Chapter 29: Is it okay to have both the witch and the senior sister?
Lu Bai's first stop upon returning to the Sect was straight to Qinwu Hall.
Although the mission had gone awry and completely deviated from the normal track, he still needed to report it to the Elder, considering it a proper conclusion.
Qinwu Hall.
The place was as crowded as ever.
But most were there to receive missions; very few were turning them in.
Therefore, when Lu Bai stood at the back of the line for mission completion, he immediately attracted many gazes.
"Isn't that Lu Bai?" Someone recognized him.
"How fresh! Besides Ji Fuyao, Chixiao Peak actually has a second person doing a mission."
"What did he take?"
"If I remember correctly, it should be healing!" Someone next to him answered for Lu Bai.
Lu Bai turned his head and saw it was the person who was queuing behind him when he received the mission.
"Healing, huh!" The previous person muttered, a look of disdain appearing on his face.
"Understandable! With your cultivation, you can only take on such tasks."
Among all missions outside the Sect, non-combat types were the most despised by everyone; they were troublesome, offered little reward, and only the lowest-tier scums were willing to take them.
"Senior Brother, his cultivation seems stronger than yours!" At this moment, a Junior Sister behind that person reminded him.
Hmm?
That person carefully scrutinized Lu Bai again, then suddenly opened his mouth wide, pointing at him and stammering, "You, you, Middle Stage of Qi Condensation?"
Lu Bai remained calm and indifferent, not intending to bother with these people.
Hiss!
A collective gasp of cold air.
Phantom Demon Hall still held the record of Lu Bai being at the first level of Qi Condensation; how long had it been, and he had already advanced to the Middle Stage of Qi Condensation?
At this moment.
Everyone in front had already turned in their missions, and it was Lu Bai's turn; he returned the Jade Slip to the Elder.
The Elder took the Jade Slip and, with a quick scan, frowned and looked at him.
Lu Bai felt a bit uneasy; he didn't know how the Elder would judge the situation, given how things had turned out.
"You are Lu Bai?" the Elder asked.
"Yes."
"From Chixiao Peak?"
"Mm."
"This mission is voided! All previously stipulated rewards will also not count!" the Elder said in a deep voice.
"Why?" Lu Bai questioned loudly without even thinking.
He had anticipated that turning in this mission might not be too smooth, but he hadn't expected the Elder to directly negate everything.
Even if there was no merit, there was still hard work!
Besides, not having clearly investigated the nature of the mission should be the Sect's mistake, right? How can I bear the consequences? I am also a victim.
Among the rewards, Lu Bai didn't care about the ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones, but he really wanted to get the three contribution points.
Lu Bai's voice was not small; many people heard it.
"Mission voided? Haha, this is the first time I've seen such a situation."
"Lu Bai has created another record."
"If he couldn't heal, at most the mission would fail; did he perhaps heal the person to death?"
"…"
Don't tell me, they actually hit the mark; Su Yun'er did indeed die.
"He can't even handle a healing mission, what else can he do?" The person whose cultivation had been surpassed earlier felt displeased and seized the opportunity to mock him.
"Silence."
The Elder, seeing the entire Qinwu Hall in an uproar, couldn't help but reprimand them.
Then, he said to Lu Bai, "Don't rush, let me finish."
Lu Bai nodded.
"Here's the situation. After receiving a message from Yu Xiang Sect, the Songhe Country mission has been redefined from healing to an Evil Cultivator incident, and the mission Rank has been upgraded from the original Rank One Low Grade to Rank One High Grade."
"Accordingly, the rewards have also increased."
"From the original ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones plus three Sect contribution points, it has changed to one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones plus twenty Sect contribution points."
What?
As the Elder finished speaking, the hall erupted in an uproar.
Everyone looked at Lu Bai in shock.
An Evil Cultivator incident, that was a combat mission.
Rank One High Grade meant that even a Cultivator in the Late Stage of Qi Condensation might not be confident in completing it.
Lu Bai did it?
Slap!
Everyone felt as if they had been severely slapped.
Just now, they had even mocked Lu Bai for not being able to handle even the simplest healing mission.
"Silence."
The Elder roared again, "I haven't finished yet!"
"The Sect made a serious error in filtering the mission. Therefore, it has been decided to give you a certain compensation."
"In addition, you perfectly completed the mission, upholding the prestige of our Xuanqing Sect, and should be additionally rewarded."
"Ultimately, after comprehensive consideration, your reward will be set at three hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones plus fifty Sect contribution points."
This time, as the Elder finished speaking, there was not a single sound in the entire hall; one could hear a pin drop.
Because… everyone was dumbfounded.
Each word was like heavenly thunder, making their heads buzz, leaving them no capacity for thought or discussion.
Lu Bai was much the same, as if he had been struck by a body-fixing spell.
Good heavens, three hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Pah! That's not worth mentioning.
Fifty Sect contribution points.
Even a Rank Two mission wouldn't be much more than this, would it?
If Senior Sister knew, could she still remain calm?
Thinking of this.
Lu Bai couldn't wait to share this news with Senior Sister; he wondered if she had returned yet?
"Elder, is there anything else? If not, this Disciple will take his leave." Lu Bai put away his Spirit Stones, and the contribution points didn't need to be managed, as they would be recorded.
"Mm."
The Elder nodded, but then added, "After receiving the message from Yu Xiang Sect, the Sect immediately sent people to rescue you, but you ultimately solved the problem on your own, which is very good."
"Thank you for your praise, Elder." Lu Bai humbly replied and left Qinwu Hall.
After he left, intense discussions erupted in the hall.
"Silence."
The Elder started roaring again.
…
Lu Bai returned to Chixiao Peak and found that no one was there, not even Great Master Brother, that homebody; his courtyard was empty.
He could only go find his Master's Wife.
"Oh! Fourth level of Qi Condensation? Not bad."
Su Tingyu noticed Lu Bai's cultivation increase at first glance and said with a smile, "I have more confidence in you not having to marry into Yu Xiang Sect now."
"What marrying in, that sounds so unpleasant."
Lu Bai immediately protested, patting his chest and saying, "When the time comes, I'll bring that demoness back for you to marry."
Su Tingyu pinched her chin: "Don't you like Fu Yao?"
"Uh… can I have both?" Lu Bai's voice was weak, without much confidence.
Su Tingyu was startled.
She didn't get angry; instead, she encouraged him, "If you have the ability, I won't object."
"It's a deal." Lu Bai immediately sealed it.
Then, getting back to the main topic, he reported the situation of carrying out the mission.
Su Tingyu listened with a calm expression.
"Master's Wife, after you knew it was an Evil Cultivator incident, weren't you worried about me?" Lu Bai pouted, slightly displeased.
"Worried about what? Didn't Lian Ruo take care of you?"
"Uh, that's true."
Lu Bai didn't tell her about being unable to contact You Lianruo.
"Senior Sister still hasn't returned?"
"No."
"Why isn't Junior Sister here either?"
"She's about to reach Foundation Establishment, so I sent Chengfeng to accompany her to find opportunities and resources."
"Oh!"
Lu Bai thought to himself, only Master's Wife could command Great Master Brother.
However, with his aversion to combat, could he protect Junior Sister completely?
"Master's Wife."
"What is it?"
"Are there any combat techniques suitable for me?"
Su Tingyu thought for a moment, then flipped her hand, taking out two Jade Slips and handing them to him.
In Xuanqing Sect, besides "Xuanqing Skill," all Sect Cultivation Techniques and combat techniques needed to be exchanged with contribution points, so what Su Tingyu gave him were her private collections.
"What are they?"
"You'll know when you go back and look."
"Okay." Lu Bai left excitedly.
He needed to thoroughly study these two Jade Slips, as well as Ma Shan Laolao's Storage
Pouch.