104: Opening a forum to preach

After a long while, Yang Kai and Zi Ning left the place satisfied. Meng Jingyi still stood up to see them off, but the expression on his face was somewhat unnatural.

"Brother Yang, the items you requested far exceed what I can decide on my own. I still need to discuss this with several Old Ancestors before a decision can be made. But Brother Yang, please rest assured, we will definitely give an answer that satisfies everyone as soon as possible." Meng Jingyi said earnestly upon parting.

Yang Kai smiled and patted Meng Jingyi's shoulder, adopting an encouraging posture, before departing with Zi Ning.

Meng Jingyi clenched the fists hidden in his sleeves, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold glint flashed across them. He then flicked his sleeve and quickly walked toward another direction.

The Imperial City of the Du Pang Dynasty was vast, divided into three parts: the Outer City, the Inner City, and the Imperial Palace. The Outer City was naturally the dwelling place for commoners and minor, unremarkable officials, while high-ranking officials of the Du Pang Dynasty could enter the Inner City. The Inner City was far more prosperous than the Outer City; those who lived there were either rich or noble.

The Imperial Palace was even more extraordinary. In terms of area alone, the Inner and Outer Cities combined were not as large as the Imperial Palace. The architectural styles inside the palace varied, but if viewed from above, the buildings were clearly divided into several distinct areas. Several tall pavilions among them were particularly eye-catching, and Meng Jingyi was now walking toward one of these pavilions.

Arriving outside the gate of the pavilion courtyard, the plaque clearly read "Chu Tian Wangfu." Meng Jingyi stepped inside. There were no guards or attendants along the way; it was extremely quiet. Meng Jingyi was quite familiar with the place, winding through several turns until he finally reached a spacious house. He bowed respectfully and said loudly, "Your grandson, Meng Jingyi, pays his respects to Third Ancestor."

As soon as his voice fell, the tightly shut door opened. Meng Jingyi rose and entered the room, seeing the Third Ancestor inside who was resting with closed eyes. Not daring to disturb him, he stood quietly to the side and waited.

After a long while, the Third Ancestor opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of pure Qi. The Qi was milky white, and after circulating once around the room, it merged into Meng Jingyi's body. Meng Jingyi forcefully held back a moan; this feeling of comfort was truly addictive.

Only after Meng Jingyi had finished digesting this pure Qi did he respectfully bow and say, "Thank you, Third Ancestor, for the reward."

"Sit down. Did you come here because of those two Flowing Cloud Sect Disciples?" The Third Ancestor waved his hand, signaling Meng Jingyi to sit.

Meng Jingyi nervously perched on the edge of the chair, sitting upright, and respectfully replied, "Third Ancestor is truly prescient. These two Flowing Cloud Sect Disciples have reached a settlement with the Fourth Patriarch. Today, they took the Fourth Patriarch's token to the clan treasury and retrieved one treasure. Now they have come to me, demanding outrageous things. Your grandson cannot make the decision, so I have come specifically to ask for your instruction, Third Ancestor."

"With Old Fourth's token, you can just agree to their demands. Besides, what could two juniors possibly ask for?" The Third Ancestor picked up the teacup beside the table and said indifferently.

"Third Ancestor, they want crimson blood dragon ginseng, Gold Muscle Grass, Purple Vein Blood Lotus Root, and ten Top-Grade Spirit Stones!" Meng Jingyi said anxiously, seeing the Third Ancestor's casual attitude.

"Bang!"

The teacup in the Third Ancestor's hand was instantly smashed by him. The fragments scattered everywhere, one of which shot straight toward Meng Jingyi's face. Meng Jingyi subconsciously wanted to dodge, but his body trembled slightly, and he quickly halted his movement, allowing a ceramic shard to graze the edge of his forehead. A few drops of blood immediately flowed down.

"Hmph! What an enormous appetite! That scoundrel Old Fourth, to cover up his own crimes, he truly dares to agree to anything." The Third Ancestor roared in fury. When his gaze fell upon Meng Jingyi, who was sitting ramrod straight with blood streaming down his face, his expression softened slightly. He flicked his finger, and a pellet of pure Spiritual Qi entered the wound, which healed quickly.

Meng Jingyi quickly stood up and bowed, thanking the Third Ancestor for treating him. The Third Ancestor waved his hand, signaling him to return to his seat. After pondering for a moment, he said, "This is a good opportunity to suppress Old Fourth. His momentum has been a bit too strong recently, but this price is a bit too high. Here's what we'll do: Go to the clan treasury and retrieve the crimson blood dragon ginseng, plus three Top-Grade Spirit Stones, and deliver them to those two Flowing Cloud Sect Disciples. However, you should know exactly what to say."

Meng Jingyi stood up and respectfully said, "Yes," before slowly retreating. As he left, the previously open palace door closed again, but Meng Jingyi still did not dare to relax. Only after leaving the entire courtyard did he slightly relax his heart and walk toward the direction of the clan treasury.

On the other side, in the hall where Yang Kai was resting, Zi Ning was boredly playing with the fruit placed on the table, while Yang Kai was Cultivating with his eyes closed. Both were waiting for the response from Meng Jingyi and the power behind him.

"Hey, Yang Kai, why don't you take out that star essence fruit and let me see it? This level of Heaven And Earth Treasure is quite rare." Seeing that Yang Kai hadn't opened his mouth for a long time, Zi Ning finally couldn't hold back and spoke.

"Oh? Does even the Flowing Cloud Sect not have any in its collection?" Yang Kai's cultivation was shallow. Hearing Zi Ning speak, he immediately stopped the circulation of his Cultivation Technique, slowly opened his eyes, and asked curiously.

"It's true that the star essence fruit is the best aid for a Body Refiner to achieve a Breakthrough to the Gathering Yuan Realm, but it is also something that high-Realm Cultivators equally desire. As soon as this item enters the Flowing Cloud Sect's vault, someone quickly exchanges for it. How could it possibly be left for you?" Zi Ning rolled her eyes and explained to Yang Kai.

"Speaking of the Flowing Cloud Sect's vault, I still have one chance to choose any item from the Outer Vault that I haven't used yet. Young Miss, do you have any suggestions?" Yang Kai suddenly remembered the reward for his hundred consecutive victories at the Martial Arts Arena, and his eyes lit up as he asked.

"What precious items are stored in the Flowing Cloud Sect's Outer Vault, perhaps only the Sect Leader knows. Your relationship with the Sect Leader is unusual. Instead of asking me, you should ask him yourself when you meet the Sect Leader after completing the mission." Zi Ning looked at Yang Kai with a mix of envy and resentment and said angrily.

"The Inner Sect Disciple assessment allows meeting the Sect Leader Qing Xuanzi?" When Yang Kai thought of Qing Xuanzi, he remembered the three assessments he had set back then. They were now close to completion. When he returned to the Sect, his nominal Senior Brother should fulfill his promise.

"After every Qingyun Peak Inner Sect assessment, the Sect Leader appears and sets up a Dao platform to lecture the newly promoted Inner Sect Disciples once. How much one comprehends depends on their own ability. Back then, Great Master Senior Brother Qin Zhengyang astonished everyone during this Dao platform lecture and was immediately taken as a Disciple by the Sect Leader on the spot. He is now the true leader of the Flowing Cloud Sect's younger generation, not on the same level as you." Zi Ning's eyes shone like stars when she mentioned these Great Master Senior Brothers, and she didn't forget to mock Yang Kai at the end.