<h4>Chapter 7: Deceive</h4>


    With the goal of getting the rare magical herbs avable in the Holy Sanctuary to produce some rare and high-quality potions, Xu Feng quickly got to work.


    The NPCs on the street might be robotic and seem unalive, but Xu Feng was able tomunicate with them in a roundabout manner.


    He would first greet them politely and talk amicably, being overly friendly.


    The responses he got were some fixed dialogues, but with his careful words of choice, Xu Feng managed to piece each clue bit by bit to get the information he wanted.


    In the end, he spent nearly another ten minutes to finally pinpoint a location that houses multiple rare magical herbs. The location was unsurprisingly and unoriginally called Miracle Herb Garden.


    ''The patrol guards of the Miracle Herb Garden might not be at the level of the Guardian of the Sanctuary, but with my current attributes, it''s impossible to confront them directly.'' Xu Feng cursed silently in his mind.


    Why must there be guards in the garden?


    The garden merely had some herbs, and they should have just left those poor herbs alone.


    How insecure must these people be to assign guards for the garden?


    They''re so despicable and overly paranoid!


    Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Xu Feng decided to inspect the patrol guards closely. He was going to analyze the situation first, and if deemed impossible, then he could only give up.


    Just the fact that he was able to be baptized had already benefited him far beyond his original goal anyway.


    Standing across the Miracle Herb Garden, Xu Feng watched as the NPCs repeatedly walked past the area. Throughout this time, the patrolling guard showed no reaction and remained in their station.


    A few more minutes passed by, and Xu Feng was astonished to see the patrolling guard suddenly show some reaction. It was toward an NPC dressed in more fancy clothingpared to the others, almost as if they were trying to show their respect.


    "Interesting..." He murmured, rubbing his chin at this development.


    ncing back at the sky to check on the time, Xu Feng realized he had wasted 10 minutes or so inspecting.


    "Whatever, it''s worth the risk. I''ll be kicked out of here anyway once the time limit is done. I might as well risk it for the biscuit."


    Determined, Xu Feng tidied his clothes a bit, and as much as he wished to get fancier clothes simr to the ones that the patrolling guard had shown respect for, time was against him. Not to mention, he doubted he would even have the money to afford such clothes.


    Exuding an air of confidence and demeanor akin to a noble, Xu Feng proudly walked toward the Miracle Herb Garden''s perimeter.


    "Halt, this is private property, and no one is allowed inside without permission." One of the patrolling guards spotted Xu Feng and warned in their usual tone filled with zero emotion that resembled a real human.


    Their weapons were extended forward, hinting that it would turn violent soon if he didn''t retreat.


    Nevertheless, Xu Feng kept his calm, and in fact, began sneering coldly.


    "Hmph, a mere patrol guard dare to stop me?" Xu Feng red at the patrolling guard in disdain.


    "The Guardian Of The Sanctuary has bestowed me permission to enter here and grab a few herbs after sessfully being baptized. And yet here you are, halting me from my path. Are you trying to hinder my growth and prevent me from being a force to the Holy Sanctuary?"


    The patrolling guard was stunned briefly and seemed confused by the outburst from Xu Feng.


    It seemed as if the patrolling guard was trying to ponder over the information, but how could Xu Feng allow him?


    In a bluff, it was best to act dominantly and confidently.


    However, the main aspect that most forgets about is to give your opponent zero time to think. Otherwise, the bluff would easily shatter as more time goes by.


    "What? You don''t believe me huh?" Xu Feng continued to act haughtily and spread his arms wide.


    "Use your eyes and look at me. Do you not see my baptized state or do you think I''m daring enough to use the name, The Guardian Of The Sanctuary to deceive others?"


    Although still suspicious of Xu Feng''s im, the patrolling guard indeed squinted its eyes and inspected him more thoroughly. A few secondster, the patrolling guard was astonished to see the baptized state from Xu Feng.


    Hesitation soon appeared on its expression, seemingly unsure of what to do.


    Meanwhile, Xu Feng was starting to curse silently in his mind. ''Damn, baptizing is a sacred and rare thing to achieve. There shouldn''t be any problem with it.''


    He was hoping his arrogant demeanor and the fact that he was baptized would quickly bypass the guard to avoid giving them the chance to verify the information. After all, his lies would instantly be exposed if someone went ahead to check.


    The situation was getting tense and awkward, with the patrolling guard standing still like a statue.


    ''Ugh, no other choice.'' Xu Feng eximed inwardly.


    With a snort, he stepped forward and shouted at the guard, "I don''t care if you refuse to believe me, but my time is running out. I''ll be heading inside to grab the herbs, and you can use that time to verify my information. I''m sure you would have no problem with it, given that I''ll be right here when you return."


    His suggestion was equivalent to saying he would be in a "house arrest" and they could always detain him if he were caught lying.


    However, if he was indeed speaking the truth, then there was no harm in letting him enter early to retrieve the herbs he was bestowed upon.


    "Very well, you shall enter but not allowed to leave until we verify your statement." The patrolling guard spoke emotionlessly.


    ''Hahaha, sess!'' Xu Feng wasughing with joy from the inside but kept his cool on the surface, merely nodding his head in response.