A New Assignment

Early the next morning, Lu Zhao left the Zhou family's residence in the Market District and headed for the Nine Abyss Pavilion with spirit stones tucked away on him.

The newly replaced Guest Elder Token at his waist no longer read "lowest rank," but "middle rank."

Under the Zhou family's rules, early-stage Qi Refining cultivators were lowest-rank retainers, middle-stage cultivators were middle-rank retainers, and late-stage cultivators were upper-rank retainers.

Early-stage Qi Refining cultivators received one spirit stone a month, middle-stage cultivators two, and late-stage cultivators four, along with one pill appropriate to their cultivation each month.

Recalling what Steward Zhou Ming had just told him, Lu Zhao could not help pressing a hand to his forehead.

Zhou Ming had just discreetly asked whether he wanted to become a member of the Zhou family. Wasn't that an invitation to marry into the family?

How could Lu Zhao agree? Yet he could not put his refusal too bluntly; he had to spare Zhou Ming's dignity. Though the man had been strict with him at first, he had treated him well in recent years and helped him a great deal.

He could only say, "This is a major decision in my life. Please allow me to think it over carefully."

If there's really no other way, so be it, even if I offend Zhou Ming.

Lu Zhao thought this to himself, though that was not what he wanted either.

As he pushed open the Nine Abyss Pavilion's doors, the bronze bells at the eaves tinkled softly, clear and pleasing as ice crystals shattering. The cold season had already arrived in Changfeng Commandery, and a thin, frosty mist hung in the air.

With Changfeng Commandery entering the cold season, the shopkeeper leaned behind the sandalwood counter, holding a warm-jade hand warmer. Seeing him arrive, a smile gathered at the wrinkled corners of his eyes. "Fellow Daoist Lu, here for more Wind-Pattern Stone?"

"The Zhou family's territory has plenty of water- and ice-aspected spirit materials, but wind-aspected goods are exceptionally rare. Even this Wind-Pattern Stone came from Tianfang Commandery."

"No need for all that, shopkeeper. So you did manage to get some?"

"Some scraps. They don't even add up to half a catty."

Lu Zhao's fingertips brushed the dusty stone fragments deep on the shelf, ice crusted in their cracks. The shopkeeper lifted the velvet cloth and sighed. "This batch of scraps came in this month. They're barely good enough for carving small formations. Two spirit stones for you."

This was Lu Zhao's third time buying Wind-Pattern Stone. A month earlier, after getting some spirit stones, he had learned elsewhere that wind-aspected spirit materials were scarce in Changfeng Commandery.

He had planned to buy the large piece of Wind-Pattern Stone, only to discover on his next visit to the Nine Abyss Pavilion that someone had already bought it.

The shopkeeper had promised to keep an eye out for him when the caravan arrived the following month, however.

Suddenly, the sound of hooves striking ice came from outside. Three Cloud-Pattern Horses galloped past, a spirit talisman affixed to each of their four hooves.

At the sight of the Cloud-Pattern Horses, the shopkeeper's pupils abruptly contracted, as though he had remembered something.

Seeing this, Lu Zhao said without betraying anything, "That business still isn't over, then."

The shopkeeper sighed. "How could it be that easy?"

The shopkeeper waved a hand, seemingly no longer interested in talking.

After three transactions, Lu Zhao and the shopkeeper could be considered acquainted. Through their conversations, he had learned that the shopkeeper was also a member of the Zhou family, sent here to spend his remaining years only because he was getting old.

Lu Zhao nodded in understanding. Just as he was leaving, the old shopkeeper added, "If your new puppet works out, remember to let this old man have a look."

Cold mist spread over the Market District's bluestone roads as Lu Zhao slowly walked toward the West Market.

As he passed a Spirit Plant stall, the old woman selling Rime Grass was arguing with someone. "Moonwater Flowers have gone up thirty percent this year, while Rime Grass has only gone up ten percent! Even the Zhou family's medicinal fields have yielded less this year."

At the beginning of the chen hour three days later, Lu Zhao set up his stall as usual. Before long, three Puppet Guards had changed hands. One of the demon hunters even rubbed his bloodstained leather armor against a puppet.

When he took out his spirit stones, he left an extra bat fang. "Fellow Daoist Lu, your puppets are carved even more finely now. When I explored Black Wind Cave yesterday, it was all thanks to its warning that I avoided the Poison Bats." Lu Zhao accepted it with a smile, knowing that his puppet arts were gradually gaining recognition.

Icicles hung like swords in the mine. Lu Zhao lightly tapped the rock wall with his Spirit Pickaxe, and blue-black cold iron ore fell at the strike.

As he cultivated at the Cold Pool during the you hour, several retainers in the distance looked at the blue-clad figure beside the pool and whispered, "Fellow Daoist Lu's progress is a fair bit faster than even some of the Zhou family's direct descendants."

When Zhou Ming came here again, he looked at the lingering vortex of spiritual power, appreciation flashing through his eyes. "Breaking through two levels in three years would be considered excellent even among the direct descendants."

Hearing this, Lu Zhao stopped cultivating and rose, beads of ice falling from the tips of his hair. "It's all thanks to the nourishment of the Cold Pool's spirit vein."

"Let's speak plainly." With a flick of his fingers, Zhou Ming unfurled a scroll, and a cultivation cave abode appeared within the phantom image of a mountain ravine. "There's a vacancy in the garrison at Green Vine Ravine. The Spirit Spring there is five percent richer than the Cold Pool."

Seeing Lu Zhao remain silent, he turned his hand over and revealed an ice-blue jade token. "Serve there for three years, and you can return to the Lineage."

Lu Zhao accepted the jade token and rubbed its patterns. "Didn't Fellow Daoist Chen Jianghe just return from garrison duty last month?"

After breaking through to the middle stage, Lu Zhao also understood that he could no longer go mining, so he had looked into the situation. Garrison duty at Green Vine Ravine was one possibility he had considered.

"He was careless and cold poison invaded his body. He's recuperating in the medicine hall."

Zhou Ming's smile briefly faltered before he resumed in a gentle voice. "You're different from those who have no hope on the Dao Path. You've reached the middle stage at such a young age. Such an excellent spiritual site is just the thing for quickly improving your cultivation. You can ask the steward at the Retainer Pavilion for the details."

His black cloak swept over the bluestone, leaving behind a seemingly meaningful reminder. "You can also come find me if you change your mind."

Hearing this, Lu Zhao once again confirmed why Zhou Ming had shown him consideration over the past year or two.

Early the next morning, a bronze crane censer breathed out blue smoke in a side hall of the Retainer Pavilion. Sitting at a table, Lu Zhao slowly spread open the dossier in his hands.

Green Vine Ravine required a total of five people on garrison duty. Three people had rotated out over seven years. On the roster, one was marked "seriously injured," another had "lightly injured" circled in vermilion, and the third was marked "normal."

Once the steward on duty saw that he had finished reading the dossier, he took out a shed snakeskin. "A colony of Ink-Scaled Snakes lurks deep in the ravine. Their cultivation isn't high; the strongest are only First-Tier Middle-Grade."

"But they're naturally alert, highly venomous, and skilled at ambushes. The person who was seriously injured back then was ambushed by one."

"Once you get there, your duty will be to repel these snakes and protect the spirit herbs growing there from destruction by Demonic Beasts."

"Why doesn't the Zhou family wipe out these snakes completely? Then there would be no need to station five people there."

"There are so many of those beasts, and the snake king is extremely cunning. Whenever it sees a Late Qi Refining cultivator, it flees into the underground rivers. It's fast in the water, too, and Green Vine Ravine has numerous underground rivers beneath it, with complicated waterways. Late Qi Refining cultivators are unwilling to enter the water."

"Middle-stage cultivators like you, on the other hand, occasionally manage to kill a Black-Scaled Snake King."

After learning the circumstances, Lu Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. This assignment carried some risk, but it was still manageable.

"May I ask where Green Vine Ravine is? Can we return to the Zhou Household Market during our garrison duty?"

After learning about the assignment's dangers, this was what concerned Lu Zhao most.

"Green Vine Ravine is thirty li southwest of the Zhou Household Market. Only three people need to be present each day. You can divide up the specific times among yourselves."

"But let me remind you not to neglect your assignment. If Demonic Beasts destroy the spirit herbs, the cultivators stationed there must compensate for the losses themselves."

The steward answered Lu Zhao's questions, then added another remark out of concern that he might not take the assignment seriously.

Hearing this, Lu Zhao secretly breathed another sigh of relief. His concern was that it would be too far away for him to return to the Zhou Household Market, affecting his puppet sales.

If it really had been too far away, he would probably have had to pull some strings to get a different assignment. As for seeking out Zhou Ming, he would not do that even if he had to shed his affiliation with the Zhou family.

He also needed to find a merchant to work with. It seemed that relying entirely on running his own stall would no longer do.

He also needed to start practicing the Wind-Riding Art.