Sun rose again, as it did since the birth of the world. The light shone on the world, waking up the mortals, and many Qi refining monks from their slumber. However Gu Yan was already awake, checking his gear and supplies.
He had given a portion of his savings to his aunt for the family's expenses, and with his uncle's support, the family would have enough finances to get by even if he was delayed on the road.
With the rest of his supplies, he purchased a first order low grade dagger, a first order mid grade soft armor, an iron armor augmented gloves, along with supplies for his talismans, food, etc. .
After checking his supplies for the nth time. Gu Yan made his way outside. He bid farewell to his mother and aunt, had a conversation with his uncle and walked outside to meet up with Gu Xun'er.
"Hello~, Gu Yan. I hope you are ready for the mission?"
"Hmm~."
Gu Yan just nodded and smiled. He didn't feel comfortable talking to Gu Xun'er, since he always felt a kind of oppression from her, and around her. So he didn't try to have a conversation with her and just followed her. But Gu Xun'er beside him wanted to have a chat with him to make him have doubts on Gu Yuan, but didn't know where to start.
As they reached the market, Gu Xun'er finally couldn't hold herself anymore. Whenever she was with others, they would try to initiate a conversation with her even if they saw her bored with them. But Gu Yan never spoke with her. Even during the 5 years she was in the Gu family, except for when she introduced herself upon arrival, he didn't speak with her again until 2 and a half months ago.
Even when she tried to give hints by glancing at him, he would smile at her and turn away. What she didn't know was that Gu Yan wanted to ask her about the escorting mission, but Lin Yuan told him that he sensed a powerful entity locked at him who was agitated every time Gu Xun'er glanced at him. Although she hid herself, with the help of the ring's enhancement, Lin Yuan could vaguely sense her.
"I will be returning back to my home after you leave."
Gu Xun'er shadow dropped hot news to Gu Yan. Gu Yan was surprised at her revelation but didn't know what to say.
"Congratulations~?"
"You can say that. But I felt happier staying here. I will miss this place. Honestly, the past 2 and a half months were the best times of my life."
She was lying. She had long wanted to get out of the Gu family land, but stuck with the mission, she had no choice. But she wasn't lying about the two and a half months, since she was happy after getting closer to her target after 5 years.
She intentionally gave Gu Yan vague words to plant a seed of doubt, and she was successful. Gu Yan felt that her words meant something more than what she let on. However, her words were also heard by her protector, Granny Tao, and she had also misunderstood.
Gu Yan didn't reply back to her on her words despite Lin Yuan's urging with a greasy smirk. He skipped the topic entirely.
"What should I know about the mission?"
"Hmm~, No Idea~."
". . ."
"No seriously, I don't know either. I just know that they need someone as per protocol for their caravan as assurance for the ones who booked the ride, so your addition wouldn't matter in reality, just a cherry on the top."
"That's fine, too."
"Hmm~, it's been 5 years since I came here. Such a long time. I still remember meeting Ancestor Yuan. Back then, he was in a hurry when I first tried to meet him."
". . ."
"He went out for hours before he was willing to speak with me, but not much. He tried to end conversations as much as he could, and was very sensitive about what he was doing in the past few hours."
". . ."
"After nearly a week of convincing, he agreed to let me stay in the Gu Family residence. That afternoon was the first time I saw you too."
". . ."
Her next words didn't reach Gu Yan's ears.
Only one source of sound was left, Gu Xin'er's footsteps. She stopped after walking a few steps and turned around to look at the silent Gu Yan.
He stood in place, looking at the ground with his eyes wide open. Then, all of a sudden, he raised his head and looked at her with a deep glare.
Gu Xin'er knew she was exposed, but it didn't matter. The seeds were sown, and she showed a sweet smile. She was more surprised by how fast Gu Yan saw through her, even if she was deliberate enough. Of course, Gu Yan only realized it after Lin Yuan, an expert of worldly affairs, had pointed it out.
Gu Yan smiled back at her without any anger, and Gu Yan's impression in Gu Xin'er's heart improved to 'somewhat capable'.
Although the mutual smiles meant that they would forget about that surface-level conspiracy, it looked more like a lover's special moment from a different perspective. And who was more invigorated with drama spirit than Granny Tao. She even selectively filtered out the conversation they had to paint a different picture in her mind.
They didn't speak for the rest of the way. After they reached the market area, Gu Xin'er led Gu Yan towards the Sima Chamber of commerce.
"What can I help you with?"
Upon entering, they were immediately approached by a store clerk. Gu Xin'er took out a medal of sorts and showed it to the clerk.
The clerk's expression grew into a shock upon viewing the emblem and she took the two of them to the third floor where the branch manager personally hosted them.
Lu Yan was curious about the significance of the medal, and the mysterious background of Gu Xun'er when the branch manager put the medal back into his sleeve.
Oh . . . It's his.
"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Miss Xun'er. I suppose you are here to uphold your part of the deal"
After he said that, he looked at Gu Yan. Gu Xin'er also looked at Gu Yan, motioning him to take the matter from there.
Gu Yan first introduced himself with a pseudonym 'Xiao Yan' under Lin Yuan's excessive suggestion, and he followed up with questions about his mission.
"What is the mission? How long will it take for me to return back here? What would I be paid for this mission? What are the dangers on the road?"
The manager let Gu Yan finish all his questions, pondered about it for a moment before giving his answer.
"We have many caravans moving out of this city every day. The caravans also have the service of taking in passengers. It will be fine most of the time, but after the Clashes between Jia and Mo families, most mortals want to leave the city while the monks want to stay for fisherman's profit.
Our caravans are capable of handling the surge of passengers but the rumors that the demonic monks who have escaped from the neighboring Song state might escape here have put a strain on us as the wealthier clients demand more security.
As of now, there are 3 caravans which need extra members as of an hour ago. They most likely still have some vacancies left, which you can choose from, and all the factors you wish to know about, will change based on your option."
"Thank You."
"No, I should be the one to thank you. We direly need extra staff."
Gu Yan gave a quick salute and left the chamber of commerce along with Gu Xin'er. Outside the building, both of them bowed slightly to each other.
"I hope you finish the task without danger."
With a sweet smile, Gu Xun'er wished Gu Yan good luck and immediately left, leaving behind a stunned Gu Yan, and Granny Tao.
Gu Yan walked towards the city gate, while Granny Tao stayed in the sky, hidden. She hesitated for a while, but sent a message through the transmission jade used for mission purposes.
She wanted to let her master know that her daughter might have taken a liking. After she finished her message, she didn't even have the time to put it back in when a reply of "Noted" arrived.
This shocked her for two reasons.
1) Such a short reply time means that the holder of the other jade was most likely in the city.
2) She was very familiar with the voice. Since the mission was handed over to Gu Xin'er's brother, her mother simply gave the specially encrypted mission jade to him for better communication.
Which means that not only her brother, who was often lied to by Gu Xun'er about having an interest in someone, read her message about who it might be. He was also very close to them, possibly even listening to the last conversation.
Poor kid.
After praying for Gu Yan in her heart, she didn't go back with Gu Xun'er but stayed there for her next task.
Without knowing of the possible danger, Gu Yan walked towards the city exterior. Just outside the city, the caravans were getting ready for their journey.
Since caravans usually don't enter the city to avoid overcrowding, a small and temporary market city was formed outside the city just for the caravans.
Gu Yan walked to the spot where the Sima chamber of commerce had its caravans stationed before departure and met up with the personnel in charge.
The person in charge was a refined middle aged man with a clean look wearing a grey robe. He pushed his bronze glasses up his nose before looking up and down at Gu Yan.
Although he felt uncomfortable, Gu Yan showed an awkward smile waiting to be judged by the man.
"Well, you'll do fine."
The man then took out a jade plaque which had all the information updated live, and looked through the options.
"There are 3 options for you to pick from.
1) There is a caravan which has 2 spots left and leaves to the Shi Min Immortal city. The people who signed up are very capable, and the road isn't much dangerous either. The pay would be 500 stones, and you would be back after 7 months.
2) The next caravan has only one spot left, but it leaves to Han Hai city, a mortal city. The people signed up are moderate, and the road isn't too dangerous for a monk. The pay would be 200 stones, and you will be back after 5 months.
3) The last caravan is the best and worst option. It goes towards the center to a bigger city, Si Fang Trade city, a provincial capital. But the roads are more dangerous. The pay is 900 stones, and you will be back in 8 months."
After the middle aged man finished speaking, he waited for Gu Yan to decide. But deep in his heart, he felt that he should help this kid more, so he gave a suggestion.
"Go and check the caravans first before you make a decision."
Gu Yan thanked the man and went to the caravan staff resting area and made some observations. The 3rd caravan was helmed by a gold core monk, and from the surrounding talk, he also learned that the caravan would diverge from the path slightly and enter monster territory for a small hunt.
Nope!!
Gu Yan instantly crossed out the 3rd option. The risks far outweigh what he could gain. Even if he found a treasure by luck, he can't hide it from a gold core monk.
The 1st caravan actually has a foundation establishment monk who joined as a monk. Although the monk looked fierce with bloodshot eyes, Gu Yan didn't feel any hostility from him. He walked up to him and even had a pleasant conversation, and the senior even gave him some pointers.
The 2nd caravan, on the other hand, had only two cultivators in Qi refining. However, they had mortal martial artists along with them, a group of 3 and a squad of 5. The caravan is helmed by a 50 year old man who wanted to take back his wealth to his ancestral land to retire.
There is also a fourth caravan, but it was apparently full. However, the atmosphere was full of disharmony. Gu Yan learned that a group of monks who signed up guarding kept bullying another young monk, but since they were quite strong, no one dared to talk back.
After weighing his options, Gu Yan felt that the first option was the best. Not only was the pay good, the time it took was not too long, and with a foundation establishment monk, his safety can be guaranteed.
Just then, the man in charge walked up to Gu Yan.
"Then, what is your answer? I would personally recommend selecting the first caravan. Not only is the pay good, the time it takes is not too long, and with a foundation establishment monk, your safety can be guaranteed."
Gu Yan also agreed with him. But just when he wanted to choose number one, the ring on his right hand vibrated madly. Lin Yuan sent a message to him without stopping.
"Choose two. Choose two. Choose two. Choose two. Choose two. Choose two. Choose two. Choose two. Choose two. Choose two. Choose two. Choose two. Choose two. Choose two. Choose two."
Gu Yan felt a headache from the constant yelling from Lin Yuan. He yelled back.
"Why are you shouting?! What is wrong with you?!"
"Choose the second caravan first. Don't talk back."
"What?! Why?!! Why should I-"
Gu Yan felt angry towards Lin Yuan for butting in. He felt that Lin Yuan was always influencing him to do stupid things. Before he could finish complaining, he was cut short
"Choose the second."
The artifact spirit spoke again after a long time. Gu Yan got even angrier. He felt that the both of them don't respect his choice anymore. But he respected the spirit a lot, since any weapon with a spirit must be something way out of his reach.
"Sign me up for the second caravan."
". . . Are you sure?"
". . . Yes."
The man was first surprised then upset since Gu Yan rejected him right after agreeing with him. In the end, he just sighed and noted down the name 'Xiao Yan' on the rooster.
Right after he noted down, the man forgot about the incident. He didn't even glance at Gu Yan and walked away muttering, "What a waste of time."
Gu Yan didn't bother him. He just felt that the whole argument with Lin Yuan was a bit silly. So he shook his head slightly and walked back.
But Gu Yan didn't understand why Lin Yuan kept buzzing him with thought transmissions.
"What happened?! What was wrong with you?!"
"What did you mean?"
"What did I mean?! Why did you not respond when we were calling you?! And you even had the courage to go near such a dangerous person!!"
"Ok. First, I always responded when you talked. And second, who's dangerous, that senior? What's wrong wit-"
The words stopped in his mind, and all the hairs on his body stood up. The senior didn't feel amiable anymore. The monk had a gloomy and creepy aura around him. He wore a black robe usually worn by demon cultivators, and his lips reached up to his ears. He was looking at Gu Yan with a smile.
Gu Yan instantly ran towards his rest area in caravan two and sat down in a corner. The other guards saw him behaving strangely so they didn't bother him.
"What is happening?!"
Lin Yuan was silent for a while before he spoke about his perspective.
"I don't know why it happened either. It was all fine until you started visiting the caravans. You didn't answer me, not even the spirit. You went to the black robed monk and even started talking with him. We tried stopping you but we couldn't do without drawing a lot of attention, since we weren't sure whether what's affecting you is also watching you.
You were also adamant about choosing caravan one. Luckily, the ring amplified the connection between us because of our deal and I could finally reach you."
". . ."
Gu Yan didn't know what to feel. Some one might be targeting, and he didn't know who it was, not even the reason for the attack or the method.
The spirit finally gave its answer after diagnosis. "I am not sure about the situation, and although this may damage your self esteem, I want you to train your subconsciousness to trust in someone no matter what. Ideally, it would have to be me, since you cannot trust Lin Yuan not to try something 'undesirable' for you."
"Hey!! What was that about?! And you couldn't find anything about what happened? Aren't you useless?!"
"Still better than someone whose only use is to depend on a ring to survive."
Gu Yan left the spirit and the soul bickering and tried to tune his mind. Although he does believe in Lin Yuan, he is skeptical of his professionalism considering his previous delusional habits.
Gu Yan took about an hour to form the right thought in his subconsciousness and soon adjusted his mindset back to normal.
"Good. Now that you are back to normal, there is one more thing you have to keep in your mind."
"What is it?"
Gu Yan felt curious about what else was left for the spirit to explain.
"When you were speaking with that monk, he placed a mark on you. Congratulations, you are actively targeted by a foundation establishment monk."
After finishing its part, the spirit went silent again, leaving behind Gu Yan with an ugly expression and Lin Yuan who was laughing.
The constant change in expressions on Gu Yan's face kept the other guards from approaching. When he realized it, Gu Yan smiled and apologized for his lack of conduct, easing the atmosphere.
Gu Yan suddenly felt a strong murderous intent lock on him, and it withdrew as soon as it appeared. He was confused about who it could be, but kept his guard up against sudden attacks.
He went around introducing himself to the team he will be travelling with. There are two cultivators in the guard team. One of them looks about 20 years old, and the other about 21 years old.
Gu Yan instantly recognized that the 21 years old cultivator, who had a sword tied to his waist, who wore a light green robe and stood upright was a sword cultivator just by looking at his aura, since the Gu family majors in sword cultivation.
There are two other teams, both of which are filled with martial arts. Gu Yan used to look down on them, but after learning fierce bull technique, his opinion changed. One of the teams is a standard team of 5 who were from the chamber of commerce. The other group is surprisingly a group of 2 older brothers and one younger sister.
Gu Yan had a pleasant conversation with both of them before the caravan started, marking the first trip in this world for both Gu Yan and Lin Yuan.
---***---
"Unexpected, unexpected. Gu Yan somehow managed to escape my influence and missed the Intestine Butcher. I guess he wasn't supposed to be a Chosen One for nothing. Never mind, after the butcher finishes his 'meal', he would miss the young man who spoke to him bravely and tracked him to meet with him, maybe more."
"The swordsman was surprising. I guess, with his personality, it would be problematic to make him attack Gu Yan, or others for that matter."
The book closed itself immediately and erased the words it had made to appear after sensing the Eye. It didn't want the Eye to find out about its little actions yet. It didn't matter though, since Gu Yan would die under its arrangements soon.