Translator: CinderTL
"Fellow Daoist Feng, would you be willing to introduce me to Manager Yin?" Song Wen asked.
Manager Yin was the steward of the Moon-Drawing Pavilion.
Feng Youyou replied, "Introducing you to Manager Yin is a simple matter. However, the other two fellow daoists are currently out of Yangshi City. Without their consent, Manager Yin cannot make any commitments. Perhaps we should wait seven days, and I'll introduce you to them then? We agreed to meet in seven days to discuss the specific details of our upcoming journey."
"Then I'll follow Fellow Daoist Feng's suggestion," Song Wen said. "I'll take my leave now and return to trouble you again in seven days."
With that, Song Wen rose to his feet.
Feng Youyou quickly stood up as well, exchanged a few polite words, and escorted Song Wen out of the courtyard.
Instead of leaving the inn, Song Wen went to the front hall, requested a small courtyard, and settled in.
The seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
On the appointed day, Song Wen knocked on Feng Youyou's courtyard gate as agreed.
After a few breaths, Feng Youyou opened the gate, her face radiant with a warm smile.
"Fellow Daoist Ji, please come in quickly! Manager Yin and Fellow Daoist Bu are already here."
As Song Wen entered the courtyard, he noticed two male cultivators seated at the stone table.
One was plump and round-faced, his cultivation at the peak of the Divine Transformation stage.
One man was gaunt, with a sharp-featured, monkey-like face and mid-stage Divine Transformation cultivation.
Feng Youyou introduced them to Song Wen. The portly man was Manager Yin, while the gaunt man was named Bu Ren.
Both men greeted Song Wen warmly, nodding politely.
Just then, another knock sounded at the courtyard gate.
Feng Youyou went to answer it, quickly returning with a male cultivator sporting a thick, bristly beard.
The bearded man's gaze fell on Song Wen, and his expression turned icy.
"Didn't the four of us agree to discuss the Primordial Qi Death Zone expedition today? Why is an outsider present?"
Feng Youyou replied, "This is Fellow Daoist Ji Lin. He wishes to join our bounty mission."
The bearded man, who identified himself as Yan Tong, retorted coldly, "I, Yan Tong, never work with those of unknown origins."
"This mission is fraught with danger," Feng Youyou countered. "An extra member could increase our chances of success."
"Hmph!" Yan Tong scoffed disdainfully. "I know nothing about him. Who's to say he doesn't have ulterior motives? Feng Youyou, can you guarantee he won't stab us in the back when things get desperate?"
Feng Youyou didn't argue further. Instead, she flashed a seductive smile and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I'm merely introducing Fellow Daoist Ji to you three. Whether to accept him into our group is a decision we four must discuss and make together," Feng Youyou said, turning to Manager Yin with a coquettish smile. "Manager Yin, what do you think?"
"I have no objections," Manager Yin replied, his expression remaining gentle and amiable.
"And you, Fellow Daoist Bu?" Feng Youyou asked, turning to Bu Ren.
Bu Ren's gaze remained fixed on Feng Youyou's slender, jade-like legs beneath her gauzy skirt, his eyes unblinking and a slightly lecherous smile playing on his lips.
"Whatever Fairy Feng says goes. This old man has no objections whatsoever."
Feng Youyou's eyes fluttered with feigned shyness as she cast a bewitching glance at Bu Ren. "Fellow Daoist Bu, are you flattering me so shamelessly because you have ulterior motives?" she teased, her voice dripping with coy reproach.
Bu Ren's heart fluttered at her gaze, his eyes now seemingly tethered to Feng Youyou, unable to look away. "This old man has no ulterior motives. I'm simply captivated by the Immortal Maiden's beauty."
Feng Youyou covered her crimson lips with delicate fingers, her laughter cascading like tinkling bells. The snowy expanse of her chest rose and fell like ocean waves with each breath, the motion dazzling the eye.
"Ahem."
Manager Yin cleared his throat softly, interrupting their oblivious flirtation.
"Since three of us agree, let Fellow Daoist Ji join the team," Yan Tong said, glancing disdainfully at Bu Ren. He didn't voice further objections but turned to Manager Yin.
"Manager Yin, you mentioned earlier that this bounty mission offers a substantial reward, but you haven't specified the exact nature of the task or the precise amount of the reward. Now, it's time to provide the details."
Manager Yin replied, "Someone spotted a humanoid void fiend near Changtong Mountain in the Primordial Qi Death Zone. A powerful Master, whose identity must remain confidential, is interested in this fiend but lacks the time to personally pursue it. They've offered a bounty of 100,000 high-grade spirit stones for its capture. Of course, the bounty will only be paid for a live capture."
"A humanoid void fiend?" Yan Tong frowned, his expression thoughtful. "Could it be the Beauty Serpent?"
Manager Yin nodded. "Precisely that demon."
Yan Tong voiced his concern, "Though the spirit stones are tempting, this won't be an easy task! While the Beauty Serpent has been sighted near Changtong Mountain, its lair might not actually be within the mountain itself. Simply locating it will be challenging enough, let alone capturing it alive."
Manager Yin countered, "That Beauty Serpent is only at the fifth-tier mid-grade level. Once we find it, capturing it alive will be trivial."
Bu Ren, who had been staring intently at Feng Youyou's thighs, his gaze almost sinking into them, suddenly interjected.
"A hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones is no small sum. Naturally, there will be risks involved. Manager Yin, when do we depart?"
Manager Yin replied, "The sooner, the better. However, that depends on everyone's preference."
Bu Ren said, "Delay breeds complications. We should set out as soon as possible."
"Then how about departing in three days? What do you all think?" Manager Yin asked, his gaze sweeping across the four of them. After a few moments, seeing no one respond, he added, "Since none of you object, let's proceed with that plan."
Feng Youyou said, "I have no objection to departing in three days. But who exactly would be interested in a Beauty Serpent?"
Manager Yin's expression darkened, and he said with displeasure, "Fellow Daoist Feng, some questions are best left unasked. Knowing too much about certain matters benefits neither you nor me."
Faced with Manager Yin's rebuke, Feng Youyou merely smiled faintly, her seductive charm undiminished.
"My apologies for speaking out of turn."
"Manager Yin," Song Wen, who had remained mostly silent until now, interjected, "forgive my ignorance, but what purpose does this Void Demon Beauty Serpent serve? Why is there a reward of 100,000 high-grade spirit stones for its capture?"
Yan Tong, who had been wary of Song Wen's presence, surprisingly offered an explanation. "It's merely a plaything for the wealthy and powerful of the sects and noble families."
As he spoke, spiritual power flowed around him, gradually coalescing into an image before him.
The creature depicted was utterly bizarre.
It possessed a human head and torso, but below the waist, instead of legs, were nine slick, purplish-black tentacles covered in suckers. The ends of these tentacles terminated in malformed, claw-like appendages, their tips long and hooked like talons.
Moreover, by human standards, its upper body bore no resemblance to beauty.
Its entire upper body, including its face, was covered in black scales.
This reminded Song Wen of the Human Serpents the Beastmaster Sect had created through fusion in the Lower Realm.
(End of the Chapter)
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