The sect had grown quiet again after the spy incident.
So naturally, Shen Mo decided it was the perfect time to throw his disciples into the wild.
"Mission?" Lin Fan blinked. "You mean, like... real people? Outside?"
"Yes," Shen Mo said, sipping tea. "Congratulations. You now have jobs."
System Mission Assignment
đź“ś Quest Received: "The Bleating of Misfortune"Location: Fogveil Village, Northern HillsStatus: Cursed Livestock, Failing Crops, Low Spiritual Qi
Suggested Party: Lin Fan, Xue Rong, Han LiObjective: Investigate the curseBonus Objective: Do not burn anything down.Reward: Sect Contribution Points + Potential Reputation Boost
Yun Xi: "I'm staying behind to finish the formation net."Shen Mo: "And someone has to stop Li Ziqing from building a flying toilet."
Fogveil Village – Upon Arrival
It was... damp. Foggy. Quiet.
And all the goats stared at them.
One particularly plump goat walked up to Lin Fan, looked him in the eye, and said:
"Leave, heretics. Or I shall summon the stewstorm."
Everyone stared.
Han Li dropped his bag.
"Did that goat just threaten to soup us?"
"Yes," Xue Rong said grimly. "And I think I respect it."
Inside the Village
The villagers were confused, frightened, and severely undernourished.
"Ever since the Spirit Well dried up," the elder explained, "our animals have been... odd. The goats began talking. The chickens began reading."
"Reading?" Lin Fan asked.
"We don't talk about that one. She reads romance scrolls and judges people."
Nightfall – Campfire Tension
Lin Fan: "I've narrowed it down to two causes: spiritual fungus, or a curse powered by demonic qi."
Xue Rong: "I say we just interrogate the goat."
Han Li: "Please don't fight the goat."
Interrogation – The Talking Goat
Lin Fan lured it with fried rice.
The goat arrived. Sat down. Crossed its hooves.
"What do you know of the ancient curse?"
"Nothing. I was born smart. Deal with it."
"You were grazing next to the Spirit Well. You absorbed something."
"Or maybe I am the well, reborn."
"Now you're just messing with us."
"I am a goat, Lin Fan. That's what we do."
[System Notification:]
Local anomaly detected: Spiritual Echo ImprintSource: Submerged artifact buried beneath Spirit WellEffect: Low-grade sentience imprint leaked into animalsResolution Path: Remove artifact or rebalance spiritual energy
Later That Night – Shen Mo's Rooftop POV
Back at the sect, Shen Mo sat meditating when the system flickered.
Cultivation Alert: Disciples are interacting with chaotic spiritual remains.
"Huh," Shen Mo muttered. "I give them one mission, and they try to domesticate ghosts and goats."
Next Day – The Solution
Lin Fan rigged a steam array.
Xue Rong used his brute strength to drain part of the dried-up Spirit Well.
Han Li… mostly kept the villagers from fainting.
Beneath the well: a cracked, glowing orb.
Xue Rong touched it—
FLASH!
Images burst into the sky. A goat herder. An old cultivator. A playful spirit beast sealed long ago...
"This wasn't a curse," Lin Fan muttered. "It was a spirit's last joke."
The orb crumbled. The goats returned to silence.
The reading chicken just sighed dramatically.
Returning to the Sect
Shen Mo stood at the gate, arms folded.
"No injuries?"
"Only spiritual confusion," Han Li said.
"The goat still writes poetry," Lin Fan added. "Can we keep it?"
"No," Shen Mo said. "Put it in the barn. And make sure it doesn't summon soup."
[System Notification:]
Mission Complete: "The Bleating of Misfortune"
Reward: +15 Sect Contribution Points
Lin Fan Insight: +1 ("Maybe not everything needs to explode.")Xue Rong Empathy: +1 ("Some problems can't be punched.")Han Li Courage: +1 ("I didn't cry this time.")