Niu Daijie stood up to leave.
"Daijie," Niu Shilin called out to him.
"Second Uncle, what's the matter?"
"We are family, and that's something that can't be changed. There are some things you need to understand clearly."
"Yes, Second Uncle, I will remember."
With that, Niu Daijie turned and left, laughing inwardly.
Family?
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If we're family, then why have I been the one doing all the dirty work, offending people, and acting like a mad dog, while his son Niu Daihao gets a free pass?
It was him who led the men to kill Zhu Sixiu, and he was the first to kick down the door looking for Zhu Xiaosuo.
He was always at the forefront of the charge, yet he reaped the least benefits.
He's not stupid; the reason he was willing to do the dirty work was because he knew his position in the Niu Clan was just a high-level hired thug.
The next head of the family would definitely be Niu Daihao.
When the Niu Clan was powerful, he didn't mind being a dog for Niu Shilin and his son, at least he could get some scraps to eat.
Ever since Zhu Xiaosuo appeared in Mountain Chicken County at the Rebirth Stage, Third Layer, and then slaughtered his way through the Zhu Clan, he knew Zhu Xiaosuo was destined to soar.
Life would only get harder for the Niu Clan, and he wouldn't even get bones to gnaw on, probably just dirt.
Zhu Xiaosuo was known to be a respectable person; if you don't provoke him, he won't provoke you. The Yang Clan was the best proof of that, as they were the only ones not implicated at the negotiation table tonight.
Even though he bore the Niu surname, it wasn't worth offending Zhu Xiaosuo over a few scraps.
He needed to find his own way out.
"Family, oh, this damned family... what if it could become two families?"
The day after the negotiation ended, Zhu Xiaosuo received a Sound Transmission Talisman from the Immortal Sect.
He followed the verification procedure described in the Cultivator's Beginner Guide, using the spiritual energy within him to authenticate the talisman.
It was genuine from the Immortal Sect.
He let down his guard and opened the talisman.
"All sect members currently in the City of Seeking Immortality and its affiliated counties, upon receiving this talisman, must immediately head north to Black Snow Ridge to provide support, without delay."
Zhu Xiaosuo frowned upon receiving the message.
The order was very firm.
It seemed non-negotiable.
However, he was unfamiliar with sect missions, so he sent a Sound Transmission Talisman to Zhuang Yun to ask what to do.
Soon, he received a reply from Zhuang Yun:
"I'm on my way, will be at the Zhu Clan soon, we can talk in person then."
Zhu Xiaosuo waited for half an hour, and Zhuang Yun arrived at the Zhu Clan.
"Godfather, what's the situation with this mission?"
"I just found out after returning to the sect. There's a problem with the spirit vein at Black Snow Ridge."
The spirit vein at Black Snow Ridge?
On his last trip back to Yellow Dog County, he had run into Ba Mingyang, who wanted to team up with him to dig spirit stones at Black Snow Ridge.
How long has it been, and now there's a problem with the spirit vein?
"Do you know what happened to the spirit vein at Black Snow Ridge?"
"There was a spirit collapse yesterday morning, trapping over a hundred cultivators inside the spirit vein."
"Spirit collapse?"
"It's when the underground spiritual energy suddenly goes berserk, causing changes in the terrain. Because Black Snow Ridge has a spirit vein, the spiritual energy upheaval was more intense. In just a few breaths, the entire spirit vein sank, sealing all exits."
"So, our mission to Black Snow Ridge is to rescue people?"
"Most likely. No one knows how many meters the spirit vein has sunk. The sect needs to organize manpower to dig open the land at Black Snow Ridge and rescue people as quickly as possible."
"Why the rush? Those buried are all cultivators; even without food or water for ten days, they'd still be lively."
"Before entering the spirit vein, cultivators must seal their internal organs, leaving only the ability to use spiritual power with their limbs. Without spiritual energy to sustain bodily functions, they can only last five days without food or water in the spirit vein."
"Seal the internal organs? Is it to prevent cultivators from secretly cultivating after digging out raw spirit stones in the spirit vein?"
"Exactly. Without the ability to use spiritual energy in the internal organs, they can't operate cultivation techniques or cultivate. Retaining the ability to use spiritual energy in the limbs is to facilitate the excavation of raw spirit stones from the spirit vein."
"Alright."
"The sect can track our location. Time is of the essence, let's get moving."
"Okay. There's nothing much to pack, let's go now."
The two of them used Wind-Chasing Steps and hurried towards Black Snow Ridge.
On the way, Zhu Xiaosuo asked again:
"Godfather, is there a reward for completing this sect mission?"
"The talisman didn't mention any, so there probably isn't."
"No reward? Saving the lives of over a hundred cultivators, that's a huge merit, how can there be no reward? If there's no reward, who would go to the trouble of rescuing people?"
Zhu Xiaosuo was very puzzled.
Zhuang Yun also sneered:
"Hmph, it's all because of that stingy Mission Elder. This elder was promoted from the Ministry of Revenue, and who knows if he's been blinded by money after managing it for so long. He's extremely stingy with rewards, not giving an inch. For the same mission, cultivators from other cities get more than double the reward compared to those under the City of Seeking Immortality."
According to the Cultivator's Beginner Guide, the sects to which cultivators belong are divided by city-level units.
Zhu Xiaosuo is a cultivator from Mountain Chicken County, Immortal-Knocking Town, under the City of Seeking Immortality. He has to go to the sect managing the City of Seeking Immortality for examinations and to complete missions.
It seems that the sect he belongs to isn't easy to navigate.
He sighed and focused on the journey ahead.
When they arrived at Black Snow Ridge, they saw a dense crowd gathered there.
Some cultivators nodded in acknowledgment when they saw Zhuang Yun.
But Zhu Xiaosuo didn't recognize any of them.
In the entire Mountain Chicken County, he was the only sect member. He hadn't even started the examination yet.
Other cultivators, after failing the first three sect examinations, were forced to leave the sect.
However, Zhu Xiaosuo did spot a familiar face in the corner of the crowd.
"Fellow Daoist Ba, long time no see."
It was the scruffy Ba Mingyang.
His beggar-like appearance made him stand out in the crowd, and no one wanted to get close to him.
A vacuum area formed around him.
Very conspicuous.
If not for this, Zhu Xiaosuo wouldn't have been able to find him.
"Hey, isn't this Fellow Daoist Zhu? Congratulations on breaking through to the Rebirth Stage, Third Layer!"
Ba Mingyang immediately recognized Zhu Xiaosuo's cultivation level.
It seems he also knows the "Spirit Cleansing Sight" technique.
He remembered Niu Shilin mentioning that "Spirit Cleansing Sight" could only be learned by sect disciples.
This meant that this smelly, dead-fish-eyed Ba Mingyang had at least passed the sect examination three times.
Truly, appearances can be deceiving.
"Over a year has passed, and Fellow Daoist Ba is as impressive as ever."
"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Zhu has a keen eye."
Zhu Xiaosuo awkwardly smiled and said:
"Fellow Daoist Ba, you truly have great fortune. I don't see anyone else dressed for spirit stone digging like you, so it seems not many escaped from this spirit collapse."
"Fellow Daoist Zhu, you're mistaken. It's not that few escaped from the spirit collapse, but rather none did."
"Huh? Then how about you?"