The moment the cultivator surnamed Yu finished speaking, the General Affairs Hall erupted.
A round-faced cultivator near the door hurriedly rubbed his hands together. "An assignment to an outpost? This new disciple's luck couldn't be worse! For their first five-year assignment, doesn't everyone do odd jobs at one of the halls to gain experience?"
The cultivator beside him pressed a hand to his forehead, his tone full of bewilderment. "Exactly! I've heard Yellow Bamboo Island is a low-grade tier-one island, with less than half the spiritual energy of Outer Disciple Peak. If he can't reach the middle Qi Refining stage within five years, won't his path to immortality be cut short?"
"That's not all!" An older cultivator with a goatee sighed in the corner. "Last year, I heard an inner sect disciple say that hardly any cultivators are willing to be stationed there, and cultivation resources are much scarcer than here in the sect. Could this junior brother have accidentally offended someone?"
Yue Ting hurriedly tugged at Qing Chen's sleeve, his guileless smile long gone, his face full of worry:
"Brother Qing, did you accidentally offend some steward? Why don't we go plead with them?"
Qing Chen said nothing, feeling somewhat puzzled himself.
Over the past three years, he had barely left his cave dwelling. Even when he went out to buy demonic beast corpses, he had worn a cloak and mask and concealed his aura with the Demon Seed Golden Lotus. How could he have offended anyone?
If I had the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, I'd refine whoever was behind this!
He cursed viciously inwardly, but his face remained calm as he etched the appearance of the cultivator surnamed Yu into his memory.
Even if the man were reincarnated in his next life, Qing Chen would recognize him at a glance.
Of course, Qing Chen was actually quite unwilling to do odd jobs at the various halls.
Doing odd jobs at a hall was the real pitfall. Not only did it earn few contribution points, but he would also be under someone else's supervision. Even going out to find demonic beasts would be difficult.
Although spiritual energy was sparse on Yellow Bamboo Island, he relied on the Brahma Demon-Refining Art. As long as he killed enough demonic beasts and accumulated enough blood essence, the effects of the thin spiritual energy would amount to nothing.
Moreover, Yellow Bamboo Island was only a few thousand li from the main island. Foundation Establishment cultivators could reach it in a few hours, so powerful demonic beasts dared not approach, while experts thought it beneath their notice. It was perfectly safe.
But this "good fortune" depended on his possessing the Demon Seed Golden Lotus and the Brahma Demon-Refining Art.
Without those two arts, he would probably be crying and begging the steward to change his assignment now.
At that thought, his hatred for the cultivator surnamed Yu deepened further-this man clearly intended to cut off his path.
When collecting his stipend from the General Affairs Hall, Qing Chen accepted the storage pouch without expression.
According to the rules, those dispatched to guard an island could collect five years of their stipend at once: one hundred and eighty low-grade spirit stones and a bottle of Qi Accumulation Pills containing ten pills. Contribution points would be settled when they returned after five years.
He squeezed the storage pouch, but felt not the slightest joy.
In the past, he would already have taken the spirit stones to the market to buy demonic beast corpses. But this assignment was too suspicious. Until he found out who was behind it, he would have no peace, eating or sleeping.
Back in his cave dwelling, Qing Chen tossed the storage pouch onto the stone table and sat on a meditation cushion to think:
Qing Chen carefully recalled his three years of cultivation. Using disguise techniques, masks, and the aura-concealing method within the Demon Seed Golden Lotus, he had always taken great care to hide his identity.
Those disciples in the early and middle Qi Refining stages could not possibly have discovered his whereabouts.
Nor would they pay any attention to a disciple who bought only ordinary tier-one demonic beast corpses.
The only person he had dealt with was Qin Zigu of the Scripture Repository.
But he had given Qin Zigu a Qi Accumulation Pill at the time, and there was no enmity between them. Why would Qin Zigu harm him?
After pondering for a long while without finding an answer, Qing Chen simply changed into a clean gray robe and headed for the bamboo grove on Outer Disciple Peak.
He needed to ask Xie Yu. With long sleeves, Xie Yu danced well in social circles and was better informed than he was.
Beside the pavilion in the bamboo grove, Xie Yu was sitting on a stone stool, drinking tea.
"We haven't seen each other in three years, Brother Xie. Your cultivation has grown ever more profound." In a pavilion within the bamboo grove on Outer Disciple Peak, Qing Chen cupped his hands to Xie Yu.
Seeing Qing Chen approach, he hurriedly rose and cupped his hands. "Haha, Brother Qing, you endured three years of solitude, meditating and cultivating without taking a single step outside your cave dwelling. You truly put me to shame."
Qing Chen gave a bitter laugh. "Haha, after three years without going out, who would have thought my first trip outside would turn into a five-year journey far from home? My luck really is poor."
"Speaking of that, Brother Qing, did you offend Senior Brother Yu, or Senior Brother Mo?" Xie Yu looked at Qing Chen with some concern.
Qing Chen shook his head. "No. This was my first time meeting Senior Brother Yu. As for Senior Brother Mo, I don't even know who he is."
"That's strange."
Xie Yu set down his teacup and lowered his voice slightly. "I thought you had offended Senior Brother Mo, because ordinary General Affairs Hall disciples have no authority to alter sect assignments like this. Only the hall's stewards can do that, and Senior Brother Yu is Deacon Mo's trusted right-hand man."
Something stirred in Qing Chen's mind, and he hurriedly asked, "Then what sort of relationship does Deacon Mo have with Qin Zigu of the Scripture Repository?"
"Qin Zigu?"
Xie Yu froze for a moment, then smiled. "Oh, Senior Brother Mo, Senior Brother Yu, and Senior Brother Qin have always been very close. The three of them are sworn brothers! Back before Deacon Mo entered the inner sect, he did odd jobs in the outer sect alongside Senior Brother Yu and Qin Zigu."
"Later, Deacon Mo offered up a cultivation art, advanced to the late Qi Refining stage, and became an inner sect disciple and a steward. He then arranged for Senior Brother Yu to go to the General Affairs Hall and Qin Zigu to the Scripture Repository. It's even considered a fine tale within the sect."
"So, Brother Qing, if you've offended any one of them, it would be best to resolve the conflict as soon as possible."
Qing Chen's fingers abruptly tightened around his teacup.
So that was it!
Qin Zigu was Deacon Mo's man. When I chose the Brahma Demon-Refining Art back then, Qin Zigu must have told Deacon Mo!
Qing Chen said to Xie Yu, "Thank you for the warning, Brother Xie. I'll certainly make sure to 'resolve the conflict' with all three of them. But just who is this Senior Brother Mo, and how might I pay him a visit?"
Xie Yu explained, "Oh, Senior Brother Mo's name is Mo Qiuxian. Although he's a steward of the General Affairs Hall, he's still an inner sect disciple, so his cave dwelling remains on Inner Sect Peak.
"If you wish to visit him, you can go look for him on Inner Sect Peak. Although Senior Brother Mo only has a low-grade spiritual root, he's quite a prominent figure in the inner sect."
"Oh, right, there's a cultivation art called the Brahma Demon-Refining Art in the Scripture Repository." Not noticing anything unusual about Qing Chen, Xie Yu continued, "That was the art Deacon Mo offered up!"
"He found it in some ruins in his early years. After offering it up, he received a large sum of contribution points, which allowed him to break through to the late Qi Refining stage and enter the inner sect. Deacon Mo's original name is Mo Qiuxian. Although he has a low-grade spiritual root, he holds considerable authority in the General Affairs Hall."
Qing Chen felt a buzzing in his head. Mo Qiuxian!
He was the one who offered up the Brahma Demon-Refining Art!
"Thank you for telling me, Brother Xie."
Qing Chen forced a faint smile and stood up. "I still need to go back and pack. I have to leave within three days, so I won't disturb you any longer."
"Take care, Brother Qing!" Xie Yu cupped his hands.