Zhu Pianxian thought it over carefully and found Sheng Changying's words quite reasonable. Chu Dingjiang had gone through so much trouble to bring her here—surely not just to kill her!
She pursed her lips slightly and smiled at Sheng Changying.
Sheng Changying's ears burned, and he quickly lowered his head.
Not long after Zhu Pianxian left, someone came to escort Sheng Changying to transfer official documents, while the rest of the group headed together to the Lamp Lighting Tower.
The Lamp Lighting Tower stood right beside the Crane Control List—an unremarkable two-story building, its only distinguishing feature being the greater number of lanterns hung at its entrance compared to other places.
Upon entering, they were immediately approached by someone to inspect their tokens.
Rows of red lanterns filled the hall, casting the room in a bloody glow.
An Jiu noticed that each lantern bore tiny characters detailing the general outline of a mission.
"Since you are all newcomers, there are no assigned tasks for you yet, so you may choose freely," explained the middle-aged official in green robes, gesturing to the lanterns. "This section contains tasks with deadlines within seven days, that section within half a month, the opposite side within one month, and the second floor holds tasks ranging from three months to half a year. For missions exceeding half a year, proceed to the backyard."
The longer the allotted time, the more difficult the task. The Crane Control Army operated on a point accumulation system—the harder the mission, the higher the score. Naturally, completing more of these tasks would lead to smoother promotions.
"You may first glance at the descriptions on the lanterns to gauge the difficulty. Once you've decided, come here to draw lots," the official said, pointing to several porcelain jars placed in the center of the room.
Gao Dazhuang wasted no time and headed straight for the second floor.
The others dispersed to browse the tasks.
After understanding the rules, An Jiu went directly to the row of seven-day tasks. She had no interest in climbing the ranks—taking on a mission was merely a means to secure lodging at the Lamp Lighting Tower while she searched for Mei Yanran.
After a quick survey, everyone had a sense of the tasks' difficulty.
Most chose conservatively, except for Lou Mingyue and Qiu Yunxiao, who selected tasks within half a month. The rest, like An Jiu, opted for seven-day missions.
An Jiu noticed that not all tasks involved killing—some entailed protecting officials during travel, locating missing persons, or finding Medicine, among others. While these weren't dangerous, they weren't necessarily simple either. Sometimes, assassinating a specific target was easier than searching for something with no known whereabouts.
"May I ask, sir, what happens if a mission fails?" Sui Yunzhu inquired.
"Continue the mission until completion. Points will be deducted based on the task you've taken," the official replied, noting Sui Yunzhu standing by the easiest jar. "Deductions occur every seven days until the mission concludes."
Li Qingzhi interjected, "What are the consequences of losing points?"
"You won't be punished for it, but such individuals become expendable to the Crane Control Army. As for how they're dealt with, you'll learn in due time if you stay long enough," the official answered.
Sui Yunzhu had already drawn a wax pellet from the jar. Crushing it revealed a small slip of paper.
"Take the corresponding lantern, record it with me, and leave your token before departing," instructed the official.
Reading the slip, Sui Yunzhu's eyes lit up with joy—it was one of the tasks he had hoped for: locating a person within Bianjing City.
The others followed suit, drawing lots one after another. As the tasks were unveiled, some rejoiced while others lamented.An Jiu was the last to draw a lot. After crushing it, Sui Yunzhu leaned over to look.
During their last mission at Misty Villa, An Jiu had saved Sui Yunzhu. Since then, Sui Yunzhu had grown closer to her.
An Jiu drew the escort assignment, but oddly, it only stated that a large wedding procession would pass through Imperial Street in the city three days later, and those who drew the task were responsible for protecting the bride.
An Jiu said nothing and turned to retrieve her lantern.
After receiving their tasks, the group returned to the vacant estate.
"Let's choose the three-section courtyard," Sun Dixian suggested. "We're new here and have been grouped together, so staying close will make it easier to support one another."
Aside from An Jiu, who was purely an External Cultivation practitioner, Sun Dixian had the weakest Inner Force among them. Living together would benefit her the most, but even setting that aside, her suggestion wasn't unreasonable. Moreover, the guide who had brought them here had also recommended it.
Lou Mingyue was the first to hang her lantern by the main gate, followed by the others one after another.
An Jiu hesitated slightly.
Sui Yunzhu hung her lantern and turned to An Jiu. "Mei Shisi, let's stay together. If trouble arises, there's strength in numbers."
An Jiu's purpose for coming to the Crane Control Army was clear: to find Mei Yanran. She didn’t want unnecessary complications. After a moment’s thought, she also hung her lantern by the gate.
From the outside, the three-section courtyard appeared grand, with many rooms inside. However, most were sparsely furnished, and the majority lacked beds.
Everyone chose their own rooms.
An Jiu and Sui Yunzhu entered the courtyard last, so they had to pick from the remaining rooms.
The rooms were similar, but An Jiu was drawn to one with bamboo growing outside its door. Inside, there was only a table, a bed, and a stool. Thick dust covered everything from disuse, the bed’s tattered curtains hung limply, and spiderwebs clung to every corner.
"Mei Shisi." Sui Yunzhu knocked on the door and leaned a broom against the doorway. "Use this to clean up."
"Thanks." An Jiu took the broom and glanced down, spotting a bell on the ground outside.
Sui Yunzhu followed her gaze. The bell, being outside, wasn’t as dusty. Under the moonlight, faint patterns and old, mottled bloodstains were visible. "This room is unlucky. Why not move to mine?"
The bell was the kind hung outside the rooms of deceased Crane Control Army members.
An Jiu set the broom aside, stepped out, and picked up the bell, brushing off the dust. It was about the size of an egg, round, with a thick, finger-length copper plaque dangling inside, making it distinct from ordinary bells.
"This is a token!" Sui Yunzhu exclaimed in surprise.
The object inside the bell was the Lamp Lighting Token the guide had distributed to them.
An Jiu’s sharp eyes had already noticed it on the arched bridge, so she wasn’t surprised. Instead, she studied the bloodstains on the bell. "This person must have died after returning."
She took a cotton bandage from her pocket, used for dressing wounds, and hung the bell from the windowsill.
Sui Yunzhu said, "I asked Lord Sheng privately earlier. This is called a Soul Bell. From what you said, this person returned injured and eventually succumbed?"
"He held on long enough to hang the bell himself." An Jiu listened to the clear chime as the wind swayed it. "No harm in honoring his wish."Sui Yunzhu fell silent. This was the only proof of the shadow unit's existence in this world within the Crane Control Army.
...
After everyone had packed their belongings and rested for two hours,
before the first light of dawn appeared, they set out from the residence to carry out their respective missions.
Dark-clad figures flashed by like ghosts in the surroundings, while only An Jiu walked slowly down the street.
She crumpled the note in her hand, then suddenly quickened her pace. The speed of her sprint wasn't much slower than that of qinggong. (To be continued...)
PS: My sincere apologies. Last night I encountered an unexpected situation and hastily drafted a leave notice, but it ended up staying in the drafts folder without being published... No wonder some readers called today asking why they hadn't received any notice... Feeling devastated.
Also, An Jiu will encounter some unexpected trouble during this outing. What do you think it might be? A. Take a guess; B. Guess again; C. Keep guessing
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