Chapter 966: Task

Previously, Lu Ye wasn't entirely sure what the Sect Master was like, but he could infer a lot just by looking at the dire situation of the Blood Sect. If the Sect Master had truly been strong-willed, the Blood Sect wouldn't have declined to such a state.

Before, the Sect Master would never have thought of killing Liu Yuemei, but this time, he acted decisively. If Liu Yuemei hadn't possessed the Thunder Spear of Annihilation, she would surely have died.

A strong leader benefits those under them.

While the Sect Master's actions might not completely deter malicious individuals from their ill intentions, they would certainly serve as a powerful deterrent.

In the future, probably no one would dare to act recklessly outside the established rules.

"The Sect Master... he has his own difficulties," Xiao Xinghe sighed.

"Oh, by the way, senior brother, I have something good for you," Lu Ye said suddenly. (He mused that such items held immense significance for even top minor sects; if they got their hands on them, they might be able to establish a lineage within their sect.) Xiao Xinghe didn't stand on ceremony. He carefully put it away and said, "Just tell me whenever you need to study it, junior brother. Consider this item borrowed from you."

Lu Ye suddenly tilted his head, and a snowball whizzed past his cheek, smashing against the wall ahead, sending snow dust flying.

He turned his head and saw Yi Yi rolling another small snowball, ready to throw it his way.

Lu Ye chuckled. Without moving his body, he tilted his head again. To his surprise, the snowball swerved just a foot away from him and hit him square in the face.

The snowball disintegrated, revealing Amber's figure hidden inside, its four paws firmly clamped onto his face.

Lu Ye lifted his hand, pulled Amber off his face, and stared at it, big eyes glaring at little eyes. Amber looked utterly innocent.

"Hahahaha!"

Yi Yi and Xiao Xinghe's boisterous laughter echoed through the courtyard. Lu Ye looked up, a fierce glint in his eyes. "Alright, you asked for this!"

Moments later, snowballs flew wildly in the small courtyard, accompanied by Yi Yi and Xiao Xinghe's continuous squeals. The scene was utterly chaotic and lively.

When Cheng Xiu flew in, he saw Lu Ye looking formidable, launching snowballs with both hands like arrows from a bow, their force astonishing. Although Yi Yi and Xiao Xinghe were two against one, they were still no match for him and were being thoroughly beaten.

"Brother Yiye certainly has a good disposition," Cheng Xiu said with a chuckle.

Lu Ye threw the last two snowballs in his hands, then took out a storage bag and tossed it to Cheng Xiu. Cheng Xiu checked it, confirmed everything was correct, and returned another storage bag to Lu Ye.

"Is the Division Head here?" Lu Ye asked.

Cheng Xiu replied, "He should be. I haven't seen any signs of the Division Head leaving recently."

Lu Ye nodded.

After handing over the explosive fire spirit stones, Cheng Xiu quickly departed. "You all keep playing," Lu Ye instructed. Spiritual energy surged around him, rapidly drying his slightly damp clothes, and he shot into the sky, flying towards the main hall of the Ministry of Justice.

Left behind, Yi Yi and Xiao Xinghe exchanged glances, both pouting. They had lost the snowball fight and were unhappy!

At the main hall of the Ministry of Justice, after receiving permission, Lu Ye entered with his blade strapped to his side.

Gan Youdang was seated behind a desk, looking busy. Every time Lu Ye saw him, he was like this; it was unclear what he was always busy with.

"Sir!"

"Hmm," Gan Youdang casually responded. "What is it?"

"May I ask, sir, why haven't any missions been assigned for such a long time?" Lu Ye stated his purpose.

Gan Youdang stared at him, speechless. "You came here to ask for missions?"

Lu Ye frowned and then asked, "Is there a problem?"

Gan Youdang replied, "Missions aren't issued from here!" Lu Ye was astonished. "You're the Division Head of the Ministry of Justice. If you don't issue them, who does?"

"Who said the Division Head of the Ministry of Justice is responsible for issuing missions? If I had to do all these minor tasks, what would be the point of the Ministry of Justice?" Gan Youdang put down what he was doing, leaned back, and revealed a knowing smile. "I was wondering why you've all been idle for so long. So, you didn't know."

*What should I know?* Lu Ye vaguely felt he had misunderstood something, so he remained silent, waiting for Gan Youdang to explain.

"The place in the Ministry of Justice that organizes and issues missions is called the Hunter's Pavilion. Just turn left outside this door and walk a hundred zhang; that's where you'll find it. You've been submitting missions there before, so there's no need to come to me. Of course, for some very special missions, I will issue them personally. What, didn't Yin Xiu tell you all this?"

Lu Ye remained silent.

Xiao Xinghe had been too busy building snowmen; how could she have told him all this?

However, on second thought, he couldn't blame her. This was common knowledge; anyone working in the Ministry of Justice for a while would naturally know it. Moreover, Lu Ye had been in seclusion recently, so Xiao Xinghe hadn't had a chance to tell him these things.

He had only just come out of seclusion today, and Lu Ye had immediately rushed here. If he had just asked Xiao Xinghe a bit more, he naturally wouldn't have made such a blunder.

"However, your team isn't complete. Shouldn't you recruit more members before taking on missions?" Gan Youdang asked.

"I'm waiting for someone," Lu Ye replied. "Can't a three-person team take missions?"

"It is possible." "Then I shall take my leave, sir."

Seeing Lu Ye withdraw, Gan Youdang quickly sent out a message.

Leaving the main hall of the Ministry of Justice, Lu Ye turned left and walked a hundred zhang. Sure enough, he saw a building with a "Hunter's Pavilion" plaque. A cultivator was just exiting it, likely from the Enforcement Hall, either having accepted a mission or come to settle one.

He stepped inside, his gaze sweeping around.

The interior of the Hunter's Pavilion was quite plain: just a desk, behind which sat a plump old man, busy at work.

Lu Ye stepped forward and lightly tapped on the desk. The plump old man looked up at Lu Ye, surprised. "I haven't seen you before. Are you new here?"

Lu Ye nodded. "Yes."

Although he had been with the Ministry of Justice for almost a month, he was still considered new.

"Taking a mission?" the plump old man asked. "Yes."

"Have a look yourself," the plump old man said, taking out a few slips and placing them in front of Lu Ye.

Lu Ye casually picked one up, immersed his consciousness in it to investigate, and quickly understood the content recorded within.

He then checked other slips, and gradually understood.

Each of these slips contained a mission, detailing the target, the laws violated, their current cultivation level and background, and some even recorded the target's last known location and time.

The mission information was quite detailed; it shouldn't be difficult to apprehend people by following it.

However, what puzzled Lu Ye slightly was that these missions seemed a bit too simple. The strongest targets recorded on these slips were only at the seventh layer of the True Lake Realm, with most being at the first or second layer.

"Are there no other missions?" Lu Ye asked. "No, there aren't," the plump old man shook his head.

Having missions was better than none. His third senior brother was greatly in need of war merits. The rewards for these missions might not be very substantial, but small gains add up. Though the income from these missions was low, they were easy to complete.

Just as he was about to accept the mission for the target with the last known location and time, another person stepped in. The newcomer exuded a fierce aura, and there were some dried bloodstains on his clothes, as if he had just been through a battle. He approached the desk and handed over a slip. "Mission completion."

The plump old man collected it and asked the newcomer with a smile, "Do you need to take another mission?"

"Of course!"

The plump old man nodded and, as if by magic, produced a large pile of slips, placing them before the man. The man didn't look closely; he casually grabbed one, checked it, and said, "This one will do."

He turned and walked out, acting with decisive efficiency.

The moment he left, Lu Ye reached out his hand towards the large pile of slips, but grasped at air. Without seeing any action from the plump old man, all the mission slips had been put away.

"Didn't you say there were no other missions?" Lu Ye asked, looking at the plump old man.

The plump old man smiled faintly. "What's suitable for others might not be suitable for you. For you, there are only these few missions."

Lu Ye narrowed his eyes slightly. "Did Gan Youdang speak to you?"

The plump old man smiled but remained silent.

Lu Ye immediately understood, his heart filled with disdain. It seemed Gan Youdang was very concerned about Xiao Xinghe's safety, which was why he had instructed them to only give him simple missions.

"There's no need for you to argue with the Division Head, either. Any new team needs some tempering, young man. You must remember, you can't get fat from one bite." The plump old man earnestly advised, "If you truly want to take on more difficult missions, just start with these ones. If you do them well, the Division Head will naturally know your capabilities."

Lu Ye pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Senior, you are right." As he spoke, he took the slip he had chosen. "I'll take this one."

The plump old man looked at Lu Ye with satisfaction. "These days, there aren't many young people who listen to elders. Go on, and by the way, don't forget to contact the local Nightingales."

"Nightingales?" Lu Ye asked, puzzled.

"They're an intelligence agency under the Ministry of Justice, a group of very shrewd and capable young people. They're responsible for collecting and organizing intelligence, and also for monitoring targets. With their help, missions will be simpler to complete."

Lu Ye understood. "Thank you for the guidance, senior."

He thought to himself: *Indeed, there's still a lot I need to learn. It seems I should consult Xiao Xinghe more often in the future whenever I encounter something. She often accompanies Gan Youdang and is more familiar with the Ministry of Justice's affairs than I am.*