"Alright then!" Zhu Hanwei finally relented, gritting his teeth as he agreed.
Not to mention that Su Shi'er had saved his life once, Zhu Hanwei was well aware of Su Shi'er's true strength, which far exceeded the cultivation level he usually displayed.
"We'll take this mission!" Su Shi'er turned his gaze back to the square-faced disciple in front of them.
"Please present your identity tokens, Senior Brothers!" The square-faced disciple said coldly, looking at them as if they were already dead.
In his view, with the cultivation levels of Su Shi'er and Zhu Hanwei, taking on this mission was akin to courting death.
He had done all he could; there was no point in saying more.
After checking their tokens, he handed a numbered task token and a map to Su Shi'er.
"Once you complete the mission, you can use this task token to claim your reward!"
"Thank you!"
Su Shi'er took the task token, expressed his gratitude, and left with Zhu Hanwei.
...
The Azure Mountain range is the largest mountain range within the Zhao Kingdom, surrounded by mountains stretching for thousands of miles. Scattered throughout are numerous cities and various cultivation sects and family powers.
Each cultivation power has its own territory, and the mortals living within them are an important source of new blood for these powers.
Mortals receive protection from cultivators and, in various forms, rely on them, working for them.
Among these cultivation powers, the Cloud Song Sect, to which Su Shi'er and Zhu Hanwei belong, is merely a lower-middle sect.
Linnan City is located at the very edge of the Cloud Song Sect's territory, jointly managed by the Cloud Song Sect and another neighboring power, the Blood Eagle Sect.
On the busiest street in the west of Linnan City, there stands a large mansion occupying several acres, its vermilion gates tightly shut, with a plaque above reading 'Lin Mansion.'
On this day, two figures, one plump and one thin, appeared in front of the gate.
They were none other than the travelers Su Shi'er and Zhu Hanwei!
"Senior Brother Shi'er, this is the residence of the Seven Mysteries Sect's leader."
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"The Seven Mysteries Sect is one of the two major powers in Linnan City, under the protection of our Cloud Song Sect. They are responsible for maintaining order in Linnan City and gathering cultivation resources for the sect!"
Zhu Hanwei pointed at the gate and quickly turned to Su Shi'er.
"Alright! Let's knock and see what's going on inside!" Su Shi'er squinted his eyes and said calmly.
Zhu Hanwei felt a bit uneasy, but having come this far, it was too late to back out. He nodded, stepped forward, and knocked on the door forcefully.
In no time, the door opened a crack, and a servant in a blue robe peeked out.
"Who are you? Do you even know where this is? Knocking so hard, are you looking for death?!"
The servant's face was full of impatience, and he started cursing as soon as he spoke.
"Hmph! Open your eyes wide and see clearly, is this how your Lin Mansion treats guests?" Zhu Hanwei frowned, his hands clasped behind his back, exuding an aura of authority.
This aura startled the servant, "Guests?! You... are you immortals from the Cloud Song Sect?!"
The servant quickly assessed Zhu Hanwei's attire and seemed to realize something, hurriedly opening the door.
Immediately, he knelt on the ground trembling, "Immortal, please forgive me, I didn't recognize Mount Tai!"
Zhu Hanwei kept a stern face, wanting to scold him further, but hearing a light cough from Su Shi'er behind him, he snorted coldly, "Go call your leader and tell him the Cloud Song Sect has come to collect offerings!"
"Please come in, Immortals, I will fetch the leader right away!" The servant scrambled to his feet and led them into the mansion.
Su Shi'er and Zhu Hanwei did not refuse and followed the servant into the Lin Mansion.
The Lin Mansion had high walls and green tiles, winding corridors, and a grand four-courtyard layout, exquisite, spacious, and luxurious.
In the center, a straight, wide stone path led directly to the main hall.
A faint chill lingered in the air.
"Senior Brother Shi'er, this place feels a bit eerie!" Zhu Hanwei couldn't help but shiver as soon as they entered, whispering to Su Shi'er.
"Oh? How so?" Su Shi'er asked calmly.
"This Lin Mansion is one of the two major powers in Linnan City, yet the gates are tightly shut, and it's eerily quiet inside!"
As Zhu Hanwei spoke, he looked around nervously, suddenly frowning and shivering.
"Senior... Senior Brother, look over there!"
He tugged on Su Shi'er's clothes, pointing with a trembling arm towards a garden not far away.
Following his gaze, Su Shi'er's pupils contracted slightly.
In the garden soil, a human skull was faintly visible. And it wasn't just this garden; bone fragments could be vaguely seen along the path as well.
"Senior Brother, maybe... we should leave first!" Zhu Hanwei hurriedly whispered.
He was only at the second level of the Qi Refining stage, not much stronger than a martial artist among mortals.
This place was frightening just to look at!
Especially thinking about the many senior brothers who had mysteriously disappeared before, he felt an urge to leave.
"Don't rush! Since we're here, let's meet the leader and assess the situation first!" Su Shi'er remained unfazed, speaking calmly.
As he spoke, he glanced towards a tall pavilion in the distance.
Seeing Su Shi'er's firm attitude, Zhu Hanwei, despite his fear, had no choice but to nod, lowering his head as he followed deeper inside.
In the main hall,
The servant skillfully prepared a cup of hot tea for them and placed some exquisite fruit snacks.
"Please wait, Immortals, my master will be here shortly!" With that, he sensibly left, leaving Su Shi'er and Zhu Hanwei to wait.
"Senior Brother Shi'er, this Lin Mansion is really something, so lavishly decorated, it's way better than my hometown!" Zhu Hanwei held the hot tea, hesitated for a moment, then put the cup down, turning to Su Shi'er and whispering.
The earlier incident had left a significant shadow on him, and he still seemed quite shaken.
He was now acting with extra caution.
"If you wish, with your current cultivation, enjoying a life of wealth and luxury in the mortal world wouldn't be difficult!" Su Shi'er said calmly, leaning back in his chair, his eyes flickering with contemplation.
"Forget it, I still want to improve my cultivation and live for a few more hundred years!" Zhu Hanwei said sullenly.
A mortal's lifespan is at most eighty or ninety years, with few reaching a hundred.
But once on the path of cultivation, even a Qi Refining cultivator can live over a hundred and twenty years. If one breaks through to Foundation Establishment, they can enjoy a lifespan of two hundred years.
"But, are we really not leaving? This Seven Mysteries Sect feels strange everywhere, staying here is really unsettling!"
Zhu Hanwei shrank his neck, his eyes cautiously observing the surroundings, whispering.
"Don't worry, if they really wanted to make a move, they had plenty of opportunities outside the city. Why wait until now?" Su Shi'er said calmly, his peripheral vision also scanning the surroundings.
Since approaching Linnan City, he had felt as if someone was watching him.
However, no matter how he observed, he couldn't identify who it was.
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