In an instant, Zhang Deming saw that among the five qualified individuals, only Qu Qingxian, who was preparing for a breakthrough, hadn’t accepted the mission. The other four, including Nangong Cheng who was far away, had all taken it. A small smile touched his lips.
With a flick of his wrist, the number of accepted members changed from four to five. He had added himself to the list.
After doing all this, Zhang Deming tapped the Book of All Living Beings once more to set the mission’s assembly time and location. Only then did he toss the book back into the sky, and with that, he left the Spirit Nurturing Space.
Just a moment after Zhang Deming returned to his room, his Identity Card began to vibrate.
Zhang Deming opened the message. It was from Li Shifan.
"Senior Brother Zhang, did you accept the Alliance mission? If you did, why don’t we just team up in five days?"
Zhang Deming replied, "Yes, that was my plan as well."
"Alright!" Li Shifan replied.
Seeing the reply, Zhang Deming put away his Identity Card. He stood before the window, hands clasped behind his back, and stared out at the cliffside scenery, lost in thought.
...
「Five days later.」
On a rather ordinary hillside in the Shallow Area of the Hengduan Mountain Range, on the back mountain of the Celestial Spirit Sect.
Guided by the Book of All Living Beings, Zhang Deming and Li Shifan arrived on a barren hillside.
They were already within the forest. In the past, Demon Beasts would have been active here.
However, due to the chaos from the Cyan Wood Secret Realm, Demon Beasts had all but vanished from the Shallow Area of the Hengduan Mountain Range near the Celestial Spirit Sect. Thus, the two had an easy journey.
The hillside wasn’t very high, more like an earthen mound.
Likely due to a battle not long ago, the slope was devoid of trees, making it look quite barren. At its summit sat a large, exposed boulder.
After they arrived, the two of them scanned their surroundings and exchanged a glance. Li Shifan said, "Senior Brother, the meeting time is almost upon us. It looks like we’re the first to arrive?"
Zhang Deming replied with an unreadable expression, "Perhaps."
No sooner had they spoken than they both looked up in the direction from which they had come.
Feng Mingyou’s figure appeared in the distance. A moment later, he stood before Zhang Deming and Li Shifan.
He immediately bowed to Zhang Deming and said, "Greetings, Master Zhang, Junior Brother Li."
Although Feng Mingyou had interacted less with Zhang Deming since his promotion to the Inner Sect, they had kept in touch. Besides, the commotion from Zhang Deming’s breakthrough had been significant, so it was hardly a secret.
Li Shifan and Feng Mingyou only knew each other through Zhang Deming, having met a couple of times at his residence.
Upon seeing Feng Mingyou, Li Shifan’s demeanor shifted instantly. He cradled his sword in his arms and positioned himself half a step behind Zhang Deming.
He responded to Feng Mingyou’s greeting with a cold nod and a curt, "Mm."
Seeing this, the corner of Zhang Deming’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. ’What a drama queen!’
He looked at Feng Mingyou and said, "For this Alliance team mission, I’ll also be participating with a Tai Chi Cultivation. So, just call me Senior Brother. It’ll make communication easier for everyone."
Feng Mingyou nodded. "Understood, Senior Brother Zhang."
The three of them then stood on the large boulder and waited. After adopting his cool and aloof Sword Cultivator persona, Li Shifan said nothing more.
Zhang Deming and Feng Mingyou made idle conversation.
As the appointed time drew near, a refined-looking stranger strolled out of the surrounding forest.
He had a Tai Chi Cultivation, wore scholar’s robes, and had a rather handsome face. His expression, however, was world-weary, and his eyes seemed to hold countless stories.
He strolled up and came before the group, addressing the three men, "I am Speaking Lotus. I greet you three, fellow Daoists."
The newcomer was none other than Nangong Cheng, who had also concealed his cultivation. His codename: Speaking Lotus.
As for why his cultivation appeared to be at the Tai Chi level, one reason was the mission requirement. As for the second...
Judging by his unhurried entrance, he had clearly been waiting for some time. Zhang Deming’s Tier Three Reconnaissance Spiritual Eye had spotted him upon arrival, but Zhang Deming hadn’t pointed it out.
He had likely seen that the three of them were all at the Tai Chi Cultivation level, making it easier to interact, and had acted accordingly. It also showed a hint of caution.
The three returned the greeting with a slight bow. Zhang Deming spoke first: "Summoning Spirit."
Li Shifan said succinctly, "Painted Sword."
Feng Mingyou said, "Clear Tea."
He wasn’t sure why, but despite the perfectly normal circumstances, Zhang Deming couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a clandestine meeting between spies.
Aside from Zhang Deming, no one there knew Nangong Cheng. After the four introduced themselves, the atmosphere suddenly cooled.
And since Zhang Deming was using his actual face, as far as Nangong Cheng was concerned, he didn’t recognize a single person there. This led to an awkward silence.
The air was suddenly quiet for a long moment. Seeing that the designated time was about to arrive, Nangong Cheng’s brow furrowed slightly, as did Li Shifan’s.
Just then, however, Zhang Deming tilted his head. He looked toward a stone not far from the base of the large boulder and called out, "I say, Junior Brother Tong, how long do you plan on squatting there? All five of us are here now. Don’t you get tired of crouching?"
The other three were taken aback. They followed Zhang Deming’s gaze but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Immediately after, however, a nearby rock wavered. A decent Illusion Array Card materialized, and Tong Hou’s figure appeared before them—he was, in fact, still crouching.
"Haha, well... Senior Brother, we meet again! I didn’t expect you to be one of us, too. It must be fate!" Tong Hou said, getting to his feet and letting out a hearty laugh in Zhang Deming’s direction.
Everyone stared at the scene, stunned. One by one, they turned to look at the suddenly-revealed Tong Hou with bizarre expressions on their faces.