Chapter 83: Urgent Mission

After successfully pushing the burden of the cultivation-method training onto someone else, the sect masters and elders found themselves falling straight into another pit—the daily exams.

Yun Jiao had always been a woman of swift action. If she said she was opening a second training course, she’d send the price list to Tianshi Hall the very next day. If she said she’d change the quizzes from every three days to every single day, she’d prepare a full set of test papers that very night.

But in the end, she didn’t manage to distribute that test paper—because the sect masters and elders, the supposed pillars of their respective sects, became desperate. Or rather, they “pooled their wisdom” and came up with an excuse she couldn’t refuse.

“An urgent mission?” Yun Jiao blinked in confusion.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Hall Master Xu nodded vigorously, even though she couldn’t see him through the talisman. “Fellow Daoist Yun, it’s been some time since your registration in the Hall’s official records. Every promoted Heavenly Master must complete a certain number of commissioned tasks each year. This is one of them.”

“Do I have to be the one to go?” she asked skeptically. There were quite a few Heavenly Masters in Tianshi Hall with higher ranks than hers. “What about the training course?” She hadn’t even started preparing her new teaching materials.

“No rush, no rush!” Xu waved his hands frantically. “The sect masters and elders will quickly select the new disciples for the course. And the upgraded version of your transmission-group talismans—we’ll handle the distribution.”

“You’re sure I’m the only one who can go?” Yun Jiao’s tone dropped with doubt.

“Heh… heh-heh…” Xu forced out a dry laugh, glancing nervously at the other elders behind him, all of whom looked equally uneasy. He could only keep bluffing: “I know you’re busy teaching us formations, but this commission is unlike the usual ones—it requires a Heavenly Master of at least five-flower rank. Unfortunately, due to some delays from earlier matters, all other qualified Heavenly Masters have already been dispatched elsewhere. That’s why we have no choice but to trouble you, Fellow Daoist Yun.”

“You mean you’re trying to skip class, right?” she said flatly.

Xu’s heart stopped cold, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. “Heh… what… what nonsense! How could that be?”

(Absolutely cannot admit it.)

“Oh~ Then why don’t the elders go instead?” she asked with a sweet smile. “Aren’t there still a few senior Heavenly Masters available?”

“Elders…” Xu froze, his mind going blank for a moment. Right—weren’t the elders… doing test papers right now?!

“The elders… are busy with other missions,” he coughed out, forcing a smile. “Truly, only you can handle this one. Once it’s done, your assignment record will be complete—and you can collect your salary.”

“Salary?!” Yun Jiao’s eyes lit up immediately.

“Yes,” Xu said quickly, improvising, “and it’ll be issued together with your commission reward—”

“Got it. I’ll leave right away!”

She shot to her feet. They should’ve led with that! There was pay and commission? Say no more!

Xu: “……”

The elders: “……”

That actually worked?!

(⊙_⊙)

“What’s the location?” Yun Jiao asked crisply.

Xu blinked, momentarily stunned, then hurried to answer, “It’s in Lian Village outside Pingdan City. There’s a branch of the Tianshi Hall inside the city. When you arrive, the disciples there will brief you on the details.”

“Got it. I’ll depart tomorrow morning.” She ended the transmission immediately.

When the red glow of the talisman faded, Xu finally let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He turned to the nervous crowd of elders behind him.

“Well?” someone whispered. “Did Fellow Daoist Yun agree?”

“She did,” Xu nodded solemnly. “She said she’s leaving tomorrow.”

“Excellent!” Faces lit up with pure joy. They collectively exhaled as if a great weight had been lifted. “I’ve got to tell the other sect masters right away!”

Soon the entire hall erupted in chatter as everyone grabbed their communication talismans.

“Master Li, good news! Fellow Daoist Yun agreed! Hahaha—”

“Elder Zhang, great news! It’s done—and she won’t be back for at least ten days!”

“Master Mu! Drinks tomorrow, my treat!”

“Old Fang, did you hear? Remember that chess match from two months ago? Let’s finish it tonight!”

“Daoist Liu—”

Their excitement grew and grew, the whole hall buzzing like a festival.

Until a familiar, calm female voice suddenly cut through the noise:

“I understand you’re all happy,” Yun Jiao said slowly, “but could you not use the group chat talisman for this kind of thing? How many times do I have to tell you—I can hear everything.”

Xu: “……”

The elders: “……”

The sect masters: “……”

Oh crap.

(д)b

——————————

In the end, Yun Jiao decided to suspend classes for ten days to complete the Tianshi Hall commission—after all, they were paying her!

The old man (Old Zhou) had no objections; he even packed her luggage for her. Unexpectedly, the one who opposed it this time was the Grandmaster himself.

“You’re not going,” Ye Yuan said, setting down his bowl of mushroom soup. His face instantly darkened.

At first, Yun Jiao didn’t understand and thought, like before, he planned to appear only at a critical moment. “Then Grandmaster, are you staying in the temple again?”

His expression grew colder. He turned toward her and said, “No one is going.”

“Huh?” Yun Jiao froze. This was the first time her Grandmaster had ever forbidden them from leaving the mountain.

He frowned slightly, as if recalling something unpleasant, before replying, “The outside world is too dangerous.”

He glanced at the soup in his hand again, silently adding to himself: And if you all leave, what am I supposed to drink?

“What danger—” Yun Jiao began, but stopped halfway. Seeing the displeasure on his face, she suddenly thought of those three chicken demons from last time. “Grandmaster, are you worried we’ll run into troublesome people again? Like… those chicken demons?”

His face darkened even further, and after a long pause, he nodded. “Yes.”

“Then why not do what you did last time—attach yourself to a bamboo tube again? That way, no one will see you.”

“No.”

“Why not?” she asked, puzzled. He’d seemed to enjoy that solution last time.

Ye Yuan turned to glance at her, his expression frosty, and after a moment he coldly spat out two words: “The smell mixes.”

…What?

The smell mixes?

What smell? Chicken soup?

Yun Jiao: “……”

Bai Yu: “……”

Just how picky could this man be about food?!

Yun Jiao rubbed her temples. The Grandmaster’s overwhelming charm really was a problem—it transcended species. Whether ghosts, demons, or female disciples, every single one fell under his spell. You could tell just by the piles of love letters arriving at the temple every day.

She’d later learned that during the last public exam, someone had secretly recorded his image with a projection talisman and shared it. Since then, countless messages had poured in from women begging to join the Qingyang Sect.

If people went that crazy just from seeing a recording… what would happen if they saw him in person?

Yun Jiao shuddered. No wonder he hated going outside. But what could she do—she couldn’t exactly ask him to disfigure himself, right?

Wait.

Her eyes lit up suddenly. She turned toward Ye Yuan and asked excitedly, “Grandmaster, do you know transformation arts?” Surely a celestial like him could change his appearance.

“I know a little,” he replied.

“In that case,” she said eagerly, “why not change your face before we leave? If your looks are the problem, then just… don’t look like this!”

(End of Chapter)