I watched as the Seven Ghost Sovereigns gathered together. Each of them wore a grave expression, as if they were silently communicating something important. I stared for a long time, but not a single word was spoken. Just as I was feeling puzzled, Red-Haired suddenly burst into laughter, then began laughing out loud.
"What are you all talking about?"
I muttered, and at that moment, Yin Chou smiled.
"Brother, you'll find out soon enough."
I looked at the Seven Ghost Sovereigns in surprise. It seemed they had already made up their minds about what to do, and all within just a few minutes.
By now, it was almost time for the midday meeting to begin. I saw my cousin and Hu Tianshu, both staggering over, clearly drunk. I glanced over, and Hu Tianshu subtly shook his head at me—he hadn't been able to get anything out of my cousin.
The meeting started again. At that moment, Hu Tianshu leaned over and whispered in my ear.
"Qingyuan, for now, don't get involved in this. Zhang Hao won't tell you anything."
I looked at Hu Tianshu in surprise. He sighed, saying nothing more. My cousin's face was flushed and he was clearly drunk, but his mood seemed to have improved a little.
Xuanji Zi stood up again. As the host of the meeting, he was doing an excellent job, and he began to speak once more.
"Everyone, let's put aside the unpleasantness from this morning for now. I wonder if any of our friends here have something they'd like to discuss?"
No one at the conference table spoke up. I noticed Red-Haired growing restless, wanting to bring up the matter of the magical artifact, but Yin Chou shot him a look, and he immediately shut his mouth.
"Alright then, if no one else wants to go, let me do it."
At that moment, I widened my eyes in surprise, looking over at Lan Yin and his group. It was Su Yuanjie who stood up, then gave a meaningful glance to the guides around him. Lan Yin looked stunned, as if he had no idea what was going on.
"Cat Lord, First Hall Yama, King Qinguang—there's something we'd hoped to convey, so we're asking you, Cat Lord."
In an instant, everyone turned to look at Su Yuanjie. This sudden development caught everyone off guard.
"Oh? Go ahead, young man."
Cat Lord spoke kindly. Su Yuanjie produced a flawless, crystal-clear stone that was already cracked. It was about the size of a fist, and looked just like an ordinary stone.
"Ah, that's the First Hall Yama's echo stone, isn't it? Haha, it's so realistic—truly impressive."
Cat Lord sighed in admiration. I saw the Nine Sons of the Dao Sect, as well as the other attendees and Ghost Sovereigns, all fix their gaze on the stone.
"May I ask, Cat Lord, was it you who broke this stone?"
Su Yuanjie spoke in a stern tone. Cat Lord nodded.
"Yes, I did break this stone."
"Then I'll be blunt, Cat Lord. First Hall Yama hopes you can return what was inside this stone."
Cat Lord smiled nonchalantly.
"Then please tell First Hall Yama that my old bones can't move anymore. If she wants it, she'll have to come fetch it herself."
As soon as Cat Lord finished speaking, Yin Chou burst into loud laughter.
"Little Cat, you really are something. That Yama sits on her throne every day—how could she possibly have time to come to the world of the living to look for you?"
Su Yuanjie laughed as well.
"Since the message has been delivered, I'll make sure to give First Hall Yama a proper reply."
After speaking, Su Yuanjie sat down. Lan Yin looked furious, while the other nine guides seemed to already know about the matter—only Lan Yin was left in the dark. Even the usually honest Lu Junchi looked embarrassed, and Lan Yin shot him a fierce glare.
Lu Junchi looked as if he wanted to say something but stopped. Su Yuanjie glanced at Lu Junchi, then at Lan Yin.
"Lan Yin, the Yellow Springs don't belong to you alone. This was a unanimous decision by the nine of us."
With a loud slap, Lan Yin slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
"Gentlemen, let's talk this through calmly. No need to get angry—Amitabha."
Master Mingde immediately spoke up. I looked at Lan Yin and shook my head. He swallowed his anger and sat down, allowing the situation to settle. Lu Junchi kept his head down, not daring to look at Lan Yin.
"Alright, everyone. Is there anyone else who has matters to discuss? If not, we, the Nine Sons of the Dao Sect, hope to make a deal with the Seven Ghost Sovereigns."
Xuanji Zi spoke frankly, and everyone's attention turned to the Nine Sons of the Dao Sect and the Seven Ghost Sovereigns.
"The main event is finally here."
Hu Tianshu adjusted his glasses and said quietly. I looked at him; he seemed to know something.
Xuanji Zi bowed toward us, then spoke respectfully.
"You seven are the elite of the Ghost Dao, honored as Sovereigns. For this matter between our two sides, I hope we can peacefully resolve the centuries-old grudges and entanglements."
After Xuanji Zi finished, Yunlong Zi stood up, his big belly wobbling.
"Actually, it's quite simple. Lord Yuna Ji, we hope you can return the five magical artifacts you took from our Dao Sect years ago. That's all. After all, it's been centuries; whatever grudges there were, I think we can just laugh them off and let them go."
Yunlong Zi wore an innocent, harmless expression, smiling warmly and showing no hostility.
Yuna Ji said nothing, quietly watching the Nine Sons of the Dao Sect.
"May I ask, Lord Yuna Ji, those five magical artifacts, where are they now...?"
"They're at the very bottom of the Soulbound Inn."
Yuna Ji replied coldly. Xuanji Zi looked relaxed and at ease. Among the Nine Sons of the Dao Sect, all but Taomu Zi seemed extremely excited, as if the burden they'd been carrying had finally been lifted.
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"Then, we hope that Lord Yuna Ji can return these five magical artifacts that belong to our Dao Sect."
Xuanji Zi immediately added. Yunlong Zi sat down, smiling warmly at us. Among the Nine Sons of the Dao Sect, all except Xiaoyao Zi and Taomu Zi looked friendly, clearly eager to resolve the matter.
"Why should I return them to you?"
As soon as Yuna Ji said this, Xuanji Zi's expression changed slightly.
"Lord Yuna Ji, back then, you killed our honored predecessors—the five Nine Sons of that era. So this time, we bear no grudges and hope for a peaceful resolution. As long as you..."
With a loud slap, Yuna Ji slammed her hand on the table in anger, glaring at Xuanji Zi. I noticed the table was starting to crack and turn to dust where she sat.
Suddenly, Yin Chou grabbed Yuna Ji and pulled her away from her seat.
"Why are you so angry?"
"Hmph, when the Dao Sect people killed my servant Longnu back then, did they show any mercy? She did nothing wrong, yet your Five Gates killed her. So I went up the mountain and killed those five, destroyed your Dao Sect—so what?"
As Yuna Ji spoke, I saw the faces of the Nine Sons of the Dao Sect grow unpleasant. The situation seemed completely deadlocked.
At this moment, Cat Lord looked like he wanted to say something, but Yin Chou spoke up immediately.
"Little Cat, just sit down. The logic of the world is never clear, never simple. Since so much time has passed, let it go. There's no need to keep arguing about right and wrong. The fact is, the magical artifacts are in our hands now. If you want them, you'll have to trade something for them—something we find satisfactory, not just whatever you offer."
Yin Chou spoke with a hard stance, then pushed Yuna Ji's back, making her sit down. Amazingly, the table that had turned to dust suddenly restored itself.
"Lord Yin Chou, isn't your attitude a bit too forceful? Both sides were at fault back then, but we lost over a hundred people, while you..."
"Whether it was one death or a thousand, if you still want to argue about right and wrong, then the deal is off. You can keep going, but as for those magical artifacts, once I get back, I'll find someone to improve them. Brother, maybe I'll just give them to you."
I gasped, looking at Yin Chou. He smiled at me. I could tell the Nine Sons of the Dao Sect were getting anxious—they cared deeply about those five magical artifacts.
Xuanji Zi tried to speak, but Yin Chou immediately cut him off.
"This is your last chance. Are we trading or not?"
Yin Chou's decisive move seemed to leave the Nine Sons of the Dao Sect completely stunned.
"You..." Xuanji Zi was about to speak when, in an instant, all Seven Ghost Sovereigns stood up.
"Let's go. Since they have no intention of trading, there's no point in continuing this discussion."
Yin Chou spoke, and Xuanji Zi immediately called out.
"Sovereigns, please wait—allow us Nine Sons to discuss this."
But Yin Chou and the others began to float away.
"Alright, we accept the conditions of you Seven Ghost Sovereigns. Just give us a little time to prepare."
Xuanji Zi was so flustered that his tongue nearly got tied; he spoke quickly and even bit his tongue.
"Fine, since you're so sincere, the six of you should bear with it for now. Everyone heard it—you're the ones insisting on trading with us. These magical artifacts are useless to me, and I have no reason to give them to you. Plenty of others want them. If you don't, I can find someone else."
Yin Chou said slyly. I looked at him in surprise. It seemed the Nine Sons of the Dao Sect had prepared many countermeasures for dealing with the Seven Ghost Sovereigns, but now they were completely led by Yin Chou.