"No. I only entered the desert after he had gone far away."
Qian Duoduo's answer made Niu Jinshui heave a sigh of relief.
He closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then opened them and said to Qian Duoduo, "What rewards did the five Palace Lords give you?"
This question was so sudden that Qian Duoduo was stunned. "It seems they haven't given them yet."
Niu Jinshui chuckled, mocking Tang Honggong, "Look at you all, so reluctant to give rewards. How about this: you all stay here and properly discuss what reward to give Jin Buhuan. I'll go to the back mountain for a bit and be back soon."
Not long after he entered the hall, the other four Palace Lords, Elder Bi, and Elder Jin returned to the main hall.
The four Palace Lords nodded at Qian Duoduo. Reporting matters directly to the Sect Leader significantly increased Qian Duoduo's standing in their hearts.
Zhangzuo Dajiu smiled and said, "Bu Huan, let me introduce you to the four Palace Lord Seniors."
Tang Honggong first pointed his hand at Hall Master Ping of Xiongjin Mountain, "This is Hall Master Ping, Ping Yundan."
Ping Yundan smiled slightly and nodded to Qian Duoduo. With Wang Dahei and Lei Jiashu, she was the most amiable towards Qian Duoduo.
"Head Seat Chu, Chu Wannian. Palace Lord Shang, Shang Wutui. Zhu Zhangzuo, Zhu Erkang." As Zhangzuo Dajiu introduced each one, Qian Duoduo respectfully stood straight and bowed once.
Shang Wutui was a thin, middle-aged man with extremely piercing eyes.
Zhu Erkang had an elegant demeanor, holding a black folding fan in his hand and carrying a book satchel at his waist.
"I estimate the Sect Leader just spoke to all the Palace Lords. Jin Buhuan has rendered great service this time, so let's discuss what reward to give him."
Zhangzuo Dajiu's words made Shang Wutui frown and ask, "Where is the Sect Leader?"
"The Sect Leader went to the back mountain and will be back soon," Zhangzuo Dajiu said with a gentle smile.
Upon hearing the words "back mountain," the bodies of the four Palace Lords all trembled.
Shang Wutui laughed twice, "I've already prepared the reward for my nephew Jin, but I was afraid it wouldn't suit his taste, so I didn't send it to your residence. What does my nephew like?"
This Shang Wutui reacted really quickly. Qian Duoduo secretly praised him in his heart. A single phrase from the Palace Lord, "The Sect Leader went to the back mountain," made his attitude towards Qian Duoduo change rapidly from indifferent to cordial.
But what was in this back mountain? Qian Duoduo, who was on Preaching Mountain for the first time, didn't understand.
The smile on Ping Yundan's face grew wider. "Me too. I've selected several rewards and wanted to wait for my nephew to choose one."
The smile on Zhangzuo Dajiu's face bloomed even more. The Sect Leader had spoken, telling them to give rewards. If they didn't take advantage of this opportunity to make a good profit, when would they?
The four Palace Lords looked kindly at Qian Duoduo, waiting for him to speak.
"Bu Huan, these Palace Lords are all your uncles and elders, and each has been in charge of an Immortal Mountains for many years. What do you think, what do you want?" With the atmosphere set, Zhangzuo Dajiu gave Qian Duoduo a wink.
Dajiu's setup was skillful. "Uncles and elders" was to tell Qian Duoduo not to be afraid and to ask boldly. "In charge of an Immortal Mountains for many years" meant they had deep pockets, so he shouldn't be polite at all.
After the Sect Leader left, Qian Duoduo had actually been thinking about this question. He wasn't short on money now; what he lacked were Magic Treasures and materials for Artifact Refining. Also, he needed to expand his manor and was still short of some powerful Spirit Beasts and Spirit Birds.
"No matter what the Palace Lords give, this junior will like it, and I thank you in advance." Before making a bold request, Qian Duoduo first exchanged pleasantries. Although he had the Sect Leader backing him, his actions couldn't be too unsightly.
"I just completed two missions and received some rewards, so I'm not short on gold coins for now. The fact that I'm an Artifact Refiner can't be hidden from everyone. I'm currently still lacking some Magic Treasures and materials."
"Magic Treasures and materials?" Chu Wannian and the others looked at each other.
"What grade?" Ping Yundan asked.
"Third grade and above."
Shang Wutui quickly shook his head, "I am a Sword Cultivator. I do have some good treasure swords and sword techniques, but I don't have a single Magic Treasure of third grade or above."
"I study Formations, and I've also collected some Magic Treasures casually. There aren't many of third grade or above, about ten, I'll send them to my nephew later," Ping Yundan said with a smile.
Zhu Erkang tapped his head with his black folding fan and said, "My companion beast, a vicious ghost, shed two thousand-year-old ghost teeth. It is said to be the main material for refining a fourth-grade Magic Treasure, the Ghost Tooth Magic Wand. How about it?"
Qian Duoduo quickly stood up again, "Thank you, Hall Master Ping, Zhu Zhangzuo."
Chu Wannian's eyebrows twisted into a knot, "Nephew, I don't have Magic Treasures or materials. What else are you missing? How about something else? Or, my Chu family has many beautiful girls, should I send you a few?"
"That won't do!" Zhangzuo Dajiu quickly refused, "Bu Huan is a Purple-Gold Disciple. What do you mean by sending girls? Do you want to take advantage of him to have more Inner Sect Disciples for your Chu family?"
"Brother Chu's idea is good. My Shang family's girls are also very lovely," Shang Wutui, who was just worried, also joined in the fun.
"My companion beast is a Purple-Forehead Golden Tiger, but it hasn't shed teeth like Brother Zhu's vicious ghost, and I can't just hammer off its tiger teeth..." Chu Wannian stared with wide eyes, joking with a smile.
"Head Seat Chu, you don't need to hammer the Purple-Forehead Golden Tiger's teeth. Is your Purple-Forehead Golden Tiger male or female?" Qian Duoduo had heard of this Purple-Forehead Golden Tiger before; it was an initial-level Xuan Beast, equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator.
"Female. Do you want to find a husband for her?" Chu Wannian asked cheerfully.
"My manor has just been expanded to ten thousand acres. You could truly invite your Purple-Forehead Golden Tiger to stay for a few days. If she gets pregnant, you can just keep the Golden Tiger cubs she produces."
Qian Duoduo hadn't forgotten the Tiger Brother from the Phoenix Mountains and had always wanted to find time to bring him back. Now, he could conveniently find a wife for him. The offspring of him and the Purple-Forehead Golden Tiger would at least be battle beasts. If there were ten or eight battle beasts in the manor, that would be quite impressive.
Chu Wannian burst out laughing, "Nephew, you've been eyeing my Purple-Forehead Golden Tiger for a long time, haven't you? Haha, this Purple-Forehead Golden Tiger can also be considered a girl from the Chu family."
"This works too?" Shang Wutui's mouth dropped open. "Using a companion beast as payment? Are you, Brother Tang, also going to use the Seven-Colored Golden Bull as a reward?"
Everyone in the main hall started laughing.
Ping Yundan pursed her lips and said, "I suddenly remembered my companion beast, the Luan Phoenix, who is also quite handsome. If my nephew's manor has a suitable match, why not arrange a marriage?"
"Why did I ever think of becoming a Sword Cultivator? Now I can't even offer a companion beast." Shang Wutui spread his hands, looked upwards, "Let me think again, what can I use as payment?"
Suddenly, he slapped his forehead twice, "How could I be so stupid? What does an Artifact Refiner do? Isn't it refining Magic Treasures? The Magical Artifacts in my hand are living Magic Treasures! Nephew, your Uncle Shang will give you two initial-level xuan weapon Proving Dao Swords. If you study them thoroughly, you can refine this grade of treasure swords without limit, and the money will flow like the waterfall on Preaching Mountain, endlessly!"
Hearing him say this, Qian Duoduo also became happy. Three super Spirit Beasts, two Profound Weapons, and materials for two fourth-grade Magic Treasures—this time's harvest was huge.
"Clap, clap, clap," Niu Jinshui walked into the main hall from behind, stood in the center of the hall, and sat down.
Everyone stared at him. But no expression showed on his wrinkled face. After a while, he spoke:
"I just sat in the back mountain for a while and suddenly felt that our Jail needs to be moved. Moved to the Phoenix Mountains, and a new, larger one built. What do you all think?"