WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 21: Act 4: Bamboo-Tube Beauty (2)

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Ise went to the Training Compound Administration Office to receive his assignment a week after joining Great Exorcist Order.

There was no special reason he had spent a whole week waiting.

He had simply been waiting for the Spiritual Stones and two basic spirit artifacts that would be issued after a week.

He could hardly go onto a battlefield without even arming himself.

Over that week, Ise focused on memorizing theoretical texts on the four great arts of immortal cultivation: Basic Pill Refining, Basic Talisman Crafting, Basic Artifact Crafting, and Basic Formation Crafting.

“Hey, you’ve waited a while, haven’t you?”

Park Gangseo, his assigned senior, arrived carrying a bundle.

Every couple of days, he had stopped by to explain basic knowledge of the cultivation world that was not written in the books.

“This is the allocation from headquarters. Two basic spirit artifacts and ten Spiritual Stones.”

“Thank you.”

“Ordinary entry disciples receive five Spiritual Stones a month, but top-ranking entry disciples get extra. Nice, right? If you save well, ten a month might be enough to buy a medicinal pellet before you head to headquarters.”

“Am I allowed to take medicinal pellets?”

“Ha ha ha, of course. You can take as many as you want. They just discourage people from raising their realm with medicinal pellets alone. Though, medicinal pellets are so hard to come by in the Three Peninsula Kingdoms that you can’t exactly take them freely. If you get the chance, make sure you stock up.”

Park Gangseo laughed heartily and patted Ise on the back.

Then he pointed to the two spirit artifacts.

“To use the Purification Staff, stand before a demon’s corpse, hold up the artifact, and recite the Spirit Release Incantation from the Demon Hunting, Spirit Release, and Qi Condensation Art once. Every demon you hunt must be released and sealed. Never forget that.”

“Yes.”

“You don’t need to worry much about the Purification Staff... The Demon-Sealing Talisman Book is a type of single-use storage artifact. It can seal a corpse even if it isn’t a demon. But you must prove how each sheet was used, and if you use one without permission, you’ll pay the price. Tearing one carelessly or letting an outsider obtain one is a serious crime.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The Demon-Sealing Talisman Book was a special treasure developed and managed by Great Exorcist Order. It sealed hunted corpses for temporary storage.

The Purification Staff was used by cultivators in the early and middle stages of the Qi Condensation Realm to release spirits from demons and purify them.

Ise turned the two spirit artifacts over in his hands and reviewed the incantation he had memorized.

Once he received the artifacts, he headed straight for the Training Compound Administration Office.

The back of the office was a small room containing a notice board and a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator seated in front of it.

“Senior, may I receive an assignment?”

Without even looking at Ise, the cultivator gestured with their chin.

“Look for yourself.”

They pointed at the notice board, then returned their attention to the secret manual they had been reading.

There were not many assignments posted.

- Find missing livestock. (1 contribution point)

- Purify a contaminated area. (1 Spiritual Stone, 2 contribution points)

- Eliminate a Grade Nine evil spirit. (2 Spiritual Stones, 3 contribution points)

- Collect an unpaid debt. (1 contribution point)

No matter how hard he looked, there was not a single demon-hunting assignment.

Most of them were the sort that made him wonder whether this was really work for Daoists.

The only one remotely related was the evil-spirit elimination assignment.

The problem was that eliminating evil spirits was not the work of Demon Hunters alone. Every such assignment required at least one Shaman applicant.

“Is this all...?”

The Administration Office cultivator answered without taking their eyes off the secret manual.

“Not many assignments come in at the start of the year. Headquarters handles most matters themselves. It takes entry disciples at least six months before they begin taking assignments in earnest. You’re the strange one for coming here so early.”

“I see.”

“Even these are assignments nobody at headquarters wants. Stop wasting your time and focus on cultivation.”

Even so, Ise could not easily give up.

For a whole week, he had meditated and trained in places where heaven and earth spiritual energy was most abundant, yet the amount of spiritual energy within him had barely changed.

His next realm was right before his eyes. He did not want to waste time.

In the end, his hand reached for the only remaining assignment.

“I’ll take this one.”

“An evil-spirit elimination assignment must include a Shaman applicant.”

“Yes. Could I accept it first and add someone later?”

With an annoyed look, the cultivator held out the assignment register.

Beside the words, “Evil Spirit Elimination Assignment, Client: Hajin Guesthouse,” Ise wrote his name.

“If you do not finalize the members by the end of today, the assignment will be canceled.”

“Yes.”

The cultivator waved him away.

Ise immediately went to find Seolryeong, who was in the middle of cultivation.

“Come do an assignment with me.”

“...What? All of a sudden?”

“Yeah. It’s an evil-spirit elimination assignment, and I need a Shaman applicant.”

“Of course an evil-spirit elimination assignment needs a Shaman... But can we really go on an assignment only a week after joining?”

“Apparently we can.”

“I’m not mentally prepared yet...”

Seolryeong trailed off in a fluster.

They would be going on assignments constantly from now on, but the first time was difficult for anyone.

Maybe it was because she had heard so many rumors about how difficult it was for Qi Condensation Realm cultivators to survive in the cultivation world.

Here, they were protected by the comfortable shelter of Great Exorcist Order.

The moment they left on an assignment, they would be thrown into the wild cultivation world.

“I’m not forcing you. If you don’t want to, I understand.”

“R-right. You should take it easy sometimes too. It’s not as if your advancement is slow for someone at your level...”

“If you know another Shaman applicant, could you introduce me?”

“...What?”

“It’s only a Grade Nine evil spirit, so they don’t need extraordinary talent. I’ll be as careful as possible so nobody gets hurt. Do you know any Shamans who might be interested in an assignment?”

Seolryeong frowned.

“Why? Don’t you have any friends?”

“You’re one to talk...”

He was going to take another Shaman on an assignment instead of her?

Seolryeong’s imagination ran wild.

She had finally become friendly with the top entry disciple at Great Exorcist Order, only for him to go off on assignments and laugh around with another Shaman?

Would that not be like cooking porridge only to feed it to a dog?

“Do you really not know anyone? Can’t be helped. I’ll look for someone myself...”

“Wait!”

Her motives might have been a little underhanded, but what could she do?

A cultivator needed to look lofty on the outside and be shrewd within to survive for long.

“I’ll do it! The assignment!”

“Really? You don’t have to force yourself.”

“I said I’ll do it!”

If she was going to do it, why was she getting so angry?

“But when I go on an assignment, you have to help me too.”

“Of course. Just tell me whenever you need help.”

Seolryeong, who had been snapping at him a moment ago, now looked delighted.

Ise thought she had a truly strange personality.

* * *

While Ise registered the additional member and Seolryeong packed her travel gear, he explained the details of the request.

A suspected Grade Nine evil spirit had appeared in Namsangol, a fairly large village nearby, and was harming inn brokers who traveled through the mountain pass. Hajin Guesthouse had requested that it be eliminated.

“Isn’t there too little information?”

“They said we should hear the details from the external affiliate stationed at Great Exorcist Order’s Namsangol outpost. By the way, why are you packing so much? Are you moving house?”

“S-shut up. Women naturally have a lot of things to bring when they travel...”

For someone who said that, most of what she had packed were defensive spirit artifacts.

Ise saw Seolryeong’s hands trembling slightly and kept his mouth shut.

* * *

Instead of heading straight for their destination, Ise stopped in the middle of Cheongsan City.

Then he repeatedly looked around as if searching for something.

“Where are we going?”

“You received your allocation too, right?”

“Yeah. A spirit release artifact and eight Spiritual Stones.”

“Since it’s our first assignment, I thought we should buy some defensive spirit artifacts rather than saving everything. Do you know an artifact shop?”

“I know the perfect place. I’ll recommend a shop run by someone I know.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

“But ten Spiritual Stones won’t buy a useful artifact. Even single-use artifacts usually cost five or six.”

“If there’s nothing worth buying, I’ll just save them.”

“Sure. Do that.”

The place Seolryeong led him to was deep within the market streets of Cheongsan City.

It was an alley so hidden that, in a city practically made for tourists, nobody would find it unless they deliberately sought it out.

“This is the street real Daoists visit. Too many mortals give you a headache because of their turbid qi, so shops selling genuine goods are tucked away in remote places like this. They sell weapons, spirit artifacts, even cultivation manuals. They buy things too, so remember that.”

“Ah. I see.”

Only now did Ise understand why the artifact shops in the large markets had all been full of swindlers.

Seolryeong poked only her head inside the shop and called out.

“Hyeon-ong! I brought you a new customer! He’s my friend and the top disciple of this year’s class, so treat him well!”

“Come in.”

An old man’s rough voice answered from inside. Seolryeong smiled and motioned for Ise to enter.

“He won’t overcharge you. But he won’t lower the price either, so don’t waste your time haggling.”

“Okay.”

“The shop next door sells weapons for Shamans, so I’ll go take a look there.”

Ise stepped inside the artifact shop.

A great many spirit artifacts had been neatly arranged in precise rows.

There were many of them, but unlike the fake artifact shops, the displays did not feel crammed together.

Each artifact had been given a minimum amount of space, as though the owner wished to keep them apart. The orderly displays gave Ise an inexplicable sense of trust.

“Looking for something?”

The old man, who appeared to be the artifact merchant... was a cultivator.

He was in the Qi Condensation Realm. The spiritual energy inside him seemed comparable to that of a cultivator at the Fifth or Sixth Star.

It appeared cultivators traded items used by cultivators among themselves.

“Could you explain the spirit artifacts you have?”

“Explanations cost one Spiritual Stone each, but since you’re a first-time customer, I’ll explain three for free.”

Ise accepted that without complaint and pointed to a palm-shaped artifact.

“That’s an artifact worn on the hand. It’s called the Seizing Hand. It can draw distant objects or small living creatures in and attach them to your palm. It costs eighty Spiritual Stones.”

“Oh... That’s impressive. What about this?”

“That one.”

The artifact merchant, who had been about to explain, hesitated.

“...?”

“It’s a spirit artifact used for the Dual-Cultivation Art. You don’t need to know about it yet, so ask about something else.”

Footnotes:

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