The Disappointed Disciple and the Exorcism Agency

Jiuyou Continent was comprised of nine provinces. Huzhou, in particular, earned its name from the sheer abundance of lakes within its borders.

At this very moment, on a bustling street in a place called Pinghu Town, Tou crouched on the ground, picking at a bluestone brick.

‘This is entirely different from what was depicted in the books!’ he thought, utterly dismayed. ‘Where are the paved roads? The streetlights? The towering skyscrapers? And all those cars that transform into robots?’ he lamented inwardly. ‘All I want is a bubble tea, some grilled skewers, and to play video games!’

“Aww, I told you already,” Yue Ye Si yawned, stretching languidly, “those books describe purely fantastical worlds! Do you believe me now?”

“So, maids, beast-eared girls, JK uniforms, and Ultraman—are they all fake too?” Tou spread his hands wide, a look of utter disbelief etched across his face.

“I said they’re all fake! Little Tou, you really shouldn’t immerse yourself so deeply in the world of anime! Look, look over there! There’s a watermelon seller. I can’t believe they’re selling watermelons so early in spring. I’ll go ask if his melons are ripe. I know how much Little Tou loves watermelon!”

However, as she reached to touch the ring on her hand, she suddenly yelped!

“Oh no! I—I didn’t bring any spirit stones!”

Upon seeing the watermelons, Tou had momentarily forgotten his complaints about this world; sweet watermelons were, after all, his absolute favorite. Yet, the moment Yue Ye Si exclaimed that she had forgotten their spirit stones, his face instantly soured.

With an accusatory tone, he lashed out mercilessly:

“You useless dog! You good-for-nothing cur! What good is coming down the mountain if you don’t bring spirit stones?!”

“Well, you didn’t bring any either, did you?” Yue Ye Si retorted, her voice tinged with grievance.

“You—you scoundrel! Stop babbling and come up with a solution, or I’ll sell you to a dog meat vendor!”

Tou had never needed spirit stones before, having only ever seen them during currency lessons. How could he, who had always been doted upon by his masters, be expected to carry spirit stones on his person?

“Wuwu~ Oh! That’s right, we can complete a mission and earn a reward!” Clapping her hands together gleefully, Yue Ye Si had finally conceived a method to acquire spirit stones.

“Missions? Like, ‘conquer beautiful girls’ missions? Do those really exist here?” Tou tilted his head, his ponytail swaying gently in the breeze, a hint of hopeful anticipation gracing his adorable face.

“Oh, goodness me! You haven’t been reading too many of those yellow-covered books, have you?” Yue Ye Si exclaimed. “The missions I’m talking about are from the Exorcism Agency, established to motivate us martial artists to slay demons and banish evil! You’ll understand once we get there. I’ve been to the Exorcism Agency before, so let’s head over now! If we complete a mission before dark, we’ll have a place to stay and food to eat tonight!”

As she spoke, Yue Ye Si grabbed Tou’s arm, pulling him into a run.

Tou found being held this way incredibly uncomfortable, but just as he was about to erupt in anger, they rounded a corner and stopped.

“Ah, we’ve arrived at the Exorcism Agency!”

With its red bricks, green tiles, and immense dragon-emblazoned stone pillars, the building exuded an air of humble formality, much like a simple tiled house in a small village. Tou felt a pang of disappointment, though he noted the considerable number of people gathered there.

Nevertheless, driven by the need for spirit stones, Tou followed Yue Ye Si up the steps and into the building.

Inside, they were greeted by a colossal pillar, easily ten times thicker than the exterior gateposts, shimmering with a spiritual energy barrier. Adorning its surface were countless mission scrolls, each bearing illustrations, text, and bountiful rewards.

While the exterior appeared rather ordinary, the interior proved spacious and grand. Still, Tou felt this rustic backwater was hardly suitable for someone of his standing, accustomed as he was to living in castles.

Too indolent to bother with the mission scrolls, Tou instead scanned his surroundings for any cute girls. He realized his miscalculation almost immediately; how could such a backwater possibly harbor beauties as peerless as his seven masters?

While Tou aimlessly wandered, Yue Ye Si had already selected a mission and was now waving him over from the counter, where a young woman served as the signboard girl (TL Note: A charming term for a female shop assistant, often implying she is the face of the establishment).

The signboard girl was a young woman with green hair. On either side of her head, her hair was tied with red ribbons into two cat-ear-like buns, reminiscent of wrapped zongzi. Her face was round, her eyes sparkled brightly, and she possessed a certain cuteness, though Tou considered himself far more adorable.

A moment prior, a whole squad of martial artists had surrounded the signboard girl to collect their mission, which Tou hadn’t noticed. It was fortunate that his master had called him over, otherwise he would have felt as though he’d missed out on a fortune.

The young woman had been diligently organizing items with her head bowed. Sensing Tou’s arrival, she looked up, and the instant her gaze fell upon him, she was utterly captivated by his stunning appearance, freezing as if turned to stone. The registration form she had been about to hand Tou slipped from her grasp, fluttering to the floor.

“Why did you call me over? And you,” Tou snapped, glaring at the signboard girl, “stop staring at me and drooling; it’s disgusting!”

Seeing the cat-eared, green-haired girl’s dazed, drooling expression, Tou immediately cursed her out of sheer revulsion.

“Eh?! Oh, I’m so sorry! My apologies! I’ve never seen such an adorable boy before; I was completely lost in thought,” the signboard girl stammered. “This is your registration form… Eh?! Where’s the registration form?”

Having been scolded by Tou, the signboard girl quickly snapped back to reality, apologizing profusely. As she reached out to hand over the registration form, she discovered her hands were empty. Frantically, she searched around, then retrieved the registration form from the floor, where it now bore a footprint.

Brushing off the dust with her hand, she offered it to Tou, her face contorted with apologies.

“I—I’m so sorry. The registration form is all dirty! Esteemed martial artist, if you don’t mind…”

“Are you a pig?! Get me a new one!”

Even with much of the dust brushed off, the footprint remained clearly visible. How could Tou possibly not be disgusted at the thought of his adorable face being associated with that?

“I—I apologize, Sir Martial Artist! Once a name has been imprinted on this registration form, it cannot be changed.”

Yue Ye Si had already filled in Tou’s basic information before he arrived. All Tou needed to do was imprint his soul mark onto the magical array on the form to accept missions from the Exorcism Agency.

“You scoundrel! Are you trying to put my adorable face on your disgusting pig’s trotters?! Who gave you the audacity? Change it for me!”

‘Cannot be changed?’ Tou fumed, imagining how utterly ridiculed he would be if others saw his registration form bearing someone else’s footprint. His stomach churned with boiling rage!

“Oh, my, my! Little Tou, that’s enough! You’re going to make the poor girl cry!”

Yue Ye Si, standing nearby, was well aware of Tou’s pampered, irritable disposition and knew that if he remained, he would surely escalate the situation. She gently pushed Tou aside and addressed the signboard girl:

“Doesn’t this registration form automatically become void if the information isn’t confirmed within seven days? My Little Tou won’t register just yet; we’ll come back after seven days!”

“But if that’s the case, she won’t receive any compensation if she dies during a mission!”

Upon hearing this, Tou’s slender brows furrowed downwards.

‘This girl actually dares to curse me to death!’ he thought. How could he possibly tolerate such an affront, especially since he had never intended to rein in his fiery temper in the first place?

“You green-haired turtle (TL Note: A derogatory insult, here implying foolishness or incompetence)! You’re the one who’ll die! Can’t you speak properly?!”

“I’m so sorry! So, so sorry! Great master, please be magnanimous! As compensation, I—I’d be honored to treat you to a meal at the True Fragrance Pavilion!”

The signboard girl’s body trembled with fright as she carefully produced a green card from her chest and offered it to Tou.

At the mention of a free meal, Tou’s expression softened considerably. He took the card, which still carried the girl’s faint body warmth, and noticed not only her name, Su Miao’er, but also her detailed home address.

With a dismissive snort, he turned and walked out.

While Tou acted with aloof indifference, Yue Ye Si, being more mindful of social graces, offered a slightly embarrassed smile to Su Miao’er before following Tou out.

“Whew… these martial artists nowadays are truly difficult to please!”

Only when Tou’s figure had completely vanished from Su Miao’er’s sight did she finally let out a long sigh of relief, as if a great burden had been lifted.

‘But, hehehehehe! Such an adorable boy, and with just a little trap, I managed to ensnare him.’

She had noticed Tou the moment he entered. Observing him constantly glancing at other girls, she concluded he was clearly a seasoned flirt. By giving him a card with her home address, she was certain Tou would come looking for her that evening.

‘Such a cute boy, I absolutely must make him my husband. However, that Celestial Realm woman beside him is not to be trifled with!’

In this world, cultivation ranks progressed from lowest to highest: Qi Condensation, Spirit Meridian, Golden Body, Celestial Realm, and Emperor Venerate.

Rumor had it that even more formidable beings existed beyond the Emperor Venerate rank, but how could a humble person like her possibly know such things?

Moreover, after the only two Emperor Venerates in this world, the Human Emperor and the Demonic Venerate, had perished together a century ago, the rank of Emperor Venerate ceased to exist.

The Celestial Realm! That was the peak combat power in the world today. It was said that among their human race, which controlled four provinces of the Jiuyou Continent, there were fewer than twenty Celestial Realm experts.

‘To have a Celestial Realm expert as a bodyguard when going out—my future husband must be an exceptionally powerful individual! Marrying such a man would mean never having to worry about food or clothes again, and more importantly, he’s so adorable!’

‘I truly can’t wait for night to fall.’