Wu Tianzhen and Fatty didn't notice Xiao Zhang's actions, still entangled.
"...Should we find Hua'er Ye again?"
"No, absolutely not!" Wu Tianzhen rejected Fatty's idea outright, anxiously running a hand through his hair. "Xiao Hua isn't Doraemon, how can we keep bothering him? He has a lot of things to do too!"
"Good heavens, if Da Xiong had your awareness, Tianzhen, that cartoon would have ended long ago," Fatty grumbled, abandoning the thought.
But soon, the real Doraemon appeared!!!
Zhang Haike, suddenly summoned by Zhang Qiling, looked unwell, as if he had been very tired lately. However, no matter how dark the circles under his eyes were, they instantly turned into sparkling lights upon seeing Zhang Qiling.
"One hundred million, transferred," he emotionlessly handed over to the shopkeeper, then quickly devoted himself entirely to communicating with the clan leader.
"Clan leader, do you have any other matters?"
He was full of anticipation, but it was clear Zhang Qiling understood nothing of social niceties.
Xiao Zhang had no intention of inviting Zhang Haike over. He cradled the Ghost Seal and carried the flour bag (Black Gold Ancient Saber). The moment he heard Zhang Haike's question, he seemed a bit lost.
Then, he also emotionlessly said, "No."
"You can go back."
Zhang Haike: ...
"Hey, hey, hey, since you're here, come in and sit for a while!" Fatty, seeing Zhang Haike's frozen expression, felt a bit sorry and tried to smooth things over. "You have no idea what your clan leader has raised. That thing is incredibly bizarre!"
The group now deeply resented the shop. The moment Fatty got the Ghost Seal, he demanded the shopkeeper refund the money for the scabbard. He wanted a return.
As for the pendant, it was already on Xiao Zhang's saber, so they'd grudgingly keep it. Although the shopkeeper was greedy, his craftsmanship was indeed good.
"Does the clan leader need a scabbard? The Zhang family has many. I can send any style the clan leader likes," Zhang Haike, picking up on a potential topic of conversation with Zhang Qiling from the barrage of words.
However, when he saw the semi-finished scabbard the shopkeeper was crafting according to Fatty's request, his eye twitched uncontrollably.
...Although the scabbard wasn't finished, its appearance, like a shattered palette of colors, was already taking shape. Zhang Haike recalled the plain, dark scabbards in his clan and retracted what he had just said.
"...But the clan only has dark ones, which don't seem to suit the clan leader's taste," Zhang Haike said with some annoyance. "I'll send a message back right now to have them urgently craft a batch of exquisite and luxurious ones!"
Clearly, Zhang Haike had high emotional intelligence. Although he found the scabbard gaudy and unbearable to look at, he immediately rephrased his evaluation to exquisite and luxurious, thinking it was for the clan leader.
However, his high EQ was not appreciated by Xiao Zhang. Zhang Qiling's head shot up the moment he heard "dark scabbards," and he spoke with conviction:
"...It's not my preference."
"Give me dark ones."
Zhang Haike: ...Look at how the clan leader has been pushed to this point.
With this strange sense of sorrow, Zhang Haike stepped through the door of Wushanju, only to be attacked the moment he entered!
He dodged the impact of the object with a swift movement and then watched, expressionless, as Zhang Qiling reached out and caught the furball.
...Looking at the tension in the clan leader's muscles the moment he caught the object, Zhang Haike realized it wasn't light.
Then he turned around and found that the interior of Wushanju was already like a whirlwind. The cabinets and tables had all been gnawed into wood chips, and a piece of wood was still in the culprit's mouth.
"Holy crap!! Furball, get over here!!" Fatty and Wu Tianzhen instantly descended into madness, chasing the escaping blue-haired rabbit and darting around the room.
At this moment, Zhang Haike finally understood what was meant by the clan leader's bizarre pet.
Zhang Haike: Truly worthy of the clan leader.
He sighed, remembering the other important matter he had come for, and straightened his expression, looking at Zhang Qiling.
"Clan leader, I actually have another mission here," Zhang Haike carefully took out a box from his embrace. Upon opening it, the familiar mother bell was revealed. "The divine stone in the sacred land... I told the clan it was destroyed by the anomalies within."
"Although this mother bell cannot be recharged, it still holds the significance of the clan leader's token. Therefore, I have come to return it to the clan leader."
Watching Zhang Qiling slowly reach out and take the box, Zhang Haike breathed a sigh of relief. Due to the outrageous actions of the inner clan before, he had always feared Zhang Qiling would no longer want to be associated with the Zhang family.
"Regarding the Elder Pu mentioned by the shopkeeper, we have some information," Zhang Haike continued. "He has gone mad in his attempt to prolong his life. While we don't know why he went to that shop, he might cause trouble because you lingered there."
"However, please rest assured, clan leader, I will handle these matters and prevent him from appearing before you."
Zhang Haike's guarantee was firm, but in reality, Zhang Qiling knew nothing about the Elder Pu. He merely paused and nodded quietly.
Wu Tianzhen and Fatty were still chasing the furball, and Wushanju certainly didn't look like a suitable place for guests. Zhang Haike felt frustrated, but there was also accumulated work in the clan, so he could only bid farewell and leave.
Standing at the door, watching Hai Ke A Meng depart, Zhang Qiling slowly gazed at the mother bell and the Ghost Seal in his hands.
With a "zheng" sound, the mother bell inexplicably emitted a metallic clang.