2-5

Afraid that Liu Wei would discover his identity and mission, Yu Qingyu was reluctant to make a move. He spent the first month just hanging around the peak, trying to impersonate Gu Huiji to the best of his ability, and waiting for a suitable opportunity to start training Zhao Weixin.

Until finally, one day it arrived.

It was around noon, and Yu Qingyu was enjoying a cup of fragrant green tea in his room, reading through books about this world's legends from the sect's library. Since it was a pastime unusual for Gu Huiji, who considered most sedentary activities to be boring, he could only do so in secret. He even couldn't go pick up the books himself without any worries, and had to resort to asking Zhao Weixin for help. Thankfully, Zhao Weixin was not the type to gossip, so Yu Qingyu's sudden change of hobbies went undetected.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, making him flinch. He immediately closed the book he was reading shut, and slid it under the table, covering it with a piece of cloth for a good measure. Only when he was sure it was out of sight, did he call out, "Enter."

The door opened, and Zhao Weixin walked in. He walked over to Yu Qingyu and bowed with respect. "Shizun."

Yu Qingyu immediately relaxed, and looked up at his disciple with a smile. "What is it?"

"We have received a report about demon attacks in Hushi town," Zhao Lu answered, as he took out a small scroll from his sleeve and presented it to Yu Qingyu. "Sect Leader requested Chunren Peak to investigate and resolve the matter. How would Shizun like to deal with the matter?"

Yu Qingyu opened the scroll and quickly scanned through it to get the gist of the situation. It was the first request he received so far, so he was unsure what to do. '520, how should I handle it?' he consulted the system.

[Host should accept it, obviously. Gu Huiji would never reject such a mission. Moreover, it is a great training opportunity. I suggest Host take Zhao Weixin, and perhaps one more disciple with him.]

'Hmm…' Yu Qingyu rubbed his chin, considering his options.

After a moment, he put down the scroll and turned back to Zhao Weixin, who was waiting by his side in silence. "Inform Sect Leader that I will take care of it. Also… Let Han Yanwu know he will be coming with me. You, as well."

Zhao Weixin froze in place, his eyes widening. "…I will be going on a mission?" he asked, visibly taken aback.

"Mn. It is time for you to do some proper training, don't you think?" Seeing Zhao Weixin's nervousness, Yu Qingyu gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. You will be there with me and Han Yanwu. If anything happens, we will protect you."

Zhao Weixin bowed in response. His expression still remained queasy, but if his Shizun ordered him to go, he had no choice but to follow. "This disciple will do his best."

"Mn." Yu Qingyu nodded, satisfied. "Is there anything else?"

"No, that is all."

"Alright then. We will be leaving in two days. You can go now."

Zhao Weixin bowed once again, before leaving the room. Once alone, Yu Qingyu returned to the scroll, reading through all the details about the mission carefully. He was no less nervous about the prospect of fighting demons than Zhao Weixin, or perhaps even more. It was his first time, after all!

***

A group of disciples was hanging around by the training field, taking a break from sparring in the shade underneath the trees. They were chatting merrily among themselves, when Zhao Weixin came to inform Han Yanwu about the upcoming mission.

Upon hearing it, everyone's attention immediately turned to Zhao Weixin, disbelief painted all over their faces. One of them even choked on the water he was drinking. It was simply too surprising!

It was understandable for Han Yanwu to be chosen, but Zhao Weixin?

The topic of their conversations immediately shifted.

"Don't you think it's weird? Not that I mind, but… Zhao Weixin is so weak! Shizun never took him on a mission before!"

"Yes, I would have never expected that… I wonder what happened."

"Now that you mention it, Shizun had been acting a bit odd recently. Don't you think?"

"Yes… He's been spending much more time on the peak. I don't think he went hunting even once this month…"

Xue Molin, or rather Liu Wei, who was sitting nearby, not participating in the conversation, suddenly became vigilant. His head snapped up, and he glanced at his fellow disciples with narrowed eyes, the corners of his mouth slowly rising up.

"Yanwu-shixiong," he called out after giving it some thought. "Switch with me?"

"Hmm?" Han Yanwu, who was busy chatting, paused mid-sentence and turned around, his brows furrowed. "Why?"

Liu Wei flashed him a charming smile. "I really want to go… Please?"

"I want to go too," Han Yanwu responded curtly. "Why should I give up such an opportunity for you?" Although he used to get along with his shidi, recently their relations have cooled down significantly. Possibly because of the fact that while previously they were evenly matched, now he felt as if he started falling behind… Xue Molin was making incredible progress in his martial arts. So much that Han Yanwu was getting jealous.

"How about we spar, then? Whoever wins gets to go!" Liu Wei was not giving up.

Han Yanwu paused for a moment. Shizun has already picked him. There was no reason for him to agree and risk losing his spot…

"What? Afraid you're gonna lose?"

Han Yanwu's eyes twitched. It was such an obvious provocation, but… "Fine! Let's fight!" he called out before he managed to bite his tongue.

A smirk appeared on Liu Wei's face. He slowly got up, stretching his waist.

He finally was making some progress. After a month of fruitless observation, at last he was able to obtain a solid clue about the host of 520's identity. Now, he just needed to confirm it, and discover what his mission in this world was.

And then, he would know what he has to do to ruin it.