"Gold Clan Leader, do you recognize the two of us, Senior Brothers?" Lu Yang cautiously inquired. The Gold Clan Leader wasn’t just imposing in size; being the leader of the Qiongqi Clan, he was definitely a ruthless character without equal.

Before setting off, he and Old Meng had been wondering whether the people of the Demon Territory would be able to recognize them. The conclusion was that at most, the Demon Territory might know their names but not their faces.

Seeing the Gold Clan Leader like this, their earlier conclusion seemed a bit rash.

The Gold Clan Leader looked at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou with a smile that was not quite a smile.

"Ordinarily, I wouldn’t care about which geniuses are at the Golden Core Stage, as they’re all empty talk before they’ve grown, but you, Lu Yang, are different."

"What’s different about me?"

Lu Yang couldn’t help but smirk, wondering if his unique talent had caught the Gold Clan Leader’s attention?

"You are Daoist Buyu’s disciple."

Lu Yang: "..."

"When I learned that the champion was Daoist Buyu’s disciple, I specifically ordered someone to find a portrait."

"As for Meng Jingzhou, you are the Meng Family’s Young Master, so I also had your portrait fetched."

"I never expected to find you two together with Fairy Mo Yin. Is there any relation between you?" The Gold Clan Leader narrowed his eyes as he scanned the three of them.

Fairy Mo Yin liked tomb-raiding and often hunted demons, making quite a few enemies. Yet, oddly enough, her cultivation level was so exquisite that no one could catch her.

Fairy Mo Yin’s background is shrouded in mystery, unknown to everyone.

That Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou could enter Qiongqi’s tomb must have been with the help of Fairy Mo Yin.

Why she would help them—could it be that Fairy Mo Yin was also from the Seek Dao Sect...

The Gold Clan Leader didn’t continue this line of speculation; Fairy Mo Yin’s identity was none of his concern.

As the Gold Clan Leader walked along, a thick fog began to emanate from his body, and a burly middle-aged man with tiger ears emerged from the mist.

"Please, this way."

He led the three to a small wooden cabin. The interior of the cabin was delicately crafted, unlike the rough caves and hollows commonly seen in the Qiongqi Clan. It clearly catered to human aesthetics, presumably prepared to entertain members of the Human race.

The Qiongqi Clan wasn’t an isolated race; on the contrary, they frequently interacted with various tribes of the Demon Race and the Human race for the sake of business.

However, due to a lack of talent, they often failed in their business endeavors.

The Qiongqi Clan had rich heritage; if they were to sell just one or two of the burial items from the main tomb, even those at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage would scramble to purchase them at sky-high prices.

Those were treasures to be kept safe, and selling them would be a sacrilege; the Gold Clan Leader had no desire to earn such a notorious reputation.

The Gold Clan Leader invited a shape-shifted clan member to pour tea for the three, his hospitality leaving them somewhat at a loss.

Third Senior Sister was especially worried there might be a conspiracy involved. With her skills, she could easily escape, but the two Junior Brothers wouldn’t fare as well.

Eldest Senior Sister had entrusted their care to her; it would be unacceptable for anything to go wrong on her watch.

"I address Po Tian as my brother, so you may call me Gold Uncle," the Gold Clan Leader said with a hearty laugh, noticing the three were reserved.

Meng Jingzhou’s eyes twitched. He had not expected the Gold Clan Leader’s warm attitude was due to him, and considering what Third Senior Sister had said about the relationship between the Meng family and the Qiongqi Clan, the Gold Clan Leader’s behavior became understandable.

But the problem was, he had already run away from home. Although his father had forgiven him, deep down he still felt uncertain.

Hesitating momentarily, he decided to honor the Gold Clan Leader’s wishes and called out, "Gold Uncle."

The Gold Clan Leader let out a belly laugh upon hearing this and handed Meng Jingzhou a piece of paper.

"Good nephew, I have nothing much to give you since this is our first meeting. Take this IOU and keep it safe."

Meng Jingzhou instinctively tried to decline, accepting the gift: "This is too valuable... Wait, what did you say this is?"

"An IOU."

Meng Jingzhou flipped over the paper, and on the front, it was clearly written that the Gold Clan Leader owed the Meng Family a certain amount of Spirit Stones, with a certain amount of interest, to be repaid by a set date.

As a great demon king, the Gold Clan Leader had a very strong mental fortitude. He said without a change of expression, "Could you talk to your family about waiving my debt?"

Meng Jingzhou: "..."

In his impression, no one had ever dared to default on a debt to the Meng Family, let alone have it waived.

The Gold Clan Leader tentatively said, "How about just waiving the interest?"

Meng Jingzhou remained silent.

Not giving up, the Gold Clan Leader said, "It should be fine to repay the money two years later."

Meng Jingzhou worried that if he kept silent, the Gold Clan Leader might consider kidnapping him to demand a ransom from the Meng Family.

"No problem, I’ll talk to my dad as soon as I get back. Pay back the money two years later, and we won’t count the interest."

The Gold Clan Leader sighed in relief, it seemed he wouldn’t have to worry about being struck by lightning for the time being.

"Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Brother Po Tian for quite some time. I often ask the merchants about Po Tian and the Meng Family’s recent circumstances. I’ve heard that the Meng Family, being the number one influential family of the Human race, has made many good connections in the Imperial City, is generous in giving and helping others, and is known for their kindness.

The cultivators of the Imperial City speak highly of them, and everyone welcomes a Meng Family member with a smile."

"Brother Po Tian is even more outstanding, shining brightly in the official circles. Both civil and military officials can’t stop praising him, saying he has the talent of a great statesman of a bygone era..."

Meng Jingzhou felt restless listening to this, as none of those adjectives seemed to relate to the Meng Family.

"Uncle Gold, you can speak frankly if you have something to say."

"My nephew is quick to speak and act, clearly someone who is cut out for great things!"

"Uncle really doesn’t ask for much, just hoping the Meng Family could lend us some Spirit Stones?"

"Lend again?" Meng Jingzhou was shocked. You were just trying to wriggle out of a debt and now have the audacity to ask for another loan? Is this the thick-skinned nature of a great demon king?

The Gold Clan Leader spoke earnestly, explaining seriously, "It’s not borrowing again; the last time it was in my personal capacity, this time it is on behalf of the Qiongqi Clan. The two should not be conflated."

"...I can go back and talk to my family, but I can’t guarantee success."

The Gold Clan Leader was overjoyed, his face reverting to its original form, "Then I would be grateful for my nephew’s efforts in this matter!"

"It’s a trivial matter, a trivial matter." Meng Jingzhou quickly said, deciding that for safety’s sake, he’d better have the housekeeper speak to his dad when he got back.

It was about time for the housekeeper to have been released.

Originally, the Gold Clan Leader wanted to summon the Qiongqi Clan geniuses to spar with Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, but then he thought that these two were the champions of the Mid-stage Golden Core, and his own geniuses would probably have a difficult time winning.

And if he beat Meng Jingzhou, how could the Qiongqi Clan borrow any money?

For such reasons, he had to give up on the idea.

The Gold Clan Leader personally saw them out. He didn’t dwell on the issue of tomb archaeology, and aside from Meng Jingzhou’s identity, there was another reason.

That was to let these three spread the word about Ancient Di Jiang uniting the Demon Territory to Great Xia.

According to the records, Ancient Di Jiang was tyrannical in nature. Allowing such a great demon to unite the Demon Territory might lead to unpredictable fortunes and disasters.

"Yawn~" Fairy Eternity woke up from the tree, and seeing the three unharmed, she knew she was right in her assumption; the Gold Clan Leader had no intention of making things difficult for them.

"See, I told you it was a minor issue."

"The Qiongqi Clan has always been poor, and it’s really not easy to have remained so up till now."

"I once suggested to Old Qiongqi that the name Qiongqi wasn’t good; it’s unlucky, and they should change it."

"What do you suggest the Qiongqi Clan change their name to, Fairy?"

"To something like Prosperity or Wealth."