The three men were so engaged in their heated argument that they seemed ready to roll up their sleeves and fight each other physically.

 To the side, Lu Jiu Que’s heart was filled with surprise. She had really had no idea that this middle-aged man whose face was covered by a beard was actually a grade-two refiner.

 They had actually called a grade-two refiner over to forge the silver needles for her. This was significantly beyond Lu Jiu Que’s expectations!

 Regardless of the reason why they had helped her in the first place, she would accept their kindness with a grateful heart.

 She raised her brows and smiled. Cupping one hand over the other, which was folded into a fist, Lu Jiu Que submissively bowed to the three men and said, “I’m Jiuque. Thank you for the generous gifts, Shopkeeper Yue, Master Lei, and General Ye. I, Jiuque, will remember our friendship.”

 1Jiuque?

 The three men who were frothing at the mouth and staring at each other with rage all froze at the same time. How was it that this name sounded somewhat familiar?

 However, the very next moment, they automatically made a mental distinction between the young man of matchless beauty and talent right before them and the renowned worthless curse, Lu Jiu Que, categorizing them as people of two different worlds.

 The three men returned her salute at the same time.

 “Young Master Jiu!”

 “Young Master Jiu!”

 …

 At this time, the young masters and ladies of the Qing Yan Empire had also gradually awoken. Everyone looked befuddled.

 A day and night’s worth of torturous pain had caused them to become exceptionally haggard and drained of all energy.

 Lu Jiu Que smiled coldly. Although she wasn’t afraid that they would recognize her, she still had to prepare for the test.

 Furthermore, she had achieved her goal for the day. So long as the prey automatically came to her at its own will, that would do. It was certain that she wouldn’t stay long.

 “Since they have all recovered, I’ll take my leave first.”

 The moment they heard that Lu Jiu Que was leaving, the three men started to feel anxious.

 If the apostle of His Excellency, the Son of God, were to leave this time around, they would never know if they had a chance to meet him again next time he was around.

 Shopkeeper Yue took the lead and was the first to open his mouth. With an amiable smile, he said, “Young Master Jiu, you’re also aware that this happens to be the period when all the major sects open their doors to the public to recruit disciples. Why don’t you wait until this major event comes to an end before leaving? How about it?”

 General Ye also looked up and said heartily, “That’s right. It’d be good to take a look at this round of trials. You might even be able to find talents to deliver to heaven, right?”

 The inarticulate Master Lei who wasn’t as good with words simply echoed, “You should stay, Young Master Jiu.”

 At this moment, there was an unprecedented truce between the three.

 Lu Jiu Que’s eyes glanced around, then she shook her head and said, “But I came with a mission this time. It’d be inconvenient for me to stay for long.”

 The moment the three men heard that Lu Jiu Que genuinely didn’t want to stay, they became even more anxious. Even Shopkeeper Yue seemed to have lost his sense of propriety as he asked, “What mission? Who knows? Maybe we can lend you a helping hand, Young Master?”

 Lu Jiu Que retracted her smile and alienated herself from them as she said, “It’s just collecting some medicinal herbs. That’s all, but it’s not appropriate for me to elaborate.”

 After taking one look at Lu Jiu Que’s expression, the three men secretly knew things weren’t going their way. They seemed to have crossed the line with this question.

 It was true that they were indeed under-qualified to inquire about matters pertaining to heaven.

 Just when the three men were feeling somewhat embarrassed, the look in Lu Jiu Que’s eyes softened again. With a sigh, she opened her mouth and said, “But you three can rest assured that in the next few days, I’ll still be in Fish Dive City. If any of you three lords need any help, feel free to come and find me.”

 With that, she didn’t give the three men any chance to say anything more. She merely saluted them with a bow and walked out.

 The three men hurriedly rose to their feet to see her out. In their hearts, they were feeling chagrined yet relieved.

 Chagrined because they had shot their mouths off without wisely choosing their words, and relieved because Young Master Jiu had been benevolent and tolerant. He hadn’t made a huge fuss over it and had even said that they could go to him if they needed help.

 This Young Master Jiu really had the heart of a saint. If it had been another apostle, he would have flown into a rage for sure.

 After one night, the crowd that had gathered outside the gates of Yan Chai Hall dispersed.

 The three men walked Lu Jiu Que to the door. Watching as her back vanished into the rays of dawn, they couldn’t help clicking their tongues and sighing.