Chapter 109: An Interesting Person

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these three days, Ning Xiu had no idea how the others spent their time; he himself remained in the library from start to finish. The old gatekeeper, upon learning that Ning Xiu was to participate in the Soul-Guardian Agency’s selection, fell into a long silence but ultimately said nothing.

That very morning, eight people, including Ning Xiu, gathered once again at the Soul-Guardian Hall.

Leng Ying looked at everyone and spoke, “I currently have three missions at hand. You may choose freely, but in the end, I will select only one person for each mission.”

With that, Leng Ying produced three dark, shadowy scrolls and placed them before the group.

“Recently, the restless spirits and strange phenomena that had settled quietly in the Lingnan region have begun to stir again. Two of these scrolls concern supernatural events, while the third involves the recent incursions of horse bandits near the border of Lingnan County.”

“Don’t underestimate these horse bandits. Each of them possesses near third-rank strength; they come and go like the wind and are ferociously dangerous.”

Despite Leng Ying’s words, compared to the other two tasks, this one seemed less daunting. After all, anything involving spirits and anomalies was never so simple.

Some quickly fixed their gaze on the scroll concerning the horse bandits, but more did not. Instinctively, they sensed that this mission was unusual.

“Lord Leng, now that we have reached an understanding with the Shadow Pact, won’t this cause...?” someone began to ask but was cut off by Leng Ying.

“Rest assured, the Shadow Pact’s reach does not extend so far. These two spirit incidents have nothing to do with them, and they are not anomalies. Such low-level spirits, once dead, are simply dead.”

“Make your decision and set out. The scrolls contain detailed descriptions of the missions and the conditions for completion.”

Sometimes having a choice is harder than having none at all.

As time ticked by, Ning Xiu calmly regarded the three scrolls before him. He could clearly sense the inner turmoil among the others.

Yet, at last, the moment of decision arrived.

One by one, individuals stepped forward to claim their scrolls.

For each mission, Leng Ying had prepared three identical scrolls.

Still, even after the fifth person had chosen, no one had taken the mission involving the border horse bandits.

Now only three remained, and aside from the horse bandit mission, there was only one spot left.

The atmosphere suddenly turned strange.

Ning Xiu glanced at the other two, smiled faintly, and stepped forward, taking the scroll for the border horse bandit mission without even caring what the remaining two would choose, then turned and departed.

The remaining two exchanged a knowing look and simultaneously stepped forward.

Each person understood clearly: to choose a mission was to bear the burdens it entailed.

...

Lingnan County lay to the east of the Jing River, bordered by Quanyang to the west and Baishi to the north, with only endless desert stretching to the south.

After leaving Lingnan County, Ning Xiu traveled for seven days straight, finally arriving at Jifeng Town, the buffer zone between Lingnan County and the Death Desert.

This was an exceedingly complex region; Jifeng Town was the last settlement before the Death Desert.

It was also the last place where living souls could be found.

“According to the dossier, leaving this town means entering the perilous territory where those horse bandits roam,” Ning Xiu murmured as he laid down the map.

The Death Desert was aptly named; within the Great Qian Dynasty, it was synonymous with death.

Not only Lingnan County but several neighboring counties bordered it.

Yet no one knew what lay beyond that boundless sea of sand.

The horse bandits only dared to prowl near the edges of the Death Desert, never venturing deep inside. Ning Xiu did not linger in the town but strode directly into the swirling yellow sands.

...

Shadow Pact, Wanren Mountain.

A youth clad in gray cloth sat perched on the edge of a cliff, gazing at the sinking sun on the distant horizon.

He yawned lazily, looking as if he had just awakened, utterly uninterested in anything the world might offer.

“Has the plan succeeded?” the youth suddenly asked.

But there was no one around, and no sound answered him.

Was he speaking to the air?

After a moment, a soft sigh echoed.

“It’s always the same, so boring. Can’t you let me succeed just once?” His voice carried deep resentment.

“If you don’t say anything more, I’m leaving.” The youth, clearly indifferent, rose to his feet.

He stood at the cliff’s edge as the mountain wind ruffled his hair and cloth robe.

“Everything went as you predicted. That faction of the Six Doors has indeed taken the bait, though I don’t know where the man you mentioned will go next. We deliberately chose two nearby spots to lay our trap. At your speed, you should be able to wipe out those Six Doors pursuers before the Soul-Guardian Agency can react.”

“After all, Red Robe did not die in vain. We must make the Six Doors pay some price. And that boy must die—after all, he is the root of all this trouble.”

The youth stared into the distance, letting the wind sweep over him. After a pause, he suddenly spoke, “Do you really think Red Robe was killed by the Soul-Guardian Agency, or even by Leng Ying himself?”

“Then who?” a voice behind him answered.

“We know Leng Ying’s nature well—vain and vengeful. Red Robe’s actions were a public slap in the face. It’s no surprise he struck back. Or could it be that Red Robe was unlucky enough to encounter that mysterious hunter, the one who’s been targeting us, when he went after that boy?”

“That would be too much of a coincidence.”

The youth listened quietly, then asked, “Is it possible that Red Robe was actually killed by that boy?”

“That boy is just an ordinary Six Doors pursuer. How could he have killed Red Robe? Xuan Mo, don’t be ridiculous.”

Xuan Mo raised his right hand, fingers loosely grasping the setting sun, whispering, “What if that boy is the mysterious person we’ve been seeking all along?”

“Don’t you think the timing is too perfect? The mysterious man disappears, and he just happens to appear.”

“But if he really is that mysterious man, how could he dare to enter the Six Doors? Remember, we are not the only ones searching for him. If it were true, Leng Ying would never have failed to detect him.” The other spoke with skepticism. Though hostile to Leng Ying, he acknowledged his formidable power.

Xuan Mo's lips curled into a handsome smile.

“So, he is an interesting person.”

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Xuan Mo stepped forward and leapt off the cliff into the abyss below...