Beauty is a curse indeed, Ni Qianjun was still shaking his head and sighing on his way back, wondering what had possessed him to follow Yue Jinghua's path.
A high-level Dark Pill, dozens of spiritual-grade medicine herbs. Looking at the long list of herbs in his hand, it even included twenty Nine Flames Peonies. Nine Flames Peony is not easy to collect.
Moreover, he had overlooked a very important condition; the other party was actually an unlicensed alchemist who had never been certified by Danlu.
Being unlicensed also meant that Yue Jinghua's qualifications were doubtful, and she had never participated in any mercenary missions.
"Dead for sure, if my older brother finds out that I've chosen a newbie who has never been on a mission nor has alchemist qualifications, he'd kill me," the Reversed Fire Mercenary Group was founded by Ni Qianjun and his elder brother, Ni Huo. Ni Huo, twelve years Ni Qianjun's senior, lost both their parents in a Dark Beast hunting tide during his teenage years; their father, an old mercenary, died in the mission, followed by their mother's death.
At only nineteen years old, Ni Huo took on the responsibility of raising his younger brother Ni Qianjun and followed in their parents' footsteps to become a mercenary. He is also one of the five Mercenary Kings at the Mercenary Guild, a master at the Dark Heavenly Peak level.
"Vice-captain, should we cancel the contract and find another alchemist?" A mercenary accompanying Ni Qianjun to Shang Kingdom for procurement suggested.
"Get lost, how could I, the vice-captain, break my word to a woman? Besides, there isn't another alchemist who can create Miss Yue's unique elixir. So what if she hasn't been on any missions? I'll take her on a few mercenary missions first, raise her mercenary level, and then have her join this secret mission." This mission is critically important for both the Reversed Fire Mercenary Group and Ni Qianjun personally.
The old mercenary muttered, "What unique elixir? I haven't seen it. Maybe no one else can have such beautiful legs like Miss Yue?"
"What? Daring to question the vice-captain's decision behind his back? During the annual Mercenary Assessment, add another task to his evaluation," Ni Qianjun was immensely troubled. The pressing matter was that he must find a way to familiarize Yue Jinghua with what being a mercenary involved.
Hongling and Hong Yao had completely different attitudes toward Yue Jinghua's participation in this mercenary mission.
"Miss, your status is revered, how can you mingle with those uncouth mercenaries," Hongling felt uneasy thinking about having to hide the young lady's whereabouts from the Lady.
"The missions for Reversed Fire Mercenary Group are definitely high-level tasks. This time it's led by Vice-captain Ni Qianjun, so your safety is certainly not a problem. Miss, this is a rare opportunity, you might possibly obtain high-level medicine materials and some other rare materials that aren't common in the market," Hong Yao understood the mercenary group better; though the life of a mercenary is dangerous, they always come across the most precious spiritual materials.
Earlier on, Shalman requested a high-level Dark Pill, and with Hong Yao's current sources, she couldn't gather the appropriate ones.
Moreover, the estate managed by Young Master Yue Chen also needed some higher-level Spirit Grass for replenishment.
"I've made my decision, Hongling, you manage the matters of the Courtyard, and the pharmacy will be under Hong Yao. Whatever new herbs Yue Chen needs will be supplied by the store. As for the Outer Court, I will find a way to handle it," The life of a mercenary? Dealing with Dark Beasts? Adventures, how could any of these compare to her previous life as a spy?
Yue Jinghua felt a surge of eagerness to act.
Having lived through perilous days as a female spy, she really wasn't used to such idle days at Jingxin Courtyard, it was time for her to show her capabilities.
Arranging leave from the Outer Court went much smoother than Yue Jinghua had anticipated.
In exchange for a hundred Third-level Dark Pills, Yue Jinghua easily "purchased" a leave approval from the Dean for two months.
As for Lie Rou, just in case, Yue Jinghua made an excuse of participating in a field practice organized by the Royal Xuanji's Outer Court. Lie Rou did not overthink it; having experienced the previous lone journey to Hundred Beast Mountain, she developed an inexplicable trust in her daughter.
Just that, prior to leaving, they prepared a load of practically useless baggage, much to Yue Jinghua's dismay. On the day before departure, Yue Jinghua, with a heavy heart, strapped the baggage, higher than a person, onto the horse. After a heartfelt farewell with the beautiful mother and little boy Yue Chen, she led the horse to the campsite outside the city gates to meet Ni Qianjun at the Reversed Fire Mercenary Group's station.