' territory. Though it only skirted the edge, the danger was still real.

He was a Skin-Training martial artist, but he was still a country bumpkin who had never traveled far.

He wasn't familiar with the roads outside the city, and making the journey alone might well end in disaster.

After much thought, Li Yuan sought out Third Senior Brother Zhao Qin again while training at the Martial Arts Hall.

Zhao Qin was easygoing, and many disciples often asked him for help with things they didn't understand.

"You want to travel with an escort team toward Quiet Heart Temple?" Zhao Qin asked after hearing Li Yuan's request, stroking his chin.

"Yeah. There's no harm in being careful. You've trained your skin to the Ox Skin Realm, and your strength has improved a lot.

"But you don't have much experience in the martial world yet. The roads beyond the city are complicated, and bandits and rogues won't play by any rules about one-on-one fights."

Zhao Qin wasn't a fool. Li Yuan had asked him about ways to earn money just yesterday, and now he wanted to go toward Quiet Heart Temple. It was obvious he'd taken a mission.

But Zhao Qin didn't pry. Everyone had their own choices and fortunes.

As far as he was concerned, it was enough that they didn't harm their fellow disciples or hurt his family.

Zhao Qin wrote a letter and had Li Yuan take it to the Wei Yuan Escort Agency in the city to find an escort named Wang Min.

"Old Wang and I go back a ways. His agency often takes jobs along that route.

"Take my letter to him, and he should do me the favor of letting you travel with them.

"But you'll have to follow the escort's orders on the road. Don't go acting on your own."

Li Yuan gratefully accepted the letter. "Thank you, Third Senior Brother."

"We're brothers from the same school. No need to be so polite. When you're away from home, safety comes first."

Carrying Zhao Qin's letter, Li Yuan arrived at the Wei Yuan Escort Agency and met Head Escort Wang.

He was a burly, dark-skinned, middle-aged man. After reading the letter, he gave Li Yuan a few more looks.

Feeling the distinctive vigor of a martial artist about him, he readily agreed.

"You're Zhao Qin's friend. Just call me Uncle Wang."

"Good timing. In three days, we've got an escort job to Black Water County that'll pass near Quiet Heart Temple.

"Travel with the group, then. You can join us for the time being.

"But according to the rules, temporary hires get a share based on how they perform along the way," Head Escort Wang said.

Li Yuan had no objections. It was exactly what he wanted.

He could reach Quiet Heart Temple safely, complete the delivery, learn the route, and gain some experience traveling beyond the city.

There was no denying that having connections made all the difference. It saved him a lot of trouble.

If Li Yuan had gone looking on his own, he might have had to pass some kind of trial period before being accepted.

After they settled everything, Li Yuan felt a weight lift from his shoulders and went back to the Martial Arts Hall to keep refining his fist techniques.

Over the next few days, in addition to heading into the mountains each day to earn a little money and temper his skin, he began looking for small gangs in the Outer City where he might get a position.

Ideally, it would be a job with plenty of pay and little work, though he could only dream.

Li Yuan also found a shack in the Shanty Town of the Outer City to live in for the time being.

The conditions were poor and it wasn't very safe, but it was cheap and convenient to travel back and forth.

Once he grew stronger and had more money, he could buy a house in the Inner City.

At last, Li Yuan's Consumption skill broke through.

[Skill: Consumption (Minor Accomplishment)]

[Progress: 1/1000 points]

[Effect: Digestion and absorption slightly enhanced]

[Hint: Heaven Rewards Diligence. As long as you're willing to eat, you'll be rewarded.]

"Grrr..."

"I just ate. How am I hungry again already?"

The insight from the breakthrough hadn't flowed into his heart. It had flowed into his stomach instead.

Li Yuan suddenly felt that his ability to eat had improved markedly.

He picked up a few pieces of dried meat and tried them. They seemed richer and more delicious than usual.

He swallowed them, felt nothing at all, yet his body replenished its qi and blood much faster than before.

"So this Consumption skill is about nourishing the body and converting energy." Li Yuan pondered.

Now that the skill had reached minor accomplishment, he feared his appetite would only grow from here.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

At dawn that morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Li Yuan finished preparing.

He first went to Madam Chen's place to collect the letter. It was in a yellowish-beige envelope, carefully sealed along the edges.

A small orchid emblem was affixed over the back flap.

"I won't say more than necessary. Don't think about opening the envelope. If it's damaged in any way, they won't accept it."

"As for your payment, once you deliver it to the abbot, he'll pay you himself," Madam Chen said coolly.

Back at his room, Li Yuan slung his hunting bow and quiver over his shoulder, then packed some dry rations, drinking water, and a short knife for self-defense.

By the time he arrived at the Wei Yuan Escort Agency, the escort team was ready to depart.

More than a dozen mule carts laden with goods stood ready, each flying the agency's flag.

Over twenty escorts and porters bustled about, checking the vehicles and making other preparations.

Wang Min was speaking with another man standing nearby: Head Escort Sun Tong, a lean, capable-looking man with a short beard.

Sun Tong's voice rang out as everyone gathered. "Same rules as always. Stay sharp.

"Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open. Don't ask about what you shouldn't, and don't touch what you shouldn't.

"Follow orders in everything, especially when we cross that stretch of Mang Mountain. Keep your eyes wide open!"