After muttering a few complaints, Ji Ming quickly signaled the Immortal Crane to chase after her to prevent any mishaps.
Zhang Deming watched the pair appear and disappear just as suddenly, then shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it.
Judging by their demeanor, even if they were Outer Disciples, they were clearly in a different league from anyone Zhang Deming would normally interact with. 'Why bother worrying about it?'
'Still, that adorably clueless Ling'er seemed somewhat familiar.'
He thought for a moment. In all his years here, he had never met or even heard of a senior sister named Ling'er.
He stopped dwelling on it. After raising his hand to cast the last of his Growth Technique and completely depleting his Spiritual Power, Zhang Deming turned and left the Spirit Field.
He hadn't taken more than a few steps when his expression flickered.
Stunned, he opened his editor panel and navigated to the warehouse tab.
The white orb of light, which had previously been just a tiny, condensed speck, was now expanding at an incredible rate.
In the blink of an eye, it was already more than halfway full.
Zhang Deming was baffled by the sudden surge in his Qi Fortune.
'So, does that mean one of those two people has significant influence, or maybe both of them do?'
'There's no other way to explain this sudden explosion of Qi Fortune.'
'The connections I've built in the entire Miscellaneous Affairs Courtyard are worth less than a brief encounter with this pair. It just goes to show how important they are.'
...
「Several days later.」
As Zhang Deming had expected, his Spirit Rice matured ahead of schedule.
The harvest yielded as much as seventy-two jin, earning him a little over two Spirit Stones.
Combined with his surplus from the previous quarter, his total earnings came to three Spirit Stones.
His total wealth now reached ten Spirit Stones—a considerable sum for an Outer Disciple—not to mention the few extra jin of Spirit Rice he had left over.
The only thing that puzzled Zhang Deming was that even after the Spirit Rice harvest was complete, he still hadn't received any notification about his new assignment.
If he hadn't tested his Identity Card and confirmed it was working perfectly, he would have assumed it was broken.
The Spirit Rice harvest had wrapped up yesterday, so with no more fields to tend, Zhang Deming was completely free today.
There was no more land for him to till.
Zhang Deming rose early and tidied up his small house.
He had lived a simple life for the past ten years and had few personal belongings; most of what he used belonged to the Miscellaneous Affairs Courtyard.
Zhang Deming packed a single bundle and a small chest, which was enough to hold all of his belongings.
He shouldered the bundle and headed out the door. Today, he needed to go to the registration office and inquire about his assignment.
He had just stepped outside when he stopped short. Feng Mingyou and a young man were entering his small courtyard at that very moment.
Seeing Zhang Deming with the bundle on his back, the two men paused. Feng Mingyou spoke first, "Well, it seems we don't need to ask. You're already prepared."
Zhang Deming paused for a moment before replying, "Good morning, Steward Feng. Seeing as the Spirit Rice harvest is finished and my assignment still hadn't been posted after several days, I was planning to go to the registration office to ask about it."
Feng Mingyou smiled. "It seems we're just in time. Any later and we would have missed you. You don't need to go; your assignment has already been decided.
Oh, and this is a Senior Brother from Little Hui Peak. His surname is Luh, and his given name is Jingsun. He's here to escort you to Little Hui Peak to report for duty."
Zhang Deming looked at Luh Jingsun and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Luh."
"Hello." Luh Jingsun gave a slight nod in response.
One look at Luh Jingsun was enough to tell he was a taciturn and extremely serious man—the cold, aloof, ice-prince type.
Seeing this, Zhang Deming asked, "Senior Brother, if I may ask, since the assignment has been decided, why didn't I receive any notification on my Identity Card?"
Luh Jingsun paused. "Due to certain reasons, your assignment was handled through unofficial channels. You don't need to know the details. Just come with me."
Zhang Deming glanced at Feng Mingyou, who stood to the side with a shifty look in his eyes. When the steward gave him a slight nod of confirmation, Zhang Deming, who was completely unfamiliar with the Sect's standard procedures, decided not to press the matter. "Alright," he said.
"Do you need time to pack? It's a long way. It would be a waste of time to come back for your things after you've reported for duty.
If you have a lot to pack, just get it ready. You don't have to carry it; someone will be sent to deliver it to you later."
Zhang Deming replied, "I'm already packed. Besides what I'm carrying, there's just one small chest. I didn't bring it because it's a bit heavy. I left it in my room, planning to come back for it later."
Luh Jingsun nodded. "Let's go then. Someone will be sent to collect the chest."
With that, he turned to Feng Mingyou. "That won't be a problem, will it, Senior Brother Feng?"
Feng Mingyou smiled and nodded. "Not at all. It's a small matter."
Seeing this, Luh Jingsun said, "Then, let's go."
Since everything was arranged and he already had his important belongings with him, Zhang Deming said no more and followed the two men to the main square of the Miscellaneous Affairs Courtyard.
A sika deer was waiting there, its body significantly larger than a horse's. On its head were two small antlers that resembled Dragon Horns.
Upon reaching the square, Luh Jingsun vaulted onto the sika deer's back and said, "Get on."
This was only the second form of transportation Zhang Deming had seen in the Sect, aside from the Immortal Cranes that flew through the skies.
'So?'
'The Outer Sect does have mounts after all?'
'Was it just that my rank was too low to have ever used one?'
'Or is this Luh Jingsun just wealthy?'
After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Deming climbed onto the sika deer's back.
"Hold on," Luh Jingsun said, glancing back with his typical cold indifference.
"Huh?"
Zhang Deming was completely baffled. 'Senior Brother, you may be the cold, handsome type, but you're really not my cup of tea!'
"I said, hold on. Otherwise, you'll be thrown off when we start moving," Luh Jingsun repeated, offering a rare, multi-word explanation.
"Oh." Hearing that, Zhang Deming obediently reached out and wrapped his arms around Luh Jingsun's waist.
"We'll talk next time, Senior Brother Feng," Luh Jingsun said from his seat on the sika deer.
"Until next time," Feng Mingyou replied with a nod.
Luh Jingsun gently patted the Spirit Deer. In an instant, Zhang Deming's hands instinctively tightened around Luh Jingsun's waist. 'This is way too fast!'
It took off at what felt like fifty miles per hour, nearly flinging him from its back.
The two of them vanished from the Miscellaneous Affairs Courtyard in a flash. With this departure, who knew if he would ever return.
Feng Mingyou watched their figures disappear, sighing to himself.
'Sigh... I really made the wrong choice back then.'
'Ten years of patient endurance, and then he rises in a single day, sent directly to Outer Sect Small Hui Peak. And they even sent someone of the Steward Level to personally escort him.'
'Heh, can Little Hui Peak even be considered part of the Outer Sect?'
'Besides the main peaks of the Inner Sect, only four mountains in the Outer Sect are distinguished with the title of "Peak."'
'And Little Hui Peak is ranked second among them.'
'For someone assigned to a place like that, the future is boundlessly bright.'
'I've been the Steward of Little Qing Mountain for nearly thirty years. It's so rare for a hidden gem of a genius to pass through, and I can't believe I missed my chance. I failed to curry favor, and I even nearly offended him.'
'It seems it was all fated!'
'But why does it leave such a bitter taste in my mouth?'
Watching the Spirit Deer's figure vanish into the distance, Feng Mingyou, a man in his thirties or forties who had yet to show signs of middle age, felt a tempest of emotions churning within him, unable to find peace for a long, long time.
...