Chapter 12 : Damn It, That Dogshit Task Is Back Again!

Chapter 12: Damn It, That Dogshit Task Is Back Again!

Qixia Town was built along the southern side of Qixia Peak, directly facing the towering mountain gate of the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect.

Its history could be traced back to the time before the sect was fully consolidated, when this place had still belonged to the main peak of the Qixia faction.

From that time onward, it had been jointly developed by mortal residents, wandering independent cultivators, and sect disciples, gradually taking shape.

As the sect’s prestige and scale continued to grow, the town expanded alongside it.

By today, although it still carried the name “town,” its scale and grandeur were no longer what they once were.

Its flourishing prosperity was in no way inferior to the famous capital cities of the great imperial dynasties!

Stepping into the main hall and sweeping his gaze around, Long Tao did not see Nan Yuchen anywhere.

He walked straight to the counter and asked the shopkeeper behind it—someone with a calm, steady bearing who was clearly a cultivator—

“Senior Brother, may I ask whether Junior Brother Nan Yuchen of Moon-Washing Peak has arrived?”

Anyone capable of running such a restaurant in the bustling heart of the town had to be a well-established Foundation Establishment Disciple within the sect.

Addressing him as senior brother could not be wrong.

“Junior Brother Nan? He’s a regular—comes by for a small table from time to time. But today…” The shopkeeper shook his head slightly.

“I haven’t seen him yet.”

“I see. Then I’ll take a table first and wait for him. When he arrives, please let him know,”

“That won’t be a problem.” The shopkeeper agreed readily, then gestured toward the hall.

“It’s peak hours right now, though. Would Junior Brother mind sitting at that small table in the corner for the time being?”

“No problem.” Long Tao nodded, then added smoothly, “Please bring two light dishes as well.”

“Coming right up!”

As Long Tao followed the waiter toward the table, he could not help muttering inwardly, worried that he might be stood up.

Fortunately, his worry did not last long.

Just as he had eaten half a small plate of assorted vegetables, Nan Yuchen appeared at the entrance and was promptly guided over by the sharp-eyed senior brother shopkeeper.

“Senior Brother Long! You came so early—it makes me, the host, look negligent!” Nan Yuchen placed a heavy red Tangwood box beside the table, then familiarly said to the shopkeeper, “Senior Brother Qin, the usual dishes—make the portions generous! Oh, and White Knife Fish should be in season now, right? Add a basin of bamboo shoot soup with White Knife Fish!”

“Got it! Please wait a moment, you two!” The shopkeeper replied with a smile and left.

After the shopkeeper departed, Nan Yuchen eagerly pulled the red Tangwood box onto the table.

Though his face showed clear excitement, Long Tao keenly sensed that the young man still had something on his mind.

“Senior Brother Long, take a look at what’s inside first. See if you’re satisfied.”

Curious, Long Tao opened the lid.

After sweeping his eyes over the contents, he nearly dropped his chopsticks.

Inside, the box was divided into two layers.

The upper layer alone was neatly packed with bottles of pills of all kinds—so many, in such variety, that they would be enough to support two people breaking through from the Qi-Refining Fifth Layer all the way to Foundation Establishment!

By rough estimation, the value of just this layer of pills alone was equivalent to everything he could have saved after more than ten years in the sect without eating or drinking!

“This… Junior Brother Nan… isn’t this… far too much?”

“How is it too much? Everything in here, including this red Tangwood box, doesn’t even add up to one-tenth the value of that Nine-Leaf Ganoderma.” His tone carried obvious frustration.

“If I hadn’t already given away a lot of my Qi Refining pills after reaching Foundation Establishment, there would definitely be even more inside today.”

For a moment, Long Tao was left speechless.

All he could think was that ordinary people should never try to put themselves in the shoes of filthy rich big spenders—these pills might very well have been the sort of thing his master or some senior sister casually handed over on a whim.

After that, Nan Yuchen showed him the items in the lower layer: various heavenly materials and earthly treasures used in the mid-to-late Qi Refining stages.

They were not particularly rare, but for Long Tao, gathering them would have taken significant time and effort.

This truly helped him immensely.

Naturally, in such a setting, the two of them would not brazenly take everything out to admire one by one.

Long Tao also expressed his trust in Nan Yuchen and saw no need to inspect each item.

Just then, fragrant dishes were brought out one after another, and the topic shifted accordingly.

“This time, Master was extremely pleased.” Nan Yuchen picked up a piece of fish, finally showing a genuinely cheerful smile.

“My Fifth Senior Sister has been stuck at the bottleneck of Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer for quite some time. This Nine-Leaf Ganoderma really solved an urgent problem.”

“You used it for your senior sister? Then what will you do later?”

“That’s no issue. One person only needs about three to four leaves, so a single ganoderma usually suffices for three people. And…” He lowered his voice, a hint of pride mixed in.

“This ganoderma grew beside the Spirit Spring at Windless Cliff and was nurtured by the spiritual energy of that Wolf King. Its efficacy far surpasses those cultivated in the sect’s medicinal gardens!”

Hearing this, Long Tao could not help but sigh at the Destiny Luck of this Child of Destiny.

Even when it was the same item, what he obtained was always better than what others got.

At the same time, Long Tao asked curiously,

“I wanted to ask earlier—when I saw that ganoderma, it looked just like weeds. It was completely different from those glowing ones I saw in the sect’s pill hall. How did you recognize it at a glance?”

“Ah…” Nan Yuchen sighed.

“Identifying spiritual plants and medicinal herbs across the world is a required course for Personally Transmitted Disciples. It’s not easy for us either. As for the ones you saw in the pill hall—” A playful smile tugged at his lips.

“The elders deliberately sprinkled them with luminescent powder, just to keep disciples who don’t know better from ruining them.”

Hearing this, Long Tao finally could not help but laugh at himself.

He stopped discussing the matter and focused on eating.

After the two of them finished the basin of White Knife Fish, Nan Yuchen seemed to have more to say, yet hesitated.

“Junior Brother Nan, if you have something to say, just say it. What’s there to be embarrassed about at the dinner table?”

“You noticed…” Nan Yuchen sighed.

“Actually… it’s about that person we talked about when we came down the mountain yesterday. Didn’t you tell me to check the records of the missions I carried out with him when I had time?”

“Oh? You’ve already checked?”

Long Tao was somewhat surprised by the boy’s efficiency and also understood how much this matter weighed on his heart.

“Yes.” Nan Yuchen nodded, his voice sinking lower.

He tried to maintain his expression, but for the first time, Long Tao clearly caught a trace of anger on that youthful face.

“I checked… Senior Brother Long, you… were right. I really was deceived by him!”

He took a deep breath, his speech speeding up, though the sense of grievance could not be hidden.

“The records for the first two missions were still fairly accurate. But after that, everything changed! Many spiritual herbs I clearly discovered myself, demon beasts I personally slew—the credit… was all written under his name, or distributed to unrelated people! Especially the most recent mission…”

His voice suddenly rose, filled with humiliation,

“He only mentioned me during the final distribution of spoils! He wrote it as if I were some shameless freeloader who did nothing but wait to divide the loot!”

Nan Yuchen was certainly not stupid.

He could keep a low profile and refrain from showing off, but that did not mean he would tolerate others stealing his credit.

Hearing this, Long Tao also sighed and said,

“You mentioned before that the inner sect senior brothers and sisters all seemed distant toward you. Now you know why. You’re a sect prodigy—your every move draws attention. Those mission records are naturally viewed and spread around. We outer sect menial disciples are fine, since we don’t usually interact much, but I suspect… your reputation among the inner sect disciples has already been damaged quite a bit by that person.”

“Then… do you have any solution, Senior Brother?” Nan Yuchen rarely showed such panic on his face.

“There’s no use being anxious.” Long Tao poured him a cup of tea and asked calmly, “Those mission records all have your signature or handprint, don’t they?”

Nan Yuchen nodded bitterly.

Back then, out of laziness, he had always pressed his handprint before that person wrote the records.

He had trusted him far too much.

At this moment, he truly regretted it—regretted his own foolishness.

“No need to blame yourself too much. In the end, these are all small matters. Don’t let them affect your state of mind.”

“Small matters?” Nan Yuchen stared at him in disbelief.

“Senior Brother! Is this really small? In the inner sect… I’m afraid I’ll never be able to hold my head up again. No one will be willing to associate with me!”

“Haha, you’re overthinking it. First of all… you’re still just a child. Even if you truly made mistakes, most people wouldn’t be too harsh. Secondly—”

His gaze sharpened as he lowered his voice,

“The sect has countless lie-detection methods. Lie-Detecting Jade Talismans, Questioning-the-Heart Formations, Retrospective Water Mirrors—are any of these just for show? They’re the ones who’ve been playing with fire all along. Those falsified written records are precisely the leverage they’ve handed to you! You’re the one who holds the initiative.”

When Long Tao said “they,” it was clear he had already concluded that the person must have accomplices.

Otherwise, it would have been difficult to steal Nan Yuchen’s credit on every mission.

Nan Yuchen listened in a daze, the gloom in his eyes gradually dissipating.

Yes… falsehoods were falsehoods in the end! The sect had plenty of ways to make them reveal themselves! It seemed he really did not need to let this matter affect his Dao Heart.

Seeing the youth’s mood improve, Long Tao also picked up his chopsticks, ready to continue eating.

Who would have thought… the System Task panel, which had disappeared for more than a day, suddenly appeared before his eyes at this very moment and issued a new task.

【System Task: Peep at the Beautiful Master Bathing】

【Please have the Host go to the bathroom of Moon-Washing Peak’s peak master, True Person Mingzhu, to Check-In within five days, and ensure that the Child of Destiny, Nan Yuchen, peeps at his master bathing and steals one of True Person Mingzhu’s undergarments or intimate trousers.】

【Task Reward: None】

【Failure Penalty: Soul Lamp value decreases by 20 points】

【Current Soul Lamp value: 18】