Qian Xunji Was Impotent!

Inside Clear Heart Teahouse in Spirit City.

"Hey, did you hear?" a lanky man whispered.

"Heard what?" the round-faced man across from him asked absentmindedly.

The lanky man looked around, and only after confirming no one was paying attention did he lower his voice further. "His Holiness the Pope—Lord Qian Xunji—is sending people across the continent to scour for Whale Rubber! Every high-quality batch on the black market has been bought clean over the past half month!"

"Pfft—" The round-faced man sprayed out a mouthful of tea, his eyes widening. "What nonsense are you talking about? A man like His Holiness the Pope, what would he want that stuff for?"

"My own brother works in Spirit Hall's Internal Affairs Department!" The lanky man straightened his back, pride at knowing a secret evident in his voice.

"The purchase order clearly says, 'One hundred jin of top-grade Whale Rubber, urgently required by His Holiness the Pope'! How could it be fake?"

Several sharp-eared patrons at the neighboring table had already quietly moved their stools half a foot closer.

The round-faced man's expression changed several times. He leaned in and lowered his voice to a mosquito's buzz. "You mean... His Holiness the Pope... in that regard... can't manage?"

"Heh heh." The lanky man waggled his eyebrows, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"They all say the Angel Spirit is holy and majestic, untouched by mortal dust. Who would've thought? When he returns to his chambers at night, he still needs something from the sea to spice things up!"

The pockmarked patron beside them could not help but cut in. "I heard the Pope still hasn't taken a wife. It's probably because of this—"

"Shh! Shut up!" The lanky man's face changed dramatically as he made a throat-slitting gesture.

Bang—

The teahouse doors were violently shoved open, and six silver-armored guards filed inside. The Spirit Hall emblems on their chests glinted coldly beneath the sunlight.

The captain's face was dark as water, his blade-like gaze sweeping across the tables.

The entire hall fell silent!

"Who was discussing His Holiness the Pope just now?" the captain asked icily.

The lanky man went pale, while the melon seeds in the round-faced man's hand scattered all over the floor with a clatter.

"Take them!"

The guards pounced like wolves and tigers. The two cried out and tried to flee, but their arms were easily twisted behind their backs, their faces pressed against the cold tea table.

"Slandering the Pope and spreading rumors. By law, you are to be taken to the Adjudication Department to await trial!" the captain pronounced coldly, his gaze sweeping over the trembling patrons.

"Everyone present today will register their names and may not leave the city for three months!"

The teahouse instantly erupted into chaos. Patrons scattered in panic, tables and chairs overturned, and the sound of shattered teacups rang without end.

In only a moment, the once-lively teahouse was left with nothing but a mess across the floor and the owner's tearful, miserable face.

As the guards escorted the three men out of the teahouse, the lanky man suddenly screamed hoarsely, "My brother really is from the Internal Affairs Department! Everything I said is tru—"

A scabbard smashed heavily into the back of his neck, cutting him off abruptly.

The patrons huddled in the corners, watching the three men get dragged away with complicated expressions.

There was fear, relief, and an irrepressible, restless curiosity.

Did His Holiness the Pope... really need Whale Rubber?

The news was like a drop of water falling into a pan of hot oil, exploding into silent ripples amid the dead stillness.

Clear Sky Sect.

"HAHAHAHA—"

A hearty laugh echoed through the Clear Sky Sect's council hall, shaking dust from the beams overhead.

Tang Chen held a secret report in his hand, laughing so hard he nearly doubled over.

"Qian Daoliu, Qian Daoliu!" He wiped away tears of laughter and waved the report at the Great Elder Tang Zhen, who sat below him.

"You were a hero all your life, so how did you raise a son who was all show and no substance? So weak that he needs Whale Rubber to get by—your Qian Family's main line is about to die out!"

Tang Zhen took the report and scanned it a few times. His grizzled beard trembled as he, too, could not help stroking it with a smile. "Sect Master, is this information... reliable? Could it be smoke released by Spirit Hall?"

"Our man in the Procurement Department saw it with his own eyes!" Tang Chen slapped the armrest and broke into another fit of laughter.

"The accounts state it plainly: 'Whale Rubber purchase, specially approved by His Holiness the Pope.'"

"If it isn't that brat Qian Xunji who can't do it, could it be that old bastard Qian Daoliu getting restless in his old age?"

The elders seated below could not hold back their laughter, and the hall was filled with merriment.

The young sect master, Tang Li, rolled his eyes upon hearing this, and a scheme came to mind. "Father, Great Elder, doesn't our sect's treasury still have three pieces of Blood Jade Whale Glue? I heard they were treasures Great-Grandfather took from the body of a ten-thousand-year Blood Whale when he traveled the seas. The ultimate tonic!"

He rose and cupped his hands, a mischievous smile hanging on his lips. "Why don't we send them to Pope Qian in the name of the Clear Sky Sect, with drums and gongs?"

"On the gift list, we'll write—'Having heard that His Holiness the Pope is diligent in state affairs and toils day and night, the Clear Sky Sect is grateful for his hard work and specially presents three pieces of ancestral Blood Jade Whale Glue, to help His Holiness strengthen his foundation, nourish his vitality, and preserve his health!'"

The hall first fell quiet, then erupted with even louder laughter.

Tang Chen laughed so hard he slapped his thigh. "Good! Good boy! This idea is wicked, but brilliant!"

"That settles it! Tang Li, I'm leaving this matter to you. Make sure it is grand and dignified, so everyone in Spirit City can see just how 'concerned' our Clear Sky Sect is for His Holiness the Pope!"

"Your son accepts the order!" Tang Li bowed, his eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of a successful prank.

Tang Zhen stroked his beard and added, "Remember to send more people. Along the way, tell everyone you meet that this is the Clear Sky Sect's 'great gift to restore the Pope's health.'"

"Better yet, have the storytellers in teahouses and taverns make up a tale called... <The Clear Sky Sect Sends Timely Aid, Presenting Precious Glue to Restore the Pope's Virility>!"

"HAHAHA—"

"Great Elder, what insight!"

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Ning Tianguang's gaze rested on a document in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed.

The secret report delivered today read, "Spirit Hall is purchasing Whale Rubber in large quantities, and market prices have already risen by fifty percent."

"Too deliberate." He set down the report, his slender fingers lightly tapping the table.

The Li Family had already been in the Whale Rubber business. Now that brat Qian Xunji is doing this too?

As the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the shrewdest merchant under heaven, Ning Tianguang had seen far too many open schemes and hidden plots.

Yet this time, the air carried an unusual scent.

"The Li Family has operated the Whale Rubber business for several years." He picked up a vermilion brush and circled a spot in the accounts.

"Their annual sales have remained steady at around ten thousand jin. Their customers are all either wealthy or noble, and every one of them keeps their mouths shut. The profits are substantial, but Spirit Hall has no need to make such a huge move in secret."

"Over the past half month, they have acquired several thousand jin of Whale Rubber, both openly and covertly. No matter how absurd Qian Xunji is, he should not make such a public spectacle unless..."

Ning Tianguang turned around, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "He simply does not care how the world talks about him."

Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect.

Yu Jingtian looked at the intelligence in his hand and said nothing.

Dragons were naturally lustful, and those who possessed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit were longtime private customers of the Li Family's Whale Rubber business.

As the saying went, no one should criticize another; everyone was about the same.

The Heaven Dou Emperor and the Star Luo Emperor merely smiled at this and calmly stroked their beards.

Ah, youth really is wonderful—working so hard that he needs Whale Rubber!

Ah, his body is far inferior to my Dai Family's. The physique of our Evil Eye White Tiger is still stronger!