Chapter 3866 — Returning to the Welcome Pavilion

He knew perfectly well that Xu Lingchong was merely giving him a warning today; if he read the situation and yielded of his own accord, he might still come away with some small benefit. But if he refused to take the hint, what awaited him next would hardly be anything good.

Suppressing his displeasure, Nantian Guan recounted the matter to Xu Lingchong with an unchanged expression. His account differed in no way from what he had told Shangguan Tianxia before—only the tone was different.

"Pressure Hong Zhong of the Hong Clan Merchant Guild? Fine. This young master will relay that word to my grandfather without altering a single character. Whether the old man agrees to help, though, is not for you or me to decide. You understand that too, don't you, Senior Brother?" Xu Lingchong said with a sardonic curl of his lips.

"Naturally. This matter rests entirely with the Third Elder." Nantian Guan nodded with a blank face. For the sake of the position of managing senior disciple of the Chongtian Pavilion, this Young Master Xu had already begun using the opportunity to squeeze him.

He was now fully awake to the truth: no feast came without a price, and Young Master Xu had laid out a Hongmen Banquet for him today.

"Then, apart from this matter, is there anything else the Senior Brother needs help with? This young master would be delighted," Xu Lingchong said with feigned eagerness.

The more things Nantian Guan asked of him, the more leverage would fall into his hands, and the greater his chances of eventually forcing the man to bow his head.

Nantian Guan shot Yu Jiang a glance, and Yu Jiang nodded at once. "Young Master Xu, there is another matter we would like your help with—the same one as last time. We would like to know whether that Lin Er is hiding in the Welcome Pavilion."

"Lin Er? Didn't I take you over there to have a look last time?" Xu Lingchong frowned. Last time he had thought the Lin Er this fellow was after might be Wei Zhao, and had even imagined he could borrow another's blade to save himself some trouble—but it had turned out to be nothing of the sort, a complete waste of effort.

"Young Master Xu, the Qingyun Pavilion newcomer Wei Zhao you showed me last time is indeed not Lin Er, but that does not rule out the others. Especially the newcomers of the Chongtian Pavilion and the Xuanji Pavilion," Yu Jiang answered.

When he had gone to identify Wei Zhao last time, he had also taken the opportunity to observe the other newcomers of the Qingyun Pavilion, and none of them matched Lin Er. He had originally meant to carefully observe the newcomers of the Chongtian Pavilion and the Xuanji Pavilion as well, but before he could, Hu Yunfeng had led him away and then swiftly turned hostile and driven him out.

Looking back on it now, it was probably because the wasted trip had soured Young Master Xu's mood; Hu Yunfeng, ever quick to read a face, would naturally have refused to show him any courtesy in order to curry favor with the young master.

With the Qingyun Pavilion newcomers cleared of suspicion, the suspicions attached to the newcomers of the Chongtian Pavilion and the Xuanji Pavilion had accordingly grown much greater. Those old fellows seemed unlikely candidates, but exceptions could not be ruled out.

"You mean you want to go back to the Welcome Pavilion and investigate again?" A hint of impatience showed on Xu Lingchong's face. Since Wei Zhao was not the Lin Er this fellow spoke of, the whole affair held no benefit for him, and he had no patience left to waste on a minor figure like Yu Jiang.

"Exactly. This matter is of the utmost importance to us. I beg Young Master Xu to grant it!" Yu Jiang pleaded, his expression earnest and his voice loud.

"Is that so…" Xu Lingchong glanced at Nantian Guan, who betrayed nothing, and then said, "Since the Senior Brother himself has spoken, this young master must of course help with such a small favor. I will write a letter to Hu Yunfeng at once. After you arrive, have him cooperate with you as much as possible. You may also seek help from Kang Jingming—he should be fairly familiar with the newcomers."

"Thank you, Young Master Xu!" Yu Jiang said gratefully.

Nantian Guan rose to his feet and cupped his hands to Xu Lingchong. "Since everything has been discussed, if the Young Master Xu has no other business, I shall take my leave first."

"Take care, Senior Brother. I won't see you out," Xu Lingchong said with a calm nod.

Only after Nantian Guan and Yu Jiang had departed did Lou Tianyou speak up from the side. "Why do I get the feeling that this Nantian Guan is a tough nut who won't be buying your account, Young Master Xu?"

Xu Lingchong gave a cold snort; he had expected as much. "Be that as it may, this man is one of the renowned Three Heroes of the Nan Clan, and he has some backing over in Central Isle besides. A vital post like managing senior disciple won't be spat out so easily. Today was only a warning; next I'll give him a proper dressing-down. This young master trusts he is a sensible man."

"And if the fellow never comes to his senses?" Lou Tianyou asked curiously.

Xu Lingchong was indisputably the foremost young master of North Isle, but Nantian Guan was no weakling either—strong in his own right, backed by the even more powerful leader of the Three Heroes of the Nan Clan, and with connections in Central Isle besides. If the two sides truly came to blows, it would be a clash of Mars against Earth.

"Never comes to his senses? Then I'll beat some sense into him. The post of managing senior disciple is vital to my future prospects. Even if it costs me dearly, this young master will not shrink from it!" Xu Lingchong was determined to have it.

"Haha, then I almost hope this Nantian Guan turns out to have some backbone—things have been far too quiet around the Chongtian Pavilion for a long while," Lou Tianyou laughed heartily, utterly heedless of the consequences.

Watching the fellow's gleeful appetite for chaos, Xu Lingchong shook his head with a helpless, bitter smile. If Lou Tianyou were not his only die-hard brother in the Chongtian Pavilion, he would have fallen out with him and done away with him long ago.

Still, the fellow spoke without thinking. If Xu Lingchong truly went to the death with the Three Heroes of the Nan Clan, Lou Tianyou would never stand by and watch. He was, after all, a young master in his own right; when he got serious, he was no one to be trifled with.

Coming out of Huayang Residence, Nantian Guan's face was incomparably dark. He had come today to ask Xu Lingchong to pass along a message, yet from beginning to end he had been led by the nose, and a mountain had been laid upon his shoulders out of thin air.

Though Nantian Guan had shown no obvious sign of weakness before Xu Lingchong, the young master's influence within the Chongtian Pavilion was beyond dispute. Now that Xu Lingchong had set his sights on his post as managing senior disciple, it would be a lie to say the pressure was not great.

"Martial Uncle, when shall we go to the Welcome Pavilion?" Yu Jiang asked deferentially from the side.

"I have no time left to delay. We go now," Nantian Guan decided on the spot.

Nantian Guan and Yu Jiang set off for the Welcome Pavilion at once. By the time they arrived it was nearly noon, and as it happened, that very day there was a newcomers' challenge tournament.

Glancing over the personal letter from Xu Lingchong, Hu Yunfeng did not make things difficult for Yu Jiang this time. He simply nodded and indicated that Yu Jiang might act as he saw fit. After all, even setting aside Young Master Xu's letter, Nantian Guan himself was standing right there beside Yu Jiang.

The managing senior disciple of the Chongtian Pavilion actually wielded authority that was, if anything, higher than his own as master of the Welcome Pavilion. Unless they were open enemies, Hu Yunfeng would not lightly slight him. (Fourth update burst! To be continued…)