Starting as The Young Master of A Pharmacy, He Trained Swordsmanship in Seclusion For Twenty Years - Chapter 106

Seeing that no one objected, Lu Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

“Hmm, good. It seems no one has any objections.”

Originally, Lu Xuan had thought there might be some troublemakers, and he was prepared to make an example of someone to establish his authority.

“Zhao Sheng, Qian Hao, Li Daren, and Deputy Emissary He, you four stay. The rest of you are dismissed.”

After everyone else had left, only four people remained seated in the chairs on either side of the hall.

Zhao Sheng and the other two sat side-by-side in the chairs on the right. They looked as if they were in a dream, their faces filled with astonishment.

Good heavens.
The Senior Xuan they brought back had quietly and unexpectedly ascended to the position of Mystic Emissary.

Luckily, Deputy Emissary He had already informed the three of them yesterday. Otherwise, they would have thought Senior Xuan was joking with them.

“Deputy Emissary He, the task grading within the Baidao Prefecture Xuanniao Guard is ultimately decided by me, correct?”

Upon hearing Lu Xuan’s question, He Yan answered without hesitation: “Yes, Mystic Emissary!”

“Good. Now, draft a Fierce-level task for me.”

????
He Yan, along with Zhao Sheng and the other two, all looked at Lu Xuan in surprise, unsure of his intention.

“Li Daren, Qian Hao, the two of you will go to Qingyun County town. Look after the Lu Family Herb Shop for me for a period of time.”
“Assign it as a Fierce-level task. Set the duration for three months.”

Lu Xuan had originally considered moving his father and the entire Lu Family Herb Shop to the prefectural city. However, after thinking it over repeatedly, he decided to return to Qingyun County himself after some time had passed.

Lu Family Herb Shop?
He Yan pondered internally, What connection does this Lu Family Herb Shop have with the Mystic Emissary? Why is he so concerned about it that he’s sending two Earth-level Xuanniao Guards to personally protect it?

Zhao Sheng and the other two were just as puzzled as He Yan.

Nevertheless, Qian Hao and Li Daren didn’t ponder for long. They quickly stood up to accept the order.
“Yes, Mystic Emissary!”

That was a Fierce-level task! Completing it came with a reward of a low-grade Heaven and Earth Spirit Item. By issuing this Fierce-level task, wasn’t the Mystic Emissary essentially handing them a low-grade Spirit Item for free?

“Also, the mission rewards for the three of you eliminating the Human-Face Specter in Dengfeng County will be counted as well.”
“Qian Hao, I observe you have reached the peak of the minor achievement stage in the Blood Refining realm. You’re probably close to breaking through to the major achievement stage, right?”
“Later, go to the Xuanniao Guard storeroom and collect three portions of potent restorative herbs.”

Lu Xuan glanced at Qian Hao and spoke calmly.

Based on his observations of them in Taiping Town, their character had earned his appreciation. He would have these two look after his family for a while first. Once Lu Xuan finished his busy period, he would return to the Lu family himself.

Before Li Chengfeng left, he had hinted to Lu Xuan: “The world is undergoing great changes. Supernatural anomalies and those demonic beasts are experiencing major upheavals. The records in the archives are no longer applicable.”

Therefore, just to be safe, Lu Xuan decided to send two Earth-level Xuanniao Guards to Qingyun County town to protect the Lu family.

Lu Xuan’s gaze turned to He Yan, who seemed lost in thought. He then spoke slowly.
“Deputy Emissary He, you have no objections, I assume?”

“Mystic Emissary, I certainly have no objections about that.”
Seeing Lu Xuan’s gaze fixed on him, He Yan quickly spoke up, indicating his full agreement with Lu Xuan’s decision.

But right after saying that, He Yan looked somewhat troubled, hesitating as if he wanted to say something.
“It’s just……”

At this point, Lu Xuan looked directly at He Yan without any attempt to conceal his gaze.
This scrutinizing look made He Yan feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

“Just what, Deputy Emissary He Yan?”
“Feel free to speak more plainly.”

The atmosphere in the hall grew quiet following Lu Xuan’s words.

Feeling the faint pressure emanating from Lu Xuan, He Yan finally explained.
“Replying to the Mystic Emissary, this subordinate merely wished to remind you.”
“That group from the capital’s Black Feather Guard will be arriving at the Baidao Prefecture city in less than two months.”
“So, this subordinate fears they might discover this matter.”
“It might be… troublesome to handle then.”

This was the reason for He Yan’s hesitation.

The grading of Xuanniao Guard tasks wasn’t something that could be decided arbitrarily. All task levels were classified based on the degree of danger involved.

But this Mystic Emissary, right after taking office, casually issued a Fierce-level task, sending two Earth-level Xuanniao Guards to protect that Lu Family Herb Shop. This was clearly against the rules.

If one could act so arbitrarily, then no matter how many Heaven and Earth Spirit Items were allocated to the Baidao Prefecture Xuanniao Guard, it would never be enough.

“The Black Feather Guard?”
Li Chengfeng had also mentioned the Black Feather Guard that He Yan referred to. They were a group akin to auditors, a secret organization from the Great Xia imperial palace, trusted confidants of the Great Xia Emperor.

“If it’s about those people, Deputy Emissary He, you don’t need to worry about them. I will handle it myself.”

Lu Xuan didn’t want anyone hindering his way of doing things. When that Black Feather Guard group arrives, he could just find some random excuse to send them packing. If worse comes to worst, he could always use Li Chengfeng as a shield. After all, Li Chengfeng had told him to act without restraint and that he would explain things to the capital’s Xuanniao Guard headquarters himself.

“In that case, this subordinate will follow the Mystic Emissary’s arrangements in all matters.”

Having said that, He Yan set aside his concerns and decided to act according to Lu Xuan’s command.

“Hmm.”
“There is one more thing.”
“Deputy Emissary He, first, go and write a letter for me. Send a few people to deliver it to the Xuanniao Guard headquarters in the capital.”
“Write that the Baidao Prefecture Xuanniao Guard requires the following allocation of Heaven and Earth Spirit Items.”
“Let’s tentatively set it at: one top-grade Heaven and Earth Spirit Item, five high-grade Heaven and Earth Spirit Items, twenty mid-grade Heaven and Earth Spirit Items, and one hundred low-grade Heaven and Earth Spirit Items.”

“What!”
“This……”
“This……”

As soon as Lu Xuan finished speaking, Deputy He Yan’s eyes widened, and he let out an involuntary exclamation of shock, a breach of etiquette in front of everyone.

“Mystic Emissary, this simply cannot be done recklessly!”
“The people at the capital would absolutely never agree to this.”

Top-grade Heaven and Earth Spirit Items, high-grade Heaven and Earth Spirit Items…
He Yan was at a loss for words. These things were extremely precious even at the capital’s Xuanniao Guard headquarters. How could a prefectural-level Xuanniao Guard branch possibly get their hands on them?

Seeing the dismayed expressions on He Yan’s, Zhao Sheng’s, and the others’ faces, Lu Xuan fell into thought.

It seems I asked for too much?
“In that case, let’s reduce it a bit.”
“Set it at three high-grade Heaven and Earth Spirit Items, twenty mid-grade Heaven and Earth Spirit Items, and one hundred low-grade Heaven and Earth Spirit Items.”

He Yan watched as Lu Xuan still wore an expression of having seriously considered the matter. The corner of his mouth twitched, leaving him speechless.

“Yes, Mystic Emissary. This subordinate will go and carry this out accordingly.”

This Mystic Emissary… why do I get the feeling he’s utterly unreliable?
Ah, forget it.
If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up.

In his heart, He Yan silently mourned for a second for that old fellow Li Chengfeng.