Water Ripples City is located north of Heavenly Dou City.
Adjacent to the Frozen Forest, its climate is cold, like winter all year round.
Dongfang Jing and his sister slowly entered the city gate in a long-distance carriage. After paying the entrance tax, a completely different atmosphere from Winchester City rushed towards them.
Dongfang Yao, the little girl, was so excited to be in the new city that her face turned red, constantly looking around.
"Yao'er, are you cold?"
"No~"she said.
But her slightly flushed cheeks and nose prompted Dongfang Jing to take out a thick scarf and wrap it around his sister.
Upon entering the city, they chose to stay at the Seven Treasures Inn again.
After all, the inn had an excellent reputation, and the brother and sister were already used to its room furnishings.
Dongfang Yao stayed in the room to rest.
Dongfang Jing went out alone, familiarizing himself with the surroundings while trying to gather the information he needed.
He hadn't gone far when he stopped, bending down to pick up a flyer blown by the wind from the snow. It read.
"[Icefield Hound's New Product Launch! Exclusively brewed from the special plants of the Frozen Forest! You won't regret buying it! Address: ...]"
"Icefield Hound,"he murmured the name, following the address. He finally stopped in front of a seemingly abandoned tavern.
A crooked, faded wooden sign hung on the door, the few words carved on it almost worn away.
The cracked pine plank door was ajar, whistling in the wind.
Gray vines and withered creepers climbed the wooden walls, the whole building exuding an air of decay and desolation.
From the outside, the tavern appeared extremely cold and dilapidated.
Dongfang Jing didn't doubt it; in his view , the more dilapidated a tavern was, the more mysterious it seemed.
*Ding-a-ling*
He pushed open the door and stepped inside. The rich aroma of wine and roasted meat, mixed with a cacophony of noise, rushed towards him.
Dongfang Jing raised an eyebrow and looked around. The inside of the building was completely different from the outside.
Although the room didn't look big, the space inside was quite spacious.
The wooden tables were filled with men wrapped in thick fur coats. Most of them were burly and their faces bore the marks of time.
The boy sniffed lightly.
The air was thick with the pungent smell of wine and meat, along with a lingering odor of sweat and the distinctive fishy smell of damp fur.
The doorbell rang, drawing several glances.
But Dongfang Jing, wearing a mask and with an unfamiliar figure, quickly drew everyone's attention back to drinking and chatting.
Dongfang Jing walked to the bar, sat down, and flipped through the menu, finally ordering an orange juice.
His height was obvious, his age undeniable.
He wore a mask only to conceal his appearance.
The bartender glanced at him again but said nothing, seemingly unfazed.
After accepting the soul coins, he began to cut and squeeze the orange juice for him.
Just then, Dongfang Jing was drawn to a large wooden sign beside the bar.
It was covered with papers, some with fresh ink, others yellowed and curled at the edges.
The contents written in charcoal or ink were varied—
[Buying complete snow fox pelts, 5 gold soul coins per pelt.]
[Recruiting two defensive soul masters, to travel to the Frozen Forest in two days, compensation negotiable.]
[Seeking Person: Provide the exact location of Ice Grass, reward 10 Gold Soul Coins.]
[Clearing Mine Rats, Must Be Attack Type, Payment by Tail!]
[Hiring a Soul Hunting Team for My Son, High Price Offered, Team Members Must Be at Least a Soul Master Level!]
[100,000-Year Soul Bone for Free! Free! Don't Miss Out! Address: ...]
After browsing for a moment, Dongfang Jingxin understood what kind of place this tavern was.
In this world, Soul Masters don't only have the option of joining a faction or sect.
Some Soul Masters don't want to be constrained and prefer freedom, but they still need money to survive.
So they choose to earn money by fighting in the Soul Arena.
Others form small Soul Hunting Mercenary Teams.
They earn money by entering the forest, helping others hunt for Soul Rings, gathering information, collecting herbs and Soul Beast materials, and so on.
This tavern, while operating normally, is also a gathering place for free Soul Masters, a place for Soul Hunting Mercenaries to accept commissions, exchange information, and rest.
No wonder he smelled a faint fishy odor as soon as he entered.
Dongfang Jing almost thought he had stumbled into the lair of a fallen soul master.
He took a small sip of orange juice.
Ugh, it smelled a bit like alcohol.
'Did the owner not wash his hands before cutting the orange?'he thought to himself.
Continuing to browse the contents of the wooden board, his eyes soon lit up.
He had found a perfect commission.
The paper read:[Recruiting an agility-type Soul Master. Soul power and combat ability are not limited, but excellent stealth and reconnaissance skills are required.
Main task: Follow the team into the forest and investigate the surrounding dangers.
Address: Meet at the entrance of the Frozen Forest in two months. Reward negotiable.]
Tearing off the commission, Dongfang Jing's eyes flashed with thought.
This commission suited him perfectly.
Although the waiting time was a bit long,it was a good opportunity to cultivate his soul power and break through to level 20 as soon as possible.
He planned to obtain his second soul ring in this Frozen Forest.
Therefore, he needed to first explore the general environment of the forest.
Traveling with a Soul Hunting team was always safer than venturing in alone.
Of course, he wouldn't let his guard down.
After all, people's hearts are unpredictable, and betrayal was not uncommon.
Frozen Forest.
The temperature here was extremely low, and the environment harsh, with only a vast expanse of coniferous forest as far as the eye could see.
During his two months in Shui Lan City, Dongfang Jing had been cultivating his soul power while gradually adapting to the harsh cold.
Upon arriving at the meeting point mentioned in the commission, the entrance to the Frozen Forest, he indeed saw a large crowd gathered.
The snow underfoot was thick, crunching with each step.
The biting wind swept through like knives, whipping up snow and stinging his face.
Dongfang Jing clearly felt that the temperature here was even lower than in the city.
"Hey! Little Mirror, over here!"a rough voice called out. A slight smile appeared on Dongfang Jing's lips beneath his mask.
During the two months of waiting, he had already met with the person who had issued the commission, and the two had agreed on a specific meeting point.
As he entered the group, a large, thick hand slammed down on his shoulder.
The force was so great that his bones almost trembled: "Cough cough, Brother Haote, have mercy."
The client, Haote, was also the captain of this Soul Hunting Team.
"Haha! Little Mirror, it seems your cultivation has improved quite a bit in just a few days!" The rugged, burly man laughed heartily.
From his appearance, Haote appeared to be a man in his thirties.
Although he looked fierce, with a tall and imposing build,Dongfang Jing realized after a few days of interaction that the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" was sometimes true.
Haote, for example, was honest and reliable, a man of his word. He was also a level 53 Soul King, possessing considerable strength.
Dongfang Jing had learned from his several encounters that this mission required an agility-type Soul Master.
Haote revealed that within this Frozen Forest lived an extremely rare Soul Beast called the Mirror Shadow Beast.
It was incredibly powerful, adept at concealing its presence, and extremely difficult to find.
According to other Soul Masters, someone had discovered a Mirror Shadow Beast with two thousand years of cultivation at the boundary between the outer edge and the depths of the forest.
The scales of the Mirror Shadow Beast were extremely valuable.
This was precisely why so many Soul Hunting Teams had gathered at the entrance to the Frozen Forest.
The commission had been placed two months prior.
So, they've been searching for two months without finding the Mirror Beast?
The news can't be fake, right?
Dongfang Jing had questioned Haote, but the other party assured him it was absolutely true.
The witness was one of his team members.
Since that's the case, Dongfang Jing didn't say anything more.
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(End of Chapter)