Chapter Forty-Five: A Terror So Profound

"Accepting a task?" The young disciple was a little surprised. Cultivators of the mountain sect had no need to perform menial chores to support themselves; even those short on resources would usually venture outside the sect to gather herbs or hunt monsters, earning merit while experiencing the mortal world and tempering their Dao hearts.

But the boy before him was so young—he hardly seemed capable of undertaking such errands. Well, no use pondering it further.

He shook his head to dispel his doubts and beckoned Xiao Bao to follow him around the crowd. "Come with me, brother."

Disciples of the mountain sect would never stand in line with the masses; after a few steps forward, their view opened up. Before several large, deep red tables stood a number of cultivators, though their numbers were a fraction of the crowd behind. These people, in both expression and conversation, carried far less anxiety, their demeanor calm and unhurried.

The two young disciples were visibly nervous. They smiled at the little one, saying, "We can't linger here, brother. You can go ahead and handle your business over there."

True enough, they'd only been standing for a few moments before others began to cast curious glances their way.

"Thank you, big brothers."

Xiao Bao watched them depart, clenched his fists to suppress his nerves, and hurried toward the heavy tables. Sadly, he was too short to reach the tabletop; he hopped in place a couple of times, anxiety coloring his cheeks.

A nearby cultivator, nearly choked on his own drink, shifted his gaze with suppressed mirth.

Behind the table, a mountain-patterned blue-robed female steward smiled helplessly, stood up, and bent down to ask, "Little one, which sect are you from?"

The boy's lips were red, teeth white, and his round, bald head rather adorable. Her smile grew warmer, and she simply lifted him onto the table. "Come up and speak slowly."

Xiao Bao shyly scratched his scalp. "I'm a disciple of Little Green Mountain."

The young steward paused, seemingly unable to recall the name at first, then a hint of surprise flickered in her eyes. "You're Xiao Bao?"

She sighed softly, tinged with regret.

The other disciples glanced over with curiosity, clicking their tongues and shaking their heads. Word had it the various peaks were preparing to demand that the southern hall reclaim Green Mountain under the pretext of the upcoming outer sect tournament. In about a month, it seemed, and yet there remained a disciple daring to stay on that mountain.

"Looking for something to do?" The steward said no more, realizing he was from Elder Lin's line, who owed eight or nine hundred spirit stones—a child so young forced to come here for tasks.

Under countless strange gazes, Xiao Bao was a little flustered, but mustered his courage. "Whatever they're doing, I'll do it too."

At this, laughter erupted among the crowd.

If it had been anyone else, the southern hall's steward would not have bothered, but this child was so well-behaved. She glared at the others, then lowered her head, patiently searching the ledger for a long while before speaking gently, "How about this one?"

Her finger pointed to a particular task.

A hundred miles from East Peak Sect lay an abandoned medicinal mountain, mined out six years ago, but medicinal herbs tend to be overlooked. Disciples occasionally visited, hoping to find something valuable and bring it to the southern hall in exchange for merit.

Not dangerous—or strictly speaking, hardly a task at all. The steward was clearly humoring the child.

What he wanted was to imitate adults, after all. At least this meant leaving the sect, didn't it?

"Thank you, sister." Xiao Bao jumped down from the table, took the sect-leaving token she handed him as if it were a treasure, and carefully tucked it into his pocket.

"You're welcome." The steward felt a hint of joy in her heart, seeing the lively glint in his eyes—surely he possessed extraordinary potential. She paused and called softly, "If you ever have nowhere to go, you can come find me at the southern hall."

The others were all stunned by these words.

It sounded casual, but was in fact a reminder of Green Mountain's precarious position, offering him a golden opportunity.

There were over a hundred peaks, rankings changed every three years, but even the best sects rarely entered the southern hall. That hall governed all external affairs, held the highest status, and its stewards seldom took disciples; once accepted, they were raised as successors.

Only Xiao Bao, innocent as ever, had no idea what she meant.

Unseen by all, in the void, Lin Ze rolled his eyes at the steward.

He'd imagined he might one day face the melodrama of someone poaching his disciple, but this woman clearly hadn't spotted Xiao Bao's exceptional talent...

...

Leaving the southern hall, the little one took out his token and slowly immersed his spiritual sense within.

A map appeared in his mind, pointing to the medicinal mountain outside the sect. He followed the route, step by step.

A hundred miles was not far for a cultivator versed in lightening arts, but Xiao Bao obviously lacked such skills. It was his first time leaving the sect, and no one had warned him to prepare.

By the time the crescent moon rose in the sky, he was famished, rubbing his stomach as he stood still.

In the wilds, there was nowhere to seek food.

As he pondered, a hearty laugh rang out by his ear. "Little brother, if you don't mind, come sit with me."

He parted the thorns toward the sound and saw a flickering campfire.

A bearded cultivator tossed him a pouch of dried meat and a couple of yellowed flatbreads. "First time out? I'm on my way back to the sect, so I'll leave these with you. Next time, be more careful."

With that, he dusted off his robes and departed.

"..."

Xiao Bao stared at the dried meat in his hand, dumbfounded.

...

Lin Ze sensed something amiss.

The feeling grew stronger as the boy approached the medicinal mountain.

Under the moonlight, Xiao Bao pressed on, encountering a steep slope. Chewing his flatbread, he was about to take the long way around when, from the top of the slope, two monkeys fighting in a tree accidentally broke a vine, which drifted gently down to him.

Xiao Bao pondered for a moment, grabbed the vine, and climbed up.

Half an hour later, he came upon a wide stream. According to the map, without mastery of the lightening arts, one would have to walk downstream to find a bridge.

He scratched his head, about to turn away.

Then, a massive old turtle surfaced, eyeing the dried meat in his hands.

Xiao Bao hesitated, then crouched and fed it the meat. The turtle turned and indicated for him to climb onto its back, carrying him across to the other side.

He had nearly reached the abandoned medicinal mountain.

...

"Finally here."

Gazing at the pitch-black mountain ahead, scarred as if gnawed by dogs, Xiao Bao smiled and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Lin Ze stood behind him, rubbing his expressionless face hard.

He swore that, no matter how bizarre the events that followed, he would not be surprised.

Just then, Xiao Bao suddenly tripped.

Curious, he pulled up a root from the ground, gleaming with metallic light, checked it against the task list on his token, and his eyes sparkled with delight.

"Ah! Ancient Bronze Tree Vine—I can exchange this for five merit points!"

Lin Ze's eye twitched.

He took a deep breath.

Though he knew the more the boy harvested, the better his own reward would be when he drew it out...

Wasn't this a bit much?

Such luck, beyond perfection—truly terrifying!