The Flowers on the Road to the Underworld

Ye Tian suddenly became alert.

Could it be that Qian Renxue had caught wind of something related to the "Coral"?

He had already warned the Li family that none of their people were allowed to leave Golden Turtle Island recently.

Besides, the pirates had been diverted by Zi Zhenzhu.

There shouldn't be any information leaks.

After carefully considering it, Ye Tian sighed softly, thinking that he was probably overthinking.

Perhaps Qian Renxue had come to East Sea City to cooperate with some mysterious operation of the Spirit Hall.

He was aware that in recent days, the Spirit Hall's interest in East Sea City had significantly increased.

With this thought, Ye Tian understood that it was necessary to meet this special envoy named Qian Gu Shizhen.

Now, with the situation of Coral's disappearance and the secret actions of the Spirit Hall creating tension, the farm must not show any signs of abnormality. Otherwise, he would truly need to flee overseas ahead of time.

"It seems that's the case."

Chen Jian explained.

"As the heir to the empire, the Crown Prince's whereabouts are always the highest level of secret and are not explicitly stated."

"Qian Gu Shizhen only hinted that he wanted to use our farm as one of the Crown Prince's resting places in the East Sea."

"He didn't reveal much more than that."

"Alright, Elder Chen, lead the way," Ye Tian gestured.

Hearing the two talking about Xue Qinghe, Hu Liena, standing nearby, was suddenly startled.

She had heard every word Chen Jian said just now.

If Qian Renxue came to the farm, wouldn't she meet both her and her teacher?

Qian Renxue was now the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.

If the Crown Prince were to travel, he would inevitably be accompanied by many important officials of the empire.

Even if others didn't recognize her teacher, these officials certainly would!

At this thought, Hu Liena grew a bit flustered.

If they recognized each other, it could cause big trouble.

"Would you like to come along, Nana?" Ye Tian beckoned with his hand.

Since he had already decided to treat Nana as his girlfriend, it was time for her to experience certain things.

He couldn't always keep her sheltered under his wing, free from any harm.

That would only hinder her growth.

Now, receiving the governor's envoy seemed like a good learning opportunity.

She could learn how to handle people and situations.

"Alright," Hu Liena hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed.

Her teacher's identity and appearance as the Pope were well-known to many.

But she was different.

Having spent most of her time studying at the Spirit Hall Academy, while it was known across the continent that the Spirit Hall had a Golden Generation, Hu Liena included, few people had actually seen her.

She didn't need to worry about being exposed in front of the governor's envoy.

Besides, it was an invitation from Ye Tian. She couldn't refuse.

Ye Tian took Nana's hand and, together with Chen Jian, headed toward the farm's small courtyard.

The envoy, Qian Gu Shizhen, was waiting for him there.

Knowing Qian Gu Shizhen's identity, Chen Jian didn't dare to slack off and had a pot of Da Hong Pao tea prepared and sent over.

At this moment, in the courtyard, Qian Gu Shizhen was leisurely sipping the Da Hong Pao, chatting with the two or three officials who had come with him.

Ye Tian walked over calmly and bowed slightly. "I apologize for not welcoming you sooner, Special Envoy. I hope you don't mind."

Hearing Ye Tian speak, Qian Gu Shizhen, sitting on a stone chair, gave him a dismissive glance.

His eyes were full of disdain.

Of course, this disdain was not directed at Ye Tian specifically, but at all commoners.

In Qian Gu Shizhen's eyes, anyone who was neither a soul master nor a noble was nothing but an ant.

If it weren't for the mission, he wouldn't even want to set foot on this farm full of commoners.

He lazily raised his hand. "No need for formalities. I'm sure your subordinates have already informed you that the Crown Prince will soon arrive."

"You're quite lucky to have the honor of hosting the Crown Prince!"

After saying this, he waved his hand in disgust.

An official approached and tossed half a bag of Gold Soul Coins into Ye Tian's hand.

With a cold expression, Qian Gu Shizhen said, "The empire has a rule: whenever private property is used as a palace, there must be compensation."

"In this bag, there are 1,000 Gold Soul Coins—200 as compensation for using the land and 800 for hosting the Crown Prince."

Feeling the weight of the bag, Ye Tian sneered inwardly.

If there were even 200 coins in the bag, he would have overestimated Qian Gu Shizhen.

But Qian Gu Shizhen didn't care about Ye Tian's thoughts. He was casually picking at his fingernails as he continued, "I also serve as the chief officer for disaster relief in East Sea City."

He suddenly looked up and stared at Ye Tian. "As one of the top farm owners in East Sea City, it is your responsibility to contribute during times of disaster. A donation of 50,000 Gold Soul Coins isn't too much, is it?"

With that, Qian Gu Shizhen waved his hand.

The official who had handed Ye Tian the coins earlier now snatched them back.

"We're still 48,000 Gold Soul Coins short!" he said coldly. "Boy, you'd better come up with the disaster relief funds within a day, or you'll be charged with treason!"

At this, Ye Tian couldn't help but laugh. "Not paying up is treason?"

The other party's reasoning for threats was truly ridiculous.

On the other hand, it was clear they intended to extort him, not even bothering to disguise it.

They had picked the wrong person to bully.

Qian Gu Shizhen's eyes narrowed slightly.

This young man remained so calm in his presence?

He himself was a Soul Saint at level 70.

The pressure he emanated would be unbearable for ordinary people, and even soul masters would find it difficult to endure.

This made Qian Gu Shizhen discreetly assess Ye Tian's entourage.

Suddenly, he noticed that Chen Jian, standing beside Ye Tian, exuded a faint soul power.

After carefully sensing it, Qian Gu Shizhen became wary.

The other party's strength wasn't inferior to his own!

No wonder the boy was so composed.

He had a powerful backer.

By the rules of the underworld, someone with backing couldn't be treated the same as commoners.

Still, he couldn't leave empty-handed.

Squinting his eyes, Qian Gu Shizhen smiled. "We're all on the same side, no need for formalities. I'll take this bag of 1,000 coins. You only need to hand over another 2,000 Gold Soul Coins, and we'll call it even."

"And what if I don't want to give a single coin?" Ye Tian stared directly at Qian Gu Shizhen, his tone serious.

Qian Gu Shizhen smiled slightly and calmly took a sip of his tea.

"In that case, I'll have to use... some special methods."

Ye Tian laughed loudly. "Haha! Since it's for disaster relief, how could I refuse to contribute?"

"Elder Chen, fetch 3,000 Gold Soul Coins from the warehouse. The extra 1,000 will be for the Special Envoy's trouble."

"As you command," Chen Jian responded, sending a farm worker to fetch the money.

One of the officials beside Qian Gu Shizhen sneered, "You're quite the sensible one!"

Before long, 3,000 Gold Soul Coins were neatly presented before Qian Gu Shizhen.

Seeing the shining gold coins, Qian Gu Shizhen looked as though he were basking in spring sunshine. He glanced at Ye Tian indifferently, waved his hand grandly, and signaled for his group to leave.

As they departed, Hu Liena, who had been quietly watching, couldn't help but whisper, "Ye Tian, why did you give an extra 1,000 coins?"

"Extra?" Ye Tian said, his expression calm. "That's for the flowers on Qian Gu Shizhen's road to the underworld."

(End of Chapter)