When facing Ning Fengzhi,
Salas's attitude was unusually subdued, without any of the arrogance and overbearing manner he had displayed at the Seven Treasure Marketplace.
"Sect Master Ning, it's been a while, hasn't it? You're as distinguished as ever."
Salas sat down with a smile.
Yet out of the corner of his eye, his gaze fell on Ning Xuan beside him.
Ning Xuan watched him with an odd expression that made Salas frown despite himself.
"Young Sect Master, it's been a while."
He still offered the polite greeting.
But the corner of Ning Xuan's mouth twitched, and he gave a cold laugh.
"It hasn't been that long. Didn't we just meet at the Seven Treasure Marketplace two days ago?"
"You were rather different then, Bishop Salas."
Salas's expression soured.
"Oh, right."
Seeming to remember something else, Ning Xuan continued,
"You must have come to settle your bill, Bishop Salas."
"Really, there was no need to come all this way yourself. You could simply have sent someone with it, or had it delivered to the Seven Treasure Marketplace."
Bishop Salas's expression had turned utterly ugly.
"Little Xuan, what bill?"
Somewhat surprised, Ning Fengzhi asked in puzzlement.
"Oh, nothing much. A few days ago, Bishop Salas brought some people to our Seven Treasure Marketplace and bought nearly a million Gold Soul Coins' worth of goods. That was quite a sizable transaction."
Ning Xuan shot Salas a sidelong glance, his words dripping with sarcasm.
After a moment's surprise, Ning Fengzhi immediately smiled.
"For such a large purchase, did the Seven Treasure Marketplace offer a discount?"
"Heh."
Ning Xuan chuckled.
A discount?
After finally catching a fat sheep like the Martial Soul Temple, how could I let it go?
The bill had been thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins short of a million.
Ning Xuan had simply rounded it up. Those fellows had never intended to pay in the first place, so naturally, they would not have checked the individual prices.
"Then I'm sorry for troubling you to come all this way, Bishop Salas."
Ning Fengzhi was all smiles.
Salas, meanwhile, wore a spectacular expression, as though he had swallowed a pile of shit.
He coughed and glanced toward the people he had brought behind him. The deacons exchanged bewildered looks, then hurriedly excused themselves to Ning Fengzhi before moving aside to frantically pool their money.
But what normal person carried so many gold coins when they went out?
After pooling their funds for ages, the four or five of them could only produce a little over six hundred thousand. In the end, they could only look toward Bishop Salas in utter embarrassment.
The corner of Salas's mouth twitched.
"How much are you short?"
"Four hundred... three hundred and eighty thousand... We're still short three hundred and eighty thousand Gold Soul Coins..."
One of them spoke cautiously.
Salas's heart bled. He was a pixiu by nature, only ever taking money in and never letting it out. When had he ever suffered such a loss?
With a dark expression, he handed over a Storage Soul Tool.
"There are five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins inside."
"Th-thank you, Temple Master..."
The men hastily bowed in thanks.
They then packed all one million Gold Soul Coins into a single Storage Soul Tool and handed it to Ning Xuan.
"Young Sect Master, please count it."
"No need."
Ning Xuan gave a hearty laugh.
"I have every confidence in Bishop Salas's character."
Salas's face darkened further.
Having witnessed this, how could Ning Fengzhi fail to see that Salas had never intended to repay the bill on this visit, but had come for something else?
His eyes narrowed slightly, a cold gleam flashing through them as he recalled Ning Xuan's earlier words.
Could he really have come for the immortal herb?
Without betraying anything, he began chatting with Salas about inconsequential matters.
Such as the situation on the continent?
Or interesting things that had happened recently in the Soul Master World?
Or Tang Yuehua?
Ning Xuan's heart gave a jolt. He looked up, meeting Ning Fengzhi's gaze.
Ning Fengzhi's eyes brimmed with amusement as he laughed heartily.
"Haha, sorry for troubling you over this, Bishop Salas. I've never interfered in matters between the children."
Salas raised his teacup and smiled with pursed lips, concealing the deep gloom in his eyes.
With the small talk over, they came to the point.
Salas set down his teacup and suddenly asked,
"I've heard a rumor that the Young Sect Master and Miss Liu Erlong of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan have broken off their engagement. Is that true?"
Ning Fengzhi answered with a grave expression,
"It is."
"My son and Miss Liu Erlong were somewhat incompatible in temperament. After discussions between our two families, we decided it would be best not to force the matter."
Dignity between adults meant leaving each other room to maneuver.
No matter how bitterly Ning Fengzhi gritted his teeth, he could hardly expose Liu Erlong's affairs to the public. After all, such a scandal also concerned the reputations of both great clans.
"What a pity."
Salas sighed as well, then abruptly changed tack.
"I wonder, Sect Master Ning, have you ever heard of immortal herbs?"
As he asked this, Salas kept his gaze fixed, staring unblinkingly at Ning Fengzhi's expression until he was certain it had not changed in the slightest.
"No."
Ning Fengzhi denied it outright.
Yet precisely because of this, Salas became utterly convinced that the immortal herb was in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's hands.
With a smile, Salas took a slip of paper from his robes.
"Would you take a look at this, Sect Master Ning?"
After reading it, Ning Fengzhi's face darkened.
"Bishop Salas, surely you don't believe that the unclaimed immortal herb mentioned on this paper is in my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's possession?"
"Of course not."
Salas's smile was strange.
"An unclaimed immortal herb is a matter of great importance."
"Since someone may already have taken it, the Martial Soul Temple must naturally investigate, especially since this also concerns the life and death of an honorary elder."
"Then go conduct your investigation, Bishop Salas. What have you come to my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for?"
Ning Fengzhi's expression was icy, and the imposing authority of a ruler abruptly erupted from him.
"I just heard my son say that you already went to the Seven Treasure Marketplace to investigate, Bishop Salas. Now you've come to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect today. Have you decided we must be involved?"
"Of course not."
Salas smiled, entirely unafraid.
"I merely came to inform you, Sect Master Ning."
"With an honorary elder's death involved, this matter cannot be concealed at all. I have already decided to report everything that happened to the Holy City."
"If the investigation into the immortal herb yields no results,"
"I'm afraid I can only report it to the Supreme Pontiff and ask her to bring people here to investigate personally. After all, an unknown immortal herb has newly appeared on the continent. I believe she would be very interested as well."
"And since we currently know so little about the immortal herb, we will probably have to spread word throughout the continent. Only then can we quickly receive the corresponding information."
The implication was simple.
If he still received no answer from Ning Fengzhi,
then he would spread the news throughout the continent that the immortal herb might be in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's possession.
When that happened, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would no longer face Salas alone, but the Soul Masters of the entire continent.
At the same time.
Heaven Dou City.
The Moonlight Pavilion.
Dressed in court attire, Tang Yuehua looked radiant.
With graceful, measured steps, she was boarding an understated yet luxurious carriage parked outside the Moonlight Pavilion.
"Third Miss, are you seated?"
The coachman had ordinary features, but his body was muscular and powerfully built.
"Yes, let's go."
Only after lifting the carriage curtain to take another look at the Moonlight Pavilion's five-story building did Tang Yuehua softly murmur her assent.
The carriage slowly drove away from the Moonlight Pavilion...