Taking on a Mission

"I was just curious, so I came over to take a look!"

Lu Ren smiled.

Qin Yu smiled as well. "That's good. The Outer Sect Contribution Hall also releases bounty missions from time to time. If you come across a suitable one, you can take it!"

"What are bounty missions?"

Lu Ren asked curiously.

"The missions released by the Outer Sect Contribution Hall come in two types. The first type is issued by the sect. Once completed, you can earn contribution points, which can be exchanged for cultivation resources within our sect. The second type consists of bounty missions entrusted to our sect by certain lineages and forces. As long as you complete them, you can earn quite a handsome reward!"

When he heard the words "handsome reward," Lu Ren's eyes lit up.

Right now, he lacked nothing but money.

"Let me see if there are any suitable bounty missions!"

After saying that, Lu Ren began wandering around the Contribution Hall.

On the pillars to the right of the Contribution Hall hung bounty notices for almost every bounty mission.

Lu Ren swept his gaze across them and found that these bounty missions were either escort jobs or missions to wipe out bandits and horse thieves. They were extremely dangerous.

With his current strength, none of them were something he could complete. At the very least, they required the strength of the second level of the Spirit Stream Realm.

However, one mission among them caught his interest.

Mission objective: Kill the flower-picking thief Nie Liuxiang!

Target background: This man specializes in committing evil deeds in Linjiang City, violating innocent young maidens there before cruelly murdering them. His crimes are too numerous and grievous to recount.

Target whereabouts: Nie Liuxiang has most likely set his sights on Wan Cuilan, the daughter of the Wanqian Rice Shop in Linjiang City. Wan Sanqian, the owner of the Wanqian Rice Shop, has now hired two Spirit Stream Realm Martial Artists to protect Wan Cuilan without leaving her side.

Target strength: An Aperture Opening Realm Martial Artist who has opened ten Spiritual Apertures.

Bounty: Twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones

Mission difficulty: Five stars. The four great sects have repeatedly sent Outer Sect disciples to lie in ambush for Nie Liuxiang, yet none succeeded. He escaped time and again.

"Miss Cuilan?"

Lu Ren's heart stirred. He had not expected Nie Liuxiang to have targeted the first benefactor he had encountered after coming to this world.

Two years ago, after he had transmigrated into this world and ended up stranded in Linjiang City, Wan Cuilan had taken pity on him. Not only had she taken him in, she had even introduced him to work as a waiter at her family's restaurant.

Later, Lu Ren had left Linjiang City in pursuit of the martial path.

After becoming an Outer Sect disciple of Qingyun Sect, Lu Ren had long wanted to visit Wan Cuilan and thank her properly. He had never expected her to encounter such a crisis.

Seeing Lu Ren staring at Nie Liuxiang's mission notice, Qin Yu walked over and asked in surprise, "Junior Brother Lu Ren, don't tell me you want to take this mission?"

"I'm somewhat interested."

Lu Ren nodded slightly. "Nie Liuxiang is only an Aperture Opening Realm Martial Artist. Why haven't the Outer Sect disciples of the four great sects been able to kill him?"

For Spirit Stream Realm Martial Artists, killing an Aperture Opening Realm Martial Artist should have been as easy as turning over one's hand.

Qin Yu said, "Nie Liuxiang is extremely cautious. If powerful people are lying in wait to ambush him, he simply won't appear. Moreover, he cultivates a Human Tier High-grade movement technique, the Cloud Crane Steps. Once he uses it, he moves like a white crane soaring through the clouds. Even if his trail is discovered, he can still vanish without a trace!"

"This guy was able to open his tenth Spiritual Aperture. He could be considered a genius, yet he actually became a flower-picking thief!"

Lu Ren sighed.

Qin Yu said, "Nie Liuxiang used to be an introductory disciple of Lihuo Sect. I heard that he obtained an evil technique. By harvesting yin, he could break through his limits and forcibly open ten Spiritual Apertures. Now that he has been committing crimes so frequently in Linjiang City, I'm afraid he wants to open his eleventh Spiritual Aperture!"

At those words, Lu Ren's heart quietly stirred.

If Nie Liuxiang truly intended to open his eleventh Spiritual Aperture, he likely still had Hundred Aperture Grass on him.

With that thought, Lu Ren tore down the mission notice under the astonished gazes of the many Outer Sect disciples.

"Someone actually took the mission to kill Nie Liuxiang? Who is he? He's that confident?"

"Isn't he Lu Ren with the useless bloodline? How did he become an Outer Sect disciple?"

"I heard he obtained the inheritance of Ancient Emperor Tuoshe, but didn't get any benefits from it at all!"

The crowd immediately erupted into commotion.

Seeing Lu Ren tear down the mission notice, Qin Yu was equally shocked. "Junior Brother Lu Ren, do you really plan to take this mission? With your current strength, it's impossible for you to kill Nie Liuxiang!"

Lu Ren smiled. "When killing someone, strength isn't always necessary!"

"Then be careful. I need to go do a mission too!"

"You be careful too!"

Lu Ren put away the mission notice, left the Contribution Hall, and headed toward the Mountain Gate.

Linjiang City was a small city in the northern part of Jiangyun Kingdom.

More than a dozen towns of varying sizes surrounded the city. Merchants from those small towns often came to Linjiang City to trade, so the flow of people was quite staggering.

However, most of them were ordinary people. In Linjiang City, Spirit Stream Realm Martial Artists were figures who stood above the rest.

At the gates of Linjiang City, a youth in a blue Qingyun robe slowed his horse and gazed at the enormous city gate. He could not help sighing, "Linjiang City, I'm back!"

That youth was naturally Lu Ren. After seven days of relentless travel without rest, he had finally arrived in Linjiang City.

"Miss Cuilan, if you knew that the destitute youth you took in back then had now become an Outer Sect disciple of Qingyun Sect, I wonder what expression you would wear!"

Lu Ren smiled, rode his Swiftwind Horse to the city gates, then dismounted and led the horse into Linjiang City.

Looking at the shops, restaurants, and inns lining both sides of the street, Lu Ren was overcome by an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

However, he had no leisure to linger on the streets. After leaving the Swiftwind Horse at an inn to be cared for, he arrived at the entrance of a manor.

This was the Wan Manor.

At this time, guards stood watch all around the Wan Manor. These guards were all Aperture Opening Realm Martial Artists.

When Lu Ren arrived at the manor gates, one of the guards immediately recognized him as an Outer Sect disciple of Qingyun Sect, and a look of reverence appeared on his face.

"So you are an Outer Sect disciple of Qingyun Sect. May I ask what brings you to our Wan Manor?"

One of the guards asked.

"I accepted the mission to kill Nie Liuxiang. I'm here to help your Wan Manor eliminate him!"

After speaking, Lu Ren displayed his identity token, completely dispelling the other party's doubts.

Seeing the token in Lu Ren's hand, the guard became even more respectful. He personally led Lu Ren into the Wan Manor and had him wait in a side hall.

Before long, a young woman in a green dress walked over, her heart weighed down with worries.

When she saw Lu Ren in his blue Qingyun robe, her delicate face went blank. After a long while, she stammered, "Lu... Lu Ren!"

Lu Ren stood up and smiled. "Miss Cuilan, it's been a long time!"

"You really became a Martial Artist—and even an Outer Sect disciple of Qingyun Sect?"

Wan Cuilan was overjoyed, even wondering whether she had seen wrongly.

No matter how she tried, she could not connect the destitute youth from back then with the Outer Sect disciple of Qingyun Sect before her.

After all, an Outer Sect disciple of Qingyun Sect was a dragon and phoenix among men wherever he went, someone beyond the reach of a small merchant's descendant like her.