A Lion's Mouth

Upon hearing Chen Xin's words, Ning Fengzhi nearly stumbled and fell; the two of them were truly "standing up" for him.

If they kept it up, he wouldn't have a head left.

He stepped forward to block Chen Xin and Gu Rong, then turned to Qian Renxue with a beaming, cheerful smile.

"Haha, Miss Qian, please forgive them. The two of them were only joking. How about this? Name whatever compensation you desire, and our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will never renege on our word."

Hearing this, Chen Qi felt a genuine sense of admiration for Ning Fengzhi; he truly dared to say anything.

Since he was offering to pay whatever was asked, Chen Qi wouldn't be blamed for opening his mouth like a lion.

"Young Mistress, how about you let me handle the compensation?"

Qian Renxue had been pondering what to ask for, and seeing Chen Qi step forward to take the task upon himself, she felt he had truly grown up and become sensible.

"Then I shall leave it to you."

Having received Qian Renxue's consent, Chen Qi chuckled inwardly, looking at Ning Fengzhi as if he were a walking ATM.

Under Chen Qi's gaze, a sense of foreboding welled up in Ning Fengzhi's heart; he was certain that the man before him would strip him down to his very underwear.

"Since Sect Master Ning has said as much, we shall not stand on ceremony. You surely know that we are from Spirit Hall. We won't ask for too much: we only require 20% of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's annual income to be handed over to Spirit Hall as compensation. In addition, we want 30% of your warehouse stocks, including rare medicinal herbs, ores, and other materials. Oh, and you must also help our Young Mistress hunt for her remaining spirit rings."

Chen Qi rattled off a long list in one breath. As Ning Fengzhi listened, his face grew darker; this wasn't a negotiation for compensation, it was a robbery.

20% of their annual income was manageable, but taking 30% of the materials stored in their warehouse was simply too excessive.

That was the accumulation of their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect over hundreds of years; if they really gave away 30%, the foundation of their sect would truly be ruined.

"Money and spirit rings are fine, but aren't those materials a bit too much?"

Ning Fengzhi's expression dimmed. He forced himself to maintain his composure and not lose his temper; if not for his fear of the powerful experts who might appear at any moment, he would have long since captured Qian Renxue and subjected her to torture.

Chen Qi waved his hand dismissively upon hearing this.

"If you aren't even willing to pay this small amount of compensation, where will our Young Mistress's face be left? Do you think the people of Spirit Hall will just sit by? Take a guess at what will happen to your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect then?"

What would happen?

If that were truly the case, they would be doomed to eternal destruction, rivers of blood would flow, and in a single night, the number one support spirit would vanish from the continent.

Ning Fengzhi would become a sinner for all eternity, unable to hold his head high even if he went to hell to meet his ancestors.

On one side was the reproach of his ancestors, and on the other was an immeasurable loss; Ning Fengzhi was caught in a dilemma.

"Sigh, I agree. I agree, is that enough?"

Seeing Ning Fengzhi relent, Chen Qi nodded; it seemed his threats were quite effective.

To think he could force such an old fox to bow his head.

This feeling was fucking amazing!

Qian Renxue stood to the side, listening to their exchange, feeling somewhat confused. What did Chen Qi's demands have to do with her?

Shouldn't the compensation be something like an apology?

"Chen Qi, why are you asking them for these things? Since I lost face, shouldn't I be demanding an apology?"

Facing Qian Renxue's naive question, Chen Qi shook his head helplessly and said.

"Master, you are still too young. If it weren't for my resourcefulness today, it would be Spirit Hall paying the compensation right now. Besides, we've actually profited from this. Just wait for the Grand Elder to praise you when we return."

Chen Qi had said so much, but Qian Renxue only heard one thing: waiting for the Grand Elder's praise.

Money or whatever else didn't matter; her grandfather's praise was hard to come by. If she could be praised because of this, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect should have offered even more.

"Hehe, I understand now, Chen Qi. By the way, Sword Douluo hurt my people. He must give me an explanation for this, otherwise..."

"Otherwise, what do you want?"

Chen Xin stepped forward, his eyes fixed coldly on Qian Renxue, scaring her so much that her hair stood on end, and she retreated a few steps to hide behind Chen Qi.

"Sect Master Ning, what is the meaning of this? You agree to pay up with your words, but behind the scenes, you order your subordinate to intimidate the Young Mistress?"

Chen Qi was not afraid of Chen Xin; his pressure had absolutely no effect on Chen Qi, who was a spirit himself.

Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi hurriedly pushed Chen Xin back, acting as the peacemaker.

"No, no, that's not it. My Sect Protecting Douluo has a hot temper; please forgive his offense. The items you requested will be delivered to Spirit Hall shortly. When that time comes, please, I beg you, stop targeting our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Ning Fengzhi had lowered his status to the absolute minimum; he was one step away from kneeling on the ground and calling Qian Renxue his grandfather.

Seeing Ning Fengzhi's sincerity, Chen Qi decided not to pursue the matter further, grabbed Qian Renxue, and prepared to leave.

"By the way, our Young Mistress expects Sword Douluo to come and offer a formal apology in person. And let this be the last time such a thing happens."

With that, he swaggered away, heading toward Heaven Dou City.

Hearing the words "let this be the last time," Ning Fengzhi let out a long sigh of relief; it meant that Spirit Hall was willing to give them another chance.

The crisis of the sect's destruction had been cleverly averted.

"Fengzhi, why did you agree to their terms? This is too great a loss for our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"That's right, that's right. Since they are on our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's territory, we should be the ones calling the shots."

Hearing the words of Chen Xin and Gu Rong, Ning Fengzhi sighed helplessly and explained.

"Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, things are far from as simple as you imagine. As the young mistress of Spirit Hall, how could she possibly be without powerful protectors? They might be watching from some dark corner right now. If we dared to make a move, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would be finished."

"Uncle Sword, I'm afraid I must trouble you to go and offer an apology. The waters of Spirit Hall run too deep. Who could have imagined that a mere child would possess such strategy? The future of the Douluo Continent is truly about to change."

Chen Qi and Qian Renxue walked back toward their hotel. Only after confirming that no one was following them did Chen Qi finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He had been terrified that Ning Fengzhi would sense something amiss and dispatch both Sword and Bone Douluo to capture Qian Renxue; if that had happened, they would have been doomed.

After all, judging by Ning Fengzhi's performance just moments ago, he had been completely at ease. Had it not been for the mishap with Qian Renxue, they would have been the ones to suffer.

"Chen Qi, do you think this trial of mine is a total failure? I haven't even had the chance to use the alias Qian Xue, and yet so many people have already guessed my identity. It's truly boring."

Qian Renxue felt a bit weary. From Flender all the way to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, people were guessing who she was before she even opened her mouth.

She wondered if Spirit Hall had even bothered to hide her identity at all, given that everyone seemed to know it.

"Master, there is no need to dwell on it. Simply being able to move about given your status is a trial in itself. After all, everyone from eighty-year-old grandmothers to seven or eight-year-old children is well aware of Spirit Hall's power. Your identity was never going to stay hidden."

After hearing Chen Qi's words, Qian Renxue nodded. Her background was simply too formidable to conceal; it was the classic beginning of a power fantasy.

"Chen Qi, why don't we go to the Soul Fighting Arena?"