Chapter: 36: Sun Moon Empire "Speciality"
Zhongli Mansion, the residence of Zhongli and Paimon, is located slightly east of the center of Liyue Harbor.
"Old sir, this is the residence of the Lord Martial God. Please come in."
There were no guards at the gate of Zhongli Mansion. I believed there would be no foolish person on the entire Douluo Continent who would dare to assassinate this Martial God.
The receptionist escorted Jing Hongchen to the gate of Zhongli Mansion before taking his leave.
Jing Hongchen stood at the gate and paused for a moment.
The mansion was not as magnificent as he had imagined. Instead, it had a simple, antique style, resembling the residence of a scholar.
After carefully tidying up his appearance, Jing Hongchen stepped into Zhongli Mansion.
As soon as he entered, a UFO-like figure flew towards him, adorned with a platinum soul ring.
From the intelligence, it was known that the Lord Martial God possessed a martial spirit, a creature resembling a girl, capable of flight, and bearing a platinum soul ring.
"Greetings, Lord Paimon!"
Jing Hongchen bowed to Paimon with great respect.
Paimon was slightly stunned and pointed at herself in confusion.
"Paimon, lord?"
This was the first time such a title had been used.
What were "Emergency Food," "Flying Melon," "UFO," or "Backup Rations"...?
"This old man is quite interesting," Paimon thought to herself. She looked at Jing Hongchen and said, "Grandpa, Zhongli asked Paimon to tell you that he is waiting for you in the living room."
After saying this, Paimon muttered, "Grilled fish, grilled fish, Paimon is coming!"
Then, to Jing Hongchen's surprise, Paimon flew out of Zhongli Mansion and disappeared.
Jing Hongchen blinked, momentarily dazed.
This martial spirit named Paimon always gave him an unusual feeling, though he couldn't quite put it into words.
Instead, she seemed more like an innocent girl...
"That's interesting..."
Jing Hongchen turned and walked towards the hall.
Under normal circumstances, the living room would face the front door, meaning it would be the first thing one would see upon entering.
After a short while, Jing Hongchen arrived at the door of the living room and caught sight of the young man inside.
The young man was seated in the main position, calmly fiddling with a tea set. His every movement exuded elegance and carried a hint of deeper meaning.
He had a handsome appearance, and though his attire was not extravagant, it radiated a calm and composed aura.
"Come in."
A steady voice came from the living room, seemingly devoid of emotion yet imbued with a sense of security.
Jing Hongchen did not dare to hesitate and quickly stepped into the living room. He stood respectfully and saluted Zhongli.
"Jing Hongchen from the Illustrious Virtue Hall of the Sun-Moon Empire greets the Lord Martial God!"
There was no need to guess. Who else could be sitting in the main seat but the owner of Zhongli Mansion?
Zhongli waved his hand casually, and a beam of amber energy gently straightened Jing Hongchen's posture. He said, "You have come from afar, so there is no need for such formalities. Please, take a seat."
Jing Hongchen was momentarily stunned. After sitting down, he began to observe the Martial God before him.
Had he not known of the other's immense strength, he might have mistaken Zhongli for nothing more than a nobleman.
"Thank you for your hospitality, sir."
Etiquette could not be discarded, even if Jing Hongchen was not one to overly concern himself with formalities.
The mistakes of the past serve as lessons for the future.
Shrek deserved its downfall for the way it had treated others!
Everyone across the Douluo Continent knew why the Martial God had been enraged that day and why he had destroyed Shrek Academy.
It was truly Shrek Academy's own doing, repeatedly challenging the bottom line of a God!
Zhongli nodded slightly and did not correct him.
With another wave of his hand, the teacup in front of him floated gently to Jing Hongchen.
Jing Hongchen glanced down and noticed the cup was not filled to the brim, containing only about eight-tenths of the tea. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
It seemed the Lord Martial God bore no displeasure toward him for being from the Sun-Moon Empire.
A full cup of wine is a gesture of hospitality, but a full cup of tea can be seen as a slight.
After expressing his gratitude once more, Jing Hongchen began to sip the tea. He was no connoisseur, so he couldn't articulate why it tasted so exquisite.
Of course, he didn't attempt to flatter by remarking on the tea's quality.
He simply found it refreshing, with a sweet aftertaste and a unique flavor.
"As expected of a Martial God, this is how he treats a guest... Even though I hail from the Sun-Moon Continent, he shows no unfamiliarity with the customs of hospitality..."
Jing Hongchen could sense this, and this alone fostered a small measure of goodwill within him.
Before Zhongli could speak, Jing Hongchen understood his position.
When a guest arrives, how could they come empty-handed?
Jing Hongchen rose to his feet, bowed deeply to Zhongli, and said, "Lord Martial God, I have come here on the orders of His Majesty to congratulate you on your ascension to the God level."
"I have also brought some specialties from the Sun-Moon Empire as a token of our respect. I hope you will accept them."
Jing Hongchen's demeanor was proper and respectful, his words impeccable.
With that, he retrieved a bracelet-shaped storage soul tool from his sleeve and placed it on the table.
"His Majesty's gifts include twenty Grade 9 soul tool shells, one hundred Grade 8 soul tool shells, ten Grade 9 soul tools, and a selection of materials for crafting soul tools."
Without waiting for Zhongli to respond, Jing Hongchen produced another storage soul tool from his sleeve and set it on the table.
"This is a gift from Illustrious Virtue Hall. Although it may not be as valuable as the gift from His Majesty, it is a token of our sincerity. I hope you will accept it."
"Illustrious Virtue Hall's congratulatory gifts: 15 Grade 9 soul tool shells, 80 Grade 8 soul tool shells, 4 Grade 9 soul tools, and some materials for crafting soul tools!"
Zhongli glanced at the two storage soul tools on the table, then looked at Jing Hongchen, his eyes flickering slightly.
As expected of the Sun-Moon Empire, and as expected of the head of Illustrious Virtue Hall!
It wasn't that Illustrious Virtue Hall couldn't offer more "gifts," but rather that their gifts couldn't overshadow those of the emperor.
For an empire to present gifts separately was indeed quite intriguing.
The Grade 9 soul tool shells were of little use to Zhongli, but to the natives of Douluo Continent, these items were extraordinarily terrifying!
If a Grade 9 soul tool shell were successfully detonated, it could easily obliterate an entire city.
Here, Jing Hongchen and the emperor had presented thirty-five such items, along with one hundred and eighty Grade 8 soul tool shells.
The value of these items was incalculable in terms of gold soul coins. They could even sway the outcome of a large-scale war, demonstrating the Sun-Moon Empire's sincerity!
As if recalling something, Jing Hongchen retrieved another storage soul tool from his sleeve and placed it on the table.
"This is a personal gift from Crown Prince Xu Tianran. His Royal Highness is physically unable to travel long distances, so he entrusted me to convey his regards to you."
Originally, as the head of Illustrious Virtue Hall, Jing Hongchen should not have taken sides privately.
No matter who ascended to the throne, his position would remain unchanged.
But what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had offered was simply too generous!
Zhongli stroked his chin and glanced at the storage soul tool gifted by Xu Tianran.
The fact that Jing Hongchen hesitated to disclose the list of gifts suggested that the contents of this storage soul tool were exceptionally precious, perhaps even surpassing the items presented by the emperor.