Inside a quiet room in the Qiongyu Guild.
Steward Liu wore a somber expression, visibly restless.
He paced back and forth across the room, glancing outside the shop from time to time as if waiting for someone.
The morning grew fully bright.
Catching sight of a figure ambling toward the shop in the distance, Steward Liu's expression shifted slightly. He swiftly arranged his face into a welcoming smile, hurried downstairs, and greeted him warmly.
"Daoist, please come right this way!"
With an affectionate demeanor, Steward Liu led Qin Sang into the quiet room.
Just as he was about to pour tea, Qin Sang waved a hand to stop him.
"Fellow Daoist Liu, how has the gathering of the spirit herbs progressed?"
Qin Sang cut straight to the chase, intending to purchase the spirit herbs and leave immediately. Now that he could deftly control six demonic banners, he had no reason to waste further time out here.
"Well..."
Steward Liu froze, teacup held midair, a look of difficulty creeping onto his face as if hesitating to speak.
Seeing this, Qin Sang frowned and said in a deep voice, "Is Fellow Daoist Liu running into some difficulty?"
Steward Liu sighed softly, set down the teaware, and said, "Truth be told, Daoist, Liu had thought that by buying a portion from other guilds and combining it with the stock in our vault, we could assemble the majority of the spirit herbs for you. Who would have thought that because the herbs you requested are so rare, the other merchant guilds on the island possessed very meager inventories? Not wishing to delay Daoist's urgent business, I immediately sent a message to Yinghuan Island asking them to dispatch herbs on short notice. I estimate it will still take a few days for them to arrive..."
"Yinghuan Island?"
Qin Sang recalled that Yinghuan Island lay southwest of Dayuzhou. It was not too far, only a few days' journey.
"Indeed," Steward Liu nodded. "Daoist might not know this, but after the demon upheaval broke out, the guild underwent several internal shifts in succession, only stabilizing recently. Liu is merely a petty steward stationed on Dayuzhou; the one who truly oversees the affairs of the Eastern Sea branch is Deputy Envoy Zuo. Yinghuan Island is held in high regard by Deputy Envoy Zuo, who placed a trusted confidant in charge there. They will surely be able to gather all the spirit herbs you require, Fellow Daoist..."
After joining the Qiongyu Guild, Qin Sang had been following Old Zou in the Demon Sea, knowing little about members in the Inner Sea. Thinking back, he did not remember who Deputy Envoy Zuo was.
However, anyone capable of sitting in the position of deputy envoy in the Qiongyu Guild was extraordinary; there were only a handful in the entire guild. Before heading to the Demon Sea, Old Zou himself had been a guild deputy envoy.
"How many spirit herbs has Fellow Daoist Liu gathered so far?" Qin Sang pondered for a moment and asked.
"Not yet thirty percent," Steward Liu answered apologetically.
"Thirty percent is indeed a bit few..."
Tapping his fingers against the table, Qin Sang pondered briefly, then said, "This poor Daoist has an urgent matter to attend to and cannot afford to wait very long. How about this: please send another transmission to Yinghuan Island, directing them to head straight north and deliver the spirit herbs to Dongjia Island. I will be traveling west and passing right by Dongjia Island. We can rendezvous there, and our arrival times should roughly coincide."
Dongjia Island lay northwest of Dayuzhou, due north of Yinghuan Island.
The Tiandao Sect lay to his northwest; traveling there happened to take him past Dongjia Island, so this would avoid wasting too much time.
Steward Liu was taken aback. He had not anticipated such a suggestion from Qin Sang. His brow furrowed tightly, indecision written on his face.
Qin Sang glanced at him, clearly understanding his concern, and said blandly, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Liu. No matter where the transaction takes place, this poor Daoist is doing business with you, not Yinghuan Island."
Steward Liu forced a smile, his mind racing.
Suddenly struck by an idea, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Daoist's plan is ingenious, but..."
Steward Liu paused, his tone tinged with pleasant surprise. "I nearly forgot! Earlier, Daoist asked Liu to inquire about news of Old Zou, so I mentioned it during my transmission with Yinghuan Island. By pure coincidence, they had just learned that Old Zou is safe and sound! What is more, Old Zou happens to be nearby. It is said he reaped tremendous gains in the Hall of Seven Kills and had been in secluded cultivation all along, having only just emerged. Old Zou originally intended to return to Tianxing Island, but upon learning Daoist is on Dayuzhou, he immediately changed his plans and decided to pay you a visit! It goes to show just how much Old Zou values you, Daoist. If Daoist leaves early, you might miss him..."
Steward Liu spoke with fluent certainty, sounding utterly convincing.
He failed to notice, however, that the demeanor of the man opposite him had changed.
The instant Steward Liu mentioned Old Zou, Qin Sang's eyes abruptly narrowed. His whole body tensed as he fixed his stare on Steward Liu, a dangerous light glinting in his gaze and twelve-tenths alarm ringing in his mind.
Old Zou was dead; Qin Sang had cremated the corpse with his own hands!
There was no doubt about it!
Yet the man before him claimed with absolute certainty that Old Zou was still alive and coming to meet him in person.
Could Old Zou have risen from the dead? Had everything he experienced at Flower Immortal Lake been an illusion, a mere dream?!
A hundred thoughts flashed through Qin Sang's mind.
Steward Liu was obviously harboring foul intentions, yet Qin Sang could not fathom what had gone wrong.
The two of them clearly bore no grudge, and he was merely buying a batch of spirit herbs. If members of the Qiongyu Guild were all the sort of scavengers who plotted murder for treasure against their own fellows, the guild would have dissolved long ago.
"Heh..."
Qin Sang let out a cold chuckle. "Where is Old Zou right now? Since Old Zou is coming, it does no harm for this poor Daoist to wait a few days..."
Outwardly calm, he secretly tightened his grip on his demonic banner, awakened the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, and activated the Heavenly Eye divine ability to swiftly scan the surroundings of the quiet room. He detected no ambushing cultivators.
Hearing this, Steward Liu rejoiced inwardly and said repeatedly, "Old Zou has likely already left Yinghuan Island and is on his way here. Daoist..."
Before he could finish, Qin Sang struck without warning.
*Swoosh!*
Sword radiance tore through Qin Sang's cloak, illuminating the entire quiet room in an instant.
The two sat opposite each other, separated by mere inches.
Steward Liu was terrified; he had never imagined Qin Sang would strike so abruptly, without the slightest forewarning.
His reflexes were swift as well. Pressing his palm downward with force, he instantly triggered the quiet room's restrictions. A curtain wall composed of countless talismans and runes plunged from above, bearing down swiftly upon the ebony sword.
At the same time, thick vines surged forth around Qin Sang, writhing like boas, instantly forming a vine cage around him.
The vines curled, squeezing inward.
"Daoist Qingfeng, this old man bears you no grudge! You—"
Steward Liu roared in fury, still maintaining his guise. His expression showed shock, bewilderment, and indignation, executed flawlessly as he loudly interrogated Qin Sang.
Qin Sang sneered without answering. With a thought, he pointed toward the ebony sword.
Steward Liu had triggered the quiet room's restrictions in haste, leaving flaws that had nowhere to hide beneath the Heavenly Eye divine ability.
The ebony sword flickered and its sword radiance surged violently, splitting in an instant into countless strands of sword qi and sword beams that coalesced into a dazzling sword wheel.
*Boom!*
The sword wheel violently collided with the runic curtain wall. With an ear-piercing screech of tearing cloth, an astonishing sight unfolded: the ebony sword pierced straight through the curtain wall, cleaving downward before Steward Liu's horrified gaze.
Steward Liu cried out in alarm. His figure retreated frantically toward the door as he swiftly summoned his Lifebound Magic Treasure—a square mirror—and thrust it out with all his might to block the sword wheel.
Just then, the sound of tearing silk came from inside the vine cage.
A wave of black demonic fire ripped through the cage and surged forth, exuding a terrifying aura. With a sharp whoosh, it shot directly before the room's doorway, cutting off Steward Liu's retreat.
Chapter 979