The delicate citrus scent of the green tangerine sachet wafted into Yunxi's nose, easing her nausea.
After a few breaths, feeling much better, she turned to the young boy and said, "I really like this sachet. How many spirit stones?"
The boy looked stunned by her question and waved his hands hastily. "Senior, this sort of common trinket isn't worth real spirit stones. Just give me two spirit beads if you think it's fair."
Yunxi could tell he wasn't lying. She casually tossed two spirit beads to him, then finally took the time to look around. She had been too busy retching earlier to take in her surroundings. Thankfully, she was still within the city. If this had happened out in the wilderness, it could have been dangerous.
She reminded herself to stay vigilant. This place was nothing like the sect. She couldn't afford to let her guard down.
Fortunately, she hadn't yet stepped outside the teleportation hall, and the pressure from her late Foundation Establishment cultivation was still present. No one had dared approach her with ill intent.
The only one who came near was the boy, clearly a mortal. He had probably seen how sick she looked and wanted to take a chance at selling his sachet.
Luckily for him, it worked out. Not only did he avoid offending a cultivator, but he also earned two spirit beads.
Yunxi withdrew her gaze and asked the boy, who was about to leave, "Do you live in Baohua City?"
"Yes, Senior. I'm just a mortal, but my family has cultivators, so we're allowed to live here."
"Then you must know the city well."
"Yes, I've lived in Baohua City since birth."
"Good. Be my guide for the day. I'll pay you two spirit stones. Are you willing?"
Yunxi made the offer directly.
The boy's eyes lit up at once, and he quickly nodded. "Thank you for trusting me, Senior. I'd be honored. You can just call me Jiaozi, that's my nickname."
Jiaozi was thrilled. He hadn't expected such a windfall today. Guides in Baohua City were usually positions snatched up by children with cultivation potential. Mortal kids like him could only make a living selling small goods. Two spirit stones amounted to half a year's income for him. He agreed without hesitation.
Yunxi let out a breath of relief and said, "First, take me to the shops that sell pills and talismans."
"Right this way, Senior. All the big shops are on West Main Street. The largest one is called Xizi House. They say you can find anything there."
Yunxi didn't waste any more words and followed Jiaozi toward West Street.
What she didn't know was that the moment she stepped into the teleportation array in Haoran City, someone had already followed her trail. A disciple was now in Haoran City, asking around for her whereabouts.
At the same time, the mission to search for the missing disciple in the Baohua Mountains had been upgraded. Now only Foundation Establishment disciples were allowed to take it. The mission had been moved to the Inner Sect's task board.
Upon seeing this change, Hua Xuānzi thought for a moment, then directly struck Wei Yunxi's name from the task list.
Two days later, Wei Zonghao came to submit a mission, and Hua Xuānzi told him what had happened.
"Senior Sister, Yunxi already left the sect. What do we do now?"
Hua Xuānzi said quietly, "No need to worry. When she left, the mission hadn't been upgraded yet. The record in her identity jade will back that up. As long as she returns safely and can explain herself, there will be no trouble.
I also removed her name from the official list, which should help obscure her trail. Yesterday, Senior Brother Ye from Pill Peak came looking into her recent missions, but I brushed him off. Yunxi told me she was being watched and needed to leave temporarily. Make sure to send her a message and tell her to be careful. I don't think those people will let this go."
Zonghao's eyes darkened, but he still cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the warning, Senior Sister. Sorry you had to worry on her behalf."
"It's fine. Just part of the job. Be careful yourself."
"I will."
After submitting the spiritual herbs he had gathered, Zonghao returned to the medicine field. He continued cultivating while tending to the plants.
He soon discovered that his cultivation went even more smoothly near the field. The fertile land and flourishing spiritual herbs harmonized perfectly with his spiritual root, allowing him to progress twice as fast. He planned to make a breakthrough to the ninth level of Qi Refining within the next three days.
Meanwhile, Wei Yunqing had lost track of Yunxi. That familiar sense of dread crept back into her heart. She clenched her jaw and hurled a pill bottle across the room.
"Hmph. You can't avoid returning to the sect forever."
The next day, she made a scene of going to look for Wei Yunxi and deliberately let the rest of the Wei family's disciples hear about it.
Wei Yunting was genuinely concerned that something had happened to Wei Yunxi. But she didn't believe Wei Yunqing would stir up this much fuss just for Yunxi's sake. Outwardly she seemed anxious, but deep down, she wasn't too worried. She trusted Yunxi's steady nature and didn't believe she'd do anything reckless.
Eventually, the Wei family disciples arrived at the medicine field Yunxi had rented. They didn't find her, but they did encounter Wei Zonghao, who had just broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refining.
Zonghao had just finished using a Dust-Cleansing Technique on himself when he deactivated the protective formation and greeted them.
"Elder Sister Yunting, Brother Zonghan, what brings you here?"
Wei Yunting smiled warmly. "Congratulations, Zonghao. You've made great progress."
Zonghao, no longer the chubby boy he used to be, now stood tall and lean, his face radiant with joy. "Thanks to Little Sister Yunxi. She let me use her rented field for my breakthrough."
When Wei Yunqing saw that Zonghao's cultivation had surpassed hers, she couldn't hide her frustration. She forced herself to speak calmly. "Brother Zonghao, have you seen Yunxi? She seems to have disappeared."
Zonghao looked surprised and glanced at her before responding. "Litte Siste Yunqing, don't say things like that. Yunxi just took on a sect mission and left the mountain. She's not missing."
"Sect mission? What sect mission? How come I didn't—know about it?"
She caught herself before blurting out that Senior Brother Ye hadn't found any such record.
Zonghao scratched his head and said with some hesitation, "Well, considering your relationship with Yunxi, it's not strange she didn't tell you. But she did show me the task before she left. It was a mission to search for a missing disciple. She had to leave in a hurry."
Wei Yunting frowned. "Was it the mission to search the Baohua Mountains?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
"But the mission has been upgraded. Only Foundation Establishment disciples can take it. How did Yunxi qualify?"
"Huh? Really? When she accepted it, there were no cultivation restrictions listed. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to take it either. She insisted because she was looking for a friend."
"A friend?"
"Yes, someone named Qín Tóngshuāng."
The Wei family disciples exchanged glances, suddenly remembering who Qín Tóngshuāng was. Several of them glanced at Wei Yunqing from the corners of their eyes.
Wei Yunqing nearly exploded with rage. Qín Tóngshuāng was that girl from the outer peaks, the one Senior Sister Mu had brought in just to humiliate her. Who would have thought that she had become friends with Wei Yunxi?
How ironic.
Zonghao gave an awkward laugh. "I'm sure you all know who that is. Yunxi mentioned it to me before she left, and she also asked me to look after the medicine field."
Wei Yunting took a deep breath. "Alright. As long as Yunxi didn't go missing without cause, that's all that matters. From now on, if any of us takes an assignment outside the sect, let's say something first. No need to make people worry."