Chapter 2127: The Expert Sun Qiang (Part 1)

"When we reach Night Abyss City, don't call me master anymore—it's easy to expose our identities. Address me as young master!"

Standing on the back of the flying divine beast, Zhang Xuan instructed: "You are a Scale Armor Beast with no surname. Take my surname, Zhang, and call yourself Zhang Jia!"

"Yes!" The young man Zhang Jia nodded.

"Also, I keep a low profile. Once inside the city, be sure to act discreetly and avoid trouble!"

"Rest assured, young master. I too prefer a low profile!" Zhang Jia said with firm resolve.

As the most powerful divine beast within the bounds of Night Abyss City, yet staying only in his own territory and never leaving, that alone spoke volumes about his temperament.

"Good. By the way, who were those people who ambushed you earlier?" Zhang Xuan asked.

When he first encountered this creature, two individuals of considerable cultivation had launched a sneak attack on him.

"They should be from the city lord's manor. That Wu Fangqing has long wanted to tame me and make me his beast pet! But he's never succeeded," Zhang Jia shook his head.

Zhang Xuan frowned: "Since the city lord wants to tame you, shouldn't he act openly and follow the rules? Why resort to ambushes?"

Taming such a powerful divine beast would greatly enhance the city lord's prestige, so his covetousness was understandable. But... setting up an ambush was far beneath his dignity!

After all, everyone in the city followed the rules he had established. As the city lord himself, wouldn't he risk public criticism for being the first to break them?

"Beneath his dignity? He's just a hypocrite!" Zhang Jia sneered. "Ambushes are the least of it. He's tried poisoning me many times. If I weren't not only strong in defense but also highly resistant to toxins, I'd be dead by now!"

"Poisoning?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

If that were true, he would have to be cautious when dealing with this city lord.

He had thought the city lord truly adhered to the rules and acted with reason. Now it seemed the rules were only for the strong, and such a person could trample them at will.

Indeed, those who make the rules never consider that the rules might apply to themselves, because they have already risen above them... That was reality.

The man and the beast conversed as they rode the flying divine beast, speeding toward Night Abyss City.

Meanwhile, at the courtyard where Zhang Xuan resided, a visiting card was delivered.

"Ying Fei?" Sun Qiang looked at the name on the card, puzzled.

With the young master away and everyone else in cultivation, only he was left to handle matters.

"According to his statement, he is a merchant from the outer city who has come specifically to pay respects to the young master," said the servant who had handed over the card.

Though they had settled in hastily, Sun Qiang had still hired some servants to handle meals and such; otherwise, they couldn't cultivate on empty stomachs.

"Let him in," Sun Qiang nodded.

Soon, a middle-aged man entered—the same one who had left the city lord's manor earlier.

"Steward Sun..." Ying Fei had done his research before coming, and he wore a smile.

"May I ask what business Mr. Ying has?"

After they took their seats as host and guest, Sun Qiang looked at him with curiosity.

"It's like this: the Beauty Pill currently popular in the city was refined by Young Master Zhang Xuan, wasn't it?" Ying Fei got straight to the point.

"Beauty Pill?" Sun Qiang was baffled.

Young master, what have you done now?

How come I haven't heard a thing...

"No need to play dumb with me!" Seeing that this fat man, though low in cultivation, was quite skilled at pretense, Ying Fei frowned and said, "Since I dared to come, I've already investigated thoroughly."

"This..." Sun Qiang fell silent, then looked at him: "Then... what is your purpose?"

The young master had too many tricks, and he usually did whatever he wanted without prior notice. In this situation, he could only adapt to the other party's intentions.

"Steward Sun is a man of direct speech. Since you ask, I won't hide it. My purpose is simple: I hope you can sell me the method for refining the pill. The price is negotiable."

Ying Fei said.

"The pill formula? You want to buy the pill formula?" Sun Qiang frowned.

"Exactly," Ying Fei said.

Sun Qiang shook his head: "Sorry, the pill formula was painstakingly developed by my young master. It's not for sale. Servants, see the guest out!"

Though he had no idea what the man was talking about, since it was something the young master had created, the formula definitely couldn't be sold.

"I think Steward Sun should reconsider and not answer so hastily... Night Abyss City may follow rules, but you've just arrived and have offended One Inch Ash. Even if something happens, it would only make people hate the bandits more..."

With a curl of his lips, Ying Fei flicked his finger, and a stream of mist shot straight toward the fat man before him.

The city lord had instructed: if they sold, fine; if not, he didn't mind using force.

After all, they had captured One Inch Ash, so they could easily use the bandits' name.

Sometimes, it wasn't that the bandit suppression was ineffective, but that they needed the bandits alive to better borrow their name for their own purposes.

"Are you threatening me?" Sun Qiang's eyes narrowed as he stood up and stepped forward, exuding an imposing aura. "I have followed the young master across the world, weathering countless storms. Do you think I would be intimidated by threats?"

"Whether you're intimidated, you'll soon find out..." Ying Fei smiled slightly, calculating that the poison he had just released was taking effect. He then stood up, hands behind his back: "Don't you feel a discomfort in your chest..."

Slap!

Before he could finish, a sharp pain flared on his face as a slap rang out.

"Discomfort? You're the one who's uncomfortable! Your whole family is uncomfortable!" Sun Qiang raised his brows, burning with fury. "Stop putting on airs here. When I was showing off, you were still playing in the mud somewhere! You're not welcome here. Get out!"

"You..." Thinking the other party had already been poisoned, he hadn't expected a counterattack. Caught off guard, he was slapped across the face. Ying Fei's body trembled slightly. He wanted to slap the other to death but held back, flicking his finger again.

Another stream of poison flew over.

Slap!

Just as the poison entered the other's face, another burning slap landed. Sun Qiang, furious, narrowed his eyes: "What, my words don't count?"

"You... how are you fine?"

Ying Fei was horrified.

The first use of poison could be excused as a mistake, but the second time, he had clearly seen the powder inhaled into the other's throat, yet the man remained vigorous, unchanged... What was going on?

This poison couldn't kill the Phosphor Armor Beast, but even an ordinary upper-grade deity couldn't withstand it.

The other didn't even seem to be a deity, yet after two doses, his expression hadn't changed... Could it be that his strength was not as it seemed, but a disguise?

"I don't believe..." Gritting his teeth, he flicked again, releasing all the hidden poisons on him, all spraying onto the other.

Slap!

Sun Qiang slapped him again, enraged: "If you don't want to die, get out, or don't blame me for being rude!"

Do I owe you face?

Layer after layer of powder sprinkled over?

I'm not a barbecue, what's with this seasoning?

Though the three slaps weren't heavy, they were a humiliation. Ying Fei was about to explode, and would have struck back if not for his fear that the other might be hiding his strength.

"Looking for death..."

His face twitching, Ying Fei was about to slap the man back when his ear twitched, as if hearing a telepathic message.

Whoosh!

Without lingering, he flickered and flew out.

At the door, he saw two figures appear before him.

It was the two who had ambushed the Phosphor Armor Beast earlier.

"What is it?" He frowned.

"Reporting to you, sir, our capture of the Phosphor Armor Beast was interfered with... and failed!" One figure said, ashamed.

"Failed?" Ying Fei was stunned.

"That Zhang Xuan suddenly appeared, rescued it, and... seems to have tamed it," the figure said.

"Zhang Xuan tamed... the Phosphor Armor Beast?" Ying Fei couldn't believe it.

Others didn't know how proud the Phosphor Armor Beast was, but he knew well. The city lord, a lower-grade celestial deity, had spent countless resources and visited many times without success. Yet this man, a lower-grade deity, had not only rescued it but tamed it...

"Absolutely true! I suspect... he's hiding his strength," the visitor nodded.

"..." Ying Fei's body swayed.

Earlier, this Zhang Xuan, a lower-grade deity, had easily captured an upper-grade deity level One Inch Ash, which was already strange. Now he had tamed a divine beast that even the city lord could barely defeat...

Could he also be hiding his strength?

Like that steward Sun Qiang just now?

Though he hadn't truly interacted with Zhang Xuan, he had just witnessed this steward named Sun Qiang!

Without strength, how could he be so confident? Even daring to slap someone like him, a strong man, without mercy?

Without strength, why did all his poisons have no effect?

If he were truly not even a deity, any one of those poisons would have killed him many times over.

Moreover, his words... 'roaming the world with the young master'... the Nine Heavens were not so easily roamed!

"Good thing I didn't strike..."

Breaking out in cold sweat, Ying Fei's vision swam.

Good thing he had endured those slaps and not turned against Sun Qiang; otherwise, forcing the other to reveal his strength would have surely ended in his death on the spot.

Realizing this, he quietly turned to look at the courtyard he had just left. The gate hadn't closed yet, and he saw the fat man standing in the yard with his hands behind his back.

The man's head was slightly tilted, looking at the sky, giving an impression of depth like a mountain or abyss, as if nothing could make him frown.

"On the surface, not even a deity... but in truth, unfathomable!" Ying Fei realized.

He had slapped him, an upper-grade deity, several times without fear, and absorbed so many poisons without effect, his complexion unchanged... Anyone who said he was just an ordinary man would be lying!

Could a pseudo-deity have such bearing?

Could a pseudo-deity absorb deadly poison that even an upper-grade deity couldn't withstand, without injury?

He must be a profoundly deep expert!

Otherwise, he wouldn't have such a calm mindset!

"Sir, what do we do now?" Seeing his expression, the figure opposite asked urgently.

"Wait a little longer; perhaps we can wait for that Zhang Xuan to arrive..."

After a pause, Ying Fei said.

Though he had guessed the other might be a master, he still wasn't at ease and wanted to investigate further.