Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Half a month later, Qin Yu and the group returned to Sky Declaring Pavilion. Senior Lin said his goodbyes and left. Without hesitation, he entered his chambers. After determining that no one was monitoring him, he opened up a contact array formation.

A golden water basin lay in front of him. The still water surface fluctuated and a blurry face was outlined.

Shua -

The face's eyes opened. They were calm, like the waters of an ancient ice spring, exuding a deep chill that reached into the depths of one's soul.

"What happened?"

As the ripples trembled, a calm voice echoed in the chamber.

Senior Lin bowed, his voice respectful. "Reporting to master, I followed Ning Qin to the Beast Trainer Alliance…"

Then, he briefly described what happened. The exception was that he gave an extremely long description about the changes that occurred to Qin Yu's body.

"Master, this Ning Qin's origin is mysterious and his background isn't as simple as it appears. This old servant requests that master please place this into consideration and be extra careful. If master wishes, I can try to find a way to probe him."

The blurry face in the water said, "I already understand everything you've said. There is no need to probe him further. Bring him to me as soon as possible."

Senior Lin was startled. He immediately bowed, "Yes, master."

Shua -

The face vanished and the water basin returned to tranquility, without a single wave.

Senior Lin straightened himself. His eyebrows stretched out, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

With the master's disposition, if he made these arrangements, he must be absolutely confident in himself.

If so, there was no need to worry.

…

Somewhere far away, there was another quiet chamber. There was a round hole up above and beams of light shined down onto the ground below.

But, this light that shined down didn't spread outwards. It remained a foot-thick beam of light that pierced into the dark. Beyond it, there was nothing but darkness.

It was like ink, so thick that it couldn't be dispersed. Just looking at it, one felt as if they would be swallowed up.

Suddenly, a man's voice resounded in the darkness. "Ning Qin has returned to Midmorning City. I have already sent people to bring him here in the shortest time possible."

After a brief silence, there was a response from the darkness on the opposite side. "You must be careful of this person. Although his cultivation is weak, I always feel a sense of dread towards him."

"Of course. If there is someone that you can treat with such caution, I won't underestimate him at all." The first voice that spoke laughed. "Now that I think about it, even though the master is powerful, his life was nothing but a failure. In the end, everyone that he could trust by his side eventually chose to betray him. I can't help but say this is a kind of sorrow."

"Shut up! Do not be so impolite to the master!" The other voice was ice cold, a killing intent lingering on every word. "In any case, it was the master who gave you and me our lives. This will never change. I never want to hear such disrespectful words to the master again, do you understand?"

"Since you don't like to listen to them, then I won't say them. After all, compared to actions, words are pale and weak." The first voice was calm, without any irritation from being scolded. He smiled and said, "Let's go. We must settle the final preparations and wait for the master to arrive!"

…

Qin Yu and Senior Lin met for a short talk. After they were done, Qin Yu sent him out and walked back to the guest room. He sat on a sofa and rubbed his chin.

Although Senior Lin had been rather cryptic when he spoke, Qin Yu had caught the true meaning behind his words. Sky Declaring Pavilion's master was feeling anxious and hoped that he could finish his preparations sooner.

This was consistent with the Ancient's requirements, but he didn't immediately agree. Rather, he tried to postpone it for the time being.

Dorelis and Yun Die walked into the guest room. Dorelis looked at him several times and suddenly said, "Qin Yu, what sort of naughty ideas are in your head this time?"

Qin Yu: …

What kind of eyes was this woman born with? They were far too good! If she didn't take care of her eyesight in the future then she had best be careful of getting cataracts!

Qin Yu coughed, not looking at her. He turned to Yun Die and said, "For this following period of time, you must cultivate diligently on your own. As your teacher, since I cannot help you much, I will do my best to deliver you some cultivation supplies. Write down a list of anything you need. Do not worry about holding back. I will try to satisfy your requests as much as I can."

That's right, Qin Yu was preparing to get another deal one last time!

Once the Ancient found the Myriad Dragon Body, who knew how the situation would develop? If that were to happen, then he might as well fish for a fortune right now.

Dorelis blinked her eyes. "I want a piece too."

Qin Yu didn't even look at her. What are you talking about? You didn't even put in any effort yet you want a cup of the soup? Are you dreaming right now?

And most importantly, why would I give you any advantages? So you can restore your strength and become increasingly formidable so you can make things even more awkward for me?

Hoho, I am not actually that great of an idiot. I'd rather die than do something like support the enemy!

In the end, even though Dorelis stamped her feet in anger she couldn't make Qin Yu change his mind. She faintly guessed what he was thinking but could only clench her teeth and endure it.

Surname Qin, just you wait! Once I control everything I will make you drink my foot-washing water daily!

The next two days passed peacefully. As Senior Lin started to suspect that his words had been too vague and Qin Yu didn't understand the meaning behind them, the Internal Affairs Division Manager Bian Changli arrived at his dwelling with a deathly pale face. With shaking hands, he handed over a jade slip.

"Senior Lin, this is a purchase list that Mister Ning Qin submitted today. I cannot take responsibility for signing off on this, so I ask you to make a decision."

Bian Changli gulped as he spoke. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Although Senior Lin could approximately guess how astonishing the purchase list contained within this jade slip was from his expression, when he personally opened it and checked himself, he couldn't help but suck in a deep breath of cold air and almost flip the table over.

This was too much! Ning Qin, you have gone too far!

You did something similar before and I already agreed to it. I thought that your greediness was formidable enough, but I never imagined I had underestimated you. So your mouth could actually open this wide!

Bian Changli put on a long face. "Senior Lin, you cannot let things go this time. Otherwise, even if the entire Midmorning City Branch Division is emptied out, we still won't be able to collect all of the listed materials. You must advise the Pavilion Master that he must harshly crack down on this type of blackmail where people are taking advantage to line their own pockets!"

Senior Lin took a deep breath and suppressed his blood pressure. "I will immediately contact the master."

He turned and walked away.

Moments later, Bian Changli walked through the courtyard doors with a dazed expression. He rubbed his forehead and then looked up at the sun.

There's no fever and it's daytime. I'm not dreaming…

But how could the Pavilion Master agree to this?

…

The entire Sky Declaring Pavilion was mobilized as they started operating at full capacity. A massive amount of commodities, belongings, and properties were used to purchase precious treasure from all over, completely disregarding their cost. The entire world was shocked. No one had any idea what was happening that would cause Sky Declaring Pavilion to make such an immense movement.

Countless secret agents swarmed in. The spies in Sky Declaring Pavilion were also fully activated as they tried to obtain news of what was going on. But, it was clear that Sky Declaring Pavilion was prepared for this. With their perfect response, no one was able to obtain any useful information.

But some people didn't need to investigate to determine what this great turbulence was for.

For instance, Feng Qing.

The transfer of materials within Sky Declaring Pavilion naturally couldn't be hidden from her. In front of others she appeared calm and composed, working in her normal orderly manner. But as she lay in her bed at night, fear shrouded her like the darkness, swallowing her up whole.

Terror, restlessness, anxiety, and even despair. All sorts of emotions wove together and collided in her heart. But Feng Qing didn't reveal any of this, not even to her closest maid.

Feng Qing was waiting, waiting for a reasonable chance to appear. Before then, she couldn't reveal anything wrong, otherwise disaster was sure to descend on her head.

On the seventh day of the large-scale purchase of goods, Feng Qing finally found the chance she was waiting for. She personally brought over a batch of materials to Rising Lake Manor.

But what left Feng Qing in despair was that as she approached the manor entrance, Senior Lin was already looking at her. He calmly nodded at her and said, "Miss, leave these matters to me. Please return."

Feng Qing squeezed out a smile, forcefully trying to maintain a calm appearance. "I had no idea that Senior Lin was already here. With you here, there is sure to be no problem. I have many other matters to attend to so I will leave first."

Senior Lin bowed, "Take care."

Feng Qing turned around. But at this time, Yun Die suddenly appeared. She shouted out, "Miss Feng Qing, please wait a moment!" She hurried over and said, "Among the batches of materials sent over a few days ago, several of the items don't meet the standard. Teacher has compiled another list, so please prepare them again."

"Ah…I can't believe something like this happened…please ask Mister Ning Qin to rest assured that I will prepare everything as soon as possible." Feng Qing received the jade slip and probed it with her divine sense. As she did, she immediately relaxed.

Senior Lin secretly frowned. He walked forward and said, "Miss, I have been responsible for these matters all this time. How about letting me handle this?"

Feng Qing smiled. "Of course. Then, I'll have to trouble Senior Lin. I will make sure to severely punish the subordinates who did this and prevent anything similar from occurring ever again."

Senior Lin nodded. "Miss is considerate." He received the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense. After not finding anything improper, his heart untensed.

It seems he had been far too sensitive. But, he didn't mind being more cautious. This was related to the master's great cause and he couldn't allow himself to be negligent anywhere.

As for Qin Yu, although the master showed that everything was within his control, Senior Lin still couldn't dispel the dread in his heart.

Feng Qing said her goodbyes and left. Compared to how she was when she first arrived here, while she was still worried, she felt much more at ease.

In the jade slip just now, it was indeed a list of materials. But, out of those materials, there were the characters for 'don't worry'.

Feng Qing didn't believe that it was just a coincidence that Qin Yu had Yun Die deliver the jade slip to her. He was clearly sending her a message.

Since Qin Yu told her not to worry, it was clear he remembered his previous promise. Right now, he was her only hope.