Chapter 24: Triggering a Quest
“Don’t mess around,” Chu Huaixu refused outright.
A smile reappeared on his face, but his meaningful gaze seemed to be looking at a little fool again.
This annoyed Han Shuangjiang.
Chu Huaixu looked at her, not taking the proffered wine jar, and gazing into her beautiful eyes, he said,
“Do you know what could happen if I accompany you home to deliver wine? You might be in danger.”
Han Shuangjiang frowned and stared directly into his eyes, her demeanor showing no sign of evasion. The ice-cold person replied,
“Of course, I know!”
We’ve opened up so much, and I’m not really stupid. Stop looking at me like that!
She knew there was danger, which was why she chose to go home herself and have him go for reinforcements.
Seeing her stubbornness, Chu Huaixu’s smile grew wider.
“Do you think the dangers a man faces are the same as the dangers a woman faces?”
After speaking, he also looked her up and down.
Meeting his gaze, Han Shuangjiang’s delicate body tensed slightly, and she instantly understood what he meant.
She hadn’t expected Chu Huaixu to be so thorough in his considerations, even thinking of this.
“But…” She wanted to say something more.
No matter what, the matter had started because of her.
“Don’t ‘but’ me. Do as I say!” His attitude was extremely firm, even a little stern.
The girl with the cold face couldn’t help but purse her lips, and in the end, she could only submit, turning to leave with a hint of annoyance.
“Heh! Little housekeeper, you think you can call the shots?” Chu Huaixu thought to himself, watching her walk away to the east.
He felt no pressure or tension, carrying the load of ingredients back home, even whistling a tune.
In his opinion, having some indirect contact with Niu Yuanshan was harmless.
But at this stage, it was best to minimize direct contact.
Moreover, as a member of the [Organization], it would make him seem beneath himself to go to them for help.
“And if I recall correctly, players have previously uncovered many messy rules within this [Organization].”
“They’ve all been brainwashed, acting as if they’re willing to sacrifice their lives for righteousness.”
Thinking rationally with conventional logic, even if spies couldn’t cover for each other, they shouldn’t cause trouble for the other party.
Chu Huaixu speculated that not going to the door himself might better align with the operational logic of the [Organization].
Giving Niu Yuanshan a jar of wine from Moon Country would suffice.
Given the current trade situation between the two countries, this wouldn’t be a loophole.
It would be like on Earth, you can’t accuse me of being a walking fifty-cent party just because I use an iPhone, right?
It’s not that serious, not that serious.
Of course, there was another, more important point.
Chu Huaixu was waiting for something.
Upon returning home, he placed all the ingredients at Han Shuangjiang’s bamboo house doorstep.
“She said she’d cook, so of course, I’ll put them here. I’m not cooking a meal myself, anyway!”
“And! Not washing the dishes either!” he resolved.
As soon as he finished doing this, he heard a system prompt.
“Here it comes!” Chu Huaixu rejoiced in his heart; he had no more experience points to use.
“[Ding! You have triggered a passive quest—Revenge from Liu Chengqi!]”
“[Quest Difficulty Level: Grade A!]”
On the other side, Han Shuangjiang had also arrived outside Niu Yuanshan’s courtyard.
As one of the nine great stewards of the outer sect, his courtyard looked more sophisticated and upscale than the bamboo house.
In other words, it was quite elegant.
Chinese aesthetics were luxurious, and this courtyard was likely quite expensive to build.
As she walked to the front of the courtyard, Han Shuangjiang remembered something: “What if Steward Niu isn’t home?”
As part of the outer sect’s management, Niu Yuanshan also had duties to manage.
If he wasn’t home, he would most likely be at the Steward Hall.
The map was in the manual for registered disciples, and Han Shuangjiang knew where the Steward Hall was, not too far from here.
But no matter what, it would still take time.
She regretted it a little, feeling that she had spent too much time buying ingredients, and wondered with some confusion: “Why was he so leisurely all the way here?”
Little did she know that Chu Huaixu was waiting for the quest to be triggered.
The young girl, holding the wine jar, raised her hand and knocked on the courtyard door.
Before they parted, Chu Huaixu had instructed her a few things, and she had been mentally rehearsing her lines along the way.
The courtyard door soon opened, revealing a servant from within.
“Yes?” the servant asked.
“My name is Han Shuangjiang, and I’ve come to visit Steward Niu,” she said.
As soon as she finished speaking, a gentle voice came from within the courtyard, “Oh, it’s Shuangjiang. Come in.”
Han Shuangjiang immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Although she had only met Niu Yuanshan once, she had a very good impression of the middle-aged man. He seemed like a righteous and kind elder, fitting her image of the management of a reputable sect like the Daoist Sect.
Undercover Agent Niu was currently tending to his flowers in his courtyard.
It was a Dragon’s Blood Grass, the main ingredient for hemostatic pills.
Hemostatic pills were not precious, merely low-grade Spirit Pills.
He was growing it here not because he intended to refine pills, but purely because he found the Dragon’s Blood Grass visually appealing, with its unique shape and exceptionally vibrant color, as red as blood!
Niu Yuanshan watched Han Shuangjiang approach, his gaze falling upon the jar of Erlang Wine she was carrying.
He smiled slightly at her, nodded in acknowledgment, and then turned his back to her to continue fussing over the Dragon’s Blood Grass, but his eyes narrowed slightly!
“Erlang Wine?” Niu Yuanshan’s eyes narrowed.
He had always been cautious and meticulous in his dealings within the Daoist Sect, possessing exceptional spy awareness and qualities, making him a highly sensitive individual.
A jar of wine produced in Moon Country was something he couldn’t overlook.
After regaining his composure, Niu Yuanshan put down his shears, turned to Han Shuangjiang, and said, “You’re here, but why did you bring a jar of wine?”
“Erlang Wine? Isn’t that wine from Moon Country?” he said.
Han Shuangjiang placed the wine jar on the stone table nearby and replied, “Reporting to the Steward, Chu Huaixu asked me to bring it. He said it would be too rude to visit for the first time empty-handed.”
Upon hearing the name, Niu Yuanshan’s doubts vanished completely.
In fact, he felt a sense of warmth and comfort.
Was this just a jar of wine?
This was a tacit understanding between two people from Moon Country!
“Good child, you’ve been thoughtful,” he said with a smile, praising the person who wasn’t present.
He had suspected earlier that this newcomer might know his identity.
Now, it was as good as an open declaration.
Niu Yuanshan first sat down on the stone bench and then gestured for Han Shuangjiang to sit opposite him.
“By the way, why did you come alone?” Steward Niu naturally followed up, steering the conversation towards the new member of the [Organization].
Han Shuangjiang, remembering Chu Huaixu’s instructions, knew that despite her anxiety, she couldn’t directly reveal her purpose for coming.
But she wasn’t foolish; it was just that Chu Huaixu liked to look at her as if she were a fool.
At this moment, a thought struck her: when Chu Huaixu and Liu Chengqi fought, he had taken half a palm strike from the latter.
Thus, Han Shuangjiang immediately found the best entry point:
“Steward Niu, because he was injured.”
