Chapter 21: Business Trip |
“Yes!” Elder Sun suddenly slapped his thigh, startling Deacon Li, who was standing nearby and smugly rejoicing over his narrow escape from death.
Elder Sun did not care about other people’s opinions. At that moment, inspiration struck him, and he remembered the sense of frustration he had felt when attending the Beast Taming Sect’s “Myriad Beasts Reverence Sect Conference.”
On the surface, that exchange conference had been meant to let the various families share beast-taming experience and promote research into the nurturing of spirit beasts, but in reality, open and hidden comparison and competition had been unavoidable.
Especially when each family had to display the tacit understanding between their outstanding young disciples and their spirit beasts, or discuss difficult problems, it had practically been a large-scale show-off session.
“Oh my, my disciple isn’t good at anything except this, but he has a special affinity with the Purple Lightning Lion. At such a young age, he can already command the Purple Lightning Lion to release lightning!”
“My grandson-disciple is truly admirable. Not long ago, he helped a Flame Sparrow groom its spirit feathers, and now that Flame Sparrow is even closer to him than it is to me!”
“...”
Whenever he heard such words, Elder Sun felt a wave of bitterness in his heart.
He had many disciples in the Spirit Beast Garden, and some of them were diligent and hardworking; people like Jin Le could also be considered outstanding.
So much so that in gatherings like that, he could mostly only listen, occasionally insert a few technical questions, and always feel lacking in confidence during the “display disciples” segment.
But this time, the accident that had occurred while handling Lord Fuzhu’s matter had made him notice Lu Fengmian.
This child had not only advanced by leaps and bounds in cultivation, but had also been exceptionally considerate and thoughtful in the way he handled people and affairs. He could even soothe an ancient exotic beast as picky and hard to tame as Lord Fuzhu so perfectly.
This was probably not merely “a little talent”! This was simply inborn beast-taming stock! No, he might even be more formidable than those so-called beast-taming geniuses!
A thought rapidly took shape in Elder Sun’s mind, and that thought became clearer and clearer.
He looked at Lu Fengmian, his eyes full of longing, almost shining: “Martial Nephew Lu! I have something I want to discuss with you!”
Lu Fengmian was startled by his gaze, but still maintained a smile: “Junior Martial Uncle, please speak.”
“It’s like this, I haven’t just returned from the Beast Taming Sect’s ‘Myriad Beasts Reverence Sect Conference’?”
Elder Sun rubbed his hands together, trying hard to make his expression appear a little more amiable and kind.
“The conference hasn’t even ended yet. I was thinking, since you’ve caught the attention of several grandmasters, and presumably have considerable attainments in dealing with spirit beasts, why not attend this exchange conference with me? You can broaden your horizons and also help our Lingyun Sect recover some face!”
Upon hearing that, Lu Fengmian’s first reaction was refusal.
Was this a joke? I was already busy beyond measure, entangled in all sorts of affairs within the sect, running around everywhere like a headless fly, busy from the moment I opened my eyes to the moment I closed them, to the point that even sleeping in had become a luxury.
And now I still had to go attend some exchange conference, and one that was far away? How many things would that delay? Who would coordinate affairs between the various peaks? Who would mediate disputes among the disciples? Who would conduct spot checks on the food in the dining hall? And then there was that enormous pile of system tasks...
“Junior Martial Uncle, many thanks for your kind intentions, but as a senior brother, I have numerous daily affairs to attend to, and I’m afraid it will be difficult for me to get away. For such a grand occasion, it would be more appropriate for junior brothers and junior sisters who are better at this to attend.” Lu Fengmian tactfully declined.
The moment Elder Sun heard that, he grew extremely anxious and was just about to persuade him further, saying that sect affairs could temporarily be handed over to other deacons, or that he would speak to the Sect Master.
Right at that moment, a familiar notification sound rang out in Lu Fengmian’s mind:
【Side Quest Triggered: Accompany Elder Sun to attend the Beast Taming Sect’s “Myriad Beasts Reverence Sect Conference”.】
【Quest Description: As Lingyun Sect’s “all-rounder” senior brother, displaying the sect’s bearing, expanding connections, and resolving issues related to spirit beasts are also part of your responsibilities. Please assist Elder Sun in attending this conference in order to maintain and enhance Lingyun Sect’s reputation in the field of beast taming.】
【Quest Reward: Based on completion, rewards include beast-taming related knowledge, cultivation methods, special items, and more.】
Lu Fengmian: “...”
Fine. Now I did not even have a reason to refuse.
In principle, he had to do his best to complete system tasks. After all, they were related to improvements in cultivation and the unlocking of skills, and those were all the capital he relied on to stand firm.
Fine, then let’s go. He might as well treat it as “working overtime” in a different place?
The smile on his face was almost impossible to suppress. He sighed inwardly, then changed his words and said, “However, since Junior Martial Uncle thinks so highly of me, and since it concerns the sect’s reputation, this disciple is willing to accompany you and do everything within his power.”
When Elder Sun heard this, he was wild with joy. The urgency from before instantly turned into ecstasy, and the wrinkles on his old face crowded together like a chrysanthemum: “Good! Good! Martial Nephew Lu is indeed wise and upright, wholly devoted to the sect! Come, let us set off at once!”
He could not wait to seize Lu Fengmian and teleport back to the Beast Taming Sect’s conference grounds, so that those old fellows who had shown off in front of him before could open their eyes and take a good look!
Jin Le, who had been standing quietly behind him the whole time, could no longer bear to watch. She gave a soft cough and said in a low voice:
“Master, please mind your conduct. Since you are accompanying Senior Brother Lu to attend the assembly, you should naturally present yourself with dignity and propriety. How can you be so careless? This will only make others look down on us for no reason.”
After hearing that, Elder Sun slapped his forehead: “Right, right, right! Le’er is correct! I was too impatient!”
He did his utmost to calm his excited emotions, smoothed out his somewhat messy beard and sleeves, and recovered his usual solemn bearing, though the excitement in his eyes could not be concealed.
“Ahem,” Elder Sun cleared his throat, “since that is the case, Young Master Lu, make a few preparations. We will travel by ‘Cloud-Piercing Ship’. On the way, I’ll tell you about the rules of the exchange conference and the situation of the various families.”
As he spoke, he took out an exquisite jade ship model the size of his palm from his sleeve and tossed it into the air.
The jade boat grew with the wind. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a magnificent flying ship about ten zhang long, with smooth lines, its hull covered in faint mist, floating in the open area outside the Spirit Beast Garden.
The body of the ship was carved with auspicious cloud patterns and spirit beast motifs, brimming with spiritual energy. At a single glance, it was obvious that it was by no means an ordinary item.
“Martial Nephew Lu, please!” Elder Sun made a gesture of invitation, indicating for Lu Fengmian to go first.
Lu Fengmian looked at that ship that could pierce through clouds. It was clearly far more comfortable than riding a sword in flight, and far more imposing as well. Then he looked again at Elder Sun, who was filled with expectation, at the smiling Jin Le beside him, and at Deacon Li, who was still standing in the corner with a face full of curiosity.
Sigh, this sudden “business trip” was unavoidable after all.
He resigned himself to fate, stepped forward, and boarded that ship that shot straight into the clouds.
Elder Sun and Jin Le followed close behind.
The Cloud-Piercing Ship trembled slightly, raised a transparent protective light barrier, and sped toward the Beast Taming Sect.
Standing at the bow, Lu Fengmian gazed at the surging mountains and rivers below his feet, his heart full of mixed feelings.
There were still many matters in the sect that had yet to be dealt with. He only hoped that this “business trip” would not stir up any more trouble.
The cloud ship sailed steadily above the sea of clouds, moving as fast as a streak of light, yet he could not feel the slightest bump.
Formation arrays carved into the hull that gathered spiritual force and absorbed impact quietly operated, calming all the fierce winds and air currents of the high altitude.
Outside the protective light barrier were swiftly receding flowing clouds and the mountains and rivers below that were gradually shrinking; inside the barrier, there was peace and stillness, with only the faint humming of the ship’s body cutting through the air.
Elder Sun’s mood at this moment had completely shifted from anxiety to excitement.
He invited Lu Fengmian and Jin Le to sit beside the elegant tea table on the ship, brewed spirit tea himself, and then began talking endlessly about the “Myriad Beasts Reverence Sect Conference.”