First Mission

"Is there any point in this, Fairy?"

"Is there any point in you avoiding me?"

"I just don't want to bring trouble upon myself."

"Fine! To think you'd call me trouble. I'm going to scream!"

"Don't! Don't! Just sit down, let's eat..." Chen Jianqiu watched the two of them with a good-natured smile. Their meal attracted quite a few stares. At one point, a young nobleman even tried to seat himself next to Feng Lan. "Fairy, may I join you for a meal?"

"I apologize, young master, but I am accustomed to eating alone." The single sentence left the young man speechless. He stared in silence at Qin Hao, who was devouring his food beside Feng Lan. The nobleman took the hint and left. By the time Qin Hao finished, dusk had fallen. After bidding farewell to Feng Lan and Chen Jianqiu, he returned to his academy, where he encountered several senior sisters. Though their beauty did not rival that of Feng Lan or Gongsun Xiaoyue, they were still quite striking and exquisite in their own right.

"Oh, little junior brother, any interest in grabbing a bite with your senior sister?"

"No thank you, Senior Sister. I've just finished eating, so I'll be heading off." Qin Hao had no intention of entangling himself with these women. That night, while resting, he calculated that he would head out with Chen Jianqiu the next day to take on a mission and earn some merit points. The Huangpu Academy’s Great Library had seven floors; the first two were free to access, but from the third floor upward, merit points were required, with the cost increasing as one went higher. Before arriving, Qin Hao had been told by his leader that the seventh floor contained a manual on spear techniques that perfectly suited his style. He had been tempted, as the spear techniques he knew were "wild" methods taught to him by Leader Gui Qi, lacking the refinement of formal training.

Early the next morning, the two arrived at the mission distribution center of the academy—the Leisure Pavilion. Stepping inside, they found themselves in a vast hall where countless golden characters floated in the air. Like two country bumpkins who had never seen the world, Qin Hao and Chen Jianqiu looked left and right. Eventually, they settled on the mission with the highest merit reward: The Tan County Zombie Murder Case.

"I’ve only ever heard of zombies in storybooks," Chen Jianqiu said naively.

"There is only one truth," Qin Hao lowered his voice, feigning depth. "I suspect it’s just another puppet created by some old geezer from the Evil Sect." Qin Hao had frequently crossed paths with the Evil Sect back at the Taiji Society.

"The mission requires three people. We only have two."

"We'll just find one, then."

"How?" As he looked at Chen Jianqiu’s innocent face, an idea formed in Qin Hao’s mind. Just as he was about to shout out, a slender, delicate hand tapped him on the shoulder.

"Junior Brother Qin, are you short a person? How about I join you?"

"Er..." Qin Hao felt a surge of wariness toward Feng Lan, who had been showing him such extraordinary care. On the surface, he and Chen Jianqiu were "three-nothings"—no power, no money, no connections. Why would Feng Lan be so attentive? Yesterday, being told that the Dean had sent her to host them was one thing, but today, the moment he was short a person for a mission, she appeared within breaths. Surely, someone was keeping an eye on them from the shadows. Was it the Dean? Or someone else?

"Great! With Senior Sister joining us, this mission will be as easy as taking something out of a bag!" Chen Jianqiu agreed without a second thought, leaving Qin Hao speechless. Nearby, people began to whisper:

"Isn't that the guy who dueled He Yiting yesterday?"

"I heard Fairy Feng Lan is the Dean's disciple, very proud, and never joins others on missions."

"I even heard Feng Lan has a secret affair with someone..."

The three went to the clerk in charge of recording missions to register their names. The man produced three talismans and said, "This mission is very dangerous. Although there are monitors tracking the mission, we must fear the unexpected. If you encounter danger, use these talismans immediately to be teleported to a safe location. Also, you must sign a waiver."

"What waiver?"

"That if a death actually occurs, the academy bears no responsibility."

"Can we refuse to sign?"

"If you don't sign, you cannot take the mission."

"Damn it."

Having signed the documents, the trio set off for the small town. Meanwhile, two other groups had also accepted the mission: He Yiting, Peng Yi, and Zuo Miu in one; Gongsun Xiaoyue, He Qinghua, and Gong Yan in the other. He Yiting’s group had arrived hours before Qin Hao, having set out before dawn to ensure they wouldn't be beaten to the prize.

***

The Evil Sect.

Wei Gui, Master of the Death Gate, was listening to a report from his subordinate.

"Master, our corpse puppet went out of control a few days ago and has fled to Yanjing. It has killed many people along the way, attracting the attention of the Imperial Court. The Huangpu Academy has already dispatched people."

"Understood. I cannot leave right now. Inform Elder Feng Ji to retrieve the corpse puppet personally. If he cannot retrieve it, destroy it."

"Yes." In truth, this corpse puppet was intended to be the vessel for Wei Gui’s external incarnation. He had been refining it for a long time; once successful, the puppet would share his consciousness and obey his commands through the Soul Art. However, at the final moment of refinement, a disciple’s mistake caused the puppet to lose control and escape. Furthermore, the puppet had developed a glimmer of self-awareness and broken through the suppression array. Wei Gui and his elders were currently occupied with vital matters for the leader of the Evil Sect and could not spare the effort, so they could only watch helplessly as the puppet fled.

Feng Ji received the Master’s order and brought his son, Feng Han, to Yanjing. He brought his son along to broaden his horizons.

"Father, how strong is that corpse puppet?"

"Currently, it is D-rank. If all goes well, it will reach C-rank soon. A pity..."

"Do those people from Huangpu Academy have the ability to catch it?"

"If it were their instructors, there would be no problem. But I know the nature of Huangpu Academy—they would never miss an opportunity to train their students. We only need to hide in the shadows and reap the rewards. Of course, if you find it boring, you can test your skills against these so-called geniuses of the academy to see where you stand."

"Yes, Father." Wei Gui seemed to have opened the floodgates, continuing to "educate" his son.

"The people from Huangpu Academy are in for a headache. The puppet has a trace of self-awareness, and the Master previously infused the essence of the 'Sun-Moon Void Absorption Technique' into the puppet's heart. Every person the puppet kills increases its power. I estimate that once it kills those Huangpu students on the mission, it will step into C-rank." The "Sun-Moon Void Absorption Technique" was a common Evil Sect cultivation method created by their leader. It allowed the user to absorb the internal energy of those they killed. Naturally, it could also be used to ambush others when they were distracted. It took only three days for Feng Ji and Feng Han to travel from Jiangxin to Yanjing, with Feng Ji using his B-rank cultivation to fly with his son. Along the way, Feng Ji even took Feng Han to brothels and taverns. Especially at the brothels, Feng Han would blush, but as an Elder and a key figure under Wei Gui, why would Feng Ji go to a legitimate establishment? He preferred the illicit ones. So, the moment Feng Han stepped inside, the women knew at a glance he was a novice, and they scrambled to be the first to...