Chapter 155: Shangquan City
Tang Jie continued to spend his days in Inkscent Parlor, gathering data, including records of past incidents and correspondences. He spent every day researching, often only coming out at night.
All the students in Basking Moon Academy who wanted to become a True Inheritor had started to move, leaving the academy for Yan Province. Even the students of the Freedom Society had already formed teams and set off.
Among the outstanding students, probably the only one who showed no interest in becoming a True Inheritor was An Rumeng. As a student of the Thousand Passions Sect, she didn’t need to worry about the problem of becoming a True Inheritor. The fact that she had even been sent here foreordained that she would be a True Inheritor.
Only Tang Jie continued to do nothing.
Even Wei Tianchong had had his appetite for True Inheritor stirred up by Tang Jie, and seeing him do nothing made him rather anxious, so he asked about it several times.
Tang Jie would always reply in an unhurried tone, “What are you in such a rush for? Everyone understands to make plans before setting out first. How is it that when the time comes to make the plan, you suddenly can’t contain yourself?”
“I’m afraid that we’ll be late and Lin Lang will be captured!” Wei Tianchong helplessly said.
“Isn’t that exactly what you wanted?” Tang Jie chuckled.
Wei Tianchong was rendered speechless. “I didn’t want to fight over it, but you forced me to, yet now you’re hardly in a rush at all. What does that mean?”
Tang Jie patted Wei Tianchong on the back. “Relax. Since I’m having you become a True Inheritor, I would never give up so easily. Lin Lang isn’t that easy to capture, and those who run the fastest at the start might not be the first to reach the end. While we still have time, you should go and cultivate. Do your best to improve your Mistnet Step and Evilhook Shadow Soldiers.”
“Relax. I’ve been practicing this entire time and I’m very proficient in them.”
“That’s good.”
Another several days went by.
Almost all the students who were going to leave the academy had already left when Tang Jie finally sent Wei Tianchong a message: “Prepare to set out.”
Upon receiving this message, Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng hastily began to pack up.
The three of them got together, but Tang Jie went to the Bounty Platform first.
“Why are we going there?” Wei Tianchong asked in confusion.
“To take a mission,” Tang Jie replied. “Since we’re going out anyway, I might as well get a few contribution point missions to do. I still owe the school points.”
The two of them felt dizzy upon hearing this.
You’re still in the mood to take other missions?
But Tang Jie really did go to the Bounty Platform to take a mission.
Since he was going out anyway, there was little difference between doing one mission and doing two.
After looking around the Bounty Platform, Tang Jie finally decided on a mission to exterminate foxes that were plaguing Wanxin Village.
Wanxin Village was located in Pingtai County of Cang Province. The village had been troubled by foxes as of late, and it was said that this was the work of a fiend fox.
The Basking Moon Sect received tribute from the kingdom, so it naturally had to resolve the various harms afflicting it. Controlling rivers, adjusting the weather, and disposing of calamities were missions that the Basking Moon Sect would receive throughout the year.
Wanxin Village was under the Basking Moon Sect’s Pingtai branch, and the local cultivators should have handled it. But while fiend foxes were on the weak side, they were naturally cunning, and the Pingtai branch didn’t have the energy to play around with it. Moreover, it would always send a few missions out every year to the academy so that the students could train, and so this mission had been left to the academy.
The missions received by the Basking Moon Sect and Basking Moon Academy could normally be divided into three types.
One kind were missions that the local branch couldn’t deal with, so experts from the sect were sent out.
Another kind was the sort where the problem could be handled, but there was a lack of manpower, so an application would be made for additional help.
The third kind were opportunities given to the school so its students could train themselves.
This mission had a time limit of three months. If a student could not complete it in three months, the Pingtai branch would deal with it on its own.
It had now been a month and a half. Tang Jie took the posting down, and a student was there to verify that he had taken the mission.
If he completed the mission, he could get two contribution points, and if he failed, he would lose one.
Tang Jie wasn’t worried about being in even more debt and cared little about the penalty, so he took the mission and left.
Wei Tianchong found it strange and asked Tang Jie, “Wanxin Village is in Cang Province! Why are you taking a mission in Cang Province? This isn’t on the way to Yan Province!”
Tang Jie asked as he walked, “Why do we need to go to Yan Province?”
Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng felt their heads ache at this question.
Wei Tianchong almost blew his top. “Lin Lang is in Yan Province! We’re not going to Yan Province to catch him?”
Only now did Tang Jie “understand”. He replied, “Oh, we’re not going to Yan Province.”
“Then where are we going?”
Tang Jie replied, “Cloudflow Academy. To capture Lin Lang, we have to find out about him!”
This was a similar situation to his own, and so Tang Jie was using the same method that Gu Changqing had once used.
Fortunately, at least in Cloudflow Academy, there was far more information about Lin Lang than there had ever been on Tang Jiye!
After leaving Basking Moon Academy, Wei Tianchong’s group of three rushed off to Cang Province. They were naturally much faster than before, so they needed only a few days to get to Cang Province.
Cang Province was located in the southern part of Sageheart. The climate was humid and warm, and the area was abundant with spiritual energy. This was a land rich in spirituality and talent within Sageheart, and there were twenty-some cultivation sects of various sizes in the region.
Cloudflow Academy was located in Cang Province’s Shangquan City. It was under the Cloudflow Sect, which was one of the more famous large sects. Its current master, the fourth to hold the title, was Celestial Heart Realm True Person Lin Xudu.
Upon reaching Cang Province, Tang Jie’s group picked up the pace, and after one day, they managed to reach Shangquan City before nightfall, where they found an inn to rest for the night.
The next morning, Tang Jie woke the others up. “Pack your things and get ready to meet someone.”
“To Cloudflow Academy?” Shi Meng asked as he helped Wei Tianchong wash his face.
“No, we’re going to the Shangquan City branch first. We just got here, so we’re unfamiliar with the area. We should first visit the local branch first. The branch master should be more familiar with the Cloudflow Sect, and they should be on good terms. Having them speak up for us will save us some trouble.”
“Understood.”
The Basking Moon Sect’s Shangquan branch was in the eastern part of the city, the most bustling area. From a distance, Tang Jie’s group could see the extravagant courtyard, overflowing with luxury. Even Wei Tianchong couldn’t help but sigh at the outstanding boldness of this Immortal sect.
This was only a small branch. There was no telling how glorious the main headquarters of the Basking Moon Sect would appear.
When they got to the entrance of the branch, they saw two guards at the gate.
These guards were both mortals, but their figures clearly marked them as experts. Yet all they could be were guards at the gate of a small branch.
Even so, they appeared extremely proud, considering this a kind of honor.
To be a dog in front of an Immortal sect’s gate was still more glorious than being a mortal.
At this sight, Tang Jie couldn’t help but sigh. In the academy, they might not have been able to feel anything different, but once they left the academy and entered the mortal world, they would immediately understand what was different.
Not even mentioning anything else, simply the fact that they were wearing moon-white robes was enough to have everyone glance at them, and as they walked on the road, even high nobles and officials would stop their carriages and move to the side.
People believed that the disciples of Immortal sects were arrogant bullies. However, it wasn’t necessary for them to actually act this way, as anyone with eyes already understood what to do. Of course, if they truly lacked tact, the students wouldn’t mind teaching them a few lessons. In truth, the reputation for arrogance had gradually developed through this imperceptible influence.
Whether it was students, Immortals, or mortals, they had all grown used to this strict hierarchy.
The two guards spotted Tang Jie’s group, and before Tang Jie could say anything, the guards respectfully bowed. “Might I ask if the three of you are Basking Moon students?”
Wei Tianchong grunted, but just when he was about to speak, Tang Jie stopped him and shook his head. He then said to the two, “Second-year Basking Moon students Tang Jie, Wei Tianchong, and Shi Meng would like to see Branch Master Chang Xinkuan. Please inform him of our arrival.”
“Please wait a moment.” One of the guards hurried inside.
A few moments later, a fair-faced, middle-aged man came out and inspected their student tokens. Once he confirmed that they were real, he said, “Branch Master Chang is already waiting in his room. Please follow me.”
They followed the middle-aged man inside, passing through the luxurious main courtyard and along a twisting corridor. They were soon led to a small, secluded courtyard.
There was a pergola in the courtyard, and a stone table and a bamboo recliner had been set up beneath the pergola.
A man was lying down on the recliner. He appeared about forty years old and was rather fat. He held a clay teapot in his hand that he waved around while he reclined on the chair.
The fair-faced scholar led the three up and then bowed to the fat man. “Sir, the three students have arrived.”
“Mm,” the fatty said, his eyes closed. He waved his hand, dismissing the scholar.
Only then did he slowly sit up and look at the three.
Although he was fat, when he opened his eyes, they exuded a sharp and intimidating light.
“You three are the Basking Moon students who wanted to see me?” this Branch Master Chang said in a deep voice, his voice like steel as it resounded in the depths of their minds.
Tang Jie shot the other two a look, and all three of them came forward and saluted. “Students Tang Jie, Wei Tianchong, and Shi Meng pay respects to the esteemed master!”
“Oh, I see you know how to be polite.” That Branch Master Chang leisurely took a drink of tea, then he waved his hand. “Sit. If you have something to say, say it slowly.”
A beautiful maid came forward with chairs for them.
In terms of status, Chang Xinkuan, as Shangquan Branch Master, had a much higher status than Tang Jie’s group, but the students of Basking Moon had limitless potential, and no one could say what achievements they would have in the future. Thus, Branch Master Chang remained rather polite.
Once the three had sat down, Branch Master Chang said, “What are you three students doing in my Shangquan Branch instead of properly cultivating in the academy?”
“It’s like this…” Tang Jie explained how Yan Changfeng was taking a disciple, and then he added, “To catch Lin Lang, we have to first understand him.”
Chang Xinkuan understood. “I see. So you came here to ask around Cloudflow Academy?”
“Precisely.”
“But was not all the information on Lin Lang already given to you?”
“It’s still not enough,” Tang Jie replied. “The files only contained information on Lin Lang, but what about the people Lin Lang was on good terms with? What sort of people was he close to? What sort of status did they have? But there was nothing. We only have surface-level information of Lin Lang, without any grasp of the details.”
“So…”
“So I would request Branch Master’s help in getting us into Cloudflow Academy so we can go through the student files.”
Chang Xinkuan froze, and then he erupted in laughter.
He laughed as loudly as a bell, causing their eardrums to vibrate. Wei Tianchong covered his ears, but Tang Jie was unmoved, enduring it all.
Once he was done laughing, Chang Xinkuan asked, “Are you joking? Inspecting Cloudflow Academy’s student files? Lin Xudu won’t agree.”
“That’s why we need Branch Master’s help. If Branch Master asks, True Person Lin will undoubtedly give you face.”
“Impudent!” Chang Xinkuan slapped his recliner and roared, causing them to jump a little in their chairs.
Chang Xinkuan pointed at the three of them. “Three puny things like you dare to ask this branch master to work for you? To ask me to request that they open their student files to you so you can look through them? Absolute nonsense!”
Tang Jie remained unmoved. “In other words, Branch Master Chang is not willing to help?”
Chang Xinkuan rudely replied, “Don’t waste your time! If you want me to act, take out an official letter! Without an official letter, this matter ends here!”
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