Longface looked at Bai Yujun, then at the distant golden speck of light.
"No more talking? Finished talking? Nothing left to discuss?"
He had come all this way to talk business, only for them to exchange a few words—fewer than he would say when buying salt from an illicit salt peddler. They had not even made the most basic introductions. Perhaps that was simply the style of quasi-Sage great powers: simple and swift.
Mu Duo recalled what had just happened, searching for anything unusual.
Bai Yujun sat down and crossed her legs.
"What was there to discuss? He has never even been a small vendor, nor has he ever dug soil in a vegetable garden or carried water. He sits too high up."
Old Hui Xian, weaving straw sandals, smiled. Growing vegetables was also a field of knowledge; one had to bend down and learn it.
Bamboo Spring Temple returned to its tranquility.
The giant spider scurried about behind Little Stone. The Snake Demon Boy wandered around the courtyard with his head lowered, searching for slightly raised floor tiles. Whenever he found one, he pried it up and dug into the earth, cutting off bamboo shoots about to emerge. If they were not dealt with, the place would become unlivable in just a few years.
Mu Duo always felt that something was amiss. No one would willingly surrender power and resources, and the tribulation was both an obstacle and their only opportunity. The great powers of every side wanted to defeat her friend while she was still rising. If they missed the tribulation, they would never have another chance.
"What might they do? You need to be careful."
Bai Yujun nodded.
"It isn't a matter of might—it's certain. It would be good if they made trouble. The crazier, the better.