Ch 366: Nanqing Mountain’s Qingguan Temple
Liu Ke, dusty and weary, rushed back to the Blade Catcher Gate, not even pausing to rest before heading straight to the place where missions were posted.
Arriving at his destination, he spoke without hesitation: “I want to accept a mission.”
The clerk in charge of recording missions looked up and asked expressionlessly, “What mission do you want to accept?”
Liu Ke’s gaze was sharp as he stared intently at the clerk, replying resolutely: “Bloody Rain Village!”
As soon as he spoke, those around him were startled. The mission to Bloody Rain Village was exceptionally difficult. The Blade Catcher Supervision had previously sent two You-Rank Blade Catchers, but they failed to resolve the issue and were forced to seal off the entire village.
The clerk looked at Liu Ke with difficulty, saying, “That mission to Bloody Rain Village isn’t something a single You-Rank Blade Catcher can handle. Although you’re close to promotion to Shen-Rank, resolving the Bloody Rain Village incident is still a long way off.”
However, Liu Ke remained unmoved, responding coldly: “I am a Blade Catcher; I have the right to accept any mission, even if I were only a Hai-Rank Blade Catcher.”
Seeing this, the clerk knew further persuasion was useless. He sighed and said, “Very well, but before you accept the Bloody Rain Village mission, you need to complete another mission to prove you have the strength to handle it.”
Liu Ke nodded without hesitation: “Good, what mission?”
The clerk looked down at the mission list in his hand, then said: “Nanqing Mountain, Yueqing Temple.”
After noting the mission location, Liu Ke turned and left.
As he slowly stepped out of the room, his gaze fell unintentionally on Chen Yan and Luo Chun, not far away. These two girls were young, with youthful faces and eyes showing slight confusion and unease.
Liu Ke knew very well that these two girls did not meet the conditions for enlistment nor possessed the potential to become Blade Catchers. However, seeing their helpless appearance, a sense of pity welled up in his heart.
After a moment’s thought, Liu Ke said, “You two go to South City and find someone named Chen Qingquan. He is my uncle and runs a dried fruit shop. Tell him I sent you, and he will provide you with food.”
Chen Yan and Luo Chun exchanged glances, finding a glimmer of hope in each other’s eyes. They nodded silently and turned towards South City, their steps heavy.
Watching their receding figures, Liu Ke sighed at the vagaries of fate. At that moment, he suddenly realized something—his Human Painting had not only teleported him back but also his horses and supplies!
This surprised Liu Ke but also relieved him. After all, these horses and supplies were crucial for his journey.
However, this time Liu Ke did not plan to take Red Bean. He gently stroked Red Bean’s feathers, saying softly, “Red Bean, those three will take good care of you. I have to leave.”
After that, Liu Ke patted Red Bean’s head, then resolutely turned, mounted his horse, and sped towards Nanqing Mountain.
Liu Ke’s Human Painting, while magical, had limitations. It could only teleport him to places he had been to and remembered vividly. He had never been to Nanqing Mountain, so he had to rely on the traditional method of riding.
Along the way, Liu Ke urged his horse onward, filled with anticipation and tension for the mission.
That evening, sitting by the bonfire, Liu Ke thought for a long time and said to Mantis, “Mantis, I want to thank you. If you hadn’t shared your life with me back then, I might have already died.”
Mantis paused, then said, “Liu Ke, I need to be frank. I don’t have the ability you think I do.”
“What?”
“I really don’t have the ability to share life.”
“That’s not right, you’re lying. If you hadn’t shared your life with me, how did I survive?”
“How would I know? Besides, your statement has flaws.”
“Huh?”
“Why would I help you?”
“Because you have motives.”
“Even if I have motives, why would I help you? Even if I had that ability, why would I gamble my life on a dying man? Why wouldn’t I choose someone else? And frankly, was it necessary to be so blunt? Why didn’t I hide it?”
“This…”
“Liu Ke, you’re a little slow, but I still want to know why you accepted that mission to Bloody Rain Village.”
“That’s none of your business.”
The next day, after dawn, Liu Ke stretched and slowly woke from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes, stood up, went to the bonfire, and gently extinguished it with his foot.
Liu Ke looked up at the sky and muttered to himself, “The weather doesn’t look good today. It’s gloomy, and it looks like it’s going to rain.” He shook his head helplessly, thinking that the weather might cause some inconvenience to his journey.
Liu Ke mounted his horse and continued along the road. However, after a short while, he suddenly saw a person lying by the side of the road, motionless, as if asleep.
Next to this person was a large, heavy-looking box.
Liu Ke’s heart tightened. He felt that the person looked familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen him.
He hesitated, but ultimately decided to dismount and slowly approach the person to find out what was going on.
When Liu Ke was a few steps away, the other person seemed to sense danger and suddenly sprang up from the ground. His movements were swift, surprising Liu Ke.
However, upon seeing that it was Liu Ke, the person visibly relaxed, saying, “It’s you, Liu kid.”
Upon hearing the voice, a thought flashed through Liu Ke’s mind. He exclaimed in surprise, “You… you’re Xu Liang!”
Xu Liang’s lips curled into a slight smile. “Oh, you still remember me.”
Liu Ke nodded, his doubts slightly lessened. He looked at Xu Liang and asked, “How come you’re here?”
Xu Liang sighed, picking up the sword case on the ground. “I was originally going to look for the Yun Cang Sword, but I lost my travel expenses. I had no choice but to become an assassin, hoping to earn some money to continue my journey. But I was targeted by members of an assassin organization. They thought I stole their business and made things difficult for me. In the end, I didn’t even get a single job and ended up starving.”
