Li Chuan naturally wouldn't be intimidated by a few threats from Zhao Bingqian. To Li Chuan, Chu Mengyou was already a woman within his grasp; the only obstacle now was that they hadn't met yet.
As long as they met, their relationship would immediately escalate to an intimate level.
"Senior Brother, you've misunderstood. It's Senior Sister Mo from the Mission Hall looking for Senior Sister Chu." Li Chuan remained composed, even handing Zhao Bingqian two Spirit Stones.
Looking at the Spirit Stones in his hand, Zhao Bingqian's expression improved. "Why is Junior Sister Mo looking for Junior Sister Mengyou? Isn't Junior Sister Mengyou at the Mission Hall for a hunting mission?"
In terms of strength, both Mo Xiangling and Chu Mengyou were stronger than Zhao Bingqian, but since they hadn't competed against each other, and he was the first to reach the tenth level of Qi Refining, he still addressed them as Junior Sisters.
"Thank you for the information, Senior Brother. As for the details, I am not sure either. Farewell." Having obtained the answer he wanted, Li Chuan didn't linger and turned to leave.
Zhao Bingqian couldn't have imagined that with just two Spirit Stones, he had given away his Dao Companion.
***
Soon after, Li Chuan returned to the Mission Hall and directly found Zhao Mingxuan.
Seeing him return so quickly, Zhao Mingxuan was quite surprised. "Junior Brother Li Chuan, are you here to take on a hunting mission?"
Li Chuan got straight to the point, "Senior Brother Zhao, I have a Senior Sister who seems to have taken on a hunting mission here. I wanted to ask..."
Before he could finish, Zhao Mingxuan interrupted with a smile, "Junior Brother, you want me to check what mission your Senior Sister took on, right?
Sorry, Junior Brother, but we generally don't disclose the missions taken by sect disciples to outsiders, as it concerns their safety. Even their Dao Companions can't know."
Generally?
Li Chuan caught the key point and reluctantly handed over two Spirit Stones. "Please, Senior Brother, I have urgent matters with that Senior Sister."
Zhao Mingxuan accepted the Spirit Stones with a smile and said, "Seeing how urgent it is for you, it must be important. I'll make an exception for you, but don't spread it around. What's the name of the Senior Sister you're looking for?"
Li Chuan replied, "Chu Mengyou."
Zhao Mingxuan was about to check a translucent jade tablet recording the information but stopped upon hearing Li Chuan's words.
He looked at Li Chuan with a troubled expression. "Junior Brother, so you're looking for Senior Sister Chu Mengyou. She's one of the top ten beauties in our sect at the Qi Refining stage. Many people want to know her whereabouts daily. If every disciple came here looking for her, I'd be in trouble!"
Trouble? Wouldn't you make a fortune that way? Li Chuan thought to himself, handing over three more Spirit Stones.
Zhao Mingxuan happily accepted them and said, "There's been a demonic cultivator in Willow Leaf Town using infants to craft demonic artifacts. The Qi Refining stage cultivator from the Great Stone Nation stationed there has been killed. This exorcism mission was taken by someone from our sect an hour ago."
"Thank you, Senior Brother." After expressing his gratitude, Li Chuan set off again. This story is hosted at g.com.
As the saying goes, good things take time. The more he couldn't immediately have Chu Mengyou, the more Li Chuan anticipated it.
***
An hour later.
Li Chuan finally arrived at Willow Leaf Town.
Willow Leaf Town wasn't large, but with a population of over twenty thousand, finding one person wasn't easy.
Fortunately, when Li Chuan arrived, he saw a place shrouded in black mist on the west side of the town, filled with sinister energy and flashes of cold light.
If he guessed correctly, Chu Mengyou was already engaged with the demonic cultivator.
Li Chuan didn't step forward to help but instead found a rooftop to wait.
Since he didn't have any sect insignia on him and looked somewhat disreputable, the townsfolk eyed him with suspicion, seemingly worried he might be an accomplice of the demonic cultivator.
However, aside from their panicked glances, no one dared to approach or speak to him.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a scream came from the black mist, which then gradually dissipated, revealing the stunning figure of Chu Mengyou in a white dress.
She stood calmly, holding a long sword.
The sword dripped with blood, adding a touch of lethal aura to her presence.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on her fair face, even her delicate nose glistened slightly.
A gentle breeze lifted her skirt and hair, making her appear even more ethereal.
"The demonic cultivator has been dealt with, and the infant refining will cease. You can rest easy now." Chu Mengyou sheathed her sword as she spoke to the townsfolk.
The townsfolk, captivated by her beauty, only came to their senses when she looked over after sheathing her sword, and they hurriedly bowed in gratitude.
"Thank you, Immortal."
"Thank you for your efforts..."
"Hey, Junior Brother, what are you doing here?" When the villagers looked up, they saw Chu Mengyou flying towards Li Chuan with a look of surprise.
Junior Brother?
Weren't the immortals of the Yin-Yang Sect supposed to be all elegant and beautiful? How could this somewhat sleazy-looking old man be the Junior Brother of this stunning immortal?
Then the townsfolk witnessed a heart-wrenching scene.
The old man, who looked somewhat sleazy in their eyes, took his sleeve and wiped the face of the unattainable immortal.
"Junior Brother, are you here to annoy me on purpose?" Chu Mengyou pushed Li Chuan away in mock annoyance.
Regardless of their relationship, who wipes sweat with the rough sleeve of their robe?
Li Chuan laughed, "How could I be here to annoy you, Senior Sister? I'm here to bring you good news."
Chu Mengyou was puzzled, "What good news?"
"Congratulations, Senior Sister, on earning an extra 50 Spirit Stones today." Li Chuan said, taking 50 Spirit Stones from his Universe Pouch and placing them in Chu Mengyou's hand.
Chu Mengyou's beautiful eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Li Chuan. "You earned 50 Spirit Stones in just half a day? How did you do it?"
She had just killed the demonic cultivator for a mission reward of only 20 Spirit Stones. This time, she was lucky; the items in the demonic cultivator's Universe Pouch, along with his Daoist Robe, could sell for about 100 Spirit Stones.
But for that, she almost got invaded by demonic energy.
If demonic energy had invaded her, her Foundation Establishment would have been delayed by a year or two, so the risk was significant.
Moreover, such opportunities weren't common; sometimes, it took three to five months to resolve a mission target.
Most of the time, their hunting missions involved killing demonic beasts, with a mission reward of only 10 Spirit Stones, and the beast's carcass would fetch only thirty to forty Spirit Stones.
And these missions rarely took just a day or two to complete.
So she found it unbelievable that Li Chuan had managed to earn 50 Spirit Stones in just a few hours.
But then Chu Mengyou realized something was off.
"Why are you giving me 50 Spirit Stones? What do you mean by saying I earned an extra 50 Spirit Stones today?" she asked Li Chuan.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan