When Zheng Qiu recalled the reason Liu Feng Gu had to leave the County Governor's estate, he sighed inwardly. He did not wish a young genius like Duan Ling Tian to share the same fate as Liu Feng Gu's direct disciple. For this reason, he had advised Duan Ling Tian earlier.
Before Duan Ling Tian could respond, Qin Yu could not help but ask, "Zhou Tong? Elder Zheng Qiu, is Revered Elder Zhou Tong one of the two Great Overarching Golden Celestials in our Nine Specters County? The other Great Overarching Golden Celestial is our County Governor, right?" As one of two Great Overarching Golden Celestials in Nine Specters County, he had, naturally, heard about Zhou Tong. In fact, Zhou Tong was also famous in the other counties that were ruled by King Qing's mansion.
"Yes, that's him. Revered Elder Zhou Tong is one of the two Great Overarching Golden Celestials in Nine Specters County. His strength and position are only second to Lord County Governor," Zheng Qiu replied to Qin Yu's question, but he was looking at Duan Ling Tian instead. It seemed as though he was afraid Duan Ling Tian did not know who Zhou Tong was.
Duan Ling Tian was taken aback. He recalled the story Liu Feng Gu had told him, and it took him a while to regain his composure before he calmly replied, "Elder Zheng Qiu, I already have a master, and I'll never accept a second one!" He said it emotionlessly, clearly showing he was speaking the truth and was not making up an excuse. He had recognized Sword Saint Feng Qing Yang, the person who had taught him the Sovereign Heart Sword, as his master although he had not met Feng Qing Yang. In fact, he did not even know if Feng Qing Yang was still alive after escaping to the Asura Hell, one of the seven deadliest places in the Devata Realms. Regardless, he still recognized Feng Qing Yang as his master.
Zheng Qiu's expression changed drastically. He immediately asked Duan Ling Tian via Voice Transmission, "Duan Ling Tian, do you know the reason why City Governor Liu left the Count Governor's estate for Bloody Specter City?" Without waiting for Duan Ling Tian's reply, he disclosed everything that happened back then.
Zheng Qiu's words also verified that Liu Feng Gu was telling the truth. 'It looks like I won't be able to renege on our deal,' Duan Ling Tian thought. Although he was certain Liu Feng Gu was not lying, he still felt a slight ripple in his heart when he heard the confirmation from Zheng Qiu.
"If I refuse Zhou Tong, do you think he'll kill me like he did to City Governor Liu's direct disciple?" Duan Ling Tian asked via Voice Transmission as he looked at Zheng Qiu.
When Zheng Qiu saw Duan Ling Tian's determination, he knew it was useless to keep persuading him. He said, "Well, I'll ask for a favor from the County Governor to save your life when I see him later. This can be considered as repayment for what happened earlier."
Since King Qing's Mansion had gathered Golden Celestials below the age of 100 in the Nine Specters City, they could be considered as people from King Qing's mansion. For this reason, Duan Ling Tian did not think Zhou Tong would dare to kill him for his personal reason.
"Well, if King Qing's mansion learns about you and values you, Revered Elder Zhou Tong certainly wouldn't dare to kill you. The problem is King Qing's mansion is unaware of you at the moment even if you're extremely brilliant. If Revered Elder Zhou Tong kills you before King Qing's Mansion learns about your existence, Lord County Governor will certainly cover for Revered Elder Zhou Tong once you die. After all, King Qing's Mansion might take offense if they learn the truth. After speaking so much, I'm sure you understand what I'm trying to say, right?" Zheng Qiu replied via Voice Transmission.
"Yes, I understand." Duan Ling Tian nodded. His expression darkened when he realized the perilous situation he was in. Zheng Qiu had just said the County Governor of Nine Specters County would try his best to protect Zhou Tong because of Zhou Tong's value if Zhou Tong killed him before he was recognized by King Qing's Mansion!
'It seems like I'll have to get stronger as quickly as possible so that I can defeat Zhou Tong and bring him back to City Governor in exchange for the location of the Celestial Fire,' Duan Ling Tian thought to himself. Currently, he was extremely motivated to get stronger. He wished he had the strength to defeat Zhou Tong now.
At this moment, Qin Yu asked, "Elder Zheng Qiu, where will we be staying?"
"I'm not sure, but I'll bring you to a place for you to stay in temporarily. Meanwhile, I'll meet Lord County Governor to report about the Black and White Heroes. At that time, I'll ask about his arrangement for both of you," Zheng Qiu replied. After he brought them to his residence, he said before he left, "Please stay here for the time being. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to speak to my servants. I'll take my leave now to meet Lord County Governor!"
As they sat in the compound of Zheng Qiu's residence, Qin Yu took in the rich Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy. He closed his eyes and said in a delighted voice, "This place is very rich with Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy!"
"It can be seen that Elder Zheng Qiu is truly the second strongest Golden Celestial in Nine Specters County. The cultivation environment here is even better than City Governor Liu's Tranquil Alcove!" Duan Ling Tian exclaimed. He could sense the Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy was the most concentrated and richest in Zheng Qiu's room, but even in other places in Zheng Qiu's residence, the Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy was still richer than the best cultivation location in Bloody Specter City!
"Hmm?" Duan Ling Tian discovered that Qin Yu, at some point, had sat down cross-legged and begun to cultivate. He could vaguely see the mist-like Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy continuously entering Qin Yu's body at a very fast speed.
'Hmm, it's natural that Qin Yu is more fascinated by the cultivation environment here compared to me,' Duan Ling Tian thought to himself. After all, he had at least cultivated in the City Governor's Tranquil Alcove so the cultivation environment here was not too shocking for him. On the other hand, the best cultivation location Qin Yu had ever been to was the valley where the Black Dragon Army's camp was located.
Duan Ling Tian exhaled audibly before he also sat down cross-legged to cultivate as he held a prominent Celestial Stone in his hand. He did not consume a primitive Spirit Nourishing Pill because there was one that had yet to be completely digested. Therefore, there was no need to take another one.
'After nine months, I only have two primitive Spirit Nourishing Pills left. I'll try to procure more. After all, without the pills, my cultivation speed will slow down considerably,' Duan Ling Tian thought to himself before he began to cultivate. Three months ago, he was given four Spirit Nourishing Pills. During the journey to the County City, he had consumed two pills to cultivate when he had time.
When Duan Ling Tian was cultivating, he seemed to have forgotten about the passage of time. Who knew if it was hours or a few days when he was finally woken up by Zheng Qiu's voice.
"Both of you are really lucky. Not too long ago, Lord County Governor, Revered Elder Zhou, and a few elders had prepared a cultivation location for you. It's a good location with a great cultivation environment. The Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy there is almost as rich as the Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy in Lord County Governor and Revered Elder Zhou Tong's cultivation place. Their cultivation places are considered the best in Nine Specters County," Zheng Qiu said as a hint of envy flashed in his eyes. Although his cultivation environment was quite good, it was still a far cry compared to the County Governor and Zhou Tong's cultivation environments!
Qin Yu's eyes brightened in excitement when he heard Zheng Qiu's words.
On the other hand, Duan Ling Tian seemed to detect an underlying meaning in Zheng Qiu's words. "The best cultivation environment for us? Elder Zheng Qiu, does this mean not everyone is allowed to cultivate in the location that Lord County Governor has prepared?"