Sima Family Mansion.

In the lavishly decorated guest room, several men and women sat next to a table.

They glanced around curiously in the room.

The intricately carved ornaments on the pillars and furniture were an eye opener for them.

Some of the furniture even had pearls and gold in them.

The smell of incense filled the room mixed with the smell of high-quality tea.

One of them, a young woman picked up the teacup in front of her and took a whiff of the tea.

If Lin Xuan Qi was around, he might be able to recognize the woman.

Her eyes that were shaped like almonds with her long eyelashes were easily recognizable.

The young man next to her glanced at her intently, his eyes followed her every movement without skipping a beat.

She pretended not to notice but rolled her eyes at him in her mind thousands of times.

Men are the same, she thought to herself.

Thinking back to when she met Lin Xuan Qi.

Her ears felt hot as she recalled Lin Xuan Qi wearing only a long jacket and she couldn't help it but think of how he stood up in front of her.

The soothing aroma of the incense and tea couldn't calm her down.

When the young man saw her ears turning red, he thought that martial sister Zhao Jia Rui was feeling shy from his gaze.

Finally, Zhao Jia Rui couldn't take it anymore.

She glanced over to him and said, "Martial brother Du, is there anything on my face?"

"Your face? No... I was just marveling at the carvings on that pillar." Martial brother Du moved his gaze away from Zhao Jia Rui and pointed at the pillar behind her.

He smiled as he thought that Zhao Jia Rui was teasing him.

Their senior martial brother, Hong Hai, shook his head at them.

This Du Feng was one of those who couldn't take a hint.

And Zhao Jia Rui, being cold and distant to Du Feng always made him come up with nonsensical explanations of how she was only playing with him.

It would most likely get out of hand if they continued.

"Sorry that I'm late." Sima Ye came into the room and said.

"You came just in time. We've only arrived moments earlier."

Hong Hai, Zhao Jia Rui, Du Feng and the other disciples from Qing Feng Sect stood up and greeted him.

Sima Ye nodded at them, waved his hand down, gesturing for them to take their seats.

He sat on a chair next to Hong Hai, and a servant girl came over to pour him a cup of tea.

While the tea was pouring, Sima Ye glanced over at Hong Hai and asked, "So, how was the scouting mission?"

Hong Hai shook his head at him and said, "It might be worse than we had thought.

"The robbers might not be what they seem to be.

"There might be other forces at play here."

He said and glanced over at Zhao Jia Rui, "Jia Rui was hurt while sneaking into one of their camps in the mountains.

"They've managed to hurt her and followed her back into the city."

Sima Ye frowned and tapped his finger on the tabletop.

Zhao Jia Rui was a cultivator at Qi Concentration Level.

If the robbers were just ordinary robbers, it would be impossible for them to be able to harm her.

Hong Hai was right.

There must have been something going on.

He pondered about the different possibilities but came up blank.

The only thing he could think of was the birthday celebration of Lee Zhen Ren.

But what could Lee Zhen Ren have to do with these robbers.

"I can't think of anything right now. Keep in touch and try to investigate further." Sima Ye said.

"Yes, senior martial brother." Hong Hai and the others bowed at him and said.

"Go back and continue on the mission." Sima Ye said.

They stood up and took their leave afterwards.

As disciples of Qing Feng Sect, they had to take on missions to earn contribution points.

And with the contribution points, they would then be able to exchange cultivation resources like Spirit Stones, Pills and Artifacts.

There's a saying in Da Qian that cultivation was built upon the foundation of money and resources.

Having the Spirit Root was only the initial step.

If you didn't have the money and resources, cultivation would just be a distant dream.

It meant nothing even if you had the Heavenly Spirit Root.

Their mission in Hong Feng City was initiated by Governor Tan to investigate the sudden surge of robbers.

Governor Tan wasn't so dumb as to let Magistrate Ho handle it.

He knew that Magistrate Ho was so incapable that he would most likely mess it up for him.

Lee Zhen Ren's birthday celebration must go smoothly, no matter what it takes.

"Jia Rui, would you like to go on a scouting mission with me tonight?" Du Feng couldn't wait and asked right after they stepped out of the Sima Family Mansion.

"Call me martial sister Zhao." Zhao Jia Rui replied coldly.

Du Feng slapped his forehead and said, "Right, how can I forget, you've told me so many times."

He grinned as he was glad that Zhao Jia Rui replied to him.

If she didn't like him, she would have kept quiet.

Zhao Jia Rui couldn't help it but rolled her eyes at him.

This time, physically in front of him.

She couldn't stand it anymore.

"Senior martial brother Hong, I would request to go alone." Zhao Jia Rui glanced at Hong Hai to seek his help.

Hong Hai sighed and pitied her plight.

"Du Feng, go and check on the robbers by the riverbank while Jia Rui goes and checks on the robbers in the woods."

Du Feng nodded his head at Hong Hai, while having other plans in his mind.

Zhao Jia Rui saw Hong Hai's reaction and had plans of her own.

She knew someone that was as disgusting as Du Feng.

Achoo.

Lin Xuan Qi sneezed and cursed at whoever it was that made him sneeze.

He had a long day and was just getting ready to dip into his bathtub.

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