At dawn, as the first ray of sunlight touched the earth, Bai Xiaochun felt a tremor from his identity token. Standing just outside his courtyard, he turned to look back at the home he had lived in for over two years and let out a long sigh.
"I need to be careful on this trip… I mustn't lose my life…" he muttered, face full of worry. He put on seven or eight layers of leather armor, then slung Zhang Dapang's giant black wok over his back. Already small and thin, Bai Xiaochun now looked like a walking ball.
With heavy thoughts weighing on him, Bai Xiaochun left Fragrant Cloud Peak and made his way toward the southern gate of the sect. Along the way, many outer sect disciples caught sight of him and were stunned by his ridiculous appearance.
Bai Xiaochun wore a miserable expression, waving goodbye if he saw anyone familiar. Eventually, he reached the southern mountain gate. As he approached, he saw two people waiting — one was a young man sitting cross-legged in meditation, the other a woman pacing impatiently. From her back, Bai Xiaochun felt she looked familiar.
"Du Lingfei?" Bai Xiaochun blinked in surprise.
At that moment, Du Lingfei also saw him and froze for a second. When she registered his bizarre outfit, her brow furrowed.
"The final member of the team investigating Senior Brother Hou's disappearance… is you?"
"Yep, it's me. What a coincidence…" Bai Xiaochun coughed awkwardly, then casually glanced at the man beside Du Lingfei. Though the youth's expression was blank, a faint killing aura surrounded him. As Bai Xiaochun looked over, the man opened his eyes and gave him a faint, ambiguous smile.
Bai Xiaochun's heart tensed. He had already considered the ways Qian Dajin might act against him during this mission. The simplest method would be to send someone on the same mission who could strike once they were far from the sect, ensuring the act would go unnoticed.
At this moment, whether it was Du Lingfei or this man, Bai Xiaochun was suspicious of both. Outwardly, however, he kept up a friendly appearance and even grinned at the man.
"I'm Bai Xiaochun. May I ask your name, Senior Brother?"
"Qingfeng Peak, Feng Yan," the young man replied, smiling slightly.
"So it's Senior Brother Feng. You certainly don't look like an ordinary cultivator. This is my first time going on a mission outside the sect, so I hope you'll look after me." Bai Xiaochun cupped his fists respectfully, having already sensed that Feng Yan was at the seventh level of Qi Condensation.
"No problem, no problem," Feng Yan replied. A flicker of disdain crossed his eyes. The reason he accepted this mission was because Qian Dajin, an inner sect disciple, had promised him something very tempting — which made him agree to "accidentally" kill Bai Xiaochun during the mission.
For him, it would be easy. He wouldn't even need to act directly — just a slight misstep at the right moment would be enough to ensure Bai Xiaochun's death.
The only complication was Du Lingfei. Ideally, she shouldn't witness anything. But in Feng Yan's view, since she was part of the team, she too was likely involved at Qian Dajin's request.
Du Lingfei frowned. She hadn't expected to run into someone as irritating as Bai Xiaochun even on a mission. This task wasn't forced upon her — she had chosen it herself. Though it carried some danger, it was generally simple and offered generous contribution points.
She had been stuck at the peak of Qi Condensation Level Five for a long time. She needed more contribution points to exchange for another stick of "Lingyun Incense" to attempt a breakthrough. Thinking of that incense made her dislike Bai Xiaochun even more.
"Cowardly rat." Her disgust deepened as she looked at Bai Xiaochun, bundled up like a human ball with a massive black wok on his back — the very image of someone desperate to avoid death.
She snorted coldly, said no more to him, and turned to Feng Yan.
"Senior Brother Feng, we're all here. Please bring out the Windrider Sail so we can complete this task quickly and return early."
Feng Yan smiled faintly and tapped his storage pouch. A beam of white light shot out, expanding with the wind until it became a white boat about twenty feet long, floating midair.
It radiated spiritual energy, releasing an impressive aura.
"What's that, Senior Brother Feng?" Bai Xiaochun asked in awe. He had never seen such a thing before. The sight of the boat floating in the air left him stunned — it was clearly meant for riding, which only added to his amazement.
Du Lingfei's eyes held nothing but scorn. Feng Yan chuckled.
"This is the Windrider Sail. When we outer sect disciples are assigned to missions far away, the sect allows us to rent these vessels. They're easy to control and don't consume much spiritual power — very convenient. The only downside is they consume a lot of spirit stones." As he spoke, he leapt onto the boat.
Du Lingfei followed, and Bai Xiaochun quickly jumped aboard too. The boat wasn't large, but spacious enough for three people. Bai Xiaochun sat at the back, curiously touching everything he could reach, more and more impressed.
"One day, I'll get one too…" he muttered.
"You could sell yourself and still not afford it!" Du Lingfei sneered at his backwater attitude.
Bai Xiaochun glanced at her sideways and nodded seriously.
"Then I'll sell *you*. That should cover it."
"You—!" Du Lingfei's phoenix eyes flared in anger, but before she could speak, Feng Yan activated the boat. With a loud *whoosh*, it transformed into a streak of rainbow light and shot off toward the distant horizon.
The speed was tremendous, and the roaring wind was fierce. But a glowing barrier rose around them, blocking the wind and leaving the passengers unaffected, though they could still hear the howling outside.
From afar, the boat's streak of light quickly vanished over the horizon.
At that same moment, on Fragrant Cloud Peak, inside the Alchemist Hall, Elder Xu — who had overseen Bai Xiaochun's alchemy apprentice assessment — held a jade slip and frowned slightly.
"The Law Enforcement Hall actually bypassed Fragrant Cloud Peak and forcibly assigned Bai Xiaochun a mission?" Elder Xu studied the jade slip carefully. After a while, his brow relaxed. The mission was simple. Though not without danger, it wouldn't risk Bai Xiaochun's life.
"This kid's lazy habits could use some tempering," he murmured, recalling Li Qinghou's instructions and description of Bai Xiaochun's character. He set the jade slip down and resumed refining pills.
Meanwhile, on Green Peak Mountain, outside a certain cave residence in the inner sect, Qian Dajin stood staring at the departing flying boat, a cold smirk on his face.
"With Feng Yan's cultivation, getting rid of Bai Xiaochun will be effortless. Bai Xiaochun… your talent in botany is decent, but unfortunately, you'll never have the chance to develop. This time, you're dead for sure." A sinister glint flickered in his eyes before he turned and walked back into the cave.
The sky was crystal blue and the world beneath them stretched endlessly. On the boat, Bai Xiaochun, though nervous, couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement as the land below grew distant.
He leaned over the edge and gazed down. Mountain peaks jutted like swords. Ridges coiled like dragons. Then he saw — a massive, awe-inspiring river!
"The Heavenspan River…" Bai Xiaochun inhaled deeply. Since becoming an outer sect disciple, he had read many records and learned that the entire cultivation world relied on the Heavenspan River for spiritual energy.
This river was the source of all spiritual power.
That was why every sect was built near it. The farther upstream, the denser the spiritual energy.
The Spirit Stream Sect was located downstream, yet it had still managed to thrive for tens of thousands of years. Bai Xiaochun had read that ten thousand years ago, the sect hadn't been here — it had been even farther downstream. But then, a powerful patriarch had risen up from among countless other sects and clans, earning the favor of an Upper Sect and winning the right to relocate the sect here.
"It's said that the sects in the middle reaches are so powerful that several Spirit Stream Sects combined wouldn't compare. And at the river's source… there are supposedly even more terrifying sects." Bai Xiaochun pushed down his excitement, staying alert.
The river flowed just below, golden and vast, rolling like a sea. Across it stood four towering peaks radiating intense spiritual energy.
"That must be the north bank of the Spirit Stream Sect," Bai Xiaochun whispered, gazing at the four peaks in the distance. He even saw the main peak of the sect — a mountain shaped like a bridge across the Heavenspan River.
"Mount Zhongdao!" He had seen all this before, when Li Qinghou had first brought him to the sect. But back then, he'd still been a mortal. Now, as an outer sect disciple, the sight stirred completely different emotions in him.
The boat sped forward, leaving the sect far behind as it flew downstream along the mighty Heavenspan River.
"Junior Sister Du, Junior Brother Bai, you've both read the mission briefing. We're headed to the Falling Star Mountains in the lower reaches of the Heavenspan River. That's where Junior Brother Hou last sent a message. Those mountains mark the edge of the Spirit Stream Sect's territory. Beyond them lies Blood Stream Sect territory," Feng Yan said casually. His voice was half-muted by the wind.
"There may be some danger, but we all knew that when we accepted the mission. As long as we stay cautious, there shouldn't be any problems."
"But it's a long way. Using this boat all the time would burn too many spirit stones. Most of the time, we'll be walking. We'll only use the boat when absolutely necessary." As Feng Yan finished, a cold glint flickered deep in his eyes. He closed them and began to meditate.
Du Lingfei ignored Bai Xiaochun, sitting at the edge of the boat to focus on her breathing exercises.
Bai Xiaochun, however, remained extremely alert. Though seated in meditation, his mind raced, constantly evaluating which of the two had been sent by Qian Dajin.
"Du Lingfei is the less likely suspect… which means it's almost certainly Feng Yan!"