A young man sat upon a mat in a cave abode. In front of him, a blue jade slip floated eerily, emitting a soft light; the jade had the word "Order" engraved upon it.
The young man was Xiao Shan, and his facial expression had changed several times since the jade arrived at his abode.
Xiao Shan had studied the sect's history and rules; he knew this type of jade slip was meant to compel him, and disobeying it would carry heavy consequences.
He slowly turned his back to the slip, pretending not to see it. After a few breaths, he decided to step out of his cave abode, only to discover that the jade slip simply flew over and positioned itself in front of him again, forcing it to remain in his view.
Sighing, Xiao Shan reluctantly took the slip, and after pouring some spiritual energy into it, a message rang in his head.
"By sect decree, disciple Xiao Shan is commanded to join an escort mission to Huangzhen. This is a group mission. Await at the east outer gate in 4 days. Reward: 100 credits per disciple."
Xiao Shan's eyebrows furrowed. He was being forced to take on a mission, and the odd part was the fact that while this was a group mission, who else or how many others would be participating was not mentioned. This gave him pause.
However, the slip also mentioned a 100-credit reward, which was very attractive given his current finances. Xiao Shan felt tempted; he did not know how dangerous this mission was going to be, but given that it was a group mission, it might be safer than a solo mission.
After thinking for a while, he settled his doubts. The order slip gave him little recourse but to follow, and given the reward, he might as well accept it; that would solve his issues with cultivation resources.
With his mind cleared, he returned to his cave abode, memorizing the details of his new cultivation technique and keeping himself in peak condition.
Time went by, and on the morning of the fourth day, Xiao Shan left his cave abode. As he walked toward the east gate, he checked his bag of holding: a pair of daggers, a couple of pills, and some small spirit stones were stored within. He had prepared for this mission as well as he could.
He then passed by the cultivation pavilion. The area bustled with activity as usual, and Xiao Shan wondered who the other disciples on this mission were.
Finally, at the east end, a majestic pair of towering jade pillars became visible. The pillars were engraved with phoenixes, and each had the character "East" inscribed at the top; this was, of course, the east gate.
Few people came through the gate, but an outer disciple was sitting and resting against one of the pillars. As Xiao Shan drew close, the disciple looked at him. "Are you here for the escort mission?"
"Disciple Xiao Shan is indeed here for the mission," Xiao Shan greeted the young man by the pillar. This young man seemed to have a cultivation level similar to Xiao Shan's.
"Li Mo," the young man nodded and then closed his eyes, seemingly meditating. Xiao Shan walked close to the pillars and sat down as well, understanding that his fellow disciple was trying to keep himself at his peak.
Barely enough time passed for a cup of tea before someone else arrived. This person wore a white robe embroidered with golden details, and his flowing long hair gave him a mystical air. He came with two other disciples in tow as he arrived at the gate.
Xiao Shan's pupils shrank as he felt a bad omen; the young man in white was Chen Kang!
"Oh? If it isn't Junior Brother Xiao Shan. I imagine you are also here for the mission," Chen Kang said with a kind smile. Behind him, a pair of disciples gave Xiao Shan mocking looks as they scanned him from head to toe.
Xiao Shan tightened his fist as he stood up. The other young man also stood up and cupped his hands toward Chen Kang. "Greetings, Senior Brother." Chen Kang nodded approvingly at Li Mo while he stared calmly at Xiao Shan, waiting.
Xiao Shan cupped his hands and reluctantly offered a greeting.
"No need to be so reserved, Junior Brother. This mission is important and we are fellow sect members; let bygones be bygones." Chen Kang walked past everyone and took out a blue jade slip.
"Also, as the highest cultivator in the group, I was naturally assigned to lead this team." He looked back at Xiao Shan. "I'll make sure we are successful."
Xiao Shan's face flickered with a look of pure incredulity; he could hardly believe the sheer shamelessness of Chen Kang's act. A surge of annoyance burned inside him, but he forced himself to rein it in. With Chen Kang backed by two of his lackeys, playing along was the only sensible choice.
Chen Kang then walked nonchalantly through the gate, his lackeys trailing behind. One of them looked at Xiao Shan and, with a snort, signaled for him to follow.
Li Mo passed through silently, after which Xiao Shan also followed behind with a dispassionate face.
The group walked across stone stairs and paths, passing through lush vegetation which, as they got closer to the base of the mountain, turned into rough terrain filled with rocks and dirt.
Xiao Shan looked around, remembering his time as a new disciple, working on clearing and building these same paths.
At the end of the path, a simple cart awaited the group. An old driver sat at the front, holding the reins of a couple of horses.
"Junior brothers, we'll take this cart to Huangzhen, but before that, you need to change your attire for this mission," Chen Kang spoke as he tapped his bag of holding. A set of simple peasant outfits came out, which he distributed to everyone in the group.
"Our story is simple: I'm the young master of a merchant family and you guys are my lackeys. We are traveling to Huangzhen for business," Chen Kang chuckled as he climbed into the front seat of the cart.
Xiao Shan gritted his teeth. Regarding the mission, he had no choice but to follow through. He tried to reach out to Elder Bao Yan, but he was unavailable; his senior brother Da He and Bao Tie were both in closed-door cultivation.
After changing attire, the group boarded the back of the cart. The interior was a simple merchant cart with a couple of benches positioned above boxes of merchandise.
Xiao Shan sat in a corner beside Li Mo, while Chen Kang's lackeys sat on the bench on the opposite side. "Oh? Brother Xiao Shan, with that attire, you really blend in," said one of the lackeys with a mocking expression.
Xiao Shan frowned, and Li Mo rolled his eyes at Chen Kang's lackeys.
As everyone was ready to depart, Chen Kang gave the signal to the coachman, who then hurried the horses along. They rode over a set of stone paths leading away from the sect and into the wilderness, where simple dirt paths wound through the forest.