While hobbling on his way to the Archives Pavilion, Han Xuhan realized that he'd end up missing the second lecture. Moreover, even if he managed to get a mystic art manual from the archives today, he'd not be able to meet Elder Ning in the guest hall anyway.
Deciding to get to that task later, he headed towards the mountain peak where the second lecture of the day would be held. Surprisingly, he met another outer court disciple at the foot of that mountain.
This young man was a head taller than him, filling out his uniform a bit too tightly. The bulging muscles around his neck and the large fists he was swinging around while running uphill were bound to leave an intimidating impression on any ordinary man.
Seeing Han Xuhan appear on the road ahead, his eyes lit up.
"Martial brother! Martial bro-eh?"
As his gaze fell on Han Xuhan's red robe, it occurred to him that such uniforms were worn by the ordinary servants of the sect. His joy visibly diminished as the distance between them shortened. But he still maintained a polite smile while shouting at him.
"Brother, I woke up a little late. Can you tell me what's going on? Where is everyone? I couldn't find my fellow disciples in my mountain peak."
"An assembly took place after the bells at dawn. We have to attend three to four basic lectures every day. By my estimate, everyone should be headed right here within a few minutes. The first lecture is probably finished by now."
"We? You're a disciple too?" the guy was taken aback.
"Why are you wearing a servant's robe-OH! I got it! I got it!"
Pointing a finger at Han Xuhan's face, he started jumping up and down like an excited child.
"I heard from a senior that our mountain peak took in a prodigal disciple yesterday. She was bold enough to bring an attendant with her, that too, a male! It's you!"
"You're from the Salted Fish Mountain Peak? What a coincidence!"
It clicked in Han Xuhan's head now. It was no wonder this guy had been left behind in his hut. If Xuanyuan Zhou hadn't come knocking on his door, his fate would have been the same.
"What can I say, brother, except that I am an exceptional disciple! Our Salted Fish Peak is on an entirely different footing compared to these ordinary mountain peaks around us. We're just unique!"
Han Xuhan couldn't help but be impressed at this fellow. Such top-tier glazing skills, that too, directed towards himself!
He used to hunt for people like this back on Earth to bolster the public image of his political party at the grassroots level. The method was tacky and amateurish, but it worked very well on certain demographics.
The strapping young man must have noticed the odd, calculating look on his face, because his bright smile faded a little too quickly and a wariness crept in his countenance.
"Er... Brother? We haven't introduced ourselves, have we? My name is Xiao Wu. My hometown is in a distant country at the edge of the Poison Ocean up north."
Sensing his meaningful tone, Han Xuhan was forced to volunteer some useless information for appearance's sake.
"My name is Han Xuhan. My hometown is at the edge of this mountain range, called Green Curtain City. You may have passed by it while traveling to this place."
Xiao Wu nodded vaguely and started walking uphill with him, asking increasingly useless questions.
"Brother Xuhan, what's your actual status in the sect right now, practically?"
"Did Elder Ning agree to teach you all the basics even though you're not an official disciple?"
"Have you met the other disciples of our mountain peak? Who do you think is the strongest among the ones you've met?"
"Is your 'master' good-looking? How pretty are we talking about here?"
"In a beauty contest between Xuanyuan Zhou and our senior sister Qing Hua, who would you vote for?"
"Does Xuanyuan Zhou ask you for any erm..."
Realizing how much of an annoyance this guy was going to be, Han Xuhan decided to push back a little.
"Brother, aren't you filling up your mind with harmful and unnecessary thoughts? You just missed your first lesson. Let me tell you something, Elder Ning's lecture was incredibly rewarding to listen to. I learned a lot in just ten minutes! You've missed out on some really good stuff!"
In a brief explanation, he referred to several topics Elder Ning had discussed while he was in the hall.
Surprisingly, Xiao Wu appeared unperturbed. With a nonchalant wave of his hand, he said,
"Thank you for your concern, brother. But I come from a family of cultivators. My father, grandmother, and several uncles have taught me the basics of the orthodox paths since I could talk. I've read so many books on these topics that it doesn't seem like I missed out on anything valuable today.
"Hell, you can ask me for help if you miss a lecture or two. This Wu's brain may not be scholarly material, but it can memorize very well!"
Han Xuhan couldn't suppress the envy in his heart.
"Does that mean you began cultivating from a very young age, Brother Wu?"
Xiao Wu's complacent smile disappeared in a flash upon hearing that question. After a brief moment of hesitation, he shook his head.
"I only learned the basics. I wasn't allowed to cultivate because my family wanted me to begin the official process under more experienced hands, like the Elders of a sect as powerful as this one. So I'm no different from you!"
Han Xuhan was about to ask how he could tell that he wasn't a cultivator, but at that moment, a familiar blue flash appeared in his vision.
The system had been triggered?!
Indeed, on the third panel, carrying the silver book of Secondary Storylines, a bunch of mosaic-covered pages flashed by and a quest appeared on one of them.
[ Quest Name: Xiao Wu's Secret ]
[ Quest Description: Not every child of destiny may be fated with you, and not everyone fated with you may be a child of destiny. But that doesn't stop them from having secrets worth exploring! Befriend him, manipulate him, blackmail him—whatever you do, keep in mind that his secret may carry risks beyond your capabilities. ]
[ Quest Difficulty: Hard ]
[ Quest Rewards: (1) 50 survival points; (2) An unorthodox mystic art; (3) An opportunity to enter a fragmented realm ]
[ Warning: The 2nd and the 3rd reward for this quest depends on host's performance. Please keep all three goals in mind every time you make a move in furtherance of this quest ]