"Dragon Master, here, this is for you."
After his excitement had subsided, Qiu Bai handed the Leopard Gall Sword Pill to Mu Jinyu.
Mu Jinyu did not reach out to take it but looked at him curiously, saying, "Isn't that your spoils of war, why give it to me?"
Qiu Bai chuckled, "Dragon Master, you know I don't use any weapons. Otherwise, I wouldn't have ended up fighting you with my fists even after obtaining this magic sword. So, it's useless for me; please take it as a token of gratitude for helping your subordinate with the alchemy."
Seeing that Mu Jinyu still seemed reluctant, Qiu Bai continued to persuade, "Think about it, Dragon Master, this isn't really my spoils of war; I just got it earlier. If Chen Mo hadn't died by my hand just now, with your strength, taking him down would have been a breeze, so this actually is your spoils of war!"
Upon hearing Qiu Bai's reasoning, Mu Jinyu thought for a moment and felt it made some sense.
Had they not conflicted earlier, and had he defeated Qiu Bai first, given Chen Mo's hatred towards him, Chen Mo was bound to die by his hands eventually, making the Leopard Gall Sword Pill his anyway.
And alternatively, had he not saved Qiu Bai just now, with Qiu Bai dead, the Leopard Gall Sword Pill would still have been his, wouldn't it?
"Alright then," Mu Jinyu finally reached out and took the sword pill.
Although the Sword Pill Magic Treasure didn't mean much to him compared to the Nine-Eyed Wave Drum and the Dragon Bone Bracelet, it was still a magic treasure, suitable for self-defense for his ladies.
At the very least, it could be a good gift for a loyal subordinate in the future.
Seeing Mu Jinyu accept the sword pill, Qiu Bai breathed a sigh of relief.
If Mu Jinyu had insisted on refusing, he really wouldn't have known how to repay Mu Jinyu.
It was he who lost the duel, yet the other party, bearing no grudges, was willing to help him concoct an elixir. This kindness and favor were so immense, he feared even lifelong servitude might not repay it!
"So, Dragon Master, shall we set off now?"
After seeing Mu Jinyu accept the Leopard Gall Sword Pill, Qiu Bai immediately urged impatiently.
"What's the hurry?"
Mu Jinyu glanced at Qiu Bai and said, "I've been away for several days and just got back today. I haven't even greeted my wives yet; I came straight to deal with you, and now you want me to leave with you immediately. Do you think I am Yu the Great, who passed his own house three times without entering?"
After a pause, seeing the embarrassed look on Qiu Bai's face, Mu Jinyu softened his tone, "Anyway, your master will probably be fine for a while. Let's set off later."
"Mm, alright, Dragon Master. I was thoughtless just now, forgetting that as the Master of the Dragon King Hall, you have countless matters to attend to after just arriving back. You go ahead with your tasks; we can leave once you're done."
Qiu Bai immediately said with an awkward smile.
He felt he had indeed been a bit anxious, overlooking that Mu Jinyu was not idle.
Considering his master's situation was not that severe, he let Mu Jinyu go ahead and deal with his miscellaneous tasks first.
"Mhm."
Mu Jinyu responded and, gathering the sword pill and Shennong Cauldron, turned to leave.
Immediately, a path opened in the surrounding misty formation, leading directly to the outer mountains of Yinlong Mountain.
Qiu Bai followed behind Mu Jinyu obediently, vaguely seeing a cluster of buildings in the mountains ahead.
'So that must be the new site for the Dragon King Hall?' he thought to himself.
Soon, Mu Jinyu brought Qiu Bai to the outskirts of Yinlong Mountain and took him to Mu Hongchen's office.
"Knock knock."
"Come in."
A voice tinged with tiredness and irritation came from inside.
Mu Jinyu, upon hearing this, frowned slightly and then opened the door, gesturing for Qiu Bai to follow him in.
"Dragon Master, you're back. Is this the newly ranked tenth in the Divine Rankings, Mr. Qiu?"
Mu Hongchen looked up to see Mu Jinyu entering and managed to suppress her irritation, forcing a smile as she spoke.
She also glanced at Qiu Bai, vaguely guessing he must be the one who had been shouting in the Misty Formation these past few days.
Mu Jinyu had just gone to deal with him, so why was he bringing him back now?
Mu Hongchen felt somewhat puzzled and confused.
Mu Jinyu said, "Yes, that's him. From now on, he will be our colleague."
"Huh?" Mu Hongchen was startled upon hearing Mu Jinyu's words, but then he understood what Mu Jinyu meant; he had brought Qiu Bai under his command.
"Oh, okay... Mr. Qiu, come here so I can register you..."
Having realized this, Mu Hongchen gestured for Qiu Bai to come over.
Qiu Bai turned his head, feeling a bit uneasy, and said, "Big sister, just call me Little Qiu, no need for 'Mr. Qiu'... "
Mu Hongchen looked at Qiu Bai, nodded, and said, "Alright."
After all, Mu Hongchen was almost thirty years old, while Qiu Bai was only in his twenties. Calling him Little Qiu was not excessive.
Moreover, since they were going to be colleagues from today, there was no need to be so formal with honorifics like 'Mr.' and 'Ms.'!
Soon, Mu Hongchen and Qiu Bai sat in front of a computer, one asking questions and the other answering, entering Qiu Bai's information into the database.
"Sit down for a while. I'll call someone over to familiarize you with the new environment, as well as the dormitory and clothing. He will take you to get them."
After finishing the registration and formalities for Qiu Bai, Mu Hongchen had him sit aside and then took out her phone to make a call.
Soon, a man arrived. He stood at the doorstep and saluted Mu Jinyu and Mu Hongchen, saying, "Dragon Master, Sub-hall Master."
Mu Hongchen pointed at Qiu Bai and said, "This is Qiu Bai, the tenth ranked powerhouse in the Divine Rankings. He has now joined our Dragon King Hall. Take him to get his uniform, check into the dormitory, and familiarize himself with the new environment."
"Yes!" The man agreed, his look towards Qiu Bai filled with added reverence.
A tenth ranked powerhouse, huh? Did that not mean he was stronger than the Sub-hall Master and second only to the Dragon Master?
The two quickly left then.
Only Mu Jinyu and Mu Hongchen remained in the office.
With no outsiders around, Mu Hongchen sat back down, her beautiful face inevitably showing signs of fatigue. She then looked up at Mu Jinyu and sighed, "Dragon Master, things have been a bit troublesome lately."
"What happened?"
Mu Jinyu had sensed something was off with Mu Hongchen's emotions the moment he had entered the room. He guessed she had an issue to report to him, but it probably wasn't urgent, so he had dealt with Qiu Bai's formalities first before speaking to her.
Mu Hongchen said, "Come take a look at these videos, and you'll see."
"Alright," Mu Jinyu, curious as ever, moved over to sit beside Mu Hongchen.
Mu Hongchen started playing a video, and they saw a scene of the tranquil and beautiful West Lake suddenly disrupted by an enormous snake head that flicked its tongue lightly, staring intently at a tiny figure in front of it.
"Eh, isn't that the Buddha Head?"
Mu Jinyu recognized the tiny figure confronting the white snake; it was none other than the Master of the Buddha's Light, Victorious Buddha, Sheng Rulai!
"Yes, that's him," Mu Hongchen confirmed.
"And what is this? A water monster? Such a tourist spot as West Lake, having such a monster?" Mu Jinyu further inquired, frowning at the sight of the white snake.
He thought the nearly fifty-meter-long great python he encountered in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains while searching for the Spring of Life was a rare anomaly. He had not expected that in a bustling place like West Lake, an even larger, nearly hundred-meter-long giant snake would appear!
Mu Jinyu felt that the person responsible for this area was indeed negligent!
Fortunately, due to the recent dark disturbances, there were fewer people out and about, otherwise, a major disaster might have occurred.
Hmm?
The dark disturbances!
Mu Jinyu suddenly thought, with the end of the dark disturbances and the revival of nature's spiritual energy, various spirit plants and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were appearing and growing wildly.
It made no sense that the ferocious beasts wouldn't undergo changes as well...
Could this white snake be a danger brought about by the revival of the spiritual energy?