Robust Men

From that day forward, Zhu Yao pestered her Honored Master for three whole days. Finally, unable to persevere any longer, she was forced to give up. Furthermore, she discovered that the more she spoke highly of Wang Zizhi, the more her Honored Master would immediately reject her. Zhu Yao began to suspect whether that Little Cub had done something to frame her Master in the past.

However, he was extremely concerned about her cultivation. Because of this, her cultivation base had basically stabilized. Her Master said it wouldn't be long before she could attempt to charge into the Golden Core Realm. But she no longer had the chance to wait until that moment.

The Qi Condensation disciples of the Qiugu Sect all had to descend the mountain for tempering. Those disciples would be led by a Foundation Establishment disciple. Obviously, Wang Zizhi was also part of that group. For cultivators, descending the mountain for tempering was the best way to improve one's state of mind. As for Zhu Yao, who had reached Foundation Establishment in a single night, how could she have such an opportunity? Therefore, no matter what, she had to try this time. Her Master did not stop her this time. Instead, he gave her some key instructions and then allowed her to descend the mountain.

When she appeared at the gathering point, aside from Wang Zizhi’s eyes lighting up, even Zi Dan Zhen Ren’s mouth twitched. However, he had no reason to refuse, so he had to accept replacing Yan Yueheng with her to lead this team.

While Yan Yueheng was still full of resentment, she had already walked over to her team. Everyone split up into small squads, each consisting of five people. Sect Master Zi Dan was quite tactful and arranged for her to lead Wang Zizhi’s squad.

Zhu Yao looked over and found that Xiao Yi was also in her squad. She rubbed her forehead. This truly was a twist of fate.

The Sect Master waved his sleeve. Immediately, a dozen or so leaves flew out. They slowly transformed into giant leaves appearing on the square. Everyone was the same; when they first entered the sect, they sat on these leaves. At first, she thought this was some special magical treasure, but it turned out to be just a common sect technique used for travel.

With an order from Zi Dan, all the teams set off.

As the temporary team leader, Zhu Yao greeted her squad. Wang Zizhi said goodbye to his master, ran over to say a few words to Yan Yueheng, and then stepped onto the leaf. Seeing that everyone was present, Zhu Yao urged her Qi-controlling spiritual energy and chased after the massive procession.

In a short while, her team had left the mountain and was flying over the vast sea. Zhu Yao turned to look at her teammates. Aside from Wang Zizhi and Xiao Yi, there were two other girls. Both were around their teens. Although they had entered the sect at the same time, when she compared her age to theirs, she couldn't help but feel a sense of resentment. It seemed her Master was right to have her form her Golden Core early. A Golden Core cultivator was no different from a celestial in the sky, and forming a Core would increase her lifespan to a thousand years. Her age would only increase further if she continued to develop.

Zhu Yao wasn't familiar with these two Junior Sisters, so she had no choice but to chat with Wang Zizhi, who was helping her control the Qi.

"Hey, little brat, what were you talking about with Xiao San?"

Xiao San? Wang Zizhi was stunned for a moment before realizing she was referring to Yan Yueheng. He gave her a faint smile and pulled out a jade tablet he carried with him.

"We are heading out to perform a mission this time."

"A mission?"

Zhu Yao asked in surprise, "Wasn't it said we were going out for tempering? Why is there a mission too?"

"The mission is the content of this tempering!"

He spoke with a matter-of-fact expression, "Every squad has its own mission."

"Ah!"

This wasn't a vacation anymore! Instantly, Zhu Yao's initial enthusiasm dropped by half.

"After returning, the sect will grant corresponding rewards to each squad that completes their mission."

Seeing her dejected appearance, Wang Zizhi asked with concern, "Zhu Yao Jie, are you alright?"

Zhu Yao’s mouth twitched. She had been planning to travel, see the sights, and eat to her heart's content. She was about to ask him where they were going, but she had to swallow her words.

"Ahem! What is our mission this time?"

Zhu Yao quickly steered the topic elsewhere.

Wang Zizhi poured spiritual energy into the command tablet in his hand to check the mission details. After a moment, he replied:

"The mission is to head Southwest, to a small town near Yuyu City. It is said that in the past month, nearly 50 people have gone missing in that small town. Our task is to find the cause of the disappearances."

Yuyu City was named as such because it was located near the Yuyu Forest. Because many cultivators frequently entered the Yuyu Forest to capture spirit pets and gather medicinal herbs, Yuyu City was considered the largest supplier of materials for cultivators in this region. The location of this mission was in a small town less than a few dozen miles from that city.

This small town was called Yu Town. Seeing this, Zhu Yao asked, "Is there another town also called Yu Town?"

As it turned out, Wang Zizhi nodded. There was also a small town named Yu Town in the north. Zhu Yao silently spat. The naming of places in this region was far too simple!

The population of Yu Town wasn't very large. Most people were travelers passing through, many of whom were cultivators from Yuyu City, so the town wasn't particularly prosperous. As dusk began to fall, Zhu Yao’s group arrived at the small town. Zhu Yao had everyone change into ordinary clothes and then found an inn to stay at.

During their free time, while everyone was drinking tea, Wang Zizhi took the initiative to ask about the disappearances in the town. Seeing that they were cultivators, the Innkeeper spoke incessantly, telling them the whole story from beginning to end.

It turned out that starting a month ago, people began to go missing in this town. All the missing people, even the travelers passing through, were men. Furthermore, they were all robust and healthy, truly men in the prime of their lives. No one knew why these men were disappearing. There was nothing unusual at all, yet the next morning, when the room doors were opened, those men had vanished without a trace.

"The missing ones are all men."

A young girl in the group looked worriedly at Xiao Yi beside her.

"Xiao Yi Gege, then you..."

Zhu Yao realized this girl was named Ling Long. She had met her five years ago, and yet she was still following Xiao Yi; it seemed she was very loyal to him.

"Junior Sister Ling Long, you don't need to worry. Senior Uncle Xiao Yi is very powerful, nothing will happen," a girl named Su Zi comforted, her eyes shining as she looked at Wang Zizhi beside her. "Besides, we have Senior Brother Wang here! Senior Brother Wang, you must protect us!"

Zhu Yao saw this girl looking at the little brat with sparkling eyes. She silently looked at the naughty kid beside her! Ah! Ah! This was truly interesting! First love, childhood sweethearts...??? These things, and they were even in the same squad—too wonderful! Ah! Youth, being young is truly something else!!!

Everyone seemed to finally remember there was still a "Senior" in their group. They all turned toward her simultaneously for her opinion.

"Everyone, rest assured. Didn't the Innkeeper already say it?"

Zhu Yao waved her hand and then slapped the naughty kid's chest several times with force. Then, she emphasized every word: "The missing ones are all 'Ro-bust, Health-y, Strong Men'! These two don't fit the requirements at all."

They weren't even fully grown yet, what was there to worry about?

Wang Zizhi sat silently, watching her withdraw her hand. But once she finished, his face turned red with a ghostly speed. To the side, Su Zi also pouted and glared at her with a resentful expression. Even Xiao Yi and Ling Long had strange looks on their faces.

Erm... what did she do to make everyone so indignant with her?

"Ahem, you all should go to bed early today."

Anyway, it was best to complete the mission quickly.

"Tomorrow, everyone split up to ask for clues, then gather back here in the evening."

"Yes!"

The four of them answered in unison and returned to their rooms.