Seeing the expression on his disciple's face, the old man knew she wasn't buying his words.
"Ehem~ Okay, that one might be a typo, but the rest are not," the old man said, coughing awkwardly.
"They're not? Are you sure, Master?" Xu Qing asked, still feeling doubtful.
"That's just part of the requirents set forth by the elders. All disciples have to visit at least two towns as part of this ti's joint recruitnt," the elder replied before noticing the look on his disciple's face. "And no, you can't skip out on it. Rember, you have to get a stamp of approval from the city and town authorities first to confirm that you were there." He reminded her, knowing full well that his disciple might try to skimp out on her duties.
"Fine," Xu Qing said with a pout.
Her master gave her a few more instructions before he was finally done and left.
"Phew~ I thought he'd never stop nagging ," Xu Qing muttered to herself. "Though, why did it have to be this mission... Sigh~ I shouldn't have skipped it so many tis."
If she hadn't skipped it even once, she could have avoided the mission this ti. But due to her laziness in going out for it, she had chosen to stay within the sect instead. Now, it was coming back to bite her—and it was even part of her yearly evaluation.
That was the part Xu Qing was most worried about.
Almost all sects required their disciples to complete various missions and tasks. By doing so, they could earn rit points, which could then be exchanged for valuable resources, techniques, skills, or even guidance from the elders.
In Xu Qing's case, she was after a pill that she needed for herself. It was rather expensive and couldn't be bought outside, so her only option was to acquire it through the sect's rit system.
She could, of course, earn points steadily over a long period, but that was not sothing Xu Qing wanted.
'They'll leave behind if I don't progress. I need to catch up to them,' Xu Qing thought to herself, determination flashing in her eyes.
With that in mind, she decided to plan her route.
"Let's see... Fifty locations... That'll take at least a month. I can probably cover at least two cities in a day if I plan my route well." Xu Qing muttered as she charted her path using a map.
She did her best to find the most optimal route, but when she finally reached a conclusion, she was not pleased with it.
"Huh... This town is among the first?" Xu Qing wasn't too keen on visiting it early on in her journey. "But if I skip it, I'll have to circle back later, which will take even longer."
She took a closer look at the map and confird the place. A single na floated above the formation map.
'Oak Head Town.'
She thought about it for a bit and figured out a way to modify her route.
"This should work. I'll go to Green Pond Town first, then Riverrun City, and then Oak Head Town. That way, I should be able to finish all three in a day." Xu Qing calculated.
With that decided, she turned in for the night, knowing she had to wake up bright and early.
Unknown to her, Han Yu was making preparations of his own.
YAWN~
Han Yu stretched as he got up and quickly washed his face.
"That was a nice sleep... I feel better today," he said to himself while looking in the mirror. "Today shall be the day." He spoke with determination.
With that done, he walked out of his hideout to look for his friends.
He found them in their usual place, waiting for him, though their expressions looked rather nervous.
'Makes sense. This is Ox Hand we're talking about after all,' he thought.
"Are you guys ready?" Han Yu asked.
"Yeah, we've been here for a few minutes already," Dan Hu replied.
"Can I not go? What use do I even have there?" Fat Kui asked, looking fearful.
"You can't abandon us, Fatty. If Ox Hand decides to chase after us, you'll be able to absorb at least a few hits, saving us from damage." Han Yu grinned, putting an arm around the chubby man's neck.
"EEK~ Am I just so at shield!?" Fat Kui yelped.
"What else would that body of yours be good for?" Dan Hu added with a smirk.
"Co on, let's go find him," Han Yu said as he dragged the unwilling fatty along.
They headed toward Ox Hand's usual spot—a rather well-known inn. It was a slightly higher-end establishnt that catered mostly to strong hunters, warriors, and cultivators.
"He should be up by now, right?" Han Yu asked.
"The first thing Ox Hand does in the morning is get a plate of chicken and a bottle of wine," Dan Hu replied.
"What a breakfast..." Fat Kui muttered.
But as they entered, they didn't see the man in his usual place.
"Huh... did he not wake up yet?" Dan Hu wondered.
"Let's ask the staff," Han Yu suggested before approaching one of the waiters. "Hey, by any chance, is Ox Hand still sleeping?"
The waiter gave him a surprised look.
"Ox Hand? Why are you looking for him?" The waiter asked the sa question many others had before. "And aren't you that kid who ca a few weeks ago asking the sa thing?" he recalled.
"Yeah," Han Yu nodded. "Isn't he here?"
"He was, but not anymore," the waiter said with a shake of his head.
"What?" Dan Hu was taken aback. "Did he leave to hunt already?"
"Where did he go?" Han Yu asked, suddenly feeling anxious.
"He went to the place he was supposed to go." The waiter's expression was deadpan as he delivered his answer.
"The Jail."
Silence.
The trio blinked in unison.
"...Wait, what?" Han Yu finally asked, making sure he hadn't misheard or was still dreaming.
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