Chapter 54: CH-54: Going on a mission!

Or perhaps its disciples were simply better at hiding their problems.

Either way, she had enjoyed the brief distraction.

With her mood slightly improved, the second princess returned to her residence, intending to depart once she had gathered her belongings.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Cloud Piercing Sect, Gu Changsheng was facing a problem of considerably greater importance.

He was staring at the sect mission board.

More specifically, he was staring at the rewards listed beside each mission.

"Senior Brother, why are you looking at that one so intently?" Ye Che asked, standing beside him with his arms folded.

Gu did not immediately answer. His gaze remained fixed on the mission slip in front of him, as though he were attempting to extract its deepest secrets through sheer force of will.

The mission was simple: travel to a nearby village, identify suitable candidates, and recruit promising children into Cloud Piercing Sect.

The reward was not particularly impressive, but it was still a reward.

And more importantly, the mission did not involve fighting demonic cultivators, exploring dangerous secret realms, or being ambushed by people whose cultivation was several major realms above his own.

In Gu Changsheng’s opinion, this was an excellent opportunity to experience the kind of peaceful sect life that people constantly praised.

"Nothing," Gu replied solemnly. "I’m simply appreciating the beauty of a mission that doesn’t involve risking my life."

Ye Che stared at him.

"Senior Brother, we’re cultivators. Isn’t facing danger part of our cultivation?"

"Of course. But so is knowing when to avoid unnecessary danger."

Gu pointed at the mission slip.

"Look at this. We travel to a village, examine some children, and bring back those with suitable talent. At worst, we encounter an overprotective parent who refuses to let their child leave home. At best, we finish the task and return before dinner."

He paused briefly, his expression becoming even more serious.

"And if we’re particularly fortunate, someone might even invite us to eat."

Ye Che fell silent.

For a moment, he wondered whether his senior brother had chosen this mission because he genuinely wanted to help the sect recruit new disciples or because he had calculated the likelihood of receiving a free meal.

After spending so much time around Gu Changsheng, he had learned that both possibilities were equally plausible.

"Then let’s accept it," Ye Che said.

Gu nodded with satisfaction and pulled the mission slip from the board.

"Excellent. Our sect’s future is in our hands."

He looked down at the slip again.

"More importantly, our lunch is now dependent on the hospitality of the villagers."

Ye Che regretted agreeing almost immediately.

...

After reporting their decision to the mission hall, the two received the necessary documents and directions to the village they had been assigned.

The village was located a few hours away from the sect, close enough that even cultivators at the Qi Refinement Realm could reach it without much difficulty. It was a routine assignment, and the sect regularly sent disciples to nearby settlements to search for children with cultivation talent.

In fact, it was the same sort of mission Su Mingyue and Ning Rongrong had undertaken when they first encountered Gu Changsheng.

At the time, Gu had been an ordinary village youth who had somehow managed to remain a mortal despite spending years attempting to cultivate.

Looking back, it was a rather embarrassing Chapter of his life.

Fortunately, he had since reached the seventh stage of Qi Refinement.

Unfortunately, Dong Mulan had reached the eighth stage while spending a considerable portion of her free time eating snacks.

Gu had decided that there were certain matters in life that were best left unexplored.

Such as why his wife could advance faster than him while treating cultivation as an optional activity between meals.

Or why his system had apparently been designed by someone who considered basic convenience a forbidden luxury.

Or why he still hadn’t reached Foundation Establishment despite all the resources Elder Ye had recently provided.

Actually, the last question was particularly irritating.

His master had been generous lately, handing him cultivation resources with a frequency that would have made a wealthy merchant reconsider his financial habits. Gu had initially suspected some hidden scheme, but after two months of receiving benefits without being asked to perform any suspicious tasks, he had gradually accepted that Elder Ye had simply become more appreciative of him.

What Gu did not know was that Elder Ye considered every generous gift a long-term investment in his son’s romantic future.

If Gu had known, he might have immediately returned every single resource.

Or he might have asked for more.

It depended on how expensive the misunderstanding was becoming.

As the two disciples left the sect gates, Ye Che glanced at Gu.

"Senior Brother, have you ever wondered why Master has been giving you so many resources recently?"

Gu looked at him.

"Of course."

Ye Che waited.

Gu adjusted his robes and continued walking.

"I concluded that my talent has finally begun to receive the recognition it deserves."

Ye Che’s expression twitched.

He had expected some sort of explanation involving a secret mission, a hidden arrangement, or perhaps a complicated scheme. Instead, his senior brother had attributed everything to his own talent.

Considering that Gu had once spent years cultivating without achieving even the first stage of Qi Refinement, this was a rather ambitious interpretation of events.

"Is that really what you think?" Ye Che asked.

"Naturally. Why else would Master suddenly become so generous?"

Ye Che opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He remembered his father’s suspiciously frequent questions about Su Mingyue and Ning Rongrong, as well as the way the old man had started looking at him with an expression that was equal parts pride and expectation.

He had a vague suspicion that his father was up to something.

However, he had no evidence.

And since Gu Changsheng was apparently benefiting from whatever was happening, asking too many questions might only complicate matters.

"You’re probably right, Senior Brother," Ye Che said at last.

Gu nodded approvingly.

"Good. It’s important to have confidence in your own abilities."

Ye Che looked towards the sky.

He suddenly felt that the road to cultivation was considerably more difficult than he had originally imagined.

Not because of the techniques, the bottlenecks, or the dangers of the cultivation world, but because understanding the people around him was becoming an increasingly impossible task.

...

By the time they reached the village, the sun had climbed high into the sky.

The village itself was fairly ordinary, with rows of houses scattered around a central dirt road and farmland extending into the distance. A few children were playing near a well, while several adults worked in the fields or carried baskets between their homes.

The moment Gu Changsheng and Ye Che entered the village, their cultivation robes attracted attention.

A few villagers immediately put down their tools and approached them, their faces filled with curiosity and excitement.

"Immortal masters!"

An elderly man hurried forward, bowing repeatedly. "What brings the honored cultivators to our humble village?"

Gu returned the greeting with a friendly smile.

"We’re disciples of Cloud Piercing Sect. We’ve come to conduct a talent assessment and see whether there are any children suitable for cultivation."

The elderly man’s eyes widened.

"Cloud Piercing Sect! The immortal sect!"

His voice was loud enough to attract the attention of nearly everyone nearby.

Within moments, several villagers had gathered around them, whispering excitedly. Some looked hopeful, others nervous, and a few immediately began calling for their children.

Gu watched the scene with quiet satisfaction.

This was much better than fighting a demonic cultivator.

Nobody was trying to kill him, the villagers were treating him with respect, and there was even a reasonable chance that someone would offer them tea.

Perhaps he had finally discovered the correct way to cultivate.

Instead of searching for dangerous opportunities in secret realms, he could simply stay in a village, recruit a few disciples, enjoy a meal, and return home.

A truly peaceful life.

Of course, the heavens had never been particularly interested in Gu Changsheng’s plans for a peaceful life.

And judging by the way several villagers were already arguing over whose child should be examined first, the heavens were once again preparing to demonstrate this unfortunate fact.

Gu sighed inwardly.

He had a feeling that lunch was going to be delayed.

And for a man who had spent the last two months struggling to catch up with his wife’s cultivation progress, that was almost as tragic as a failed breakthrough.

The first child was brought forward almost immediately.

Gu glanced at the nervous-looking boy before placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax. This won’t hurt."

The boy nodded stiffly.

Gu activated the assessment formation, and a faint glow soon appeared around the child’s body.

Several villagers held their breath.

Ye Che watched the formation carefully, while Gu stared at the results.

A moment later, the light gradually faded.

Gu nodded.

"Decent spiritual root. He has some potential."

The boy’s parents immediately looked delighted.

Then another child was pushed forward.

And another.

Within minutes, Gu realized that this mission was going to take considerably longer than he had expected.

He sighed.

There went his lunch.