Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 136 Goodbye Hunter's Guild

"Eh? Aren't you Fellow Daoist Lu from Mao'er Mountain? Mao'er Mountain is quite far from Xuan Shui City. Fellow Daoist, you've traveled a long way to come. Could it be that you're also attending the auction?"

A young man in a yellow shirt turned his head casually, and his expression changed. He spoke to a middle-aged man in a purple robe with surprise.

"So it's Brother Zheng. I felt you looked familiar, but I didn't recognize you at first. Please forgive me, Brother Zheng."

"That's right. The Seven Star Merchant Alliance's low-level auction is only held once every three years. Such a grand occasion naturally compels me to participate and try my luck. Could it be that Brother Zheng is also here to attend the auction?"

The middle-aged man in purple robes was slightly taken aback. After glancing around, he cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile.

"Hehe, which Qi Refining cultivator who appears in Xuan Shui City these days isn't here for this reason? Brother Lu is quite wealthy, he'll surely gain a lot on this trip," the young man in yellow chuckled, his eyes flashing.

"Brother Zheng, you flatter me. My meager wealth is hardly considerable," the middle-aged man in purple robes said with a wry smile, waving his hands repeatedly.

"A low-level auction organized by the Seven Star Merchant Alliance? I might as well check it out before leaving this place. Maybe I can find something that interests me." Du Fan's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he had already made up his mind.

……

An hour later, Du Fan and Chen Ru sat in a teahouse not far from the Xuan Shui City branch of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance. Although Du Fan was extremely poor from a mortal's perspective, he still had some spare silver, enough to afford a couple of cups of tea.

"So, the Seven Star Merchant Alliance's auction is being held tomorrow?" Chen Ru asked, taking a sip of steaming hot tea.

"Yes, that's what I heard from other cultivators. If that's the case, we're not in a hurry to leave in a day. We can wait until we finish the auction before we go." Du Fan finished his tea in one gulp and said calmly, while pouring himself another cup.

"Then why don't you go to the Seven Stars Merchant Alliance to let them know you're safe? Senior Xiao Yan is probably upset because of you right now." Chen Ru's beautiful eyes sparkled as she glanced at Du Fan and said with a smile.

"Report that we're safe? I think it's better to forget it. If she knew what was going on here, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have a chance to see tomorrow's auction." Upon hearing this, Du Fan shook his head repeatedly without hesitation.

"Hehe, I think Elder Du is afraid to see her and is planning to postpone it for as long as possible." Chen Ru finally couldn't help but chuckle and tease.

Upon hearing this, Du Fan's eyes widened, and he was about to deny it outright, but he opened his mouth and said nothing, his momentum instantly waning.

"Okay, you're right." Du Fan shrugged helplessly.

"Actually, Elder Du, there's no need for that. I heard my master mention Senior Xiao Yan, saying that she is a cold-faced but soft-hearted person who is extremely protective of her own."

Since she values ​​you so much, why would she make things difficult for you? She'll probably just give you a scolding. I suspect that even if the other vice-leaders or elders of the Seven Star Alliance were to glare at you or express dissatisfaction, she wouldn't allow it.”

Chen Ru smiled gently, gazed at Du Fan, and spoke softly, as if to comfort him.

To be honest, Chen Ru's words of comfort had some effect, and Du Fan's underlying tension gradually subsided.

"Anyway, we should go to the auction tomorrow. After the auction, we'll go back." After a long while, Du Fan let out a long sigh and said this.

After a short while, the two left the teahouse and walked down a wide and bustling street.

As dusk approached, Du Fan was looking for an inn to stay in when his gaze casually swept around. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, his expression changed, his pupils contracted, and he raised his arm, pointing to a spot. He exclaimed incredulously:

"Hunter's Guild!"

It was a rather luxurious and grand tall building. Above its gate hung an exceptionally magnificent plaque with four large characters engraved on it in a flamboyant style: "Hunter's Guild"!

"Huh? It's the Hunter's Guild. What's wrong with the Hunter's Guild?" Chen Ru was taken aback. She looked in the direction Du Fan was pointing and asked with a surprised expression.

"Miss Chen, how many hunter guilds are there in the Nine Provinces Continent? Are the hunter guilds very famous?" Du Fan asked, his breathing rapid and his expression excited. After a moment's thought, he stared at Chen Ru and asked.

"Elder Du, why would you ask that? Of course, there is only one Hunter's Guild. The headquarters is in Zhongzhou, and the branches are all over the entire continent of Kyushu."

Like the Seven Star Merchant Alliance, the Hunter Guild is a transcendent force that spans the entire continent, and there are only these two forces in the entire Nine Provinces Continent.

The difference is that the Seven Star Merchant Alliance exists for the cultivation world, while the Hunter's Guild's influence extends to the mortal world. There are even rumors that there are no cultivators in this guild.

However, the Hunter's Guild is ancient and mysterious, and has not been looked down upon or suppressed by other forces because of its appearance.

Legend has it that over nine hundred years ago, a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator, dissatisfied with the existence of the Hunter's Guild, stormed into its headquarters, intending to eliminate it. However, that cultivator never returned, and since then, no one has dared to provoke the Hunter's Guild.

Chen Ru was initially somewhat surprised, but after a quick glance in her beautiful eyes, she began to explain to Du Fan in detail.

"So that's how it is. That's really strange. I wonder where the Hunter's Guild's true strength lies." Du Fan murmured thoughtfully, a strange expression on his face after hearing this.

"Never mind, the stronger this guild is, the happier I am. I can deal with that matter here." He exhaled softly, his eyes suddenly brightening.

"Let's go, come inside with me to take care of some things." Du Fan smiled slightly at Chen Ru and suddenly spoke.

A moment later, the two entered the Hunter's Guild's main hall. His impression of the place was similar to the last time: luxurious, grand, crowded, and noisy…

Having prior experience, Du Fan immediately found a servant, gave him a low-grade spirit stone, and was led to a place resembling an office. Inside was an old man in black robes, thin and frail, sitting behind a wooden table.

"What brings you here, sir? Please speak frankly." The old man in black robes raised his eyelids, glanced at Du Fan, and spoke expressionlessly.

Du Fan scanned the other party with his divine sense and discovered that he was just a mortal. However, he dared not be negligent in the slightest and immediately cupped his hands in greeting, saying very politely:

"It's like this, I once posted a hunter bounty in Qingzhou, I wonder if I could check the result here?"

"Oh? Your situation is rather special. Show me that commission contract, and I'll take a look at it for you." The old man in black robes said calmly, showing only slight surprise.

"Oh, here it is. Thank you for your trouble." Upon hearing this, Du Fan immediately took out the gray cloth-like entrustment contract from his Qiankun Ring and handed it to the old man opposite him without making a sound.

The old man in black robes simply nodded, laid the gray cloth flat on the wooden table, and then took out something that looked like an oil lamp, waving it back and forth over the contract a few times.

After a long pause, the old man in black robes stopped what he was doing, glanced at Du Fan, and said calmly:

"There was once a mortal mercenary group that accepted the bounty mission you posted, but they failed to complete it after six months. After paying the penalty, they declared the mission a failure, and since then, no one has accepted any of the missing person missions you have posted."

"It failed? No one else is taking over?" Du Fan frowned upon hearing this.

"Excuse me, sir, may I post a bounty for Qingzhou here?" Du Fan asked after a moment's thought.

"I understand your meaning, but according to the guild's rules, this is not allowed. However, if you are willing to pay a higher price, there is another way," the black-robed elder said with a slight smile, stroking his beard.

"Oh? Please elaborate!" Du Fan's eyes lit up, and he spoke with excitement.

"I can tell that you are a cultivator. If you pay an additional 100 low-grade spirit stones as a handling fee in addition to the bounty fee, we can issue bounties for you in all the hunter guilds in the Nine Provinces at the same time."

"Wherever you accept or complete a task, we will send you a notification immediately. This should resolve all your issues."

The old man in black robes picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and said calmly.

"One hundred spirit stones? No problem!"

Du Fan was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately reissued the commission to the black-robed elder. After some negotiation, the difficulty level was set at B, and the reward was eighty low-grade spirit stones, plus a hundred spirit stones for inter-state handling fees, for a total of one hundred and eighty.

This number of spirit stones would be considerable for an ordinary Qi Refining stage cultivator, and might even lead to a fight, but for Du Fan at this moment, it was nothing.

For him, these spirit stones were practically dispensable. Not to mention the monthly tributes from two forces, each of the rare and extinct medicinal herbs he found in the Valley of a Hundred Flowers in his storage ring could fetch an astronomical price.

If the bounty he had placed in Qingzhou had been withdrawn, he could have gotten back some of the spirit stones, but Du Fan naturally wouldn't have bothered with that and left it hanging. He wouldn't be stingy with such things.

In less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Du Fan completed all the procedures with the old man in black robes, received a new commission contract, and left the Hunter's Guild.

That night, they found a relatively inexpensive inn to stay in, leaving Du Fan with nothing of his worldly possessions.

The next morning, Du Fan and his companion left the inn and headed to the location of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance branch.