"True Lord, Xu Wan of Mount Beikuang pays his respects."
Xu Wan raised his hands, formed a seal, and bowed. He looked quite proper, with an air of ancient courtesy, nothing like a savage demon.
The Netherworld Sage's voice was not loud, yet it easily drifted across the river, several hundred zhang wide, sounding like a casual conversation with someone just a step away.
True Lord Cheng, by contrast, was rather cold. After descending to the ground, he merely watched Xu Wan in silence. He had not spoken first, nor did he answer now. He showed no reaction at all, as though he had heard nothing.
Xu Wan took no offense at this and was not the least annoyed. He continued,
"Come to think of it, the True Lord and I once shared a fateful connection."
"Oh?"
This time, the Daoist opened his mouth and uttered a single word, sounding somewhat surprised.
Xu Wan smiled and answered,
"Back then, when you traveled the Eastern Sea incognito, a white dragon dressed as a fish, you employed your stratagems to stir the Earth Yin Sea into attacking the Great Belly Sea. When it came to breaking through Red Rosy Cloud Island's rosy clouds, you thought of our Mount Beikuang's Jade-Phosphor Blast and had the Earth Yin Sea's people make large purchases in my Ghost Kingdom. It earned me a tidy little profit. Speaking of which, I've never had the chance to thank you in person."
Cheng Xinzhan was speechless. He had not expected such an old affair.
The True Lord barely deigned to respond, but Xu Wan was in a talkative mood and continued,
"You are extraordinary, True Lord. What an upheaval you caused in the Eastern Sea! You forced Gu Chen to become a land god and walk a road to