Chapter 152 - A Special Kind Of Elder

Some hours went by until Qiu Ling finally found the strength to return to the Yun Zou sect. He didn't go to Jing Yi immediately but instead went to the formation that led to the special dimension.

His beloved had been angry when he left. He couldn't return with empty hands. He first had to get that Amethyst something pill and present it to him when they saw each other again.

He stepped into the array and was transported to the special dimension. Qiu Ling looked around but couldn't find the person he was looking for.

"Old geezer! Come out and help me refine a pill!"

In the lake, in the middle of the dimension, a pair of golden brows twitched.

Qiu Ling waited but didn't hear any answer. He started to go forward. "Didn't you hear me? I said I need your help! Come on out!"

The man in the lake opened his eyes and leaped out of the water just when Qiu Ling reached the edge.

Qiu Ling got a slap to his forehead. "Damn! What was this for?"

The man lifted his brows. "Is this how you talk to your elders?"

"Tch. Seems like it."

"Mn." The man turned around and walked to the boulder where he had sat when Zhangsun Xun Yi talked to him. Once again he sat down and observed Qiu Ling with those golden eyes of his. "You look bad."

Qiu Ling's brows twitched. "I'm still better looking than you even on my worst day!"

The man smiled. "Naturally."

Qiu Ling gritted his teeth. Somehow, he felt like he had lost that bout. "Anyway, I'm here because I need your help", he repeated disgruntled.

The man leaned back and sighed. "Ah, to think that I'd live long enough to see the day you'll ask me for a favor." He shook his head. "I should ask Zhangsun Xun Yi to make this into a festival so that I'll never forget about it."

Qiu Ling didn't bother arguing with him. "Are you going to help or not?"

The man smiled, his gaze turning gentler. "What is this about?"

"I need you to refine something." Qiu Ling took the herbs out of his spatial ring and put them down on the boulder, then he brought the spiritual beasts out.

The man lifted his golden brows. "A bunch of herbs and some spiritual beasts. Some other hint as to what you'd like me to refine?"

"It's some pill for remodeling the spirit veins of a mortal. It's called Amethyst something pill."

"That should be the Amethyst Lightning pill." He sifted through the herbs and nodded. "You did a good job. None of them are damaged and the quality is alright. What about them?" He nodded at the spiritual beasts.

Qiu Ling sat down next to him and handed him the list. "Eh, you should know some way to get those ingredients from them without killing them, shouldn't you?"

The golden-haired man frowned. "Do I look like a magician to you?"

"Uh … Actually … Yes?"

The man sighed. "There are some we can get without problems but … not all of them. It's impossible."

"Mn. Maybe the humans of the sect would know?"

Qiu Ling earned himself another slap to his forehead. "Didn't you listen just now? I said it's impossible."

Qiu Ling rubbed his head. "Maybe you just don't know."

"Tch. What do you mean by that? You were the one who came here and wanted my help, weren't you?"

"Hmph, maybe I shouldn't have done that, though."

"Oh, please, go ahead and find someone else. I'd like to see what kind of price you'll have to pay to get a mortal alchemist to refine that pill for you." The man put down the herbs and smiled.

"Damn. You're too calculating! Don't you feel like you owe me anything?"

The man lowered his head. "I've warned him, though. It was your father who didn't want to listen to me."

The two of them grew silent until the golden-haired man sighed and waved. "Alright, let's not talk about it anymore. He has been dead for too long already. There is nothing we can do anymore to change that. Concerning this", he said and waved the list of ingredients around. "You should ask your Master if the sect has any of the ingredients. Even if you're a heaven-defying genius they wouldn't give it to you if they know you're not going to use it yourself but if you exchange the materials for the beasts you've caught then it shouldn't be a problem."

"Alright. I'll go right now." Qiu Ling turned around and wanted to go but the golden-haired man grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.

"If you're already going out, then remember to bring me a cauldron, too."

"Cauldron?" Qiu Ling lifted his brows. "Don't you have your own? I remember my father telling me you had one."

"Are you an idiot? It's been ages since then and I definitely wouldn't have taken anything with me when I left. Just imagine what would have happened if people found that my personal belongings had vanished after I died. Wouldn't everyone suspect that something fishy is going on? Of course, they would! And would I have wanted that? Certainly not! It's bad enough that my successor found out!"

Yes, indeed, this golden-haired man in the special dimension of the Yun Zou sect was none other than Qiu Ling's predecessor, the former dragon king Jinde, that was supposedly dead. It had been quite a shock to Qiu Ling to see him again when he came to the Yun Zou sect, especially since their relationship was a little … strained.

But Jinde was the only one he could turn to now, so he swallowed his protest and just nodded. He left the special dimension once again and hurried over to his Master's palace, taking the spiritual beasts with him.

"Master!"

Zhangsun Xun Yi was once again pulled out of his meditation. He waited for Qiu Ling to storm into the room and threw him a questioning gaze. Hadn't his disciple gone to find the ingredients for the Amethyst Lightning pill?

Qiu Ling sat down in front of him. "Master, I've found all the ingredients for that pill but … Isn't it a little mean to kill those spiritual beasts for those materials? The old geezer said I should ask you if we have those ingredients in the sect." He waited for Grandmaster Zhangsun's answer but then remembered that he had to make a deal. "Ah! Wait! Of course, I don't want them just like that. I brought the spiritual beasts with me." Qiu Ling took them out of his spatial ring.

Instantly, the two of them were surrounded by spiritual beasts.

"You … actually captured all of them alive and brought them back?"

Qiu Ling nodded. "Mn. So, can I exchange them for the materials?"

Zhangsun Xun Yi sighed and took a few things out of his own spatial ring. Qiu Ling's eyes bulged.

"Master! You actually had all those materials yourself? Why did you make me go and find them, then?!"

"You can't use the pill."

"What do you mean, I can't use it? It's for my beloved!"

"Yes. For someone who has no status in the sect and would never attain it without help. So, why should you be given the materials for it?"

Qiu Ling pursed his lips. "Because you have them and you're my Master. Shouldn't you care about your disciple's well-being? I can tell you now that this well-being is closely tied to Jing He! So helping Jing He is helping your disciple."

Zhangsun Xun Yi just looked at him.

"You … You didn't care for me at all in these five years! You only put me in there with the old geezer! Don't you feel like you should make it up to me somehow?"

This time, something actually changed in Zhangsun Xun Yi's face. It didn't have anything to do with Qiu Ling's accusation, though. He was rather appalled at Qiu Ling's use of 'old geezer'. He had thought he had misunderstood before but now it was painfully clear that his disciple was using that label to refer to that man.

Objectively speaking, Jinde was much older than a mortal could even imagine. Then again, if one just looked at him from a mortal perspective he only looked about ten years older than Qiu Ling. Was that really someone that could be called an old geezer? And furthermore, could one really call someone that powerful any names without fearing repercussions?

Qiu Ling misunderstood his Master's gaze, though. "Mn, now you finally understand. Well, whatever, I already have the ingredients. The really important thing is that the old geezer can refine the pill now."

Grandmaster Zhangsun's brow twitched in a seldom show of agitation. "Qiu Ling, as your Master, let me give you some advice: Some people shouldn't be provoked."

He got a blank gaze back. "What kind of people are you talking about?"

Zhangsun Xun Yi sighed. "People like that man in the special dimension. Do you know who he is?"

Qiu Ling nodded. Of course, he did! "Sure. Speaking of which. What do you know about him? Why is he even here?"

Zhangsun Xun Yi frowned a bit. He wasn't sure if it was alright to speak about it, after all, it was his private matter. Then again, this was somebody of that man's own race. It would probably be alright? And Qiu Ling was right that he hadn't done much as his Master. If he believed that man, then he didn't need to anyway but he still felt like he owed Qiu Ling something. And warning his disciple was the least he could do.

"I can't tell you much. Just that he came here to wait for the person he loved to re—"

"Heavens!" Qiu Ling leaped to his feet, grabbed the ingredients his Master had taken and ran to the door. "Excuse me for asking! I don't want to know it after all!" With those words, he ran out and flew over to the Grand Elder's peak. He still had to get a cauldron, after all.

Zhangsun Xun Yi frowned. Had he said something wrong just now?