"Clan Head Jin, you recognize us apprentice brothers?" Lu Yang asked cautiously. Clan Head Jin wasn't just enormous in size; being able to become the head of the Qiongqi Clan meant he was undoubtedly a top-notch, ruthless figure.
Before setting out, he and Old Meng had wondered whether people in the Demon Domain would recognize them. Their conclusion had been that at most, the Demon Domain would know their names without having seen their faces.
Judging by Clan Head Jin's reaction, that earlier conclusion had clearly been made too rashly.
Clan Head Jin cast a half-smiling glance at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.
"Originally, I didn't care who the Golden Core stage geniuses were. Before they fully grow, it's all meaningless talk. But you, Lu Yang, are different."
"How am I different?"
The corners of Lu Yang's mouth curled up unconsciously. Could it be that his talent was unprecedented throughout the ages, drawing Clan Head Jin's attention?
"You are the disciple of Daoist Buyu."
Lu Yang: "..."
"Upon learning that the champion was Daoist Buyu's disciple, I specifically ordered someone to find a portrait."
"As for Meng Jingzhou, you're the eldest young master of the Meng Family, so I had someone bring your portrait as well."
"What I didn't expect was for the two of you to be together with the Demonic Sound Heavenly Maiden. Could there be some connection between you?" Clan Head Jin narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the three of them.
The Demonic Sound Heavenly Maiden had a penchant for delving into tombs and frequently slaughtered demons, incurring plenty of enemies. Yet her cultivation was consummate, and no one could catch her.
Her origins were mysterious; nobody knew her true background.
For Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou to enter the Qiongqi Tomb, they certainly had the help of the Demonic Sound Heavenly Maiden.
Why had she helped them? Could the Demonic Sound Heavenly Maiden also belong to the Dao Seeking Sect...?
Clan Head Jin didn't pursue that line of thought further. What did her identity have to do with him anyway?
As Clan Head Jin walked, thick mist billowed from his body, and from the vapor stepped a burly, middle-aged man with tiger ears.
"Please, after me, the three of you."
He led the trio into a small wooden cabin. The interior was intricately designed, unlike the rugged caves and tree hollows commonly seen throughout the Qiongqi Clan, and thoroughly conformed to human aesthetics—evidently prepared by the Qiongqi Clan to receive human guests.
The Qiongqi Clan was by no means isolated from the world. Quite the contrary: to make money, they frequently interacted with various demon tribes and the human race.
It was just that due to a lack of knack for it, their business ventures often ended in failure.
The Qiongqi Clan possessed profound reserves. If they brought out even a piece or two of the burial items from the primary tomb to sell, even Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivators would scramble madly for them, commanding astronomical prices.
Those were bottom-box heirlooms, however, and selling them would be a sheer waste of treasures; Clan Head Jin had no desire to leave behind a legacy of infamy.
Clan Head Jin instructed transformed clansmen to pour tea for the three of them, acting so warmly that all three felt at a loss.
Third Senior Sister was even more worried that some scheme was at play. With her skills, she could escape at will, but her two junior brothers could not.
Eldest Senior Sister had entrusted her to look after the two junior brothers, so she couldn't let anything go wrong under her watch.
"Potian and I address each other as brothers. You can call me Uncle Jin," Clan Head Jin said with a hearty laugh, seeing how stiff the three were.
Meng Jingzhou's eyebrow twitched. He truly hadn't expected Clan Head Jin's wonderful attitude toward the three of them to be because of him. Then, recalling what Third Senior Sister had said about the Meng Family's relationship with the Qiongqi Clan, Clan Head Jin's attitude became quite easy to understand.
The problem was that he had run away from home! Even though his father had forgiven him, he still felt uncertain deep down.
After a brief hesitation, he chose to respect Clan Head Jin's wishes and addressed him as Uncle Jin.
Hearing this, Clan Head Jin laughed delightedly and handed Meng Jingzhou a sheet of paper.
"Good nephew, on our first meeting, your uncle doesn't have anything good to give you. Keep this promissory note safe."
Meng Jingzhou instinctively began to decline as he received the gift. "This is far too valuable... Wait, what did you say this was?"
"A promissory note."
Meng Jingzhou flipped the paper over. Written prominently across the front was how many spirit stones Clan Head Jin owed the Meng Family, the interest rate, and the due date for repayment.
As a dignified Great Demon King, Clan Head Jin had incredible mental fortitude. Without batting an eye, he said, "Could you talk to your family and waive my debt?"
Meng Jingzhou: "..."
In his memory, no one had ever dared default on the Meng Family's debts, let alone get them waived.
Clan Head Jin probed tentatively, "Waiving the interest would work too?"
Meng Jingzhou remained silent.
Refusing to give up, Clan Head Jin pressed on, "Paying it back two years late should be fine, right?"
Meng Jingzhou worried that if he stayed silent any longer, Clan Head Jin might consider kidnapping him and demanding a ransom from the Meng Family.
"No problem. As soon as I get back, I'll tell my father: repay it two years late, with no extra interest."
Clan Head Jin breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that for the short term, he wouldn't have to worry about being struck by lightning.
"Speaking of which, Brother Potian and I haven't seen each other in a long time. I often ask traveling merchants about the recent situation of Potian and the Meng Family. I hear that as the number one clan of the human race, the Meng Family forms goodwill far and wide in the Imperial City, is philanthropic and charitable, delights in helping others, treats everyone with benevolence, and is widely acclaimed by cultivators throughout the Imperial City. Whoever sees a member of the Meng Family greets them with a smiling face.
"Brother Potian is even more exceptional, shining brightly in officialdom. Whether civil ministers or military generals, everyone heaps praise upon him, extolling him as possessing the talent of an illustrious chancellor for the ages..."
Meng Jingzhou shifted restlessly in his seat; it felt as though not a single one of those descriptions had anything to do with the Meng Family.
"Uncle Jin, if you need something, you can just speak plainly."
"My nephew is straightforward and brisk—clearly cut out for great things!"
"Your uncle doesn't have much to ask for, just hoping... could the Meng Family lend us some spirit stones?"
"Borrow *again*?" Meng Jingzhou was astonished. You were just trying to welch on your debt, and you still have the nerve to ask to borrow money? Was this the shamelessness of a Great Demon King?
Straightening his expression, Clan Head Jin explained earnestly, "It's not borrowing again. Previously, it was borrowed under my personal name; this time, it's in the name of the Qiongqi Clan. The two cannot be lumped together."
"...I can bring it up with my family when I get back, but I can't guarantee success."
Clan Head Jin was ecstatic, his face reverting to its original form in his joy. "Then I'll trouble my good nephew to put in some effort on this matter!"
"A small matter, just a small matter," Meng Jingzhou said hastily. For safety's sake, once he got back, it would still be better to have the butler speak to his father.
Counting the time, the butler should have been released by now.
Originally, Clan Head Jin had also wanted to call out the Qiongqi Clan's prodigies to spar with Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. But on second thought, these two were the champion and runner-up of the mid Golden Core stage; his clan's prodigies would likely struggle to win.
Furthermore, if they beat Meng Jingzhou, how could the Qiongqi Clan still borrow money?
For those reasons, he had no choice but to drop the idea.
Clan Head Jin hosted them lavishly for two days before finally seeing the trio out of the tribe. He hadn't pursued the matter of their archaeological tomb-delving; aside from Meng Jingzhou's identity, there was another reason.
He wanted to use their mouths to inform Great Xia of Ancient Dijiang's unification of the Demon Domain.
According to records, Ancient Dijiang was tyrannical and violent by nature. If such an archdemon were to unify the Demon Domain, it would bode ill for everyone.
"*Yawn—*" The Immortal Fairy woke up from a tree. Seeing that the three were safe and sound, she knew she had been right: Clan Head Jin would never make things difficult for them.
"See? I told you it was a small matter."
"The Qiongqi Clan was poor back in ancient times, and they've stayed poor all the way to the present. It really isn't easy."
"Back then, I suggested to Old Qiongqi that the name 'Qiongqi' was bad luck—it literally brings poverty, so they should change it."
"What did you suggest the Qiongqi Clan rename themselves to, Fairy?"
"'Wangcai' or 'Fugui'—Prosperity and Fortune."
Chapter 582