Elder Gui Heng and Elder Kang Xian

The master acknowledgement ceremony had been completed.

As of this moment, the relationship between Wu Meng and Zhang Wanqing had officially become that of master and disciple.

"Master..." Zhang Wanqing still felt rather awkward when addressing the young man in front of her in such a manner. "Where are the Nine Realms anyway? Is that where we are heading next?"

Earlier, Wu Meng had mentioned something about allowing her to rise to the peak of the Nine Realms. However, this was actually the first time that she had ever heard of that term.

Having lived in Green Seed Village all her life, the world that she knew of was rather limited, to say the least.

All she knew was that Green Seed Village was located within the mighty Hongye Kingdom, a country with vast territories spreading far and wide. There were numerous cities and towns flying the flag of the Hongye Kingdom, each one of them grand and imposing. As for villages like Green Seed Village, there were simply so many that it was impossible to keep track of.

In fact, it might not even be an exaggeration to liken Green Seed Village to a grain of sand that was lying on the beach known as the Hongye Kingdom!

Zhang Wanqing had also heard from the elders in Green Seed Village that there were other kingdoms and empires outside of the Hongye Kingdom, but they were existences so far away that she never even bothered to remember their names.

For the young village girl that she was, just the Hongye Kingdom alone was so huge that she would never be able to fully explore in her lifetime, so what need was there to even mention anything beyond the kingdom's borders?

"The Nine Realms?" Wu Meng chuckled lightly. "You don't have to worry about that for now. When the time comes, you will naturally understand."

Zhang Wanqing: "..."

Just what's so difficult about directly telling her the answer?

Nevertheless, she managed to suppress her curiosity and did not probe any further, simply nodding her head in forced acceptance.

"Looks like they are back," Wu Meng put down the teacup in his hands. "Go open the door."

Zhang Wanqing looked at Wu Meng in surprise.

The windows were shut, and she was absolutely certain that there had been no sound of footsteps, either. Logically speaking, there should not have been any way for Wu Meng to know that the cultivators had returned.

Even so, he spoke with such certainty that Zhang Wanqing felt almost compelled to believe his words.

She had heard that on top of extraordinary strength, cultivators also possessed super senses far beyond the physical limits of mortals. Could that really be the case, and Wu Meng had simply picked up on the others' footsteps before she was able to?

Wait, why does she need to keep wondering?

She can just ask!

"Master, how do you know that they are coming?" Zhang Wanqing asked while getting to her feet.

This time, the word 'master' came out much smoother than before.

Wu Meng merely smiled in response. "Don't worry about that for now. When the time comes, you will naturally understand."

Zhang Wanqing: "..."

She was really starting to hate hearing that.

What kind of master never answers their disciple's questions?

Doesn't he know that this kind of non-answer would only make her more curious than before?

Nevertheless, Zhang Wanqing once again decided not to probe further and went to open the door as instructed.

She was still slightly sceptical, so she could not help but be surprised to see that things were exactly as Wu Meng had said.

Three people were arriving at their doorstep just as she pulled open the door.

Leading the group was Protector Jun Mo, whose face she was already familiar with, but those behind him were no longer any of the young cultivators from before.

Instead, they were two men who looked to be in their sixties.

Both of them wore solemn expressions as they immediately scanned Zhang Wanqing from head to toe with their firm gazes, almost as though they were predators examining their prey.

As a young lady, Zhang Wanqing naturally felt uncomfortable with their unrestrained gazes and instinctively took a step back.

This opened up the doorway, giving Wu Meng an unhindered view of the three new arrivals.

"So you are back, Protector Jun Mo," Wu Meng gestured towards one of the seats at the table with a smile on his face. "Please don't stand on ceremony. Come in and take a seat."

"I dare not make Young Sir wait too long," Protector Jun Mo entered with an amiable smile. "Let me introduce you. These two gentlemen with me are Elder Gui Heng and Elder Kang Xian. They are both esteemed elders of the Five Elements Valley."

"Mm," Wu Meng nodded indifferently. "More importantly, have you brought the thing that I've mentioned?"

The two elders standing behind Protector Jun Mo immediately frowned.

When Protector Jun Mo introduced them earlier as elders of the valley, the two might have remained silent, but they had also quietly puffed up their chests in pride.

Then again, it was understandable that they would feel proud of their status as well.

As elders of the Five Elements Valley, they did not only possess unparalleled authority within the valley. Even outside of the valley grounds, they would command a high level of respect from other cultivators.

However, Wu Meng had not even given them so much as a nod to acknowledge their presence.

From his lacklustre response, it was obvious that Wu Meng simply did not care for them, whatsoever!

Protector Jun Mo could not help but let out a wry smile.

Among the two elders, Elder Gui Heng was his master, and Elder Kang Xian was a good friend of his master's. So he understood their fiery temperament very well.

In the first place, the two elders were not here without reason.

When Protector Jun Mo went to retrieve his Violet Earth Incense earlier, he had coincidentally bumped into the two elders. In his excitement, Protector Jun Mo told them about the trade with Wu Meng, but never expected that they would actually doubt the authenticity of this trade.

After all, just like the Yin Heart Stone, the Violet Earth Incense was also a treasure in its own right – something that would be coveted by many.

Moreover, the Yin Heart Stone was not something that could be found easily. Even Protector Jun Mo, who had been searching for it for so long, had actually only ever seen it on records.

As Protector Jun Mo's master, Elder Gui Heng was worried that Protector Jun Mo might be getting cheated due to his inexperience, so he had insisted on coming to see it for himself. Elder Kang Xian agreed with Elder Gui Heng's assessment of the situation, which was why he tagged along as well.

This meant that they had already been doubtful of Wu Meng from the start. Now that Wu Meng was overtly showing such disregard for their status as elders, Protector Jun Mo was worried that the two elders would no longer be able to hold back their temper.

And his worries were on point.

"Before showing you the Violet Earth Incense, we would need to ascertain that your Yin Heart Stone is indeed the real deal. So bring it out and let us have a look," Elder Gui Heng demanded.

"And don't even think of playing any tricks," Elder Kang Xian immediately added. "If we find anything wrong with the Yin Heart Stone, you can forget about leaving here unscathed!"

Faced with their confrontational attitude, Zhang Wanqing could not help but feel nervous, but Wu Meng actually laughed in response.

"Judging from what you just said, I guess I would be in deep trouble if my Yin Heart Stone is not up to your standard?" Wu Meng remarked. "Perhaps I should just forget about this whole matter and leave before that happens, then!"

"Do you think that will work?" Elder Gui Heng sneered. "If you can't bring out a Yin Heart Stone right now, then we shall treat it as you trying to cheat a member of my Five Elements Valley. Let me just say it upfront – the punishment for such a crime is not going to be light!"

"Oh? I wonder what the punishment will be for that?" Wu Meng asked with a smile.

Faced with his nonchalant attitude, the elders felt even more exasperated. They could tell that Wu Meng was not intimidated at all, and was simply toying with them right now!

"It seems that because our Five Elements Valley has been quiet for the past generations, even random merchants have started to look down on us," Elder Kang Xian took a deep breath. "Perhaps we have no choice but to show you just what the Five Elements Valley is truly capable of!"

"That does sound rather interesting," Wu Meng smirked. "Why don't you try showing off a little? Maybe that will change my mind indeed."

The atmosphere in the room instantly turned cold, and Zhang Wanqing could not help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.

She was secretly cursing Wu Meng in her heart.

The two elders are already fuming, so why do you have to keep taunting them?

Do you really want to shred all pretense of cordiality?

"Master, Martial Uncle, please hold on!" Protector Jun Mo hurriedly interjected before turning to Wu Meng. "Young Sir, you must have misunderstood the elders' intention for asking to see the Yin Heart Stone. They are only speaking this way because they have yet to see the Yin Heart Stone and are thus genuinely worried that I might get cheated. Please don't take their words to heart."

He could tell that, be it Wu Meng or the two elders, neither party was willing to give in. If he still continued to stand by and watch, the situation could just spiral out of control!

"Well, I am fine with it as long as they stop trying to act all high and mighty," Wu Meng shrugged. "After all, there's no reason for me to make a deal with a party that is antagonistic towards me to begin with."

The elders were about to speak again when Protector Jun Mo stepped in front and clasped his fists towards them. "Master, Martial Uncle, please allow Jun Mo to handle this matter!"

Seeing his disciple's pleading look, Elder Gui Heng could only let out a helpless sigh.

As his master, how could he not know just how long Protector Jun Mo had been trying to find a Yin Heart Stone?

Now that there was finally a chance to obtain one, he naturally did not want to spoil things for his disciple. The only reason he lost his temper earlier was because of Wu Meng's blatant show of disregard.

Elder Gui Heng exchanged glances with Elder Kang Xian before turning back to Protector Jun Mo. "All right, we will take a step back and leave this matter to you for now."

"Thank you, Master. Thank you, Martial Uncle," Protector Jun Mo let out a sigh of relief.

"That's more like it. This is how a trade should go – a simple exchange of goods without any threats involved," Wu Meng nodded in satisfaction. "Qing'er, go bring me my chest."

Zhang Wanqing did not hesitate to carry out his instructions, not even for a single moment.

The atmosphere within the guest house was extremely tense right now. So even if it was only for a few short moments, Zhang Wanqing was still more than happy to get a chance to go out and take a breather.

There were quite a few boxes and chests loaded on the horse wagon, but she knew exactly which one Wu Meng was talking about. There was a specific wooden chest that Wu Meng always used.

The wooden chest was surprisingly light as well, so Zhang Wanqing had no issue carrying it alone. It did not take long before she returned to the guest house.

Thud-!

Zhang Wanqing placed the wooden chest down beside Wu Meng. "Here."

"Mm," Wu Meng nodded before opening up the chest slightly.

Just as always, he did so at such an angle that no one else could see the chest's contents. He stretched his hand in and rummaged for a little before finally pulling out a small wooden box.

"Take a look," Wu Meng placed it on the table before him and pushed it over towards Protector Jun Mo.

Protector Jun Mo could hear his heart palpitating as he picked up the wooden box.

Since the beginning, it had only been the four young cultivators who had seen the Yin Heart Stone. Even though they had described it in great detail, this would still be his first time seeing it in person.

Whether it was genuine or fake, everything shall be revealed in the next moment!

Behind him, Elder Gui Heng and Elder Kang Xian curiously peeked over his shoulders as well. All three of them were eager to see what was contained within the small box.

Protector Jun Mo carefully lifted the cover of the box, and an endless stream of white vapour was released from within.

The three of them widened their eyes in unison the moment they beheld the item within.

"This... I have never seen a Yin Heart Stone of such quality!" Elder Gui Heng exclaimed in utter astonishment. "There is no doubt about it. This is a Yin Heart Stone of the highest grade!"