Shepherd Hall
Translator: Cinder Translations
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Song Wen raised his hand and threw out his identity token.
"I was invited by the Lord of the Shepherd Hall to carry out a sect mission."
Upon hearing Song Wen's words, a cultivator flew out from the spaceship on a sword.
This person was Jing Kai, who had met Song Wen once before.
Jing Kai took the token from Song Wen, confirmed there were no issues, and then smiled, flying directly toward Song Wen.
"Senior Ji Yin, I have been waiting for you."
"Eh! Young friend Jing, weren't you working in the External Affairs Hall? How come you're here?" Song Wen asked.
Jing Kai replied, "The External Affairs Hall was too boring. A few years ago, I asked my master to intervene and switched to a new position."
As he spoke, he handed the token back to Song Wen.
"Senior, please take your identity token back."
Song Wen put the token away and asked, "Young friend Jing, why were you waiting for me?"
Jing Kai said, "I'm a shepherd on Sheep Island. The Cold Mountain Kingdom happens to fall under my jurisdiction, and the Bloodthirsty Bees are wreaking havoc, disturbing the two-legged sheep in Cold Mountain. The Lord of the Shepherd Hall wanted to invite a third-tier alchemist for help, but none of the alchemists she knows were available, so I recommended you, Senior."
Song Wen said, "Before this, I was a little confused. The reward for this mission is quite generous; why would it fall to me, a newcomer to the sect? But now I see that it's all thanks to your strong support. I thank you, my friend."
Jing Kai said, "Senior, you're too kind. Although I have only met you once, I deeply admire your broad heart and demeanor. Your achievements in alchemy are even more impressive, and I admire you greatly. If I ever need help with alchemy in the future, I hope you can lend a hand. Of course, I will prepare all the necessary materials and would never let you bear the cost."
Upon hearing this, Song Wen couldn't help but smile knowingly.
Jing Kai had gone through great effort to invite him, and it was all just to flatter him.
After nearly a hundred years of cultivation, Song Wen had already become a senior figure in the eyes of others, a target of admiration and flattery for many lower-tier cultivators.
And of course, a large part of the reason for this was due to the two bottles of pills he had given out in the past.
"Young friend Jing, don't worry. If you ever need any pills or medicine in the future, just come find me," Song Wen said generously.
Such a casual promise, Song Wen would not take seriously.
If Jing Kai really needed something from him later, they would discuss the price at that time.
Jing Kai's eyes flashed with delight. By getting closer to Song Wen, a third-tier alchemist, his goal was accomplished.
Jing Kai smiled and said, "Thank you, Senior Ji Yin. Please follow me, and I will take you to meet the Pavilion Lord."
"Young friend Jing, how are things in Sheep Island? What's the treatment like?"
"It's a decent job, I suppose. And there are many interesting matters on Sheep Island."
"Oh? Could you elaborate?"
"Under the shepherds, there are positions for sheep officials, mostly late-stage Qi cultivators. Each sheep official is in charge of overseeing a country. Most of the shepherds and sheep officials on Sheep Island are male cultivators. Do you know why, Senior?"
"I don't know."
"Hehe. In these two-legged sheep countries, the shepherds and sheep officials hold supreme power. They can call the wind and summon the rain, life and death are in their hands. Empresses, concubines, princesses, and beauties are but toys in our hands. If you're interested, Senior, I can take you to see it when you have time."
"That would be much trouble for you, Young friend Jing."
...
As they chatted, they soon arrived at the highest mountain of Sheep Island—Shepherd Mountain.
Sheep Island was traversed by a mountain range running east to west, and Shepherd Mountain was located at the center of this range, also the place with the densest spiritual energy on Sheep Island.
On Shepherd Mountain stood the Shepherd Hall, the governing body of Sheep Island, which managed the entire island.
The Shepherd Hall.
The ruler of the Shepherd Hall was known as the Pavilion Master. The current Pavilion Master was Zhu Yin, the personal disciple of Yin Shuo, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator and the only Golden Core cultivator on Sheep Island.
The Pavilion Master's primary duties involved managing and harvesting the two-legged sheep. However, "harvesting" did not mean slaughtering them. Instead, the sheep were sent alive to Wu Ji Island.
Song Wen and Jing Kai landed outside a majestic palace.
When the two stepped inside, they found six people in the hall—five men and one woman.
The female cultivator sat high on the throne, her exquisite face as if painted, yet exuding an unapproachable, icy elegance.
"A bunch of useless fools! The Bloodthirsty Bees have been rampaging in Cold Mountain Kingdom for decades, yet none of you reported it. Only when the situation became irreparable did you think to report it!"
This woman was none other than Zhu Yin, the Pavilion Master of the Shepherd Hall.
Her frosty gaze swept across the hall, carrying a chill as biting as frost.
The five male cultivators quivered under her glare, too frightened to even breathe audibly.
Though they dared not voice their feelings, a hint of grievance lingered in their hearts. The Cold Mountain Kingdom was not within their jurisdiction.
If Zhu Yin wanted to blame someone, she should have scolded Jing Kai.
Even so, the responsibility for the rampage of the Bloodthirsty Bees did not lie with Jing Kai either.
Jing Kai had only been on Sheep Island for three years, while the emergence of a third-tier bee queen required at least several decades. This disaster was the result of previous shepherds and sheep officials who had been derelict in their duties, allowing the situation to spiral out of control.
That said, while each shepherd had their own jurisdiction, they were also expected to cooperate in resolving significant issues. Thus, Zhu Yin's reprimand of the group was not entirely unwarranted.
Zhu Yin's fury was not primarily due to the loss of two-legged sheep caused by the bees' rampage.
The Bloodthirsty Bees consumed about ten million sheep annually, a negligible loss for the vast population of Sheep Island. Even if the entire population of tens of millions in the Cold Mountain Kingdom were devoured, it would not warrant her anger.
What truly infuriated Zhu Yin was the potential for the bees to spread to other kingdoms. As the ruler of Sheep Island, she found herself powerless to deal with the Bloodthirsty Bees.
She had made multiple attempts to locate and eliminate the queen bee, only to fail each time.
This left Zhu Yin with no choice but to seek assistance from Wu Ji Island, requesting a third-tier alchemist to help—a situation that wounded her pride.
When she saw Song Wen and Jing Kai enter the hall, her cold gaze immediately locked onto Song Wen.
"Are you the third-tier alchemist sent by the Mission Hall?"
"I am Ji Yin. Greetings to Pavilion Master Zhu Yin," Song Wen replied calmly.
"Ji Yin? Quite an imposing title. But what of your abilities?" Zhu Yin asked, her tone sharp. "Have you ever crafted Demon Attractant Incense before?"
Song Wen shook his head slightly. "I joined Ji Yin Island less than ten years ago. Before that, I cultivated alone and never had the opportunity to encounter the formula for Demon Attractant Incense."
Zhu Yin's already displeased expression turned even darker.
As if expecting this, she casually tossed out a storage pouch.
"Here is the formula for the third-tier Demon Attractant Incense, along with the necessary spiritual herbs for its crafting. Study it carefully. Do not delay the Pavilion Master's affairs."
With that, her figure vanished from the hall.
Song Wen caught the storage pouch and casually tucked it into the sash at his waist.
His expression remained unchanged, showing no displeasure at Zhu Yin's frosty attitude.
However, in his heart, he silently categorized her as a difficult person to approach.
(End of the Chapter)
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