Wait a minute, where is my master?

"Brother Zhao, all is well, I trust."

The little Taoist hadn't yet stepped through the entrance of the guest hall when he began to call out in a loud and cheerful voice.

Within the hall,

Zhao Dabao, upon hearing the long-missed voice of Jin Xu outside, hastily stood up, forcibly suppressing the agitation on his face, took the teacup in hand, and with a beaming smile went out to meet him.

"Little Taoist, although it's been a long time since our last meeting, I have been keeping up with your achievements through the publications distributed by Tingfeng Building," he said.

The two men met at the entrance of the guest hall, exchanged greetings, and walked in together.

Once both were seated with the host and guest properly arranged, the little Taoist responded with a light laugh.

"It's been some time since I've read the publications from Tingfeng Building. What do they say about me?"

"They tell of how you alone purified all the filth inside the Nine Provinces Sea Eye. Tingfeng Building, worthy of being the top intelligence organization in the Nine Provinces Realm, has printed your deed in a three-volume series, and even..."

Zhao Dabao's face wore a happy smile.

He chattered away to the little Taoist seated in the place of honor.

Jin Xu would also chime in with laughter from time to time.

To outsiders, the two seemed the very picture of old friends joyfully reunited.

However, after they had talked for a while, Jin Xu sighed softly to himself when he saw that Fatty Zhao still had not brought up the matter of the Ice and Fire Spirit Roots that he had mentioned in his message.

From the anxious demeanor he had tried hard to suppress upon entering to the now seemingly casual yet cautious compliments threaded through their conversation,

this old friend of his, newly arrived in the Nine Provinces Realm,

appeared to have grown distant.

Indeed, Jin Xu had sensed something off during their last encounter in the Qingmu Secret Realm but had been too preoccupied with other matters at the time.

After he handed over the Eternal Lotus petal to the other party, he had rushed off to see to other affairs.

Of course, the reason Jin Xu felt the contrast so acutely this time was due to a comparison.

Just like how Xu Qian, another friend he made when he first entered the Nine Provinces Realm, had heard some news and came to visit him the other day, his demeanor was no different than before, and even when he left,

that rascal had slipped away with a bird egg from Little White!

If the little Taoist hadn't stopped him, saying, "We've taken hundreds of eggs from the Mountain and Sea Realm, we won't miss one or two,"

he would have stormed over there in broad daylight to settle the score.

——————

Dozens of breaths later,

Jin Xu, seeing that Fatty Zhao was still talking up a storm, couldn't help but interrupt him.

"Brother Zhao, do you know why I asked you to make the trip here in person?"

Zhao Dabao stopped speaking with a smile and shook his head.

"I'd appreciate it if the little Taoist could enlighten me."

"The matter of the Taiyin Essence you mentioned in your letter, I honestly don't have any leads on it either. However, I sought some information from Miss Yunzhao and found that in tens of thousands of years, there have been five people who, like you, possessed Ice and Fire Spirit Roots.

"And the only one who safely lived and even cultivated to the Tribulation Crossing Realm was a cultivator from the Kunlun Immortal Palace."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of doubt flashed through Zhao's small eyes, but he still inquired with a smile,

"Little Taoist, the information you've compiled matches what my mentor told me, but how does this relate to Taiyin Essence?"

"The current Ancestor of the Kunlun Immortal Palace happens to be staying with me. Since the cultivator who survived and is from the same lineage surely must know more about the Spirit Root,

"I'll invite him over in a bit to see if there's any chance for your situation to change.

"If his sect still has some of the leftover Taiyin Essence from that cultivator, you won't have to worry about the calamity of your body exploding."

Upon hearing this, the fatty flesh on Zhao Dabao's face trembled with excitement,

and he felt an immense sense of gratitude.

"That little Taoist who once struck a deal for a hundred taels of gold outside Gusu City can now casually invite the Ancestor of the most prominent sect in the Nine Provinces Realm."

"That is a top-ranking figure, subtly higher in status than the ancestor of the Blazing Sun Sword Sect."

"Ah, truly the years are long... Eh, wait, it hasn't even been a year, has it?!"

Fatty Zhao's emotion surged halfway, suddenly realizing that the person before him had gone from obscurity to fame in just a few months.

"This experience of the little Taoist makes even my concept of time a bit blurry."

In less than two breaths' time, these complicated thoughts flashed through his mind.

Afterward.

Zhao Dabao put down the tea bowl in his hand, walked to the center of the guest hall, and solemnly cupped his fists towards Jin Xu, about to perform a grand gesture of respect.

"Little Taoist, you've taken such pains on my behalf, Elder Zhao I..."

His words paused, and the motion of kneeling stiffened in midair.

At that moment, two golden chains appeared out of thin air, tightly binding Fatty Zhao's arms, preventing them from moving any further down.

The instigator of these chains was none other than Jin Xu.

There was no helping it; the gesture of the other party about to kneel was all too familiar—he had just seen it three days ago, in the same place.

So, as soon as the other party cupped his fists, the little Taoist was ready with chains, waiting to bind the man's arms.

"Little Taoist, please loosen the chains. Regardless of whether things succeed or fail, you've helped me so much, I am very grateful to..."

"Zhao Brother."

Fatty Zhao's words were interrupted again.

He lifted his head in confusion to look at the little Taoist who had already approached him.

"Little Taoist, what is this?"

"We are friends.

"In my hometown, friends help each other without the need for kneeling and kowtowing."

With a smile, Jin Xu said this and waved his hand to retract the two golden spiritual power chains.

Fatty Zhao, caught off guard, fell directly onto the floor.

However, instead of choosing to get up immediately, he sat dazed on the ground for a while, and all the fat on his body began to tremble slightly.

"We... are friends? We are friends," said Zhao Dabao softly, repeating Jin Xu's words twice, first laughing mockingly at himself, then grinning widely, and bursting into laughter with all his might.

Being as astute as he was, he naturally understood the meaning of the little Taoist's words.

Moreover, Zhao Dabao realized that the most appropriate choice should have been to always conduct himself as he had when inviting the group into the city for a meal, offering storage treasures, or seeking help from Uncle Qian.

But as the other's power was revealed more and more, and his status and reputation grew higher and higher,

Fatty Zhao found he couldn't do it.

He started to become cautious around Jin Xu, his words inadvertently filled with subtle flattery, and he would also try his best to be congenial, so as not to let the other notice.

It might have been due to his experience as a merchant in his mundane life, or perhaps sensing the widening gap in their statuses, or maybe because the contact with Jin Xu had been too infrequent after leaving Gusu City.

Whatever the reason, Zhao Dabao's heart had been twisted in knots.

However, after the little Taoist pronounced that sentence,

"We are friends,"

those feelings vanished in an instant.

Fatty Zhao only felt an immense relief in his heart, and his thoughts were exceptionally clear.

With a leap, he sprang up from the ground agilely, about to say something,

when he suddenly felt a surge of spiritual power within his body!