Assigned by Lu Ping with the task to go to Little Stone Town to clear out the Tree Cave Foxes, upon hearing this, Lu Zhiwei hesitated, not immediately agreeing.
These years she had become accustomed to staying within the sect, rarely venturing out, with a tendency towards social anxiety, and was not keen on going out to exterminate demons.
The following words of Lu Ping left her unable to refuse.
"This expedition task is especially important for the development of the sect. If you handle this matter well, it will not only benefit you in unexpected ways but also give back to the sect."
"Prepare well, the departure time is up to you, try to eliminate that group of demonic foxes by the end of the month."
"It's a task your father entrusted you with, so don't decline it."
It's the beginning of the month now, with more than ten days left until the end, plenty of time for Lu Zhiwei to prepare without affecting sect affairs.
Actually, Lu Ping was also worried that as time passes, another cultivator might discover that group of Tree Cave Foxes and eliminate them before Lu Zhiwei has a chance.
So, he wished to shorten the time as much as possible.
With the conversation at this point, what else could Lu Zhiwei say? She dismissed her hesitation and no longer refused.
"Alright, regarding the demonic foxes, I will take care of it."
Lu Yuanshan listened quietly beside her and had no objection to Lu Ping's arrangement.
With Lu Zhiwei's Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation strength, even if she had become somewhat rusty in combat over the years, unable to perform at her peak, clearing out this group of Tree Cave Foxes would still be a piece of cake, without much effort.
The father specially sending her might be a plan to let her go out and relax, a well-intended effort indeed.
The father wouldn't harm Zhiwei.
Arranging Lu Zhiwei to exterminate demons, seeing she agreed, Lu Ping recalled the matter of the Zhaoyun Sword and immediately asked Lu Yuanshan, "Yuanshan, does Zhiwei's Zhaoyun Sword remain in your hands?"
"It does."
Lu Yuanshan took out the Zhaoyun Sword. Although he didn't know how Lu Ping learned of this, as he hadn't mentioned it, he also didn't ask.
Since the father had awakened, being a Golden Core Ancestor, he must have ways to know this, maybe even witnessed the gathering, which wasn't surprising.
"Return it to her, since she's going outside to exterminate demons, she ought to have a handy weapon."
"Father, it would be better to sell the Zhaoyun Sword to support the sect financially, it's not crucial for this demonic extermination."
Upon mentioning the Zhaoyun Sword, Lu Zhiwei immediately declined.
"If I say it's for you, then it's for you."
Lu Ping's tone sank, "The first-year gift from your father, as long as I want you to keep it, you must keep it well, what's the meaning in selling it?"
Sensing the seriousness in Lu Ping's tone, Lu Zhiwei dared not go against it, finally complying with Lu Ping's order, taking back the Zhaoyun Sword.
After advising Lu Zhiwei to be cautious on her journey, Lu Ping said no more, letting the two siblings withdraw.
The brother and sister left, shoulder to shoulder.
On the way out of the forbidden area, Lu Zhiwei remained silent, while Lu Yuanshan, in a good mood, voluntarily sought manpower for Lu Zhiwei's expedition.
"Little sister, even though the sect's strength is far from what it was, and there are fewer disciples, more than half of them are above Third-Layer Qi Cultivation and can help you complete father's task."
"I see that Ming Hui, Zhang Nianchuan, and other disciples have decent cultivation, and need to go out and gain experience, why not have them accompany you?"
"You haven't gone far for a while; taking some people can provide assistance."
Ming Hui referred to Senior Sister Song Minghui, who had a Fifth-Layer Qi Cultivation, was very easygoing and knew how to take care of fellow sect members.
Zhang Nianchuan was Lu Zhiwei's disciple, loyal to the sect and obedient.
However, because Lu Zhiwei had been missing her Dao Heart over these years, often staying behind closed doors, she cared little for cultivation affairs and rarely stepped out to guide Zhang Nianchuan's practice.
Yet, Zhang Nianchuan still respected Lu Zhiwei greatly, always seeing her as a mentor and understanding why she was like this, never harboring any complaints.
Besides these two, Lu Yuanshan also recommended a few other people, for their experience and to expose them to the world.
"Alright, I'm fine with it."
Lu Zhiwei nodded gently, agreeing with Lu Yuanshan's suggestion.
In fact, regarding whom to bring, she didn't really care. If possible, she would prefer to go alone.
But thinking of how long she'd been away, she worried about getting lost along the route, delaying the demon extermination, so she would heed her brother's advice.
"Then we'll finalize the personnel selection, I'll sort it out for you."
"Thank you, brother."
"We're family, no need to talk about being bothered."
"Moreover, you're aware of the sect's current financial difficulties, the few existing flying ships have long been sold as a set, so about the mounts…"
Lu Yuanshan smiled awkwardly, "The sect can't provide mounts for the time being, you'll have to make do."
"It's alright."
Lu Zhiwei shook her head.
She wasn't that fussy, insisting on taking a flying ship to Little Stone Town.
She understood the sect's impoverished state.
With both going about their separate ways, Lu Yuanshan quickly set up the arrangements for Lu Zhiwei's demon extermination, instructing Song Minghui, Zhang Nianchuan to accompany, and added four more disciples.
As the Sect Leader, Lu Yuanshan had much to handle, and the Cyan Mountain Sect was currently quite chaotic.
Fortunately, the disciples were obedient, which gave him peace of mind.
Time flew by, and it was the end of the month in no time.
According to Lu Yuanshan's arrangements, Lu Zhiwei gathered with six other disciples outside the sect hall, heading straight to Little Stone Town.
The group set off today to clear the Tree Cave Foxes.
With Zhang Nianchuan, Song Minghui, and other disciples present, Lu Zhiwei had no need to worry about the route.
The map route was already explained by Lu Yuanshan to Song Minghui.
Cyan Mountain Sect was over two hundred miles from Little Stone Town. Since the Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators had limited skills and couldn't perform sword flight, and the sect lacked flying ships, Lu Zhiwei's group had to rely on the Light Body Technique to travel.
Even so, it would take about two days to reach Little Stone Town. With occasional rest to recuperate and restore spiritual power, the time might extend by another day.
Just as Lu Zhiwei's team set off, having left Cyan Mountain Sect, Lu Ping within the sect, witnessed a new map of the Doorway Affairs before him.
The map was the same size as when designating the exploration area earlier. The only new addition was a slowly moving set of icons.
The thumbnail-sized icon showed Lu Zhiwei and others moving eastward from Cyan Mountain Sect towards Little Stone Town.
Lu Ping clicked the icon, which expanded to reveal details.
It recorded the names of Lu Zhiwei, Song Minghui, Zhang Nianchuan, and others participating in the expedition.
This was quite user-friendly, allowing real-time monitoring of their status and location, just waiting for their triumphant return.
The group of Tier One Tree Cave Foxes had a fixed nest and wouldn't migrate in the short term.
This little group of monsters stood no chance against Lu Zhiwei's party, so Lu Ping had no worries.
East of Cyan Lotus Mountain.
Lu Zhiwei's party, using the Light Body Technique, had traveled over a dozen miles, soon spotting a wide, rushing river.
This great river was a tributary of 'Lingxi', the top-ranking long river in Lingxi State, meandering down along the southwest from the main stream of Lingxi, merging into the Qingli Sea.