Zong Ci's goal is certainly not here. The method of repairing the soul is very secretive in the world of cultivation, and most of the time you have to go up to the fourth or fifth floor to find it.
There are very powerful restrictions between layers. Without the pass on the jade slip, forcible breakthrough will only trigger the sect's vigilance.
The Sutra Repository is only open from sunrise to sunset. There are many disciples coming here on weekdays, and it is impossible for him to go to the fifth floor without attracting any attention.
Menial tasks are the best breakthrough.
Zong Ci specifically inquired about the outer disciple who had exchanged tasks with him. Because every floor of the Sutra Library needed to be cleaned, the outer disciples were the only exceptions who could go upstairs.
As for the obscure classics and techniques of the high-level officials, the strength and talent of the outer disciples were limited, and they might not be able to understand them even if they read them. The Affairs Hall also had a clear ban on this. If a disciple was found copying or peeking during cleaning, not only would his annual salary be deducted for ten years, but he would also be handed over to the Law Enforcement Hall for handling.
The Law Enforcement Hall is a notorious violent organization in the Taiyan Sect. They can even resort to torture when necessary. Ordinary disciples will suffer a lot if they go in. No one would be willing to go there.
Now, Zongci just has to wait.
The disciples who clean and tidy up the place are on rotation, and maybe next time they will be transferred from the first floor to the fifth floor.
Zong Ci was not in a hurry. As long as he came to the Sutra Library a few more times a week, the remaining half year would be enough for him to find an effective way to repair his soul.
Before sunset, the young man in black put the cleaning tools back into the utility room and prepared to go down the mountain in the sunset.
When they reached Triangle, they saw lanterns lit up in the river far away from the path. Zong Ci picked up one and prepared to take it back to the house. This way, he wouldn't have to light a fire and walk at night when he went down the mountain tomorrow.
You know, fire sticks also cost money, and lighting one more would only make things worse for Zong Ci, who was not very wealthy at the time.
By the time he could see the outer disciples' humble abode, the sky had already become completely dark and filled with stars.
The young man in black clothes carried a lantern and walked slowly to the door, but found that there were still many disciples standing in the yard.
The moment Zong Ci stepped into the courtyard, they all looked over at the same time.
Zong Ci: “…?”
Facing the gazes of so many people, he could hardly hold back the smile on his face.
"Brother, you are finally back."
An outer disciple standing closer to him slapped his thigh and said, "Today, many disciples came to the Logistics Hall. Even the head disciple in charge came and asked if you were there."
"Logistics Hall? What do they want from me?"
Zong Ci was completely confused.
The Logistics Hall is where the disciples of the sect store valuables, and it is the warehouse of the Taiyan Sect. On weekdays, it provides mortgage loans and other businesses, and it can be regarded as the official money house of the Taiyan Sect.
After Zong Ci's rebirth, he was penniless. He used all the spirit stones he had picked up to subscribe for the Resurrection Grass. All his belongings added up were not worth a medium-grade spirit stone. He had never used anything as collateral for a loan, and he had nothing to do with the Logistics Hall, so he would not be rushed by the senior disciple to collect the debt.
"No, it's nothing serious... No, it's nothing important... They came here to deliver something."
The outer disciple stammered as he explained, but halfway through he realized that he seemed to be making the situation worse, so he simply stepped back and revealed his back.
On the stone table in the open space behind him, a jade box so big that it required two or three people to hug it was placed on it, and a white mist-like cold air emanated from it.
"That's the jade box that the Logistics Hall sent over today. They said it was specially ordered by the Sword Peak Master."
Zong Ci was stunned.
Ordinary things don't need to use the cold jade box, unless it is a medicinal material that needs a frozen environment to be properly preserved. Combined with what happened a few days ago, it is easy to tell what the Logistics Hall sent over.
"It's so late, why are you all still gathered here?"
Just when he was stunned, a clear voice suddenly came from the depths of the courtyard.
"It turns out to be Brother Liu."
A disciple quickly responded, "The chief disciple of the Logistics Hall asked us to tell our fellow brothers, and we will be waiting here."
"So that's how it is. Everyone is here to wait for Brother." Liu Yuan showed an expression of sudden enlightenment, and covered his face with his folding fan again, looking very embarrassed. "I wanted to secretly ask Brother to help with the mission, but I didn't expect everyone to be here. This makes it a little difficult for me to say it."
"Hahahahahaha, Brother Liu is too polite." The disciples laughed, "We often ask Brother Zong for help. Brother Zong is kind and easy to talk to, and his swordsmanship is superb. Just ask."
"Yes, yes, even the head of Jianfeng Peak was so impressed by him that he wanted to take me as his disciple."
"As expected of you, my brother."
Liu Yuan clapped his hands and laughed, "I was lucky enough to stand beside my brother during the sect competition that day. His sword energy was so powerful that it made me suddenly enlightened."
As he said this, he turned to Zong Ci amid the mocking laughter of the crowd, "Then I will shamelessly ask - Brother Zong, are you free tomorrow? I have a task here and would like to ask for your help."
The young man in black nodded calmly, "Yes."
He had long felt that something was wrong with Liu Yuan, and as he stood by and watched from the sidelines today, this subtle feeling became even stronger.
If you think about what he just said deliberately, it means that he cannot refuse in front of everyone.
Zong Ci was not stupid either. With so many clues combined together, Liu Yuan's suspicions deepened.
"That's great. I will knock on your door on time tomorrow morning."
However, since it has come to his doorstep, he might as well take advantage of it.
So Zong Ci said happily, "Okay."
####
After returning to the house, Zong Ci spent most of the night tidying up the room, and finally sorted out all the medicinal materials in the cold jade box and stored them in different categories.
Even he couldn't help but secretly say in his heart that Xuanji Sword Immortal had good intentions.
He rejected the other party in public that day, but he didn't expect that the other party not only did not hold a grudge, but actually took his poor health to heart and sent someone to deliver so many medicines.
These were not ordinary medicines. Zong Ci even found several thousand-year-old yacon fruits and several dark red ginsengs. The others were all top-grade products that nourished the body. If you took them to the nearby market, you could sell them for nearly a hundred top-grade spirit stones, and they were still the kind that were out of stock.
It was a pity that the reason for his poor health was not physical, but was hindered by the incompleteness of his soul. Not to mention the thousand-year-old yacon, even if it was ten-thousand-year-old yacon, it would still be useless to him.
Zong Ci sighed and put the herbs into his storage bag, planning to go to the market at the foot of the mountain to exchange them for some spirit stones when he had time at the end of the month.
He has not yet found a way to repair his soul, but once he finds a way, these spirit stones will be of great use and can save him a lot of trouble.
"I'll definitely thank you when I have time."
Thinking this, Zong Ci climbed onto the low wooden bed in the room, closed his eyes and began to meditate.
A dreamless night.
The next morning, before daybreak, there was a knock on the door.
"Hold on."
Zong Ci stood in front of the wardrobe, fastened his belt, picked up the storage bag on the bedside, buckled it, and pushed open the door.
What greeted him was Liu Yuan's smiling face: "Good morning, Brother Zong."
"Good morning." He replied indifferently, "By the way, I forgot to ask you last night, what is the content and location of your mission?"
"There's no rush for this. I'll talk about it slowly on the way." Liu Yuan unfolded his folding fan, smiling, "Don't worry. Since you've entrusted me with this mission, we'll split the reward for this mission 40% to 60%. I'll take 40% and you'll take 60%. What do you think?"
"OK."
Zong Ci didn't care about this. He often helped the outer disciples with tasks on weekdays. He usually did it out of convenience and didn't care much about the reward.
But 46 points is indeed fair, and the general score is 55 points.
These are not a big deal. What’s important is that he wants to take a good look today to see what Liu Yuan is up to.
After the agreement was reached, the two of them left the courtyard together. Liu Yuan led the way, and the young man in black clothes lagged behind by two steps.
Liu Yuan was extremely enthusiastic and chattered all the way, while Zong Ci seemed to be uninterested and responded incoherently, mostly with very meaningless topics.
Liu Yuan: "Come to think of it, the weather is getting hotter now, why don't you tie up your long hair?"
Zong Ci: "Because I'm lazy."
Liu Yuan: "Hahahahahahahaha, Brother Zong is really joking."
As they chatted, they turned into a less traveled path.
The young man in black clothes glanced at the road ahead indifferently, his heart moving slightly.
This road is rarely visited on weekdays. The weeds on both sides are extremely lush, and the dark and rugged mountain walls can be vaguely seen in the distance.
"Go ahead and you will reach the forbidden area." Zong Ci said suddenly.
"Oh yes, brother, please rest assured. I didn't mean to bring you here without permission. It's just that the mission location is in the Sunset Forest, and it's closer if we go here." Liu Yuan scratched his head, looking a little ashamed.
Not intentional? Ghost letter.
Zong Ci glanced at him calmly, his face still looking lazy and casual, "Then let's walk faster. If we are seen by others, we might have to go to the Law Enforcement Hall."
"good."
Soon, the road came to an end.
There is a stone tablet at the end with "Dragon Bone Abyss" engraved in red letters on it, and it is clearly stated that it is the forbidden area of the Taiyan Sect.
Behind the stone tablet there is a cliff, below which is a bottomless abyss shrouded in mist. On the other side, the stone wall is so high that you can see the shadows of pines and cypresses through the skylight.
The wind had nowhere to go here, so it could only rush around like a trapped beast, making terrifying howls like it was destroying dead trees and rotten wood.
“Rustle, rustle—”
The cold wind blew in from the depths of the dense forest, like a dense stream of needles sweeping through.
Zong Ci looked at the hideous rift from afar, and felt a kind of indescribable emotion.
Dragon Bone Abyss is the place where Lingyun Sword Master finally died.
At least when he was still Lingyun Sword Master, he had never thought that he would end up here in such a ridiculous way.
At this moment, Liu Yuan, who was a few steps faster than him, said casually, "Come to think of it, it seems that this place was not a forbidden place of Taiyan Sect a thousand years ago."
He turned his head, his pupils divided by the shadows of the trees, as if thousands of ink colors were condensed, extremely strange.
"Brother, have you heard of it?" Liu Yuan stared at him closely and suddenly smiled. "It is said that a thousand years ago, an immortal went astray and fell here, which is why Dragon Bone Abyss became a forbidden area."
"I see. Where do you want to go, sir?" The demon servant skillfully directed the servants to put all the things in the side hall. Then he turned around and saluted respectfully. "I can lead the way for you at any time."