As soon as Luo Qingyu lay down on her bed, 007 popped out from the system space and spoke up excitedly, 【Host, where are my skewers?】
Luo Qingyu pulled a small package of grilled meat skewers out of her storage ring and tossed them to 007.
Thinking back to the way her Third Senior Brother had looked at her earlier, Xue Yu had actually thought she was packing them up for Ye Qinghan. She had been so anxious that she almost swore an oath that they were for Qiuqiu and Pikachu before her Third Senior Brother finally believed her.
Clutching the skewers, 007 took a large bite and reminded her.
【Host, the upcoming main quest will involve the Demon Saintess, and there's a full two-month gap in between. Do you still want to continue with this background side quest?】
Luo Qingyu thought about it and said slowly, “Let's finish this part of the plot first. If there's enough time left, I'll go look for clues.”
“Oh, right. Send a message to Qi Yan for me and ask him to look into the Luo family.”
007 swiped on its screen and gave a thumbs-up gesture. 【Done, Host! It's been sent. Qi Yan said he'll send whatever information he finds to your jade slip in a couple of days.】
Luo Qingyu gave a soft hum, her arms tightly hugging her pillow without letting go.
Two months was neither long nor short.
The Yunshui City plot was about to begin, and with the sect temporarily peaceful and quiet, it gave her a perfect opportunity to catch her breath and search for the truth about the Luo family.
007 finished its last skewer, and its screen flashed. 【Host, Qi Yan is highly efficient, so it shouldn't take too long. Once we get the clues about the Luo family, we can uncover the original owner's past!】
Luo Qingyu lowered her eyes and chuckled softly, a trace of complex emotion hidden deep within them.
She had disguised her identity for so long, living in the Changming Sect in the original owner's body, yet her true past remained shrouded in a dense fog.
She murmured softly to herself, “Step by step. One day, I will uncover everything.”
...
Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
A booming voice suddenly exploded outside, echoing through the entire courtyard: “Stop sleeping! Everyone, get up! I have important news!”
Qin Fanfan banged on the doors one by one. The loud thuds rang out in succession, forcefully waking everyone in the courtyard from their peaceful slumber.
Once the group walked out of their rooms rubbing their sleepy eyes, Qin Fanfan stood in the courtyard and said with a solemn expression, “I have some good news and some neutral news. Which one do you want to hear first?”
Xue Yu rubbed his bleary eyes and asked in confusion, “What's the good news?”
Qin Fanfan announced loudly, “The good news is that the secret realm won't open for another two months, so you can comfortably slack off.”
Ye Qiao and Xue Yu exchanged a glance and excitedly high-fived.
Luo Qingyu asked, “And the neutral news?”
Qin Fanfan said, “Someone has commissioned a quest to the Five Sects with a two-month time limit. You probably won't be able to slack off anymore.”
Ming Xuan was momentarily left speechless, an expression of utter exasperation on his face. “...How is that neutral? That's just terrible news!”
He then curled his lip and added, “I'm not going. Any quest that requires all Five Sects to step in is bound to be a massive headache. I can't be bothered to get involved.”
Qin Fanfan cut him off immediately. “The quest reward is a Chaos Bead.”
Luo Qingyu's eyes flickered, and she feigned confusion as she asked, “Are the Five Sects being that generous this time? To think the reward would be something as miraculous as a Chaos Bead, a treasure born of heaven and earth?”
Qin Fanfan shook his head and explained, “No, this quest was commissioned by the City Lord of Yunshui City. Whichever sect manages to resolve the demon threat will claim the reward.”
With that, he patted Ming Xuan on the shoulder and said with a smile, “Do your best, kids. Remember to be as careful as possible on the way. The demons are definitely up to no good.”
Luo Qingyu sighed inwardly.
She was still waiting to investigate the clues about the Luo family and had absolutely no desire to go on a quest. She was currently pondering how she could quietly slip away from the group.
Just then, Qin Fanfan pointed at Ye Qiao, who was dozing off at the table, and then looked at the distracted Luo Qingyu. He announced in a clear voice, “Except for these two, the four of you will set off right now.”
Mu Zhongxi was immediately the first to object. Frowning, he asked, “Why? I can understand why Junior Sister isn't going—her cultivation is too low. But why does Fourth Senior Brother get to stay behind too?”
Qin Fanfan explained calmly, “He is an artifact cultivator. It's useful to keep him here.”
Xue Yu mumbled quietly to himself, “I'm a pill cultivator too...”
Qin Fanfan glanced at him. “His cultivation is lower than yours.”
Xue Yu's lips twitched violently. He grumbled helplessly in his mind: It's only lower by a single minor realm. Is there really a need for such double standards?
Ming Xuan silently raised his hand. “I'm at the peak of Foundation Establishment.”
“You're going too.” Qin Fanfan glared at him. “Don't make excuses. This is the perfect opportunity for you to gain some real-world experience. Who knows, you might even break through one of these days.”
Upon hearing that she didn't have to go on the quest, Ye Qiao's eyes lit up instantly, and her sleepiness vanished without a trace.
She immediately sidled up to Luo Qingyu, raised her hand to high-five her, and said with a grin:
“Though my body cannot go, my soul shall be with you!”
She then playfully made a peace sign.
Sarcastic and deeply envious of Ye Qiao's gloating, Ming Xuan turned to Xue Yu and the others to stir up trouble.
“Anyone want to form a group with me to beat up these two slackers?”
Xue Yu advised helplessly, “Forget it. Without your talismans, you can't even beat Junior Sister. And Fourth Junior Brother is our God of Wealth—you definitely can't touch him.”
Ming Xuan's face fell instantly. Gritting his teeth, he snarled, “Damn it!”
Seeing the dejected and sullen expressions on the four of them, Qin Fanfan comforted them with a smile, “Don't worry, Qiaoqiao and Xiaoyu won't be idle either.”
“I've found an excellent talisman cultivator to train their reaction speeds and familiarize them with arrays.”
After all, these two were rare dual-cultivation geniuses in the cultivation world. One was a dual sword and talisman cultivator, while the other was a dual artifact and talisman cultivator. They absolutely needed a good teacher to guide them.
Qin Fanfan stroked his beard and said slowly, “I've already arranged for your Little Martial Uncle to come and instruct them. He should be on his way as we speak.”
Rate on N.U.
