A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

"Died in the line of duty?"

Upon hearing what Uncle Song said, Zhou Ping was startled and couldn't help but speak up.

As a formal disciple of the Azure Lotus Profound Sect, he was already a person of considerable standing in the cultivation world, yet he still died in the line of duty. This made Zhou Ping's expression change.

Xiao Huaichuan, who was standing to the side, sighed inwardly and nodded at him. His dissatisfaction just now stemmed from this.

This junior brother Zhou looks steady and reliable, so how come he acts so recklessly?

He was very familiar with this task of transporting spiritual materials. He still remembered the fellow disciple who died in the line of duty. He was a late-stage Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivator, whose cultivation was much higher than Zhou Ping's.

Even with such cultivation, he still perished because of this mission, which shows how dangerous it was.

"That's right, it was because he encountered a cultivator during the transfer of spiritual materials that he lost his life and possessions."

"I am," said Uncle Song in a calm tone, his gaze toward Zhou Ping carrying a hint of scrutiny.

"Uncle Song, Junior Brother Zhou is new here and knows nothing about these hidden matters. I hope you will forgive him."

Xiao Huaichuan hurriedly stepped forward and bowed deeply to Uncle Song.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Ping realized that he had acted somewhat rashly, so he bowed to Uncle-Master Song as well.

However, Uncle Song, sitting behind his desk, remained unmoved by their behavior, simply tapping his fingers on the table in silence.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Xiao Huaichuan's forehead. He secretly regretted his rashness in stepping forward, which was completely different from his usual smooth and calm demeanor. He couldn't understand why this matter had caused so much trouble.

Could it be that seeing Zhou Ping recklessly put himself in danger aroused his compassion?

The words just now seemed to have displeased Uncle Song, which made the already quiet atmosphere even more tense.

"Junior Nephew Xiao, you should know the rules here. Once the pen is on the paper, there is no turning back. If you dare to interfere again, you'll have to go to Tianxing Peak."

Uncle Song said coldly, without even glancing at the two of them.

Upon hearing the words "Heavenly Punishment Peak," Xiao Huaichuan tensed up, his face turning pale.

"My uncle is right; I have overstepped my bounds."

Seeing this, Zhou Ping knew that Xiao Huaichuan had been reprimanded because of him, and felt a warmth in his heart. So he quickly said,

"Uncle Song, please calm down. Senior Brother Xiao offended you because of my ignorance. The fault lies with Zhou Ping. Please do not take your anger out on Senior Brother Xiao."

"Since I have chosen this mission, I will not back down. I hope my senior uncle will grant my request."

After Zhou Ping finished speaking, he and Xiao Huaichuan stood quietly to the side of the table, heads bowed, saying nothing more.

After about half a cup of tea's time, Uncle Song finally looked up from the talisman, glanced at the two of them, and said,

"You chose this task yourself, so you can't blame anyone else. Here are the details of that task; take them."

Zhou Ping saw a booklet floating towards him, hurriedly reached out and took it, and then left the room at Xiao Huaichuan's signal.

After the two left, Uncle Song looked up at the doorway and nodded to himself.

This tricky task has been stalled for a long time. Although he dislikes the practice of forcibly assigning tasks, it would be best if someone was willing to take it on voluntarily.

He has already given the other party the right to choose, which is more than enough. The principle of "once you've made your decision, you're done" applies to him as well, and he won't give these juniors a chance to back out.

Moreover, the merit reward for this task is much higher than that of other tasks, so it's really hard to say whether it will be a blessing or a curse for that junior.

On the way back, Zhou Ping repeatedly thanked Xiao Huaichuan for his kindness and learned some of the hidden details of the mission from him.

After listening to Xiao Huaichuan's description, Zhou Ping finally understood why the other party's expression changed drastically after seeing him choose this mission.

It turned out that the fellow disciple who died in the line of duty was a cultivator at the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage. Compared to him, his cultivation level was several levels higher. Even so, he still died during the transfer of spiritual materials. This result made Zhou Ping's heart sink.

He originally thought that as a disciple of the Qinglian Xuanzong sect, with the sect's background as a support, he would not be in great danger when operating within the Liang Kingdom.

As one of the five great sects, ordinary petty people would never dare to offend it.

However, he underestimated those cultivators who lived on the edge of death. Faced with tempting profits, these people had already gone mad. Even the disciples of the five great sects dared to snatch food from the tiger's mouth and take such risks.

"Qin Changqing? Eighth level of Qi Refining..."

After Zhou Ping finished reading the mission booklet, he frowned slightly. He hadn't expected that his partner would be another cultivator surnamed Qin. He wondered what the relationship was between Qin Changqing and Qin Zhong, and whether they were also members of the Qin family of Dianyun.

"You guessed right, this Senior Brother Qin is also a member of the Qin family, and he is quite well-known among us Qi Refining disciples."

Seeing Zhou Ping's doubtful expression, Xiao Huaichuan began to explain.

"Senior Brother Xiao, from the description of this mission, it is to be carried out by two disciples, one strong and one weak. The one with the lower cultivation level is responsible for purchasing, sorting and other miscellaneous tasks, and then handing them over to the disciple with the higher cultivation level, who will transport them to the nearest guard post."

"Logically speaking, the one at greatest risk should be Senior Brother Qin Changming. Why did the senior brother in charge of procuring spiritual materials meet with misfortune? Who would dare to attack him in some towns and near Guiyuan Pavilion?"

Zhou Ping expressed his doubts after reading the mission, and looked at Xiao Huaichuan with a puzzled expression.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Huaichuan shook his head and sighed.

"Look, you already have doubts after just understanding this mission. What does that mean? It means that this mission is not as simple as it seems on the surface, and you could be in danger if you are not careful."

"The other fellow disciples have also mentioned your concerns, but according to Senior Brother Qin's explanation after returning to the sect, this fellow disciple who died in the line of duty fell into the trap of the tribulation cultivators because of his arrogance and carelessness. If he had been more cautious, he would not have suffered such a calamity."

Arrogance and carelessness?

Zhou Ping stared at Xiao Huaichuan in disbelief, speechless. A cultivator who could cultivate to the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage and join the Azure Lotus Profound Sect was certainly no ordinary person.

If his character were truly like that, how could he have cultivated to the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage? In this cruel world of cultivation, he would probably have been eaten alive, leaving not even bones behind.

"Isn't this explanation absurd? But it is indeed the truth that Senior Brother Qin gave us. As for what the real situation is, we have no way of knowing."

Xiao Huaichuan shrugged at Zhou Ping, his face full of helplessness.

"Won't the sect's masters in charge of punishments investigate? Are they just going to let it go based on their one-sided account?"

Zhou Ping put the mission booklet into his pocket, a hint of worry creeping into his heart. He felt that this mission was becoming increasingly difficult and complicated, and the situation was more complex and unpredictable than he had previously anticipated.

He originally had his own ulterior motives; the collection and transportation of these spiritual materials would inevitably allow him to come into contact with numerous spiritual plants and herbs.

If he prepares properly, he can use the mysterious agarwood in his hand to cultivate a large number of various spiritual plants, providing powerful assistance for his future cultivation.

But now it seems that this mission is fraught with unknown dangers and is far from as simple as it appears on the surface.

"Punishment? Heh..."

Xiao Huaichuan couldn't help but chuckle, then continued,

"Do you know who the Celestial Punisher is?"