Exchanging Benefits

On the way back, Lin Ze'an turned to Yue Guan and said, "Master, once we return to Spirit City, you and Uncle Ghost should go into seclusion and consume the immortal herbs first."

"I am going to see Her Holiness the Pope; I will handle the subsequent matters myself."

Such rare and precious treasures were only truly secure once they were safely in one's stomach.

Hu Liena was one thing, but if Bibi Dong found out about the immortal herbs in his master's and Uncle Ghost's possession, she might just swindle them away again.

Hearing this, Yue Guan looked at him in confusion. "What is the matter?"

Lin Ze'an shook his head. "It is nothing, Master. I simply have something I wish to discuss with Her Holiness the Pope."

Inside the Pope Palace, Bibi Dong sat upright on her throne, looking at Lin Ze'an with curiosity. "It seems you have grown quite a bit during this trial. What is it that you must see me about alone?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "Sit and speak."

Lin Ze'an bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Your Holiness."

He sat on the chair below, his small frame appearing particularly tiny within the oversized seat.

Once seated, he calmly recounted everything that had happened in the village and at the Spirit Branch Hall.

Bibi Dong was momentarily stunned by the account, but she quickly regained her composure.

Lin Ze'an continued, "Your Holiness, Spirit Hall is the representative of the God of Angels in the mortal realm. The image we present to the continent should be one of light and justice."

"Now that such an incident has occurred, we should not cover it up. We should publicly judge the guilty to let the entire continent see the resolve of Spirit Hall."

"What we should provide to the continent is light, along with justice for the world, not oppression."

However, even as he said this, Lin Ze'an knew these words likely meant little to Bibi Dong; she hated the Angel clan to the core.

Still, he had to try. What if she still possessed a shred of humanity?

To his shock, as she listened to Lin Ze'an, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed Bibi Dong's eyes.

It was clear she had not expected such words to come from a mere child.

It seemed that many years ago, she, too, had done such things and spoken such words...

"You are right; Spirit Hall is indeed in need of a purge."

Hearing this, Lin Ze'an felt a surge of joy, a look of gratitude appearing on his face. "Thank you, Your Holiness."

Bibi Dong shook her head, walked over to him, and looked down at him from above. "But you must also understand that a public trial will bring about certain negative repercussions."

"If the prestige and reputation of Spirit City are damaged, can you take responsibility for that?"

Hearing this, Lin Ze'an's heart skipped a beat.

He did not know what was going through Bibi Dong's mind—had hatred twisted the justice that once resided in her heart, or did she require something substantial enough to move her?

After a moment of brainstorming, Lin Ze'an resigned himself to his fate. Unable to think of any other possibility, he helplessly took out the Looking Through Autumn Water Dew.

As expected, the world of martial arts was not just about fighting and killing; it was about human relationships and interests.

The moment the immortal herb appeared, it emitted a rich spiritual aura, and a pale blue light rippled through the hall.

Instantly, Bibi Dong looked at the herb in his hand with astonishment. "Looking Through Autumn Water Dew?"

Lin Ze'an paused, the words he was about to say catching in his throat. "Ah? You recognize it?"

This script was wrong, wasn't it? Bibi Dong actually recognized it?

As if seeing through his thoughts, Bibi Dong looked at him speechlessly. "I merely saw it in a book once. It has immense benefits for spiritual cultivation."

"However..." she asked with interest, "this immortal herb is extremely rare. Where did you obtain it?"

Lin Ze'an paused, and instead of answering, he gently pushed the herb toward her. "Your Holiness, this immortal herb is a gift for you. Please, accept it."

"Hm? Such a precious immortal herb, are you certain you wish to give it to me?" Bibi Dong looked deeply at Lin Ze'an.

To use such a precious, world-renowned immortal herb as a bargaining chip, all for the sake of fairness and justice...

After a long silence, she slowly reached out and took the Looking Through Autumn Water Dew. "Very well, I accept."

"I agree to the matter you spoke of. I will send people to handle it later; you should focus on your cultivation."

After leaving the Pope Palace, Lin Ze'an did not return to his courtyard. Instead, using his token, he requested an audience with Qian Daoliu.

He still had three immortal herbs left, and the Blazing Apricot Delicate and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass were useless to him.

After all, Mo Ruier was not afraid of the ice and fire of this world at all; consuming them would be pointless.

For herbs he could not use, it was better to put them to good use.

At the very least, trading with Qian Daoliu was far safer than trading with Bibi Dong.

As for such a unique and one-of-a-kind genius, Qian Daoliu was happy to take an interest, so he granted him an audience.

Inside the Consecrated Hall, Qian Daoliu looked at the Lin Ze'an before him in surprise and asked, "You want two ten-thousand-year spirit bones?"

The boy had come in talking about making a deal, but ten-thousand-year spirit bones were not common vegetables. Was his appetite truly that large?

"Yes, Great Pontiff." Lin Ze'an sighed. "I want two ten-thousand-year spirit bones. What I am offering in exchange is absolutely worth it."

After all, given Qian Daoliu's personality, he would certainly trade with him for the Blazing Apricot Delicate for the sake of Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue already possessed the complete set of the Angel God Suit and did not require additional spirit bones.

Compared to an immortal herb that could enhance a spirit master's potential—something one might never encounter again in a lifetime—his terms were quite reasonable.

As he spoke, he took out the Blazing Apricot Delicate.

An immortal herb, crimson from top to bottom with leaves flickering like burning flames, appeared in his hand.

A scorching aura of fire instantly filled the hall, making even the air turn searing hot.

Qian Daoliu looked at him in surprise. "A treasure of heaven and earth?"

Had he struck gold on his trip out? To think he could actually find such a treasure.

The aura of fire was so rich and pure; although he did not recognize it, he could sense that this treasure was a great tonic for fire-attribute spirit masters.

No wonder this kid was so confident; was it because he knew the Six-Winged Angel possessed the power of fire?

Seeing that Qian Daoliu did not react, Lin Ze'an reminded him, "Great Pontiff, this immortal herb should be worth two ten-thousand-year spirit bones, right?"

Hearing this, Qian Daoliu remained silent for a moment before reaching out to take the Blazing Apricot Delicate and turning to leave the hall.

A short while later, he returned with a box and handed it to Lin Ze'an. "Take it."

Lin Ze'an carefully accepted it and opened the lid—a radiance instantly flared up.

Two ten-thousand-year spirit bones emitting a black glow appeared before his eyes, radiating powerful fluctuations of spirit power.

Qian Daoliu said calmly, "I won't take advantage of you. These are two fifty-thousand-year spirit bones, a skull and a right arm bone respectively. Go back and study them yourself."

Hearing this, Lin Ze'an revealed an expression of pleasant surprise. He hurriedly snapped the lid shut and placed the box into his storage ring.

Afterward, he bowed to Qian Daoliu. "Thank you, Great Pontiff. Then this junior will take his leave."

One could only say that as the one strictly chosen by the Angel God, Qian Daoliu's character was beyond reproach.

Just as he turned to leave, Qian Daoliu suddenly called out to him, "Wait."

Lin Ze'an turned around in confusion. "What is it?"

He saw Qian Daoliu's gaze fixed intently on him, and following the direction of his eyes, it was exactly on the storage ring on his hand.