Dongfang Jing and the others were led into the council hall.
The interior of the hall was in no better condition. Several of the stone tiles on the floor were cracked, the tables and chairs were old, and although the clan plaques hanging on the walls were clean, the paint was peeling and mottled.
An elderly man with a slender and well-proportioned figure, white hair flowing down his shoulders, and a rosy face like a baby, sat in the main seat.
white crane.
His eyes were bright and piercing. After seeing the guests, he stood up and bowed to each of them as a greeting.
"Sect Master Ning, Your Excellency Sword Douluo, your presence is an honor to my humble abode."
Bai He's tone was neither warm nor cold.
He was polite, but his arrogance was impossible to hide.
Ning Fengzhi smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Clan Chief Baihe, you flatter me. I have come today with a matter of cooperation that I would like to discuss with you."
"cooperate?"
After inviting the group to sit down, Baihe asked his disciple to pour them tea.
Ning Fengzhi was not in a hurry. After sitting down, he explained his purpose in detail.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is willing to provide long-term economic support to the Min Clan, including grants of Gold Soul Coins, teaching materials, and so on.
The condition is that some disciples of the Min clan join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
in addition--
Ning Fengzhi glanced at Dongfang Jing.
"In addition, there is another organization that also wants to invite elite disciples of the Min clan to join."
Bai He's brow twitched slightly.
"What organization?"
"The Temple of the Blazing Sun".
Upon hearing these four words, Baihe put down his teacup.
He didn't speak, but his eyes clearly changed.
He had certainly heard of the name Blazing Sun Temple.
Over the past two years, this name has become widely known on the mainland thanks to the secret promotion by a certain person in the imperial palace.
Specializes in killing the fallen and evil spirit masters.
They come and go without a trace, and are not subject to the jurisdiction of any force.
Bai He looked at the silver-haired young man sitting next to Ning Fengzhi.
He noticed that the young man hadn't said much since he came in; he just sat quietly, looking calm.
"May I ask who this young friend is?" Bai He asked.
Dongfang Jing didn't rush to answer.
He looked calmly at the white crane, preparing to introduce himself—
Bai He suddenly waved his hand to interrupt him.
"Wait a minute. Let me guess."
"Hmm. Sect Master Ning personally came to discuss cooperation with me, accompanied by a young man. This young friend possesses an extraordinary bearing, and is followed by four stunningly beautiful women, each exuding an unfathomable aura..."
He turned around and stared sharply at Dongfang Jing.
"Young friend, could you perhaps be the person in charge of the Blazing Sun Temple?"
Dongfang Jing nodded slightly: "Chief Baihe has a good eye."
The white crane snorted and sat down again.
"Since you've revealed your hand, then I'll be frank."
"Whether it's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School or the Blazing Sun Temple, my Min Clan will not join either side."
Ning Fengzhi and Dongfang Jing's smiles remained unchanged after hearing this.
Bai He continued, "When I left the Haotian Sect, I said I would never again live under someone else's roof. Life may be tough, but I will never lose my integrity!"
His gaze swept over Dongfang Jing and Ning Fengzhi, and his voice turned colder.
"Moreover, I have heard that your Blazing Sun Temple has a cooperative relationship with the Spirit Hall."
"I know the Spirit Hall's ways very well. It's better to die poor and starving than to get involved in that mess."
Having said that much, they've practically blocked all avenues of communication.
Dongfang Jing remained calm and composed, picking up the teacup in front of him and taking a sip.
This tea... is quite weak.
I don't know if they deliberately brewed it too weak or if they couldn't afford good tea.
Just as he was about to speak, footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.
Two figures strode into the threshold of the council hall.
Walking in front was a tall, robust old man with a face as red as a jujube and short, gray hair.
Niu Gao is the patriarch of the Yu clan.
Behind him followed a tall, thin, dark-haired old man.
Yang Wudi is the patriarch of the Po Yi clan.
Niu Gao's loud voice rang out first: "Old White Bird! We're here!"
As soon as Niu Gao entered, he went straight to Bai He, patted him on the shoulder without any ceremony, and laughed heartily.
Then, noticing that his old friend seemed unhappy, he followed his gaze and looked at Ning Fengzhi.
Who was Ning Fengzhi? These clan leaders naturally knew him.
The thick-skinned Niu Gao finally made up for the lack of courtesy towards Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin.
Yang Wudi politely cupped his hands to the two of them, then sat down in a chair and said, "I heard from the old white bird that your sect is coming to attend the gathering of our three clans. May I ask what important matter Sect Master Ning wishes to discuss?"
Without Ning Fengzhi having to say anything more, Bai He relayed the contents of their conversation to his two old friends.
After learning the situation, Yang Wudi and Niu Gao's expressions also darkened.
Should they be divided into three groups?
It's obvious they won't agree either.
However, Niu Gao tried to smooth things over to avoid making the atmosphere too awkward.
"Sect Leader Ning, I'm also short of money over there, and your terms sound good. But the question is, what are you going to do with our people? Fight them or build houses?"
"Hehe, on my side, there won't be any overly strict requirements," Ning Fengzhi answered readily. "As for the Blazing Sun Temple, there's only one thing: hunting down evil soul masters."
The three clan leaders paused simultaneously.
As Ning Fengzhi spoke, he looked at Dongfang Jing.
"Let the leader of the Blazing Sun Temple explain the specifics to the three clan leaders."
The three old men all turned their gazes toward Dongfang Jing.
Dongfang Jing put down his teacup and stood up.
"Three clan leaders, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Dongfang Jing, the leader of the Blazing Sun Temple."
The words fell.
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Niu Gao was the first to react, and looked Dongfang Jing up and down.
"You're the head of the Blazing Sun Temple? How old are you?"
"Twenty-two."
Niu Gao stared at him for several seconds, then turned and winked at Bai He.
The look in his eyes probably meant—Are you sure you're not kidding me?
The white crane ignored him.
Yang Wudi's reaction was more direct; he let out a cold laugh.
Dongfang Jing was not annoyed. He had noticed the change in the expressions of the three people when he gave his name.
The white crane, in particular, was clearly taken aback for a moment.
After recalling it, his voice became noticeably deeper: "Dongfang Jing... I know you."
"oh?"
Niu Gao and Yang Wudi also glanced at them.
Bai He stared at Dongfang Jing and said, word by word, "Do you remember? Five years ago, Tang Yuehua came to us. She said that Tang Hao was killed in public by a young man named Dongfang Jing!"
After saying that, his gaze narrowed slightly, and he cautiously asked, "Young man, it's you, isn't it?"
Upon hearing this, both Niu Gao and Yang Wudi's expressions changed.
They remembered!
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(End of chapter)