Romancing the Son of Heaven

Stratagem 32: Continuous Efforts Are Bound to Yield Results (3)

The king of the spirit beast tribe felt unprecedented pressure when he saw just how happy the dragon king was about the gift that the gods had brought over. While the gods might just be allies in the war against the demons, the spirit beast people were reliant on the dragons. Or, well, at the very least, they were counted as the dragon king's subjects.

If there was one person that he didn't want to offend that was the dragon king. And so far, he had never managed to elicit that kind of reaction from him. Well, maybe they should have introduced him to a few beauties before and hoped that one of them would catch his eye. Now, it was too late.

Seeing that Qiang Yan and Qiu Ling seemed to have finished their conversation, he hurriedly stepped forward with two of his people, handing over their gift with a smile. "I'm afraid that this cannot compare to what the gods have given but I hope that Longjun will accept this as a sign of our appreciation." He didn't make any more words around it, already having made the experience in the past that the dragon king hated it when people jabbered on. He was the kind of no-nonsense guy that wanted you to get to the point. If you didn't, well, you shouldn't expect him to listen.

Qiu Ling was still in a good mood. He gave a hum and had Xiang Yong accept the gift before he took the chest from his hands, even going so far as to open it in front of the spirit beast people as well. Naturally, he didn't care about this one as much as he cared about the gift his beloved had sent but this guy had realized the importance of what his beloved had given so he felt like giving him some face.

Looking at what was inside, he was incredibly confused though. This was ... Qiu Ling tilted his head, trying to figure out just what it was. Actually, it looked like a chest full of dirt with some weeds poking out. Was the spirit beast king playing a prank on him?

Next to him, An Bai also looked over, already having feared that something like this might occur. When it came to their king, they always needed to be prepared that he would suddenly show complete befuddlement at something. Even worse, he might give voice to that.

Usually, when it was just in front of them, he wouldn't mind but if it was in front of a crowd of their people, as well as the dignitaries of their allies and his subjects, then he couldn't let that happen.

When it came to the spirit beast people, An Bai's expectations for the gift weren't too high. Their territory was counted as half an immortal realm, being located right between the mortal and immortal realms. The resources they had at their disposal weren't as rich as what the gods could offer. The same was surely true for the people that had come from other regions of the dragon realm.

Still, looking into the chest, there was an assortment of young herbs inside, the bottom of the chest inlaid with earth which probably came from the soil they were native to. Clearly, these herbs could be cultivated in the chest and then replanted.

Seeing this, An Bai's eyes lit up. "An assortment of herbs from the spirit beasts' territory? This is a very meaningful gift. And they are even able to be planted again."

Qiu Ling looked at him, feeling that this was something he could hand over to An Bai without worrying at all. He'd have some kind of use for it.

The spirit beast king beamed, feeling that this Scholar An Bai was indeed somebody quite well-educated. At a glance, he was able to tell us what this was about. "Yes, adviser An Bai, that is indeed what this is. We gathered some of the rarest herbs that grow in our territory, as well as a seed of the sunbeam flower that is only native to our lands. It is difficult to cultivate so it still remains to be seen whether this one will be able to blossom but so far, the chances seem good. I'm sure that scholar An Bai will be able to use this for something."