The air instantly froze.
Three pairs of eyes turned sharply towards Zhang Ergou and Danfeng.
Li Zhan, Qu Yao, and Hua Xu looked at Zhang Ergou and Danfeng with disbelief.
Danfeng also wore a helpless expression. He had already sent a private transmission, hoping to keep this matter from as many people as possible.
He hadn't even told Hua Xu, but Zhang Ergou had blurted it out with a shout.
The scene fell into an extreme awkwardness.
"Why would you have such a thought?"
Zhang Ergou found it utterly unbelievable. The esteemed peak master of Danfeng, an eighth-grade alchemist with cultivation reaching the Half-Step Mahayana realm, suspected that he, a mere Nascent Soul cultivator, had been possessed?
This was simply preposterous.
"It's all because you've been too outstanding, kid. Everyone thinks you're exceptionally, overly excellent..."
Danfeng shot him a glare, annoyed. Since Zhang Ergou had already laid it bare, he had nothing more to hide.
"This is your reason for suspicion?"
Zhang Ergou was speechless. Were these peak masters and elders treating this like child's play?
One should know that scaring people could kill them.
He suddenly felt that his previous asking price seemed a bit too low.
No, he had to find a way to get more compensation, otherwise, he felt he was at a great loss.
Danfeng felt uneasy under Zhang Ergou's ill-intentioned gaze, and what made him feel even more absurd was that he seemed to feel a hint of apprehension.
"Peak Master Dan, is our Danfeng very large?"
Zhang Ergou's sudden change in demeanor made Danfeng even more wary.
"Not big, not small, it's decent. Danfeng doesn't have many disciples, so a larger peak wouldn't be ideal."
Danfeng replied cautiously.
"Then, how does the spiritual energy density of our Danfeng compare to other peaks?"
"On this point, I'm not boasting. Even if all the other eight main peaks were combined, they couldn't compare to Danfeng."
Danfeng spoke of this with great pride.
"Why is that?"
Although Zhang Ergou feigned an innocent, curious demeanor, the hidden gleam in his eyes grew brighter.
"Haha, naturally, it's because beneath Danfeng lie a full thirty-six prime spirit veins. Other main peaks have at most ten."
Danfeng became more triumphant as he spoke.
"Hiss!"
Zhang Ergou gasped, and Li Zhan and Qu Yao were also stunned upon hearing this – thirty-six prime spirit veins.
That would be an immense amount of spirit stones!
Suddenly, Zhang Ergou felt even more cheated.
No wonder his final request for "as many spirit stones as possible" hadn't even garnered Danfeng's attention before.
He had thought Danfeng was going to renege.
Now, it seemed he had been too naive; they simply didn't care.
Zhang Ergou felt a pang of jealousy. As fellow alchemists, compared to Danfeng, he was as poor as a beggar.
After all, he was an alchemist capable of refining fifth-grade pills.
On the Yin Continent, he was considered a top-tier existence.
Instantly, the dozen bottles of pills Danfeng had given him earlier felt less appealing.
Indeed, his limited perspective had constrained his thinking, leading him to make such paltry demands.
Danfeng, that old fox, had even pretended to play along with him.
The more Zhang Ergou thought about it, the more he felt conned by Danfeng.
"Senior Peak Master, you all maliciously speculated about me, causing immense damage to my psyche."
"It's highly likely to destabilize my Dao heart. If I were to suffer qi deviation in my future cultivation..."
Zhang Ergou deliberately paused here, looking at Danfeng with hopeful eyes, but Danfeng seemed oblivious.
As if he hadn't understood Zhang Ergou's implied meaning at all.
"Senior Hua."
Suddenly, Zhang Ergou turned to Hua Xu, who was beside him.
"What is it?" Hua Xu snapped out of his daze.
"The person you took me to see last time was probably the Alliance Leader, right? I remember him telling me that I could appeal to him for anything within the alliance, especially if I was bullied by someone older and stronger, wasn't that right, Senior Hua?"
Zhang Ergou winked subtly.
Hua Xu immediately understood. This brat was planning to fleece Danfeng like a fat pig.
"Is that so?"
Danfeng looked at Zhang Ergou in surprise, then turned his gaze to Hua Xu, his eyes filled with inquiry.
And in a place Danfeng couldn't see, Hua Xu and Zhang Ergou were engaged in an intense discussion.
"Senior Hua, the benefits we get, we'll split nine-one, me taking nine, you taking one."
Zhang Ergou transmitted to Hua Xu.
"You brat, you're too greedy, but I like it. However, the split needs to be changed to fifty-fifty."
"Senior Hua, that's unfair. I'm risking my life, facing the danger of being targeted by a Half-Step Mahayana cultivator, and you just have to nod your head and cooperate, yet you want fifty percent? You're far greedier than I am."
Hua Xu seemed to feel he had asked for too much. After a brief pause, he transmitted to Zhang Ergou again.
"Sixty-forty. Is that acceptable?"
"No, I'm still at a huge loss this way. You must consider the risks I'm undertaking."
The two continued to bargain fiercely, completely leaving Danfeng aside.
Danfeng looked at the silent Hua Xu with confusion, his mind racing through a thousand thoughts.
He assumed that Hua Xu's silence meant tacit agreement, and he was merely maintaining face by not confirming it.
If Zhang Ergou knew Danfeng was thinking this, he wouldn't be bargaining with Hua Xu.
"Nine-one, that's the lowest I can accept. Senior Hua, you're not taking any risk at all, it's like you're getting paid for nothing."
"Seventy-thirty. You're getting the soup, but surely I should get some of it too."
Danfeng increasingly felt that this matter was likely true. Since Zhang Ergou had spoken that sentence, he hadn't uttered another word.
Even Hua Xu remained silent.
He was naturally a suspicious person; otherwise, he wouldn't have doubted Zhang Ergou's possession based on a few casual remarks from an elder.
Now, it seemed the Alliance Leader truly intended to back Zhang Ergou.
In that case, things would become very complicated.
Danfeng glanced back at Zhang Ergou. How long had this brat been in the alliance? Other young disciples probably didn't even know who the Alliance Leader was.
Yet this brat had attracted the Alliance Leader's attention and even secured his verbal promise.
Danfeng had to re-evaluate everything he knew about Zhang Ergou.
Gradually, his thoughts became clearer. It was those few ambiguous words from the elder that made him mistakenly believe Zhang Ergou had been possessed.
But in reality, the elder hadn't said anything concrete.
Now it seemed that Zhang Ergou and the elder had colluded, deliberately trying to trick them peak masters, to see who would fall for it.
And now, it appeared he was the unlucky one.
Danfeng couldn't help but slap himself. Why had he chosen this moment to come and observe this brat? Wouldn't it have been better to observe him secretly for a while?
He had been too impatient.
"Eighty-two. If it's a deal, it's a deal. If not, I'll admit I conned Peak Master Dan and accept any punishment."
Zhang Ergou acted resolute, no longer giving Hua Xu room to bargain.
"Brother Dan, a few days ago, I did indeed take this kid to see our venerable Alliance Leader."
Hua Xu's words caused Danfeng's expression to flicker.
"Peak Master Dan, without two prime spirit veins, my injured heart won't heal anytime soon. What do you think the Alliance Leader will say then?"
Dark, too dark.
This was the common thought of everyone present, except for Zhang Ergou.