Douluo Continent: You become gods, I become immortals

Chapter 25: Xunji is exhausted!

Inside the Qingxin Teahouse in Wuhun City.

"Hey, did you hear that?" a tall, thin man whispered.

"What did you hear?" the round-faced man across from him asked casually.

The tall, thin man looked around to make sure no one was watching before lowering his voice even further: "Your Holiness—Lord Qian Xunji—is currently sending men to search the entire continent for whale glue! The good quality ones on the black market have been completely wiped out in the last two weeks!"

"Pfft—" The round-faced man spat out a mouthful of tea, his eyes widening: "What nonsense are you spouting! What would His Holiness the Pope need that thing for?"

"My own brother works in the Internal Affairs Department of the Spirit Hall!" The tall, thin man stood up straight, his voice brimming with smugness at having mastered the secret.

"The purchase order clearly states in black and white, '100 pounds of premium whale glue, urgently needed by His Holiness the Pope!' How could it be fake?"

Several tea drinkers at the next table, with their keen ears, had already quietly moved their stools half a foot closer.

The round-faced man's expression shifted several times. He leaned closer, his voice barely audible, "You mean... His Holiness the Pope... is... impotent in that area?"

"Hehe," the tall, thin man winked, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Everyone says that the Angelic Martial Soul is holy and majestic, untouched by the mortal world. Who would have thought that even back in my palace at night, I'd need this sea creature to liven things up!"

A pockmarked tea drinker nearby couldn't help but interject, "I heard that the Pope hasn't married yet, probably because of this—"

"Shh! Shut up!" The tall, thin man's expression changed drastically, and he made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Clang—"

The teahouse door was violently pushed open, and six silver-armored guards filed in, the Spirit Hall emblems on their chests gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

The squad leader's face was ashen, and his gaze swept across the tea table like a knife.

The room fell silent!

"Who was talking about His Holiness the Pope just now?" the squad leader asked in an icy voice.

The tall, thin man was deathly pale, and the round-faced man spilled the sunflower seeds from his hand all over the ground with a "clatter".

"Take it down!"

The guards pounced like wolves and tigers. The two cried out and tried to escape, but their arms were easily twisted and their faces were pressed against the cold tea table.

"For defaming the Pope and spreading rumors, take him to the Judgment Department for trial according to the law!" the squad leader announced coldly, his gaze sweeping over the silent tea drinkers.

"Everyone present today, register your names, and you are not allowed to leave the city for three months!"

The teahouse erupted into chaos. Customers scattered in panic, tables and chairs were overturned, and the sound of teacups shattering filled the air.

In a short while, the bustling teahouse was reduced to a mess, with the innkeeper's face showing no signs of tears.

As the guards escorted the three men out of the teahouse, the tall, thin man suddenly shouted in a hoarse voice, "My brother really is from the Ministry of Internal Affairs! Everything I said is true—"

A scabbard struck him hard on the back of the neck, and the sound stopped abruptly.

The tea drinkers huddled in the corner, watching the three figures being dragged away, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

There was fear, relief, and an irrepressible, restless curiosity.

Your Holiness...do you really need whale glue?

The news was like water dripping into a hot oil pan, creating silent ripples in the dead silence.

Haotian Sect.

"Hahahaha—"

A hearty laugh echoed through the Haotian Sect's council hall, causing dust to fall from the beams.

Tang Chen held the secret report in his hand, laughing so hard he almost fell over.

"Qian Daoliu, oh Qian Daoliu!" He wiped away the tears of laughter and waved his secret report at the Grand Elder Tang Zhen, who sat below him:

"You've been a hero all your life, how could you raise such a useless son! So weak he has to rely on whale glue to survive, is your Qian family line going to die out!"

Tang Zhen took the secret report, glanced at it, his long, white beard twitched, and he couldn't help but stroke it and smile: "Sect Master, is this news... accurate? Could it be a smokescreen released by the Spirit Hall?"

"Our people planted in the purchasing department saw it with their own eyes!" Tang Chen slapped the armrest and burst into laughter again.

"It's clearly stated in the accounts: 'Whale glue purchase, specially approved by His Holiness the Pope.'"

"It's not that Qian Xunji is incompetent, could it be that old man Qian Daoliu is restless in his later years?"

The elders below couldn't help but laugh, and the hall was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Upon hearing this, the young sect leader, Tang Li, had a sudden inspiration: "Father, Grand Elder, don't we still have three pieces of 'Blood Jade Whale Glue' in our sect's treasury? I heard that it was a treasure that my great-grandfather retrieved from the body of a ten-thousand-year-old blood whale during his travels across the ocean. It's an extremely potent tonic!"

He rose, cupped his hands in greeting, and a mischievous smile played on his lips: "How about we, in the name of the Haotian Sect, send it to Pope Qian with great fanfare?"

"The gift list should read: 'Having heard of the Pope's diligence in state affairs and his tireless work day and night, the Haotian Sect, deeply grateful for his efforts, hereby presents three pieces of ancestral Blood Jade Whale Glue to help the Pope strengthen his constitution and maintain his health!'"

There was a moment of silence in the hall, followed by an even louder burst of laughter.

Tang Chen laughed so hard he slapped his thigh: "Good! Good lad! This idea is wicked, but brilliant!"

"That's settled then! Tang Li, this matter is entrusted to you. Make sure it's handled with style and dignity, so that everyone in Wuhun City can see—how much our Haotian Sect 'cares' for His Holiness the Pope!"

"Your son obeys!" Tang Li bowed, his eyes gleaming with the light of a triumphant prank.

Tang Zhen stroked his beard and added, "Remember to send a few more people to tell everyone they meet along the way that this is a 'great gift for self-renewal' presented by the Haotian Sect to the Pope."

"It would be best to have the storytellers in teahouses and taverns write up a story, something like... 'The Haotian Sect Offers Timely Help, and the Pope Regains His Might with the Precious Glue!'"

"Hahaha──"

"The Elder's insight is brilliant!"

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

Ning Tianguang's gaze fell on a document in his hand, and his brows furrowed slightly.

The secret report delivered today states: "The Spirit Hall is aggressively buying up whale glue, and the market price has already increased by 50%."

"Too deliberate." He put down the confidential report and tapped the table lightly with his slender fingers.

The Li family used to be in the whale glue business, and now Qian Xunji is doing it too?

As the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the most astute businessman in the world, Ning Tianguang has seen far too many conspiracies and schemes.

This time, however, there was an unusual smell in the air.

"The Li family has been in the whale glue business for several years." He picked up his vermilion pen and circled a spot in the accounts:

"Annual sales are stable at around 10,000 jin, and the customers are all rich and powerful, who keep their mouths shut. The profits are considerable, but the Spirit Hall doesn't need to make such a big move in secret."

"In the past two weeks, we've acquired several thousand kilograms of whale glue, both openly and secretly. Even if Qian Xunji is outrageous, he shouldn't be doing this so openly, unless…"

Ning Tianguang turned around, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "He doesn't care what people say at all."

Blue Lightning Overlord Clan.

Yu Jingtian looked at the intelligence report in his hand without saying a word.

Dragons are inherently lustful, and those who possess the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex Martial Soul are actually long-time customers of the Li family's whale glue business.

As the saying goes, no one should criticize anyone else; we're all pretty much the same.

The Heavenly Dou Emperor and the Star Luo Emperor smiled and calmly stroked their beards.

Ah, youth is wonderful! So much work, I need whale gel!

[Sigh, this body is far inferior to that of the Dai family. The physique of our Evil-Eyed White Tiger is much stronger!]