The two of them fell silent until Jinde 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 to change that. Concerning this," he said and waved the list of ingredients. "You should ask your Master if the sect has any of the ingredients you lack. 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. As far as I remember, the Yun Zou Sect raises some spiritual beasts so they will leave them alive."

"Alright. I’ll go right now." Qiu Ling turned around and wanted to go but the Jinde grabbed him by the collar and pulled. It wasn’t hard but Qiu Ling still swiveled around, raising his brows.

"If you’re already going out, remember to bring me a cauldron as well."

"Cauldron?" Qiu Ling blinked. "Don’t you have your own? I remember my father telling me you had."

"Are you an idiot? It’s been ages since then and I 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?"

Qiu Ling opened his mouth but was shot down with a glare.

"Of course, they would! And would I have wanted that? Certainly not! It’s bad enough that my successor found out!"

Qiu Ling pursed his lips. He had quite a bit to say about this supposed death of his predecessor but Jinde was the only one he could turn to now, so he swallowed his protest and just nodded. What use was there in arguing with him anyway? Thousands of years had passed since Jinde faked his death and Qiu Ling finally followed onto the throne of the dragon realm.

Although he hadn’t wanted to do so and had just given in because of circumstances, he was considered the rightful king by now. And since this status had allowed him to woo the crown prince of the Nine Heavens, Qiu Ling’s anger about having to sit on that stupid throne had already reduced by more than half.

Actually, thinking about it now, it would be worth for him if Jinde suddenly jumped out and declared that he wasn’t dead and wanted his throne back. So … he probably shouldn’t anger him needlessly.

Qiu Ling left the special dimension while pondering this issue but finally threw it out of his mind when he reached his Master’s palace. Anyway, the old geezer didn’t seem as if he wanted to return anytime soon so he should concentrate on more important issues. Winning back his beloved’s heart, for example.

Thus he went to present the spiritual beasts to Grandmaster Zhangsun. "Master!"

Zhangsun Xun Yi was once again pulled out of his meditation. He waited for Qiu Ling to storm into the room and gave 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.

The two of them found themselves surrounded by spiritual beasts. Even Zhangsun Xun Yi’s perpetual frown cracked at this scene. The spiritual beasts that were being shoved into the spatial ring and pulled out again and again couldn’t help but look at the two men in front of them wide-eyed either.

"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 his use?"

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 pushed me off to 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. After all, he had brought his disciple to that person to help him. Rather, he was 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 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?" He couldn’t remember anybody that he couldn’t provoke. Well, minus his mother-in-law maybe … She was a force to be reckoned with.

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, his disciple was of that man’s own race. It should 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 spiritual beasts and the ingredients his Master had taken and ran to the door. "Excuse me for asking! I don’t want to know, 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?