Do You Eat Tables?

After Zhang Zhao arrived at East Sea Junior Soul Master Academy, his status as someone on the imperial payroll let him reach Vice Principal Bai Qingshan's office without any obstruction.

However, Bai Qingshan was not in the vice principal's office at the time. After asking around, Zhang Zhao headed toward the principal's office instead.

When he heard the name Xiao Qiang outside the door, he knew he had come to the right place this time.

"Who are you?"

Seeing Zhang Zhao suddenly push open the door and walk in, Principal Zhao Yuanbu frowned.

Zhang Zhao did not waste words. He directly released his spirit rings. Two yellow, two purple, and one black ring circled his body, proving his strength.

Upon seeing Zhang Zhao's five spirit rings—especially that black Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring—the principal, who had been sitting and drinking tea, immediately rose to his feet. The arrogance on his face vanished, replaced by a warm smile.

The moment Zhao Yuanbu saw Zhang Zhao's Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring, he confirmed that neither he nor his family could afford to offend this person, even though he still did not know his identity.

Though Zhang Zhao was merely a Five-ring Soul King, that black Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring had already proven his status to a certain extent.

Someone whose first spirit ring was a hundred-year ring came from a reasonably well-off family at the very least. Their family did not have to worry about food or clothing, and they were at minimum what commoners called rich second-generation kids.

Someone whose third spirit ring was a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, barring a very few special cases, could almost certainly be said to come from a minor noble family.

And someone whose fifth spirit ring had reached the ten-thousand-year level was at least the young master of a mid-sized noble house, or simply born into a great noble family.

One had to know that the so-called Four Great Families of Donghai City could not even scrape together a single Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring, even counting their Chieftains.

According to what Zhao Yuanbu knew, only the city lord, a Seven-Ring Soul Sage, seemed to possess a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring in all of Eastsea City. Yet even that Soul Sage city lord's fifth spirit ring was only a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring.

For someone's fifth spirit ring to be a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring was practically the same as having the words "born into a great noble family" carved across their face. Once Zhao Yuanbu understood the situation, he knew how he should speak.

"May I ask what brings you to East Sea Soul Master Academy, sir? I am the grandson of the Grand Elder of the Zhao Family, one of the Four Great Families of Donghai City. If you have need of it, I am willing to mobilize my entire clan to serve you." Zhao Yuanbu gave Zhang Zhao a slight bow. This was his first time seeing someone whose fifth spirit ring was ten thousand years old, so he could not help feeling somewhat intimidated.

"I came to find Bai Qingshan."

Bai Qingshan? Wait, had he mentioned Xiao Qiang earlier?

Had Xiao Qiang accidentally offended someone, or had he found himself a powerful backer?

"Sir, you are looking for Bai Qingshan?"

Zhao Yuanbu's mind raced. He then glanced at Bai Qingshan, his face seemingly full of confusion.

The reason he looked at Bai Qingshan like that was to tell Zhang Zhao that this man was the Bai Qingshan he sought. Yet he did not directly say that Bai Qingshan was Bai Qingshan because he was unsure what Zhang Zhao's attitude toward Bai Qingshan was.

If he made a careless guess and chose correctly, then all would be well. Even if he could not latch onto Zhang Zhao, at least it would not harm him. But if he accidentally said the wrong thing, someone whose fifth spirit ring was already a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring could kill him, and his family would not dare say or do anything about it.

Therefore, he chose to tell Zhang Zhao that the man before him was Bai Qingshan without taking a stance. He might gain no credit that way, but at least he would not make a mistake.

The message had been delivered. Whatever attitude Zhang Zhao showed toward Bai Qingshan, he would follow Zhang Zhao's lead. He sought no merit, only no fault.

Accurately reading the room and choosing the right side was something these small local families learned from childhood.

Zhang Zhao was not particularly clever. Otherwise, with his father holding such a high office, he would not have ended up with a position where he merely coasted through life. Fortunately, while his comprehension was poor, Zhao Yuanbu was good at expressing himself.

Combined with Bai Qingshan cupping his hands toward him, it was impossible for him not to know who Bai Qingshan was.

"Sir, this old man is Bai Qingshan. May I ask why you have come to find me?"

With someone beside him who knew him, Bai Qingshan had no choice but to face whatever came. He could not wait like Zhao Yuanbu to learn the situation before making a choice.

"Senior, this junior cannot accept such courtesy from you. My name is Zhang Zhao. My father is Imperial Censor and Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices Zhang Er... Ah, sorry, force of habit."

Hearing Zhang Zhao speak like that, Bai Qingshan already had a guess, but he still had to confirm it to be safe. "Young master, you came to find this old man because...?"

"Oh, it's like this. Lord Xiao Qiang asked me to deliver some things."

"Lord Xiao?" Bai Qingshan and Zhao Yuanbu spoke in unison. Neither could quite believe their ears.

"Little Friend Zhang, did you say Lord Xiao?" After confirming the situation, Bai Qingshan's tone even began to shift toward that of an elder.

"That's right, Lord Xiao. Not long ago, Lord Xiao entered under Hall Master Hongchen as his disciple. Such talent is truly a model for our generation. My admiration for Lord Xiao Qiang is like the surging river, endless and unceasing."

Bai Qingshan: "..."

Zhao Yuanbu: "..."

Seeing Zhang Zhao's somewhat exaggerated expression, both men raised their brows almost imperceptibly. But Zhang Zhao was clearly the strongest among the three, and neither of them was foolish enough to say his act was unconvincing at a time like this.

"Ahem. What did he ask you to come to this old man for?" After confirming the situation, Bai Qingshan, despite having the weakest Soul Power among the three, now carried himself like a senior.

Though his cultivation had not reached that level yet, it seemed his status nearly had.

"Lord Xiao asked me to deliver something to you. Also, this is a Long-Distance Soul Guide Communicator produced by Mingde Hall. Lord Xiao told me to have you confirm the items after they were delivered."

"A Storage Soul Tool? Inside this..." Bai Qingshan took the Soul Tool from Zhang Zhao. After injecting a thread of Soul Power into it, he took out eight bottles of pills and a Black Card.

Bai Qingshan could not yet determine the grade of the pills in those eight bottles, but he recognized that card.

Cards on Douluo Continent came in five grades: white, yellow, purple, black, and red. White was the lowest, while red was the highest.

A Black Card could not contain fewer than one million Gold Soul Coins. Anything below one million was a Purple Card.

In other words, the cash alone among the things Xiao Qiang had given him was already worth over a million.

Bai Qingshan looked at the things on the table, then at the table itself, before finally turning his gaze to Zhao Yuanbu.

The meaning was obvious. Do you eat tables?