Chapter 4604 — Contest for the Mission

Startled by the voice, the group hurriedly turned to look behind them. Ma Dangfeng stood in the doorway, arms swinging wide with swagger, two fawning lackeys trailing at his back—both newcomers to the Azure Cloud Pavilion from the previous intake.

The surrounding crowd immediately burst into chatter. Ma Dangfeng was a household name on the North Island these days; anyone who didn't know him was too embarrassed to even show his face in public. Wherever he went, he was the absolute center of attention.

"Looking for another fight, are we?" Lu Bianren's face darkened at the sight. For all his mild temperament, the memory of last time sent fury blazing through him. "This is a public place. If you're sure you can bear the consequences, we'll happily oblige."

As Lu Bianren spoke, Qiao Hongcai and the others were already itching for action at his side. They knew full well they were no match for him, but since fate had thrown them together on a narrow road, there was no running away in disgrace. A man would sooner die than flee—what was there to fear? Besides, every one of them was still spoiling for payback for the grudge from last time!

"Quite the backbone, aren't you?" Ma Dangfeng sneered, eyelids lifting as a murderous glint flashed through his eyes—though in the end he reined it in. "Forget it. This young master isn't in the mood today. I'll spare you dogs your lives. But next time, who knows? So my advice is to keep well out of sight. Know your place, and you'll live longer."

Fine words, but Ma Dangfeng was hardly that generous. The only reason he hadn't thrown punches like last time was that there were simply too many people here—he had his misgivings.

After all, among the group was not only Ku Zhongle, Third Pavilion Master of the Welcome Pavilion, but also Xiao Che, newly promoted Second Senior Brother and steward of the Azure Cloud Pavilion's outer sect. Killing them outright in front of everyone would be a sensation that shook the whole North Island—and once it came to that, even the Azure Cloud Pavilion higher-ups who favored him wouldn't dare speak up on his behalf.

"The same to you," Lu Bianren said coldly, holding back Qiao Hongcai and the others who could barely restrain themselves from striking. Lowering his voice, he said, "Hurry and find the missions to the South Island. Take every one we can—don't let this bastard beat us to it!"

The others started, then caught on and hurried off in different directions. Ma Dangfeng must have come here with the same idea—that earlier talk hadn't been empty bluster after all. They absolutely could not let him get ahead of them.

Ma Dangfeng blinked, momentarily taken aback by their reaction—it hadn't occurred to him that they too meant to take a mission to the South Island. With a cold snort, he swaggered into the mission hall and browbeat someone into giving up a table for him. Once seated, he sent his two lackeys off to hunt for missions.

The North Island and the South Island lay who knew how many thousands of miles apart; the two might as well have had nothing to do with each other. So for all the dazzling array of bounty missions on the board, those connected to the South Island were rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns—one might not appear for ten days or half a month. That Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao had landed one last time had been pure luck.

Lu Bianren and the others searched high and low for ages and came up with nothing, until Li Zhengming stopped short in the most inconspicuous corner. On a cracked, yellowed wooden mission plaque was written in small characters: Rare Spirit Herb Gathering in the Rufeng Forest of the South Island! No time limit. No limit on participants.

It was a South Island team mission tailor-made for them! Li Zhengming was overjoyed. He hastily pulled down the plaque, shot Lu Bianren and the others a meaningful look, and immediately hurried off to handle the paperwork for claiming the bounty.

Yet when Li Zhengming and the others arrived together at the mission collection desk, they found the person sprawled in the chair was none other than Ma Dangfeng! The guild steward stood beside him, bowing and scraping. Everyone knew Ma Dangfeng had a boundless future—especially since he was already Second Senior Brother and steward of the Azure Cloud Pavilion's inner sect. A man destined for greatness like that was naturally to be courted with all one's might.

"Steward Zhou, you should know well enough why I'm here. Any team missions to the South Island—bring them out now. Those two idiots have been searching half the day and found nothing. Don't tell me you've hidden them away?" Ma Dangfeng said carelessly, legs crossed.

"Whatever are you saying, sir? Our bounty missions here are meant for everyone—how could we hide them on purpose? Besides, with Steward Ma gracing us with a visit, you could lend us ten thousand guts and we still wouldn't dare do such a thing!" The guild steward smiled ingratiatingly. "What Steward Ma may not know is that missions to the South Island are always scarce—you might not see one for ten days or half a month. It's quite normal not to find one on short notice."

"Cut the nonsense. Just tell me if there is one or not—I've no time to waste jabbering with you," Ma Dangfeng said with an impatient curl of his lip.

"There really doesn't seem to be any…" The guild steward scratched his head awkwardly. Just then a clerk sitting nearby leaned in and whispered something, and his eyes lit up. "There is—there is one! A rare spirit herb gathering mission on the South Island. It's been sitting empty all this time because the pay isn't high enough, and that merchant guild never canceled it either, so it got pushed into a corner and forgotten. Would Senior Brother Ma be interested?"

"That one, then." Ma Dangfeng nodded. Taking a mission was just a pretext for him anyway; the reward was secondary—he couldn't care less.

"My apologies, but we've already claimed that mission." Lu Bianren stepped in just then, mission plaque in hand, a faint smile on his face.

"What?" Ma Dangfeng was stunned for a moment. He took a careful look at the plaque in Lu Bianren's hand, and his face immediately turned grim. He had never imagined these spineless cowards would also come for the South Island mission—and beat him to it, no less!

"Steward, if you would, kindly register this for us." Lu Bianren paid Ma Dangfeng no mind whatsoever, the faintest hint of a curve still playing at the corner of his mouth. He might be weaker than his opponent, but getting one step ahead of him in this matter was a small breath of vengeance all the same.

"This…" The guild steward looked at Ma Dangfeng in consternation. By the rules of the North Island Cultivators' Guild, it was first come, first served—since Lu Bianren and his people had gotten the plaque first, this South Island team mission unquestionably belonged to them. But wouldn't that mean openly offending Ma Dangfeng?

"What's this? Have the rules of the North Island Cultivators' Guild changed, that even claiming a mission is a problem now?" Lu Bianren frowned slightly. If the man showed favoritism to Ma Dangfeng here, then this would have to be blown wide open—right was on their side, after all. (To be continued)