“I would like to take on these missions, please,” said Tianlan as he placed the posters down onto the receptionist’s desk.

She looked at the stack of missions, many of which ranked among the highest difficulty class, and was forced to shift her attention from the magazine she was wrapped up in.

“You want to accept all of these?” she said that as her gaze shifted upward.

When it reached Tianlan’s face, her demeanour swiftly changed.

“That’s really cool!”

“Ah. Is that so? I was worried there was going to be a one-mission-at-a-time rule.”

“No. There’s nothing like that. You can accept however many missions you want.”

“Good.”

***

Tianlan stood there for a while, waiting, but the young lady didn’t say anything further. She just stared into his eyes with her head rested in her hand.

“So… Can I take the missions then?”

“Oh! Sure, sure. I just need your ID and your endorsement.”

Tianlan handed her his identity jade. The second item, however, was something he was unfamiliar with.

“Endorsement?”

“Mm. Since you’re an outer disciple, you need your master’s endorsement to take on these kinds of missions. Didn’t they tell you that?”

“I don’t have a master.”

“You don’t? Then I’m afraid you can’t accept these missions. There is, however, something else you can accept…”

The receptionist leaned over as she said those last few words.

“Why do I need a master’s endorsement?”

The young receptionist’s head slipped from her hand.

“Ahem. These missions are either high-profile, or they’re deemed to be incredibly difficult. How they’re handled has an impact on the sect’s reputation, so we only give them out to core disciples or those whose capability has been confirmed by a senior member of the sect.”

“I see. Well, if it’s about capability, I assure you I am more than capable of handling these.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s not how it works.”

“You can’t budge a little?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“I see.”

Tianlan raised his hand to his chin and thought for a moment.

“Let’s say I don’t accept the missions formally, but complete them anyway. Will I still be able to claim the rewards?”

“Please don’t attempt something like that. You may be confident in your own abilities, but things are the way they are for a reason. There have been countless others who thought they could handle anything and everything, only to never return to the sect. These rules aren’t just for the sect’s reputation, but for your own safety.”

“But you haven’t answered my question.”

The young lady sighed.

“You won’t get any rewards, and you might even be punished. Please follow procedure.”

“But let’s say I complete everything on the wall. Wouldn’t it be obvious at that point that I’m qualified? It would only mean that my own evaluation of the dangers involved was accurate, wouldn’t it? In that case, I can’t see why they would withhold the rewards.”

“Even if you’re right, it would set a bad precedent if they allowed that. It would undo all of the efforts to protect those who would get in over their heads.”

“There’s no need to treat us like babies, right? If someone is overconfident and gets themselves killed, it’s their own fault, no? The sect’s reputation wouldn’t be harmed either if the person doesn’t openly affiliate themselves with the sect until the mission’s done.”

“Look. I’m just a receptionist. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”

Tianlan looked at the young lady’s pleading expression and decided to drop the matter.

“Is there anything else I can do? I need to earn a lot of merit points.”

She breathed a sigh of relief.

“There are two options available to you. Either you get a master’s endorsement, or you start from the bottom and earn the right to take on the heavier missions.”

She pulled out a thick book from underneath the desk and opened it.

“These are the lowest ranked missions which anyone can accept. If you complete enough of them and get good evaluations from the customers, then you’ll be able to climb your way up in no time.”

She had quite some enthusiasm as she flipped through the pages and gave light descriptions for some of her favourite recurring missions.

Tianlan interrupted her by placing a hand over the book. When she looked up with a questioning gaze, he asked her the question that had been on his mind.

“You said I have to get a master’s endorsement. Does that mean that as long as someone is accepting disciples and I prove to them that I’m capable, I can get their endorsement and it would all be settled?”

“In theory, that’s possible. They don’t necessarily have to be your master for their endorsement to count.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

Tianlan bowed and was about to leave when the young lady grabbed onto his sleeve.

“Wait!”

Tianlan stopped and turned back around.

“What is it?”

“Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

“Well,” she said, as she glanced at the book. “It’s just that these missions are good for more than just merit points. They let you go to all sorts of places and see all sorts of things, all while having the stress-free experience of completing simple tasks and earning rewards for them. It’s like a paid vacation. You can’t get the same experience with the more intense missions because you’ll be focused on the task the entire time.”

“I don’t really care about that though.”

“Really? But there are so many wonderful spots to visit…”

She flipped through a few pages and placed her finger down on an image.

“Like here for example. You see this lake? It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s right next to the city where this request comes from and they have a local legend there that says that if a couple rides a boat to the middle of it, then their bond will be unbreakable.”

She went to another page.

“And the log cabins in this forest have their own legend that says spending the night in them will rejuvenate not only your body and mind, but your soul as well. There are so many hidden gems like this that you’ll miss if you’re trying to catch a serial killer or save a city from a beast tide.”

She flipped all the way to the end of the book.

“This one just came in. It’s to be a sword instructor for a merchant’s daughter for a week. Pretty easy, right?”

“Right.”

“But did you know that the city has a local legend too? Apparently, there’s a legendary blacksmith living there.”

“Is that so?”

“Mm. They say he’s looking for rare materials to make a new masterpiece. If you can bring him something interesting, then you could be the next Mountain Splitting Sword Saint. At least, that’s what they say.”

“Interesting…”

Hearing of a blacksmith, Tianlan thought of the broken sword he had gotten from the Treasure Hall. According to Hei, it had a good chance of being something much greater than it appeared.

Perhaps taking it to the legendary blacksmith would bear some fruit.

Of course, it could also be a complete waste of time.

“I think I’ll take it,” he said.

“You will? That’s great!”

She took his identification jade and registered him to the mission.

“The city’s pretty far away, so you might want to arrange for some transportation. If you want to go on foot, make sure to bring enough supplies to last you.”

She handed him back his jade, and he bowed.

“Thanks for your help.”

“It was no trouble at all.”

Tianlan bowed once more.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

“Oh. One more thing. I heard it can get pretty lonely on the road, so if you need someone to go with you, I’m available any time.”

“Haha. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“Tch.”

“Hm?”

“Nothing. Have a safe trip, and good luck on your mission.”

She smiled and waved him goodbye.

After he left, one of the other receptionists came up to her and poked her arm.

“She rolled, but no dice.”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“It was worth a shot.”

——|——

“Uh, Tianlan… This is taking a bit… Hm…”

“What is it?”

“Ah, never mind. It’s nothing. Continue.”

“… Okay…”

Tianlan took a sip of his drink then resumed his story.

“After that, I went to a supply shop to prepare for the journey.”

——|——

“Is there no way for me to borrow these items and pay you later?”

“Absolutely not. We don’t do special transactions here. Pay the merit points upfront or sod off.”

“Come on. You can trust me. I’m good for it.”

“Said every untrustworthy person ever. Look, if you insist on wasting my time, I’ll have no choice but to call the disciplinary committee. And let me tell you something, those guys aren’t people you want to get acquainted with like that. Take my advice and come back when you can afford to do more than just gawk.”

“…”

Tianlan turned away from the counter, leaving the items he had intended to purchase. He had completely forgotten that he had spent every last one of his merit points, and as such, found himself in this somewhat embarrassing situation.

“Thirty measly merit points,” he muttered under his breath.

“Now you’re sounding like Senior Sister Lanxiang.”

Tianlan looked up, surprised to hear the voice.

“Tang Zen? What brings you here?”

“I could ask you the same. I’m here to purchase a few things for my training.”

“I was buying supplies for the trip I’m about to take.”

“You’re going on a mission?”

“Mm.”

“Oh? What kind?”

“A merchant wants someone to instruct his daughter in swordsmanship.”

“Being a sword instructor? Doesn’t that seem a little too easy for the number-one new disciple? Then again, for you, this mission might prove to be pretty difficult.”

“You think?”

“Yeah. You’re probably the last person who should be teaching someone else about the sword.”

“Maybe you’re right. I was actually going to teach her about breathing.”

“The sword instructor who doesn’t actually teach the sword… Well, if you’re going to do it, you might as well look the part, right?”

Tianlan stretched his arms and examined his own appearance.

“Is there something wrong with how I look?”

“Well, yeah… You have no sword.”

“Oh, right… I forgot about that. But I do have something that looks like a sword. At least from the outside.”

Tang Zen shook her head.

“You can’t go around parading your broken treasure as a sword. It would reflect poorly on the sect.”

She walked past Tianlan and to the storekeeper who was grumpily gathering the items that were left on his counter.

“I’ll buy those,” she said as she placed her identity jade down.

She looked at the items Tianlan had intended to purchase. A backpack, a few food containers, a map, and a few sets of extra clothes. Fairly minimal.

The storekeeper blinked a few times before quickly completing the transaction.

“There you go, young lady.”

“Thank you.”

She bowed slightly and turned around to give Tianlan his things.

“What for?” he asked.

“Just take them.”

“Thanks. I owe you one.”

“Owe me… Do you know how much you… Sigh. Never mind.”

Tang Zen watches as Tianlan placed the other items in his backpack and swung it over his shoulder.

“So, where’s this mission of yours taking place?”

“Yueshin City. It’s south-east of here.”

“Yueshin? What a coincidence, that’s my hometown.”

“Oh. Really?”

“Yeah. And since you’re going there, why don’t you take this with you?”

She fished a token out of her inner pocket.

“Take this to Tang Smithy, tell them I sent you.”

She handed him the token which had the character “Tang” written on it.

“If you show it to my father, he’ll let you borrow a sword for your mission.”

“Thanks. I owe you another… Wait a minute…”

Tianlan stepped forward and leaned into Tang Zen’s shoulder.

“Uh… What’s this about?” she asked, flustered.

Tianlan placed a hand beside his mouth and lowered his volume.

“Is… Is your dad the Legendary Blacksmith?”

“Legendary Black…” she couldn’t help chuckling. “What?”

“You know. The guy who’s looking for rare materials.”

Tang Zen shook her head.

“I’m afraid someone told you a fairy tale. I’ve lived in Yueshin my whole life and I’ve never heard of a legendary blacksmith living there.”

“Oh…”

“Did you want to get your treasure fixed?”

“Something like that.”

“Then why not show it to my father? He doesn’t work with treasure-grade items very often, but he might be able to do something about it. It won’t be free though, so…”

“Thanks. I’ll give it a shot.”

——|——

Hei sighed and raised his hand.

“That’s enough, Tianlan. I get the idea now.”

“Hm?”

“Dearest brother of mine, your stories take forever. What’s it been? Nine months? Can’t you just tell the condensed version?”

“But you said you wanted the whole story.”

“Yeah… I changed my mind.”

“But-”

“You went on your little mission and it turns out Tang Zen’s dad really is the Legendary Blacksmith, am I right?”

“Y-yeah, but that’s not-”

“And while you were on the mission that seemed simple at first, something major happened, right?”

“Wait a min-”

“It was probably a bird-cage scenario, right? The merchant’s daughter was a caged bird who couldn’t leave the confines of her dwelling, and once she was given a chance at freedom, she eagerly grasped onto it, only to find out that the world is nowhere near as kind as to accommodate her flights of fancy. Does that about sum it up?”

“If you would just-”

“A merchant’s daughter…”

Hei placed a hand on his chin.

“Did this circle back to the Merchant Guild? Are you aware of the situation surrounding the Yin Physiques?”

“What the…? How do you know all of this?”

“Come on, Tianlan. It was hardly difficult to deduce.”

“No, that’s the thing. You can’t just deduce that, Hei. There was no leading information!”

“Yeah, yeah, Tianlan. Next you’ll tell me that I was supposed to think the mention of a legendary blacksmith was just going to fizzle into nothing. Be serious.”

“But that was just a rumour. Even Tang Zen, who lived there, and whose father is the blacksmith in question, didn’t have any idea about his background.”

Hei rolled his eyes.

“When fodder characters hear about something like that, then okay, maybe it’s just a rumour. But if it’s a main character like you or me, then it’s pretty much fact. This phenomenon should have been clearly described in chapter nine of Rules to Live By.”

“You mean the Reality-Warping Effect of Main-Character Perception? We all know that makes no sense, Hei. It doesn’t matter who hears it, false information is false, and true information is true.”

Hei shook his head.

“I see you aren’t yet a true believer of Rules to Live By.”

Hei reached into his sleeve and withdrew a sheet of paper.

He placed it on the table in front of him and used his qi to draw a map of the local area.

“You see this map?”

“I see it.”

“Pick a spot.”

“Hm?”

“Place your finger down on the map. Anywhere you want.”

“What’s the point of this?”

“Just put your finger down. Anywhere you want.”

Tianlan raised an eyebrow and gave Hei a lingering look before standing up and walking toward the map.

He examined it carefully, failing to notice anything strange about it, and placed his finger down on it.

After raising it back up, he turned his attention to Hei.

“What now?”

“What happens now, my dear brother…” said Hei as he got up from his seat. “Is that we go to this spot.”

Hei raised the map which now had a mark where Tianlan had placed his finger and rolled it up before placing it back into his sleeve.

“We’re going there? Why?”

“Well, if my theory holds true, then we’ll see something interesting there, right?”

“Because we both became aware of it?”

“Sono Toori.”

“You realize how crazy this sounds, right?”

“And yet you’re supremely curious.”

Tianlan sighed but then shook his head with a smile.

He dismissed his staff for the evening and joined Hei as the two left the abode.