Fleecing the Wealthy

Qian Xunji's genderbending had already dealt him a tremendous shock.

Fortunately, though, there were no ugly Angel Martial Souls. After watching for a while, he got used to it, and it no longer bothered him much.

But if Yu Xiaogang turned into a woman too, he couldn't even begin to imagine what that would look like.

"Uncle Yue Guan, I'll be going out with my teacher for a few days. Sorry for the trouble, but could you look after those precious plants for me? Don't forget to water and fertilize them."

Before Bibi Dong left, he found Yue Guan and kept reminding him, chattering on and on.

The "precious plants" he spoke of were, naturally, the exotic flowers and herbs he had planted under Yue Guan's guidance.

Over the past year, whenever he had free time between his regular classes and cultivation, he had come to Yue Guan's place to carefully tend to various exotic flowers and herbs.

At first, he had done it with a clear purpose and a mercenary motive, hoping to casually get a catalogue of Immortal Herbs from Yue Guan. But as he studied them more deeply, he had gradually come to genuinely like flowers and plants.

Unlike Yue Guan, who simply appreciated and loved them, he cared most about their medicinal properties.

He was also planning to use that as a pretext after a while to bring up the effects of Whale Rubber.

For his Second Soul Ring, he wanted to take a risk and absorb a thousand-year one.

"Go on, go on. Have fun. If anyone bullies you, come back and tell your uncle. I'll help you get even."

Yue Guan looked at Bibi Dong with a bewitching smile.

He liked the little fellow more and more.

Whether they were spending time together or tending to the flowers and plants, it was always pleasant and soothing.

With his keen eye, he could naturally tell that when the little fellow had first come to see him, he hadn't truly liked flowers and plants. He had mostly been trying to get close to him. But now, he really had come to love them.

It couldn't have gone any better!

There was a sense of accomplishment in recommending something he loved to someone else and watching them go from knowing nothing about it to genuinely liking it. It was something Yue Guan had never experienced before.

After reminding him again and again, Bibi Dong finally said goodbye to Yue Guan and followed his teacher toward the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, under the protection of Qian Jun and Falling Devil Douluo.

Along the way, Qian Xunji asked Bibi Dong about his studies over the past year. Bibi Dong answered truthfully. When his teacher quizzed him, he also raised all sorts of questions about Martial Soul Theory that were beyond what someone his age and at his level should have asked. Some were so tricky that even Qian Xunji couldn't answer them, making Qian Jun and Falling Devil Douluo repeatedly turn around to look.

In this era, although Spirit Hall wasn't the only top power on the continent—after all, the rising Clear Sky Sect was also around—it still wasn't a force ordinary people could afford to provoke.

As a result, they traveled without hindrance and soon arrived at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

Yu Yuanzhen was now the clan leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the sect's only Title Douluo.

In the prime of his life, he had great confidence in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's future. And since the incident with Yu Xiaogang hadn't happened yet, relations between the clan and Spirit Hall were still fairly amicable.

Though Qian Xunji had only recently become Pope of Spirit Hall and was merely at the Soul Saint level, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan still didn't dare underestimate him. Yu Yuanzhen personally came out to greet them.

"Pope, your visit to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan truly fills our humble home with splendor!"

Yu Yuanzhen led the members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan out to welcome them.

Although Angel Douluo had stepped down as Pope, many of the older generation still remembered his reputation clearly. No matter how arrogant the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan might be, they still had to show Spirit Hall the respect it was due.

"Clan Leader Yu, I've heard much about you."

"I've taken the liberty of visiting. Please forgive any discourtesy."

Qian Xunji was quite at ease in a situation like this.

After exchanging pleasantries, he noticed Yu Yuanzhen's attention had turned to Bibi Dong. With a smile, Qian Xunji introduced him. "Clan Leader Yu, this is my disciple, Bibi Dong. He's young and doesn't know any better, so I've brought him here to broaden his horizons."

"This junior, Bibi Dong, pays his respects to Clan Leader Yu."

Bibi Dong stepped forward at just the right moment, bowed respectfully to Yu Yuanzhen, then fixed him with a pair of bright, blinking eyes.

He launched his combo skill: young and naive, doesn't know any better, adorable.

Target: a meeting gift.

He had already used this trick on Yue Guan and Gui Mei, and it had earned him quite a haul.

He still hadn't had a chance to visit the Worship Hall, so he planned to save this trick for then.

Now that he was out and about and had finally run into a sucker... a wealthy patron, how could he not fleece him a little?

As for whether it was embarrassing, he didn't care.

Making money wasn't shameful!

"Well..."

Yu Yuanzhen was momentarily stunned by Bibi Dong's expression.

But he quickly recovered.

It was only proper to prepare a gift when meeting the Pope's disciple for the first time.

The question was, what should he give?

He couldn't very well offer something too shabby. Anyone Qian Xunji had brought with him must be a key figure whom Spirit Hall was grooming.

In Yu Yuanzhen's eyes, there was a good chance this little boy would one day inherit the position of Pope.

If he gave him a paltry meeting gift today, then one day, when the boy had grown up and become Pope of Spirit Hall, he might harbor some resentment.

It wasn't as if he would turn against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan over such a small matter, but he might not be friendly toward them, either.

As the saying went, sugar wasn't necessarily sweet, but vinegar was always sour.

But if he gave a gift that was too valuable, he couldn't bring himself to part with it.

After all, not every sect was as wealthy as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"You should have told me sooner that you were bringing your disciple, Pope. We've had to rush around and haven't prepared anything suitable. Please don't turn up your nose at this thousand-year-old Diamond Fruit."

After a moment's hesitation, Yu Yuanzhen gritted his teeth and took a thousand-year-old Diamond Fruit from his Storage Soul Tool.

This Diamond Fruit could strengthen the body. Combined with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's medicinal baths, it could greatly improve a person's physical constitution.

It had taken him a great deal of effort to find it.

He had originally planned to give it to his son, who had just awakened his Martial Soul, to strengthen his foundation and help him gain the potential to absorb a Hundred-Year Soul Ring.

With no suitable gift on hand, he had no choice but to offer it now.

"I'll have to find another way to get one for Xiaogang later."

Thinking of his son, Yu Yuanzhen felt a headache coming on and his heart grew weary.

"Why aren't you thanking Clan Leader Yu?"

Seeing his disciple's behavior, Qian Xunji felt utterly embarrassed.

He didn't know if the little fellow had grown up poor or what, but whenever he ran into an elder with any status, he immediately started using that adorable act of his.

In less than a year, he had fleeced every Platinum Bishop and Cardinal in Spirit Hall.

That was also why she had kept putting off taking Bibi Dong to the Worship Hall.

"Thank you, Clan Leader Yu!"

Bibi Dong looked deeply excited and delighted, but inwardly he grumbled.

"The dignified leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan only gave me a thousand-year-old Diamond Fruit. How stingy."

He didn't yet know that with a single meeting, he had already intercepted a resource that belonged to Yu Xiaogang.