Under the curious gazes of four pairs of bright eyes, Jiang Beiran took a jade bottle from his Universe Ring and said to them, "This is Hundred Flowers Honey that I brewed myself. It is made by gathering the essence of a hundred flowers, and its fragrance can help refresh your mind and clear your head."
"Wow, Senior Brother, you can even brew honey yourself?"
"Senior Brother, can you let me see what this honey looks like?"
"Senior Brother, can I have a taste?"
Seeing the three faces of the Yu Family Three Sisters crowding close, Jiang Beiran gave a forceful cough and swept them with a sharp gaze.
"Mm..." Realizing they had broken the rules, the Three Sisters hurriedly retreated to their original positions.
Nodding, Jiang Beiran opened the bottle of Hundred Flowers Honey and looked at the five junior sisters. "The bottle of Hundred Flowers Honey in my hand contains the essences of Cold Locked Plum Blossom, Golden Cherry Seed, Velvet Grass Flower, Fire Azure Tree, and other plants. It is highly effective at replenishing blood and qi, moisturizing the skin, preserving one's appearance, and enhancing beauty."
Upon hearing those final eight words, the eyes of the Yu Family Three Sisters and Liu Zijin immediately gleamed brightly. Even Fang Qiuyue, who had kept her head turned away and refused to look over, could not help pricking up her ears.
Seeing this, Jiang Beiran's lips curled slightly. "It seems all of you Junior Sisters are very interested in this bottle of Hundred Flowers Honey. How about this? The Junior Sister who performs the best during this operation will receive a bottle from me."
The Yu Family Three Sisters immediately cheered. Though they could not be sure whether the effects Jiang Beiran described were real, it was free anyway, so there was no harm in believing it a little. Besides, the Hundred Flowers Honey really did smell wonderful—better than any rouge or face powder they had ever bought.
Putting away the Hundred Flowers Honey that had already achieved its effect, Jiang Beiran looked at the five of them and asked, "How is it? Do the shoes fit? No need to report this time. Just answer directly."
"Mine... seem a little tight," Yu Guishui answered.
Jiang Beiran glanced briefly at Yu Guishui's feet, roughly determined her size, and said, "Mm, take them off and give them to me. I'll alter them for you."
"Then I'll trouble you, Senior Brother." Yu Guishui took off her Straw Shoes and handed them to Jiang Beiran.
Taking the Straw Shoes, Jiang Beiran directly pulled out a stalk of Wula Grass from his Universe Ring and began weaving it in.
Watching the Straw Shoes grow larger at a speed visible to the naked eye, Yu Guishui blinked in astonishment. "Senior Brother, your hands are so dexterous."
Yu Guizhui also leaned over from the side. "This is already beyond merely dexterous hands, isn't it? Senior Brother, what kind of weaving method is this? How can you keep weaving onto Straw Shoes that have already been finished?"
But Jiang Beiran did not answer. He silently finished weaving the Straw Shoes, then handed them to Yu Guishui. "All right. Try them again."
Taking the Straw Shoes with an incredulous expression, Yu Guishui carefully put them on and tried them.
"Wow, they really fit now! Senior Brother, you're amazing."
Seeing the other two sisters about to start clamoring again, Jiang Beiran quickly called out, "All right, no noise. Does anyone else have a problem with their Straw Shoes?"
The remaining four all shook their heads.
They're actually all the same size...
Jiang Beiran had originally woven so many Straw Shoes as spares, so he had made them all in the same small size. If they proved too small, it would be convenient for him to alter them. But now, it seemed that would not be necessary.
"Since there are no problems, let us set out for the Hall of Management to accept a Trial Mission."
"Yes!"
Leading the five Junior Sisters, who were no longer quite so dazzling, Jiang Beiran immediately felt much less pressure. At the very least, those senior brothers passing by them would no longer keep looking back.
Making his way expertly to the Hall of Management, Jiang Beiran had only just entered when he heard someone call his name.
"Junior Brother Beiran?"
Hearing that familiar voice, Jiang Beiran immediately turned around and cupped his hands. "Greetings, Senior Brother Qin."
Returning the greeting with cupped hands, Qin Muyuan smiled. "Here to fulfill the duties of an Iron Seal again?"
"Yes." Jiang Beiran nodded, then turned to introduce the five Junior Sisters. "This is Qin Muyuan, Senior Brother Qin, a very responsible Flower Crown."
A Flower Crown was a manager in the Hall of Management specifically responsible for issuing Trial Missions and conducting follow-up investigations to determine whether the evaluations were fair. They were generally selected by the Hall of Management's Virtue Tablets from among outstanding Iron Seals, so most of them were quite young.
A Virtue Tablet had once wanted to promote Jiang Beiran to Flower Crown as well, but his Cultivation Power was simply too low to convince the masses, so the matter had to be dropped.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Qin." Liu Zijin and the other four bowed together.
When he heard the five Junior Sisters greeting him, Qin Muyuan suddenly froze, unable to suppress his confusion.
Were there five Junior Sisters standing behind Junior Brother Beiran just now?
Yet he could not lose his manners, so Qin Muyuan did not dwell on it for long. He returned the bow with cupped hands. "Qin Muyuan of the Ten Thousand Swords Hall greets all Junior Sisters."
After both sides had become acquainted, Jiang Beiran cupped his hands toward Qin Muyuan. "Senior Brother Qin, I will be the Iron Seal for these five Junior Sisters this time. Please issue us a Trial Mission."
Qin Muyuan was stunned again, his eyes full of surprise. He had known Jiang Beiran for many years, and in his memory, Jiang Beiran had never taken female disciples down the mountain for trials. Yet this time, he had brought five at once?
Seeing Qin Muyuan's utterly astonished expression, Jiang Beiran also had a bellyful of bitterness he wanted to pour out. But he knew complaining would be useless, so he simply cupped his hands again. "I'll trouble you, Senior Brother Qin."
Only then did Qin Muyuan come back to himself. Nodding, he said, "All right, follow me."
After going through the entire, exceedingly familiar mission-acceptance process, Qin Muyuan told Jiang Beiran about this Trial Mission.
"Gather Wealth Village in Dragon Mountain Town has recently encountered several child abduction cases. The villagers are extremely anxious. Set out today and investigate the matter."
With that, Qin Muyuan placed a sheet of paper covered in writing on the table.
"This disciple accepts the order." After responding, Jiang Beiran took an Iron Seal bearing his name from his Universe Ring and pressed it firmly onto the paper. This represented that he would take responsibility for the matter as its Iron Seal.
"May Junior Brother Beiran have a smooth journey." After saying that, Qin Muyuan felt that something was off. Only then did he seem to remember something and add to the five Junior Sisters, "And the same to all of you Junior Sisters."
Strange. Why do I keep overlooking these five Junior Sisters? Could it be that they cultivate some kind of breath-concealing art? That really would be impressive. To reach such a realm at such a young age...
"Thank you, Senior Brother." Liu Zijin and the other four immediately bowed to Qin Muyuan.
"Mm. On the road, remember to listen to Junior Brother Beiran. He is one of the Returning Heart Sect's rare outstanding Iron Seals. You will surely be able to learn much from him."
"Yes." The Five Girls answered in unison, though what each of them thought was entirely different.
Liu Zijin was neither surprised nor astonished, because she had specifically sought Jiang Beiran out precisely because she knew how capable he was.
Fang Qiuyue, however, was somewhat disdainful. She felt that Jiang Beiran was praised by so many people only because he was cowardly enough. In truth, he did not have any real ability at all.
The Yu Family Three Sisters grew increasingly curious about Jiang Beiran. At first, when Protector Yu said she had found them a very capable Iron Seal, they had not paid it much mind. After all, an Iron Seal was just an Iron Seal. They thought they were all about the same—merely leading new disciples through some very simple trials. How capable could one possibly be?
But after meeting him, Jiang Beiran's series of actions made them feel as though this Senior Brother was a bag of treasures, able to pull anything out of it. He also possessed a pair of dexterous hands far beyond anything they could imagine.
And now, he was receiving such lavish praise from a Flower Crown.
He seemed... to really be a very capable Senior Brother?
The contract has been completed, and today I finally received my first recommendation. Updates will become twice daily.
I hope everyone will continue supporting me. The more recommendation votes you cast, the more motivated I will be to update.
Thanks to Pianpian Gongzi Hai for the alliance leader reward.
Thanks to reader windlands for the 1,000 Qidian coins, reader 1242734845570129920 for the 500 Qidian coins, Zhong Hua Yi Min for the 500 Qidian coins, Yuanfen De Tiankong for the 100 Qidian coins, Huang Zhang De Miao Lun for the 100 Qidian coins, Bu Pa Chu Ming Zhu Da Zhuang for the 100 Qidian coins, and Mao De Ge Na Ku for the 100 Qidian coins.
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