Chapter 27: Hongluan Accepts a Mission

"Alright then."

Hong Luan nodded, her face flushed. She thought to herself that since she had already become Chen Xuan's disciple and he had treated her very well, there was nothing wrong with showing him some filial piety.

"Thank you, Hong Luan." Li Rou happily took hold of Hong Luan's delicate hand. "If I can take on tasks myself in the future, I will do it on my own."

"Mhm."

The two exited the Mission Hall, ready to set off and complete their tasks.

Shortly after, Chen Xuan arrived. He glanced at the mission board.

"Annihilate the three great sects?"

Chen Xuan mused that this must be a task related to the sect.

"Huh?"

Chen Xuan looked toward the golden board on the other side, only to find that it was completely blurred; he could not see the contents at all.

Puzzled, he asked, "System, why can't I see the tasks on that board?"

System: "This board only refreshes tasks related to the host. It can only be accessed by Children of Destiny with Orange-tier luck or higher. The host does not have the authority to view it."

"I can't even see the tasks about myself? What kind of logic is that?" Chen Xuan retorted. "If you won't let me look, can't I just ask?"

System: "If the host asks proactively, the mission on the board will disappear permanently."

"Damn it."

Chen Xuan’s mouth twitched. However, he didn't dwell too much on what the tasks might be and instead returned to the practice room to continue his cultivation.

[Ding! Chu Lingyun has helped you kill an enemy. Reward: 50 years of cultivation.]

"It seems Lingyun has finished her task."

Previously, Chen Xuan had sent Chu Lingyun to the Ye family to kill five of their members; it appeared she had successfully completed the mission.

After finishing her task, Chu Lingyun returned to the Xuan Dan Sect.

The sky had grown dim. As usual, she headed to Chen Xuan's room, intending to warm his bed for him. This had become one of her daily routines, and no one had ever competed with her for it.

But this time, when she arrived at Chen Xuan's room, she discovered someone else there.

"Senior Sister?"

Hong Luan was lying in the covers, her face blushing crimson.

Chu Lingyun’s expression shifted, but seeing that Chen Xuan was not there, she felt a sense of relief. However, she immediately frowned and asked, "Junior Sister, why are you here? This is Master's room."

"I am completing a task," Hong Luan said shyly.

"A task? What task?" Chu Lingyun asked, confused.

"Does Senior Sister not know?"

Hong Luan found this very strange. Chu Lingyun had joined the sect before her and should have known about the tasks in the Mission Hall. Could it be that she couldn't see the tasks on the board either? Could it be that the mission board was set up specifically for her?

"You'll know if you go look at the Mission Hall yourself, Senior Sister," Hong Luan replied, though she didn't explain in much detail.

"The Mission Hall?"

Chu Lingyun had never been to the Mission Hall. She assumed that since the Xuan Dan Sect had stabilized, the Mission Hall must have reopened. She immediately headed there.

Upon arriving, she saw the task on the golden board.

Task: Warm the Sect Master's bed.
Reward: 500 Contribution Points.
Status: (Claimed)

Seeing this, Chu Lingyun finally understood that Hong Luan had gone to the Master's room to complete this task.

"Damn it."

Chu Lingyun didn't know why, but she felt incredibly angry, as if Hong Luan had snatched away something that belonged to her.

"I wonder when the task will refresh," Chu Lingyun thought to herself. She resolved that the next task must never be snatched away by Hong Luan again. She would stay right here in the Mission Hall tonight!

After finishing his practice, Chen Xuan returned to his room to rest. Seeing the lump under the covers, he assumed it was Chu Lingyun again, as he had grown accustomed to it. He was surprised, however, when he pulled back the covers to find Hong Luan.

"Why are you here?" Chen Xuan asked, quite taken aback at the sight of her bright, beautiful eyes.

Both Chu Lingyun and Hong Luan were peerless beauties, but they possessed entirely different styles. Chu Lingyun appeared gentle and approachable, like a girl next door, while Hong Luan was radiant and stunning, her features so exquisite that they instantly captured one's gaze.

"To warm the bed for Master," Hong Luan said shyly.

"Where is your Senior Sister?" Chen Xuan asked, surprised.

"Senior Sister has left," Hong Luan replied.

"Left?"

Chen Xuan shook his head, not overthinking the mystery behind it. It didn't matter who came to warm the bed, as long as it increased his cultivation.

Chen Xuan went to sleep.

Hong Luan remained tense throughout the night. She had expected Chen Xuan to do something to her, but he didn't. He rested peacefully all night, his movements subtle and restrained. He showed absolutely no interest in her.

This made Hong Luan breathe a sigh of relief. While she wanted to show filial piety to Chen Xuan, she wasn't ready to offer herself up entirely. But after tonight, she could feel more at ease taking on the bed-warming task again, without worrying about anything happening.

Leaving Chen Xuan's residence, she found Li Rou waiting not far away. Li Rou immediately hurried over and asked, "How did it go? Did you complete the task?"

"Mhm." Hong Luan nodded, her face blushing.

"As long as it's done, that's good. That's good." Li Rou was overjoyed, then asked, "Did you and he...?"

"No," Hong Luan shook her head quickly. "Master was just resting."

Li Rou was somewhat surprised. Hong Luan had already warmed the bed for Chen Xuan, yet he hadn't reacted at all. She knew that Hong Luan's beauty was one in a million, radiant and moving, not to mention her status as the Empress of the Great Xia. Countless people wanted to conquer her. If it weren't for her own protection, Hong Luan would have been torn apart by those men long ago.

Thinking about it now, Chen Xuan’s rejection of her own advances didn't seem so surprising, which helped balance Li Rou's inner feelings. However, it only made her want to possess Chen Xuan even more.

"That's fine," Li Rou nodded. "Let's go back to the Mission Hall and pick up another task."

At Chen Xuan's residence, a system notification refreshed before him.

[Ding! Hong Luan has warmed your bed. Reward: 50 years of cultivation.]
[Ding! Disciple has completed a task. Reward: 500 Filial Points.]

"A disciple completed a task?"

Chen Xuan’s expression turned strange. The fact that these two entries refreshed simultaneously was truly thought-provoking. However, surely the system wasn't that bored.

"Forget it." Chen Xuan shook his head. "I have already made up my mind. In this life, aside from focusing on cultivation, I will not get involved in any emotional matters."

"He had only one goal in this life."

"Immortality."

"Continue cultivation!"

Chen Xuan headed to the practice room and sat cross-legged to meditate. The *Dragon Origin Universal Art* had unlocked its eighth page, but he had only just finished practicing the first. The contents of the second page were even more obscure. He had to stay focused.

At the Mission Hall, Chu Lingyun stayed the entire night, waiting for the next [Bed Warming] task to refresh.

Just then, Hong Luan and Li Rou walked in.

"Senior Sister, why are you here?" Hong Luan asked, puzzled.

Chu Lingyun glanced at Hong Luan but ignored her, focusing all her attention on the golden mission board.

On the golden board, the cooldown time for the task was slowly ticking down.

Hong Luan felt it was very strange. For some reason, she felt a sense of hostility in Chu Lingyun's gaze. How had she offended her Senior Sister?

However, she was an Empress of a nation; even if Chu Lingyun was her Senior Sister, she would not intentionally lower her status to curry favor. Thus, she also stood silently, watching the board.