Glory Town was situated close to the Frozen Wastelands, another dangerous ground that crossed the territory of the Star Sea Sect.
However, different from the forest Yueshi and the others had seen before, the Frozen Wasteland was a land of pure snow – clear and white small flecks of it falling during the entire year.
However, different from the small village they had to protect, Glory Town had proper defenses, namely high and imposing walls that rose almost fifty meters tall and were around ten or so meters thick. The study walls were enough to stop most beast hordes, and the residents would seldom see them be breached.
This was also a paradise for mercenaries and hunters as it was close to the wastelands filled with fierce and demonic beasts. The Scarlet Flame Mercenary Group was not of this region, but they had been here for six months already.
Right now, inside of said group's residence.
“Common, Boss! Tell us more about the two little helpers!” Someone shouted loudly in a boisterous and drunken tone.
The entire group was sitting around a small table as they comfortably drank all sorts of drinks. There were nine of them sitting close together like a big family, and they all seemed curious about the subject.
“Can’t you wait a bit? They are coming today; you will meet them, then!” Massaging his temples, a grizzly man spoke, annoyed.
Could he say that the sect did not tell him anything about the two? No way, he would be losing too much face, then.
“That aside, it was quite fast, right? I thought it would take at least a week or two.” Changing the subject, a woman spoke merrily.
And she was right. It just so happened that Yueshi and Yuan Yue saw the task, were out of points, and had enough strength.
The senior disciples, even if they were interested, were focused on other things as of now. Moreover, the chances were small, but if they took too long to complete the mission they’d be late for the Inner Disciple Examination.
"Well, better for us. The sooner we complete it the better." Their leader spoke while massaging his shoulder, his voice sounding a bit somber.
At his words, everyone became silent for a moment, revealing troubled faces and sighing.
This mission was really important for them, and if they failed the consequences would be severe. Just the thought of it sent them into a bad mood, and also ignited their determination.
“It should be the right time already. Does anyone want to come with me to fetch them?” After a while, their leader asked. His words seemed to wake them from the dark mood, as they sent him a glance of pity.
At their silence, the older man could only shake his head, thinking that they were an unreliable bunch.
“Hmph, next time you ask me to pay for a feast, I will remember this!” At his words they shook their heads, sighing in pity – alas, there was nothing they could do, or so they told themselves.
Narrowing his eyes, the man harrumphed and opened the door. Not even a second later, he shuddered as the cold wind embraced him, the others cuddling and curling inside their blankets.
Then, after sending them another glance, the man left – as the leader, it was his responsibility to face such adversity in their place.
At least, that was how he managed to convince himself of facing the cold and ruthless temperature outside.
— - -
Since it issued tasks that required one to move and go outside to complete, the Sect also offered transportation through teleportation arrays.
If a disciple wanted to use them to go somewhere by themselves, they would need to pay; however, as they were on a mission, Yueshi and Yuan Yue did not need to do so.
It was because the sect had an array engraved in each of their territory's cities, villages, and towns, that the disciples had no problem moving around.
After talking with the staff of the Starry Sky Pavilion, the two were immediately sent to their destination.
Feeling their bodies being torn apart and then put back together into another place was never a comfortable experience – but it was one they had to learn how to deal with, eventually.
When they recovered from the teleportation, they felt an intense cold assaulting their bodies.
As cultivators, they had a fairly good resistance against cold and heat and would, usually, not have to be afraid of it. However, right now, it was so cold that it was as if their blood and bones were freezing.
Exchanging glances, the two shook their heads. No one had an explanation for it. They knew the region over here was cold, since it was always snowing… but this? This was a few times colder than it should have been.
Without a choice the two took out many spare robes, putting one above the other. In the end, it was as if they had gotten fatter from one moment to another, painting a fairly funny scene.
Still, the cold did not creep away completely, and they still shuddered from time to time.
As they were wondering about what this was all about, they saw a burly figure approach them with steady steps. The person was really tall, reaching at least two meters and a bit more in height, and her muscles were bulky and well defined – a giant amongst men.
"Are you two Mister Rong Yueshi and Miss Yuan Yue?" After nodding his head and greeting them, the man asked with a coarse and deep
tone.
"Yes. Are you perhaps Mister Yu Hai?" Yueshi answered and made his own question.
Yu Hai was the leader of the Mercenary Group, and this person fitted the description the sect had given them - ruggedly handsome, and easily distinguishable.
The large man nodded, and then looked at them. He looked solemn and aloof, however, Yueshi felt that he was just acting so. Even his eyes seemed to be laughing as he observed the two balls of clothes they had become.
“Do you want me to lend you some warmer clothes?” After a while, Yu Hai asked.
The answer was obvious, and thanks to him Yueshi and Yuan Yue stored again all the clothes they had taken out, only staying with a single robe below – since they did not have a place to change right now.
Afterward, the three immediately left, making their way toward the group's headquarters. As they made their way there, they eventually broke the ice and became friendlier, also changing the way they addressed each other.
“So, Elder Brother is saying that the weather turned crazy a few days ago?” Yueshi asked, curious. He had just received an interesting piece of news – that the weather over here had become a lot colder out of nowhere.
“Yes. Because of that a lot of people have moved out; cultivators can still deal with it if they wear the right clothes, but most ordinary people had to leave the wasteland’s outskirts.” Speaking until there he sighed. There had been quite a few deaths before people decided to move out.
They stood in silence for a while, each with their own thoughts. Maybe they would have continued like that if Yuan Yue didn’t change the subject, brightening the mood.
Eventually, they talked about the mission. According to the older man, they had to hunt and kill a Frostbite Ape King, take its heart, and steal the peach tree it was guarding.
The problem was the fact that other apes were living all around.
"I will be honest with you two. This mission is our only way of saving a member of our group that was poisoned in a previous task, so it is extremely important to us." As he said this, Yu Hai seemed extremely emotional, making the two earnestly nod unconsciously.
“Elder Brother Hai, rest assured! Even if you did not say we would still have given our best!” Patting her chest, Yuan Yue assured her.
She was someone that deeply valued relationships, therefore, she immediately had a good impression of the group.
Yueshi did not say anything and merely nodded, showing he was of the same mind. Someone who protects his friends and does his best to save them is worth befriending, that was what he thought.
Right now, even if they were not offered any rewards, they would still be willing to help.
Soon after, while they continued to chat, they heard a bustle - shouts and laughers echoed far, and together with them profanities and rebukes could be heard.
Yueshi and Yuan Yue became both curious, as they had not seen nor heard such a commotion since their arrival here.
Meanwhile, Yu Hai stared at the sky and sighed, looking like someone that had gone through a fair amount of hardships – like a valiant and tired hero.
'What wrong did I commit for them to make me lose face each and every time?' Well, the things going inside of his mind were not as heroic, though.
There was no way he would not recognize their voices after so many years together. Even if he wanted to ignore it, he could not do so.
“Your brats, can you shut up!” His scream made Yueshi and Yuan Yue jump in a startle, and the commotion ceased down.
“Bah, old man! You just say that because you are bringing in the guests!” Another shout echoed from a house not so far, followed by yet another scream. “Right, you always speak so loud that people come over to complain!”
At their words, Yu Hai could only face-palm, looking sideways toward Yueshi and Yuan Yue – hoping the two would not think bad of him.
The two, however, seemed unaffected by everything – as if their impression of him would not lower just because of that. He could only be thankful for that while grumbling inside of his mind.
When he turned away, however, the two exchange glances and laughed. ‘Such a loud and boisterous bunch!’ Their thoughts were in perfect synchrony at that moment.
After they went through the door, Yueshi and Yuan Yue were immediately greeted by a bunch of curious eyes. They found it funny and cozy how everyone was hugging a blanket, but held back and did not comment on it.
“Let me introduce everyone, then.” Grinning, Yu Hai started a round of introduction.
The Scarlet Flame Mercenary Group was a friendly and merry bunch and getting along with them proved to be an easy task.
Thanks to that, in the span of a few hours, Yueshi and Yuan Yue managed to fit in with the group like fish in the sea.
As experienced people from all walks of life, the group had seen all kinds of people and could easily distinguish a person's qualities and traits. After interacting with the two youths for some time, the entire group had come to accept them and, secretly, sighed in relief.
They once heard that a fellow mercenary group had to deal with an arrogant prick, resulting in bad cooperation and failure. And yet, the guy had still demanded payment.
For them it was not hard to see that Yueshi was the hard-working type – the calluses on his hands of frequent and unrelenting practice spoke lots of his personality.
He was also confident in himself but was not drunken with arrogance like a lot of genius. That, and a look at his young age, allowed them to infer that he was a true talent, rarely seen elsewhere.
Yuan Yue was a free spirit and her body language made that clear; she was carefree and playful, and in the span of minutes she was joking and jesting together with the rest of the group – in a very unladylike manner.
Her disposition was inherently different from Yueshi’s, but they could see a gleam in her eyes that spoke volumes about her willpower and determination.
Thanks to that, the group had an extremely good first impression of the two young geniuses. And the same could be said the other way around.
The Scarlet Flame Mercenary Group had been working for years and they were like a family. They were boisterous, merry, and energetic; however, they knew their trade and were experts when it came to fighting and hunting.
Yueshi could not help but note that this was the sort of development he wished for the association - a path leading them to become some sort of big family.
"So, tell me, boy~" Yueshi was sitting on a couch when someone put an arm around his shoulder, "what is your true relationship with the young miss?"
The question came so out of the blue that it made Yueshi choke on his drink, almost spitting everything on the man’s face.
That was how awkward it was.
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The formatting on this chapter hurts. Needs line separators and indentions otherwise it looks like a wall of text making it hard to read on phones. But loved what is in it.
It's hard to read on PC as well.
thanks for the chappie