The Mission Hall was a cacophony of ambition and anxiety. Disciples crowded around the glowing jade boards, scanning for tasks that would grant them the precious Contribution Points needed for techniques, pills, and prestige. Ye Xingliu shouldered his way through, his gaze not on the high-reward, high-risk demon-slaying missions, but on the logistical postings.
And there it was. As if placed there by the Dao itself.
Mission: Caravan Escort
Location: To Blazing Sun Oasis, Jade Basin Desert.
Duration: 3 Months (Round Trip).
Reward: 500 Contribution Points per disciple.
Requirements: Combat-capable disciples to deter bandits and low-level spirit beasts.
It was perfect. A paid ride directly to his destination. He couldn't have asked for a better alignment of the heavens.
"I'll take it," he said to the mission attendant, who looked surprised that an inner disciple would take such a menial, lengthy task.
The team assembled at the sect gates at dawn. Ye Xingliu stood with his newly acquired Gourd of Endless Wine at his hip and the cosmic compass warm in his pocket. Beside him was Feng Shui'er, a look of eager anticipation on her face, a light pack slung over her shoulder.
And beside her, stamping a massive, impatient hoof, was Grunter the Ironhide Boar. After a discreet conversation involving a whole bushel of apples and the simple, straightforward logic that the desert had interesting new things to dig up, the beast had willingly followed Ye Xingliu out of the pens. A tamed—or at least, strongly bribed—mount and fellow traveler.
Their other three teammates were a different story. They were outer disciples, two boys and a girl, their eyes wide with a mixture of awe and terror. They were clearly on the mission for the safe(ish) points and had hoped for a quiet journey. They had not expected to be teamed with the infamous "Laughing Comet," his elemental friend, and a one-ton boar that looked like it could eat a boulder.
"You... you're Ye Xingliu," one of the boys stammered.
"The one and only," Ye Xingliu said with a cheerful grin. "And this is Feng Shui'er. And this," he said, patting Grunter's stony flank, "is our strategic terrain assessment unit. He's great at finding soft spots in the ground."
Grunter snorted, a cloud of dust puffing from his nostrils, and nudged the disciple, nearly knocking him over.
The three outer disciples exchanged a panicked look.
"Relax," Shui'er said, rolling her eyes. "The most dangerous thing on this trip will probably be his jokes. Just stay close, do your job, and you'll be fine."
The caravan master, a weathered man with skin like leather and eyes squinted from a lifetime of sun, gave the motley crew a dubious once-over. His gaze lingered on the boar. "Is... that coming?"
"He insists," Ye Xingliu said.
The man sighed, muttering about "weird sect folk," and waved them towards the waiting line of merchant wagons. "Just keep it from eating the cargo."
As the sun crested the mountains, painting the sky in hues of gold and orange, the caravan lurched into motion. The great gates of the Starfall Sect began to shrink behind them.
Ye Xingliu looked back only once. The sect had been a cage, a classroom, and a launching pad. Now, it was a memory receding on the horizon.
He turned his face forward, towards the dusty road unfurling like a ribbon towards the distant, hazy expanse of the Jade Basin Desert. The compass in his pocket hummed a happy tune.
The road was calling. And the Wanderer was finally, truly, on his way.
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