After leaving Duanqing Peak, Lu Li headed straight to the Merit Hall of the Xuling Sect to take on sect missions.
Although it was nearly dusk when Lu Li arrived at the Merit Hall, the hall was still bustling with noise, and the area in front of the task-receiving light screen was crowded with disciples selecting missions.
Upon seeing Lu Li arrive, many disciples who recognized his position as peak master quickly made way for him.
Lu Li, however, did not decline the courtesy and smoothly approached the light screen to search for a suitable sect mission.
“Hmm… Collecting twenty thousand Forget-Worry Spirit Herbs. This mission isn’t difficult, but it’s relatively time-consuming…”
“Oh? A team hunt for Elder Golden Core-level Winged Blood Lions. This mission seems quite risky…”
“Also, this mission looks rewarding, but it’s a team mission! In the end, the reward would be split, and the final share wouldn’t be much…”
Lu Li was carefully examining the magical light screen in the Merit Hall, pondering which mission to accept when suddenly a light, enchanting voice sounded behind him.
“Yo~ Junior Brother Lu, what wind blew such a busy man like you all the way to my Merit Hall~”
That alluring female voice was as sweet and rich as honey, penetrating Lu Li’s ears like aged wine, instantly confusing the surrounding Qi refining disciples and irresistibly drawing them to indulge in the warmth of the voice’s owner.
However, having cultivated the Heart Severance Technique, Lu Li was completely unmoved by the voice behind him, even frowning after hearing it.
Because the owner of this voice was, in a certain sense, Lu Li’s nemesis.
Aside from the five traitors in the game, the character Lu Li least wanted to meet as a transmigrator was the very owner of this voice.
“Hehe~ Senior Sister Duan, long time no see…”
Lu Li reluctantly turned stiffly.
Upon seeing the white hair whiter than snow, silk-like seductive eyes, dressed in a green robe with a wine gourd at her waist—a beautiful woman in palace attire—his expression immediately darkened.
“Ah~ Little Lu Li~ It’s been a while since you came to visit me~ I missed you so much~”
Before Lu Li could respond, Duan Xueyan spread her arms and embraced him tightly.
Lu Li’s vision darkened as his face was suddenly engulfed by two large fragrant shadows.
The soft green silk rubbed against his cheek, the delicate texture wrapped around him with layers of sweet wine aroma, almost suffocating his breath.
“Senior Sister Duan… ugh! I can’t breathe…”
Lu Li instinctively struggled but was hugged even tighter by those seemingly slender arms.
The suffocating pressure, combined with the warmth and scent of wine, kept pouring in from the darkness.
The world before Lu Li’s eyes was reduced to a throbbing darkness and lingering peach blossom wine fragrance.
Sensing Lu Li’s struggle weakening, the woman released him with satisfaction.
Freed, Lu Li covered his throat, gasping in the fresh air around him.
At the same time, he instinctively stepped back to put distance between himself and the Golden Core female cultivator.
Seeing this, the woman covered her mouth and chuckled lightly, a mischievous gleam flickering in her eyes.
“Hehe~ Sorry, Junior Brother Lu… I didn’t mean to harm you~ I just hadn’t seen you for so long, so I got a little overexcited just now…”
Though she apologized verbally, there was no trace of guilt in her tone.
Instead, it was like a cat that had sneaked some fish, speaking with a hint of pride.
As for the disciples around them picking tasks, they were already accustomed to such scenes.
The Golden Core female cultivator before Lu Li, exuding a strong aura of wine, was named Duan Xueyan.
She was the head of the Merit Hall and the chief disciple of the Nascent Soul peak master of Xiaoyao Peak, who was a contemporary of Lu Li’s master.
The Heart Severance Technique practiced at Duanqing Peak emphasized abstinence and emotional detachment, while the techniques of Xiaoyao Peak advocated freedom and indulgence.
Because of this fundamental difference in cultivation philosophies, every generation of Xiaoyao Peak disciples loved teasing their counterparts at Duanqing Peak to throw them off balance.
Lu Li was the only disciple of the Yang generation at Duanqing Peak, and similarly, Duan Xueyan was the only disciple of the same generation at Xiaoyao Peak.
Therefore, in the game’s storyline, Senior Sister Duan would often pop up to tease Lu Li.
Because of this, she naturally became the trigger for many party wipes in the game.
Almost half of the group wipe scenarios were caused by her teasing Lu Li, which provoked jealousy among the five female disciples, eventually leading them to turn dark and brutally kill her.
Thus, Senior Sister Duan also became the most tragic female supporting character in the game!
However, according to the production team, Duan Xueyan was actually a hidden female lead that could be pursued, but Lu Li never triggered her hidden storyline before transmigrating.
Since returning to the sect after transmigration, Senior Sister Duan had followed the game’s old path, often popping up to tease Lu Li.
Although Duan Xueyan was extremely beautiful, considering that the game was a yandere cultivation game where the main female leads were all yandere, it was hard to say whether this hidden female lead was also yandere.
After all, Xiaoyao Peak’s Free Spirit Technique was the direct counterpart and opposite of the Heart Severance Technique from Duanqing Peak, so it was difficult to say if it carried similarly unspeakable side effects.
For this reason, since returning to the sect, Lu Li had kept his distance from Senior Sister Duan.
Seeing Lu Li’s wariness, Duan Xueyan looked him over carefully, smiling with a mature woman’s sweet and soft tone.
“Hehe… Junior Brother Lu, you look quite lean after so many days.”
Lu Li slightly cupped his hands and bowed,
“Senior Sister Duan, please don’t tease this humble disciple.”
Duan Xueyan stepped closer, lowering her voice with a hint of slyness and subtle flirtation.
“I heard you went down the mountain to recruit disciples recently? Did you find one that suits you? If not, or if you really can’t support them…”
“Junior Brother Lu, why not come to Sister’s place? Sister has plenty of spirit stones and contribution points, supporting a little junior brother is no problem~”
After speaking, she deliberately winked at Lu Li.
Lu Li suddenly felt a chill on his scalp.
“Thank you for your kindness, Senior Sister. Yesterday, I have already accepted a disciple. No need for your trouble.”
“Oh? You have?”
Duan Xueyan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised and vaguely disappointed.
“A male disciple? Or a female disciple? What’s their talent? Don’t just pick up some useless one to fill the quota.”
“A male disciple, talent… decent,”
Lu Li replied vaguely, hastily changing the subject.
“Senior Sister, I came today to take on missions to earn contribution points to buy cultivation resources for my disciple.”
Seeing Lu Li’s cold, businesslike demeanor trying to avoid her, Duan Xueyan pouted in boredom.
“Tch, no fun. Alright, alright, I know you only come here when you have nothing better to do. Tell me, what type of mission are you interested in? Bandit suppression? Herb gathering? Escorting?”
“Preferably one with generous rewards and moderate difficulty,”
Lu Li thought for a moment before adding,
“and one that can be completed quickly.”
Hearing this, Duan Xueyan casually swiped a few times on a jade slip.
The tasks on the light screen quickly scrolled with her movements.
After a moment, she stopped her finger and pointed one out to Lu Li.
“Here, take a look at this mission. It’s a help request sent from Yanzhou City to our sect, and the reward is quite generous.”
“Oh? Yanzhou City?”
Lu Li’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, because Yanzhou City was the largest spirit herb wholesale hub in the southern part of the Kongxuan Realm, filled with marketplaces where cultivators sold herbs.
If he took a sect mission there, he could also purchase some alchemy materials along the way.
Whether he refined pills himself or handed them to the Pill Medicine Hall, the final cost would be very economical.
Most importantly, Yanzhou City was very close to the Xuling Sect where Lu Li was based.