Chapter 105: A Different Master

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The timing of Ji Yao’s arrival was rather unfortunate—there was not a single soul around. The few bamboo huts in the distance were silent; obviously, everyone was away. After some thought, Ji Yao decided to make a trip to the Enforcement Hall. After all, since returning, apart from initially meeting Mo Daoyan, her foundation establishment had been so sudden that she hadn’t even had time to greet anyone before retreating into three months of seclusion.

She had missed the deadline to submit her sect task at the Sect Affairs Hall. She still had nearly two hundred Qi Xian herbs that hadn’t been handed in yet, and that was quite a substantial amount. If she kept them to herself, it would truly be a waste.

Having completed foundation establishment, these herbs were of little use to her. Some of the Qi Xian herbs lacked roots and needed to be quickly refined into pills to preserve their spiritual energy.

Since she couldn’t refine pills herself, exchanging these herbs for spirit stones might arouse suspicion. It was better to ask her master for help, deliver the herbs to the Sect Affairs Hall, and thus settle this matter once and for all.

Ji Yao arrived at the Enforcement Hall just in time. No one else was there except Mo Daoyan, who was leafing through some dossiers. As Ji Yao appeared at the hall’s entrance, Mo Daoyan was just putting away the files into a drawer.

Only after receiving her master’s permission did Ji Yao step inside and respectfully bow.

Mo Daoyan fixed his gaze on her, then nodded. “Not bad. Although your foundation establishment was rushed, your basics are solid, your spiritual power is steady, and your aura is calm. It seems your cultivation has stabilized. It’s time to set a date for your formal apprenticeship ceremony.”

Although Mo Daoyan’s tone was casual, Ji Yao’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. The words she had vowed to herself still rang in her ears; looking back, they seemed a bit pretentious. She wondered what her master had thought upon hearing them.

“It’s entirely up to you, Master!” she replied.

Seated at the head, Mo Daoyan observed Ji Yao’s expression and smiled slightly. “Three days from now is an auspicious day. Let’s set it for then. By that time, your senior brothers will have finished their tasks and returned. You wouldn’t want to miss the chance to receive gifts, would you?”

Uh, that was a direct hit. Ji Yao truly couldn’t refuse—after all, those senior brothers were among the few wealthy sword cultivators. Her modest belongings desperately needed some sponsorship to prepare for upcoming travels.

“All right!” she answered. Could she say her master was just too considerate?

“You didn’t come just to tell me you’ve emerged from seclusion, did you? If you have anything else, you might as well say it all at once.” This girl was very straightforward, only appearing when there was something important. Mo Daoyan felt his role as a master was rather unremarkable.

“Oh! I almost forgot the main matter,” Ji Yao patted her head and said, “Master, regarding the sect task in the Qi Xian secret realm, I missed the deadline because of foundation establishment. Is there any way for me to still submit it now? Even if the rewards are reduced, it’s fine.”

“Hmm, how many do you have?” Mo Daoyan considered that if the quantity wasn’t large, Ji Yao could handle it herself. Because she wasn’t part of the Enforcement Hall, the rewards for this task were limited. If they could supplement the rewards from other sources, that would be better.

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After all, the sect task rewards mainly consisted of foundation pills and contribution points. No need to mention the pills—Ji Yao no longer required them.

As for contribution points, if the number of Qi Xian herbs was too small, the points gained might be less practical than simply completing a few sect tasks. In that case, it would be more useful to exchange the limited herbs at the task hall for bounty spirit stones.

Ji Yao hadn’t thought that far. After counting carefully, she said, “I have one hundred ninety-eight.”

Wow! That was quite a lot!

Mo Daoyan knew well that among those who returned from the secret realm, the one who collected the most Qi Xian herbs had only submitted a little over one hundred. His quiet little disciple had gathered so many without a word—this quantity was certainly not something the sect could ignore.

“Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll give you a task token.” Saying this, Mo Daoyan produced a specially crafted wooden token. After sealing some information into it, he handed it to Ji Yao.

“Take this token to the Sect Affairs Hall to submit the task. You don’t have to hand in all of them—just one hundred eighty will do. The remaining eighteen, you can check the task hall. At times like this, there are always many tasks offering bounties for Qi Xian herbs. You can exchange the leftover herbs for some spirit stones there.”

Mo Daoyan had estimated Ji Yao had only a dozen or so herbs, but now that she had over ten times that amount, withholding eighteen was no big deal.

Uh, is that allowed? So even the head of the Enforcement Hall shows favoritism!

What Ji Yao didn’t know was that in previous Qi Xian secret realms, disciples who gathered Qi Xian herbs never turned in all of them for tasks; they always kept a few to exchange for spirit stones.

As long as the herbs didn’t leave the sect, the Sect Affairs Hall would turn a blind eye—this was an unspoken convention. Only Ji Yao, who hadn’t yet caught wind of this, was unaware of the custom.

When she finally learned this, she realized how long it had been since she’d been enthusiastic about her gossip pursuits; information lag was a serious problem.

Ji Yao quickly accepted the wooden token and thanked Mo Daoyan, “Thank you, Master. Is there anything else I should be mindful of?”

At that moment, she realized that Mo Daoyan was the most well-informed person around—he just didn’t show it, and no one dared to pry.

Mo Daoyan understood his little disciple’s meaning. That familiar look appeared again—the sensitivity to information was what had first caught his attention. He’d thought she wouldn’t show it in public, but this time she was boldly using it on him.

Her courage and confidence were certainly unusual! Since the information was harmless, there was no harm in telling her.

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A smile appeared on Mo Daoyan’s face, his handsome features suddenly more approachable, which put Ji Yao at ease.

“After you submit the Qi Xian herbs, if you don’t want the foundation pill, your contribution points should be higher. Along with the rewards from the Enforcement Hall, you should have enough contribution points to choose a fine spiritual weapon.

“Of course, if you have your eye on something better and your points fall short, you can also ask Lu Ming or Bai Yun. As your senior brothers, they’ll help you fulfill your wishes.”

Ji Yao blinked at Mo Daoyan, as if she’d never seen this side of the Enforcement Hall chief before. Did Senior Brother and Brother Mu know you were so calculating?

After speaking, Mo Daoyan picked up his teacup but couldn’t hide the slight upturn of his lips and the gleam in his eyes. “By the way, Lu Ming told me to tell you to keep the Snow Dust Sword. He’ll help you upgrade the flying sword to a spiritual weapon when he returns.”

“Yes, thank you for your guidance, Master!” Ji Yao quickly took the Snow Dust Sword from her storage treasure and placed it on the low table beside Mo Daoyan.

“Master, then I’ll go submit the task first!”

“Remember not to exchange contribution points for flying tools or defensive clothing,” came a voice in her ear—she realized her master was transmitting this to her.

Looking up, Ji Yao saw Mo Daoyan’s half-closed eyelids lift slightly in her direction. Everything was understood without words. Ji Yao happily bade farewell, “Master, please continue your work. Your disciple takes her leave!”

On the path from Tianlü Peak to the Sect Affairs Hall, Ji Yao hummed a cheerful tune as she walked along.

Passing disciples from Tianlü Peak saw a smiling young girl humming a lively melody with light steps—the scene brightened the eyes of countless male disciples.

The scenery of Tianlü Peak suddenly seemed far less monotonous!