Chapter 722: Zhou Tian Can's Crazy Password Exchange

The trade fair was still bustling.

At that moment, the door of box number 183 creaked open, and three figures wearing beast masks emerged. The first was a person carrying a massive bathtub. Following closely was another with a golden overlord blade strapped to their back. Bringing up the rear was the one holding a white greatsword upside down. The moment this trio appeared, everyone at the scene paused their trading activities and looked up towards the corridor outside the second-floor box.

Simultaneously, the occupants inside the boxes shifted their focus to them.

"Damn, they're here, they're here!"

In the VIP seats, some young people were ecstatic, completely forgetting about the ongoing auction on the stage as they turned their attention to the three emerging from box number 183.

"So eager? Is the Alchemist Association really planning to deliver the treasure?"

"The key is, this delivery group looks pretty aggressive. That bathtub, overlord blade, and greatsword... Are these really people from the Alchemist Association? I'd believe it more if they were here to fight."

"Yeah, and why are they carrying a bathtub..."

"Plus, wasn't it supposed to be the people from box number 172 coming to collect the treasure? What a grand gesture! The Alchemist Association headquarters from Wang Cheng is personally making a house call?"

"What impressive style!"

The trade fair was filled with young people who had come out with their sect elders to gain experience. As long-time residents of Wang Cheng, they were all aware of the intimidating power of the Alchemist Association. Seeing this usually haughty organization acting so humbly, almost as if begging for favor, they couldn't help but be surprised.

However, the elders from various factions quickly suppressed the commotion. Indeed, the Alchemist Association's actions today only proved that the occupant of box number 172 was even more mysterious than imagined!

Speculation?

No speculation allowed!

"Young Master Xu, they're here."

In the highly anticipated box number 172, Liu Lu received a signal and stepped forward to open the door. The three entered. As soon as Xu Xiaoshou saw the signature golden overlord blade and white greatsword, he immediately understood why the people from Dan Ta were being so courteous to him.

It turns out, these are my own people...

The overlord blade was the same, so it had to be Zhou Tianshen. The white greatsword was different, but its heavy form made it clear that Su Qianqian had arrived. As for the one at the front...

Xu Xiaoshou stared at the slender figure stubbornly carrying the oversized bathtub, which didn't match her build at all, and quickly realized that this must be the real main person here. After all, Zhou Tianshen and Su Qianqian probably didn't have the resources to buy the "Bodhi Tree Root" and give it to him.

Putting everything else aside...

"This big bathtub looks a bit familiar." Under his beast mask, Xu Xiaoshou narrowed his eyes at the leading young woman, feeling a sense of doubt.

Mu Zixi had the same confusion. To outsiders, it might just look like a bathtub, but after being mentored by Sang Lao, she could tell at a glance that it was a dan ding, specifically the iconic one from the Jin Zhao lineage!

She subconsciously wanted to turn and say something to her senior brother, but seeing the unclear intentions of these three, Mu Zixi held back. At this point, they might be deliberately showing off the dan ding to test her and Xu Xiaoshou's initial reaction!

"They've arrived?"

Xu Xiaoshou pulled his gaze away from the large bathtub. He didn't hide his surprise much—after all, anyone would take a second look at such a big bathtub.

Once the door was closed, Xu Xiaoshou pondered for a moment and then waved his hand, instructing, "Liu Lu, take care of the hospitality, and help this friend unload that precious spiritual artifact. Carrying it around must be heavy!"

Liu Lu: ...

He looked resentful. In this box, he was the only outsider, and Young Master Xu was treating him like one of his own without any courtesy. Worse, he even said his name out loud!

Is the point of this beast mask just to filter air...? Liu Lu rolled his eyes internally.

"Received curse, passive value, 1."

"This way, please."

Though grumbling inside, Liu Lu still played the role of the box's host on the surface. He gestured to the sofa next to Mo Mo, wanting them to sit first, and stepped forward to help unload Hua Ling's large bathtub.

But Hua Ling waved her hand and said, "Get out of the way," swatting his hand away.

"Hiss—" Liu Lu winced in pain, his face turning purple as he quickly stepped back, nearly getting a shattered fracture from that casual strike.

"What incredible strength! This young woman!"

"No wonder she's carrying such a heavy weapon..."

Liu Lu felt like crying inside, tearfully glancing back at Xu Xiaoshou, unsure of what to do next.

"Oh?" Xu Xiaoshou was surprised by the young woman's action. This didn't seem like someone here to deliver a treasure—it looked more like they were here to cause trouble.

"What do you mean by this? Coming to my box to hit people?"

Hua Ling was startled. She had only reacted that way because she wasn't used to anyone touching her precious item. Back in Sheng Gong, her strikes were even stronger, with no intent to harm. But hearing the cold tone of this beast-masked man, who seemed to be Xu Shibo, Hua Ling's mind flashed to the image of her master, Bai Lin, looking stern and imposing if the mission failed.

She quickly explained, "No, no, you misunderstood. I didn't mean to hurt anyone..."

As soon as she said this, everyone affiliated with Tian Shang Di Yi Lou was surprised, and even Xu Xiaoshou was a bit stunned. How did she back down so fast?

Where did that bold attitude go?

Zhou Tianshen, watching anxiously from behind, quickly stepped forward and positioned himself in front of Hua Ling.

"You wait here; let me handle this!"

As he passed, he whispered a quick transmission. Because they still weren't sure if the person in front was the one Hua Ling was looking for, if not, her current behavior could lead to an outburst later, which would be problematic.

After all, from the lineage of the large bathtub, Zhou Tianshen could already gauge Hua Ling's combat ability.

"Um..."

Stepping up to Xu Xiaoshou, Zhou Tianshen rubbed his hands, swallowed nervously, and organized his words before saying, "It's like this—my friend here is looking for an 'old acquaintance'!"

He pointed at Hua Ling, emphasizing the word "old acquaintance" to hint to Xu Xiaoshou.

Seeing no reaction from Xu Xiaoshou, Zhou Tianshen continued disappointedly, "But her 'old acquaintance' has gone missing for some reason!"

"Then, she came to me."

Zhou Tianshen pointed at himself. "After all, I'm sort of a friend of her 'old acquaintance'."

"And I think, well, you are... uh, let's put it this way—in Tian Shang Di Yi Lou, there's someone who's her 'old acquaintance,' which is also my friend."

"So, we came here!"

Zhou Tianshen clapped his hands, spread them out, and shrugged. "So, you get it? It shouldn't be too confusing, right?"

Liu Lu: ???

He was already dizzy from listening on the side. After hearing this simple explanation, he still couldn't piece together a coherent story. So, what was the point of this beast-masked man's appearance, and what was he trying to say?

Under his beast mask, Xu Xiaoshou almost laughed out loud. Liu Lu might not understand, but as the person involved, he did. Clearly, the young woman Zhou Tianshen brought was here specifically to find him. And since she had Zhou Tianshen's trust, she was likely a friend, not an enemy. But he still didn't know what she was after.

A woman carrying a Jin Zhao dan ding, traveling all this way... Xu Xiaoshou wondered—could this be Sang Lao's illegitimate daughter?

His thoughts wandered, and Xu Xiaoshou shuddered.

"Received fright, passive value, 1."

Hua Ling waited anxiously for a response. Xu Xiaoshou remained silent. At that moment, he was really trying to figure out if Zhou Tianshen was being vague because of outsiders present, or if his storytelling skills had always been this roundabout without any improvement.

But that didn't stop him from continuing, "So, you've come here—does Tian Shang Di Yi Lou have the person you're looking for?"

His indifferent tone made Zhou Tianshen feel like he was dealing with an impostor. He hesitated, but his intuition told him that this person, whose build, tone, and personality didn't quite match, was probably Xu Xiaoshou!

"I need to confirm."

Zhou Tianshen said calmly. Xu Xiaoshou replied smoothly, "You said you'd deliver the 'Bodhi Tree Root' first."

Clearly, the price for this confirmation was worth 3.1 billion. Zhou Tianshen's mouth twitched. This familiar feeling made him even more certain of the identity. But with the situation unclear, handing over the 'Bodhi Tree Root' now could mean giving it to a fake Xu Xiaoshou.

Zhou Tianshen didn't want to hand it over. Yet, Hua Ling instinctively reached for the treasure. Seeing this, Zhou Tianshen quickly stopped her.

Xu Xiaoshou seized the opportunity, saying, "Without the item, you can only confirm with your eyes."

This left Zhou Tianshen frozen. Confirm with eyes...? What good would that do? With everyone wearing beast masks, they could only make out basic silhouettes!

"Give it to him." Zhou Tianshen reluctantly let go.

Hua Ling respectfully handed over the "Bodhi Tree Root." In her eyes, this was Xu Shibo, the one even her master called senior brother! Respect was mandatory!

Even if the identity check failed later... well, they could just snatch it back and deal with the person. No loss at all. But if it was really him and she wasn't respectful now, it would be impossible to make up for it later!

"Received reverence, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou took the "Bodhi Tree Root" from the young woman, who was bending nearly ninety degrees with both hands offering it. He was truly surprised. Who exactly was she?

This level of respect wasn't faked—it was even acknowledged by the system. Could she be Sang Lao's granddaughter? Did that old man have that many romantic escapades while wandering the world?

After taking the jade box and confirming it was indeed the "Bodhi Tree Root," Xu Xiaoshou didn't examine it further. He tossed it into his ring and then said, "Ask away!"

Zhou Tianshen nodded and boldly walked past Xu Xiaoshou to Mu Zixi.

He removed his beast mask, revealing a face full of anticipation and tension.

"You recognize me, right?"

"Uh..."

Mu Zixi was genuinely startled. She stepped back a few paces, knowing Xu Xiaoshou couldn't reveal his identity, and subconsciously wanted to deny it. But seeing her senior brother's hand that had just accepted the gift, she hesitated and nodded. "We can say we know each other."

"Pfft!"

Liu Lu couldn't help but burst out laughing on the side. He could tell Mu Xiao Gong had only changed her answer because of the treasure.

Zhou Tianshen glared fiercely at Liu Lu and pressed on undeterred, "Good, as long as you know me."

"Then I'll ask you—if there's a scripture pavilion with lots of spiritual techniques, where are the most powerful ones usually?"

Mu Zixi fell into thought, her emotions card playing out. Memories flooded her mind of her and Zhou Tianshen rummaging through the dusty corners of Ling Cang Ge for so-called ultimate spiritual techniques, all because of someone's remarks.

Mu Zixi took a deep breath and replied, "On the shelves."

"You're lying!" Zhou Tianshen erupted in anger.

Mu Zixi nearly broke her defense but slammed on the brakes, gritting her teeth. "If not on the shelves, where else?"

"You're deceiving me! Like hell they're on the shelves—there's nothing good on the shelves!" Zhou Tianshen was furious, pointing with his single arm toward a corner of the box. "What about these...? Have you forgotten? You really don't remember anything? I don't believe you!"

Mu Zixi shrank back, feeling Zhou Tianshen's genuine anger and loneliness. It was the kind of anger and solitude from being the only one left behind while old friends moved on and gathered elsewhere.

Seeing Mu Zixi say nothing, Zhou Tianshen felt a wave of sadness. He turned to "Xu Xiaoshou" and said seriously, "You should recognize me, right?" He pointed at himself.

In that instant, many warm memories flashed through Zhou Tianshen's mind. There was that time he stood up for someone because, after battling Xu Xiaoshou on the Fengyun Stage, he truly believed he was an upright gentleman who wouldn't ambush others. Another time, when Xu Xiaoshou won first place but couldn't enter the inner academy due to low refining spirit cultivation, he declared, "If the inner academy spot is given out like that, I, Zhou Tianshen, don't want it." And even more times...

"I could recognize you."

As the memories played in his mind, "Xu Xiaoshou's" indifferent words shattered all of Zhou Tianshen's hopes.

"Pfft!"

Liu Lu laughed out loud again, this time muffling it with his hand.

Zhou Tianshen's face stiffened. He thought it couldn't be—even with Ye Mao watching in the box, if this was really Xu Xiaoshou, he wouldn't refuse so coldly, right? At least give a signal or a code!

Why weren't they? He clearly matched Xu Xiaoshou, and she clearly matched Mu Zixi—how could they not be?

Zhou Tianshen refused to give up. Clinging to his last straw, he stammered, "To f-fear battle before it starts is a great taboo in facing enemies; to flee without fighting is the..."

"What are you talking about?"

Xu Xiaoshou cut him off bluntly. "Are you saying you want to fight me?"