Chapter 3809 — What a Good Samaritan

In truth, it was not only their looks that were worlds apart. The impression Lin Er had made on Yu Jiang was of something exceedingly cunning and troublesome—nothing at all like the boastful, self-aggrandizing fool Meng Jueming had described, whose intellect was supposedly defective. Listening to him, you would think they were two entirely different people.

It was only out of deference to Xu Lingchong, who had gone to such elaborate lengths to come all the way to Yingxin Pavilion, that Yu Jiang could not simply take his leave. And from where he stood, even if this Wei Zhao was not the Lin Er he was after, the other newcomers had not yet been ruled out as possibilities.

"Brother Meng, the newcomer I'm looking for is not only outstanding in strength—he should also have a fair pile of spirit jade on hand, several hundred pieces at the very least, I'd say. Do you happen to know whether this Wei Zhao or any of the other newcomers fits that description?" Yu Jiang asked instead.

He had no intention of recounting the details of that day, for they involved treasures of the first order—the Star Ink Stone and the supreme Foundation-Breaking Barrier Pill. If he were to speak of them in front of Xu Lingchong and the others, then even supposing Lin Er was later dug out without a hitch, there would likely be nothing left in it for him.

Fortune is made in silence. Yu Jiang did not mind serving as a hired blade for a young master of Xu Lingchong's caliber, but where treasures of that sort were concerned, there was simply nothing to discuss.

In fact, it was not only this Young Master Xu, with whom he had so little acquaintance—Yu Jiang had never even mentioned the Star Ink Stone or the supreme Foundation-Breaking Barrier Pill to his own master, Nan Tianyong, fobbing him off with vague generalities. When profit was at stake, a cultivator who recognized no kin but himself—that was the true mark of the breed.

"Several hundred pieces of spirit jade? Impossible. That wretch Wei Zhao is a pauper. Never mind several hundred—if he could pinch and scrape together even one, you'd have cause to burn incense in thanks. As for the other newcomers, they may not have several hundred either, but they're certainly a good deal better off than a pauper like Wei Zhao." Meng Jueming rejected the notion out of hand.

Even now, he still assumed Yu Jiang had come looking for someone with some profitable scheme in mind, and so he kept right on running Wei Zhao down.

Still, his words were not far off the mark—at least in the eyes of everyone else, himself included, there was certainly no spirit jade to be had on that creature Wei Zhao. On the rare occasion he managed to get his hands on a few decent pieces, the Qingyun Pavilion newcomers around him would immediately swap them away for scraps.

Given the wolfish greed of these Qingyun Pavilion newcomers, leaving Wei Zhao even a single good piece was already an act of great mercy. As for several hundred pieces of spirit jade? That was simply out of the question—he probably did not even have several hundred scraps.

What was more, scraps of that sort could at best fool a simpleton like Wei Zhao. Try passing them off outside, and there was no chance of getting away with it—once discovered, a man would deserve to be beaten to death on the spot.

Hearing Meng Jueming out, Yu Jiang at once ruled out Wei Zhao entirely. Apart from a slight resemblance in build, the man's appearance, his manner of doing things, and his store of spirit jade all marked him as a completely different person from the Lin Er he knew—there was no connection between them whatsoever.

Seeing Yu Jiang's rather disappointed expression, Meng Jueming could not resist probing: "Brother Yu, what exactly do you mean to do with this newcomer you've gone to such trouble to find? I won't boast of much else, but when it comes to every last newcomer in Qingyun Pavilion, I know them like the back of my hand. Why not tell me the specifics? I might be able to help you pick him out."

His intent in saying this was simply to see whether he might scrape some benefit out of it—and, if the chance arose, to push Meng Zhou forward along the way.

Yu Jiang had been wallowing in disappointment, but at these words his eyes lit up at once.

Here in Yingxin Pavilion, this fellow Meng Jueming was a veritable local snake. When it came to knowledge of the newcomers here, he stood far above the likes of Young Master Xu and Pavilion Master Hu Yunfeng; if he wanted to find someone, it would be simplicity itself. Having his help was naturally for the best.

"Then I thank you for your kindness, Brother Meng. The man I'm looking for is called Lin Er—though that is very likely an assumed name. As for his particulars, they are just what I told you. I won't deceive you, Brother Meng: this man is my sworn, irreconcilable enemy. Not long ago I nearly died at his hands, and this debt must be repaid. So I beg you, Brother Meng, to lend me your help and spare no effort in this!" Yu Jiang entreated him with the utmost sincerity.

My God! Hearing this, Meng Jueming could have torn out his own hair and slapped himself twice across the face. After all that circling, there was no benefit to be had at all—the man this creature was hunting was his sworn enemy!

And here he had been running Wei Zhao down with all his heart, even thinking to put Meng Zhou forward in his place. Looking back now, had not all his words actually done Wei Zhao a great favor—cleared him of suspicion?

Had he known, he should have turned black into white and bent every effort to steer suspicion onto Wei Zhao. Who cared whether Wei Zhao was the Lin Er this creature sought? First sow discord, then insist with all his might that Wei Zhao was the culprit—and there he would have raised a mortal enemy for Wei Zhao at no cost. Would that not have been a joy to behold?

A golden opportunity had been squandered by his own hand, and instead he had muddled along and shielded Wei Zhao from disaster. What utter, contemptible folly!

But the words were already out of his mouth. However much Meng Jueming regretted it, he could hardly take them back now; he could only nod vaguely and mutter some evasive agreement, and let the matter drop.

"Young Master Xu, Pavilion Master Hu, I should like to go and look around the newcomers' arenas of the other two pavilions. Would that be all right?" Yu Jiang turned to Xu Lingchong and asked.

Having failed to find his man here at Qingyun Pavilion, it was only natural to turn and try one's luck at Chongtian Pavilion and Xuanji Pavilion. And ordinarily, the newcomers of those two pavilions were bound to be stronger than those of Qingyun Pavilion, that dumping ground for deadwood; the odds of Lin Er being mixed in among them were far greater than here.

Still, this was Yingxin Pavilion's territory after all, and under normal circumstances an outsider like him would not be permitted to wander about at will—though naturally, with a nod from Xu Lingchong and Hu Yunfeng, there would be no problem.

"Go on, then," Xu Lingchong said, waving a hand with some impatience and motioning for Hu Yunfeng to accompany him.

Though today's scheme of killing with a borrowed blade had come to nothing, the fellow was, after all, an inner disciple of Chongtian Pavilion, and his attitude toward Young Master Xu had been respectful throughout—barely half one of his own. Doing him a casual favor was no great matter.

Watching Yu Jiang and Hu Yunfeng depart, Wei Zhao, some distance away, could not help the faint curve that lifted the corner of his mouth. Just as he had expected, this first-impression gambit had worked!

Though the distance was somewhat great and he could not make out clearly just what Yu Jiang and the others were saying, he could still catch a scattered phrase here and there, enough to know roughly what was going on.