Chapter 4061 — Seeking Refuge

"Good, then. But how do we solve this problem now?" Wei Zhao asked. The forging process could not be halted midway, and in its present lukewarm state, that lump inside was not even a half-finished product—there was certainly no taking it out now.

"In this state, the forging pool should, barring the unexpected, keep going indefinitely. But to be on the safe side, I had best stay here and keep watch. That means I must trouble you, Brother Lin, to find a way to procure some supplementary materials—only then can the forging continue." As he spoke, the Scrap King fetched paper and brush and at once listed out a whole series of forging materials, handing it to Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao took it and glanced it over, then asked, "Are these materials all common?"

"Most are fairly common and should be available for direct purchase, but two of them will require some luck. Fortunately, there is no great urgency here, and I will find a way to keep it under control—even if time drags on a while, it should not be a major problem! This lukewarm state is itself a stage of forging; a longer duration is not necessarily a bad thing." So the Scrap King analyzed.

"Very well, then. Leave the matter of the supplementary materials to me—I will find a way. And I entrust this place to you, Brother Wang." Wei Zhao set off at once.

At the Hong Merchant Guild, ever since Hong Zhongyuan had departed for his post on the Middle Isle, the place had become territory where Si Haitao's word alone decided matters. And now, in the private room, two familiar faces had unexpectedly appeared—none other than the two brothers Nan Tianxiong and Nan Tianguan.

"Steward Si, we have an unreasonable request—we hope you can help us find someone." Nan Tianguan and Nan Tianxiong exchanged a glance, then spoke up in entreaty.

"Oh? Find whom? Surely not still that matter of Lin Er? There is no news yet, though I have already had people looking into it." Si Haitao sipped his fine spirit tea at his ease, answering with casual perfunctoriness.

"Actually, we already know Lin Er's true identity, and we know where he is. That fellow is none other than the Wei Zhao we mentioned to you before! But what we want to find now is a different person—someone you have met once before as well: my unworthy martial nephew, Yu Jiang." Nan Tianguan spoke with a hint of embarrassment.

He and Nan Tianxiong had already searched every place that could be searched, yet had never managed to find a trace of Yu Jiang. Coming now to beg Si Haitao for help was a move born of helplessness—after all, this man came from the Inspectorate, and borrowing the intelligence network of the Hong Shadow Group to probe for Yu Jiang's whereabouts would surely be far better than the two of them blundering about on their own.

"Inquire about Yu Jiang? You do not know the whereabouts of your own martial nephew?" Si Haitao could not help but start. "Since you now know that Wei Zhao is Lin Er, all the more reason to think of a way to get at this Wei Zhao first. What is the point of expending effort to find Yu Jiang?"

"Alas, Steward Si, you are not aware—we only recently learned that the one who killed our third brother was not Wei Zhao at all, but that utterly unfilial disciple Yu Jiang!" Nan Tianguan then recounted to Si Haitao, in rough outline, the events that had recently transpired.

Such a convoluted inside story left Si Haitao clicking his tongue in wonder. Though the matter of Yu Jiang murdering his master had recently caused a great uproar, it was chiefly confined to the Tri-Stack Pavilion and had not spread widely in the market district. Moreover, he had lately been busy straightening out the Hong Merchant Guild, erasing the traces left by Hong Zhong's years of management, and had simply no time to pay heed to such rumors.

"To think that whelp looks so proper and presentable, yet is a turncoat to the bone. Very well—I shall send word at once to my old partner in charge of the Hong Shadow Group's North Isle branch and have him look into it for you. Since the affair has blown up so greatly, the eyes and ears scattered across the North Isle should take note of Yu Jiang's movements of their own accord." With that, Si Haitao at once wrote a note and had it sent out by flying messenger bird.

Since both parties were on the North Isle, the message traveled exceedingly fast. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Si Haitao received the reply—but regrettably, the response was that no news whatsoever of Yu Jiang's whereabouts had been received.

Nan Tianxiong and Nan Tianguan were instantly overcome with gloom. The vanished Yu Jiang had already become a laughingstock for the two brothers; if this were allowed to continue, the prestige they had established at the Soaring Heaven Pavilion would likely be wiped out entirely.

Seeing them in such a state, Si Haitao offered comfort: "In truth, you need not lose heart so. That whelp Yu Jiang may hide for a time, but can he hide forever? The Hong Shadow Group has so many eyes and ears on the North Isle—so long as he appears, why worry that he will not be found? It is only a matter of time! Besides, is not Wei Zhao ready at hand? Though it was Yu Jiang who killed Nan Tianyong, Wei Zhao has his problems too!"

Nan Tianxiong and Nan Tianguan nodded. "We know Wei Zhao is no good sort either. When he posed as Lin Er and made off with the Star Ink Stone, it was in fact his ill intent stirring up conflict. Everything began with him—otherwise, our third brother would never have come to such an end, killed by his own disciple's hand."

"Well said. Therefore I am prepared to take action and help you deal with him!" Si Haitao said suddenly.

"Huh?" The two could not help exchanging a startled look. Though Si Haitao had previously agreed to help find Lin Er, the perfunctory nature of it had been plain enough for even their blind eyes to see. Why had he suddenly become so proactive?

"No need for such astonishment. These past two days, your uncle Nan Tian Liuguang happened to send me a letter, asking me to teach a foe of his a lesson—a grudge formed back when he went to the mortal realm as a guiding envoy. Guess who it is?" Si Haitao wore an expression of amused relish.

"Surely it is not Wei Zhao?" The two immediately stared at each other.

"Indeed, it is this very Wei Zhao. Come to think of it, this whelp is truly at odds with your family—he clashed with your uncle in the mortal realm, and now he clashes with the two of you. A newcomer who so desperately courts enmity is truly a rare sight." Si Haitao laughed heartily.

Nan Tianxiong and Nan Tianguan both wore expressions as though they had seen a ghost, and only then did they recover enough to say, "Since our uncle's grudge is wrapped up in this as well, then all the more reason not to let this whelp off. Just as Steward Si says—deal with Wei Zhao first!"

Si Haitao nodded. "Now that Hong Zhong has gone to the Middle Isle, distant water cannot quench nearby fire—and it is said he has run into troubles of his own. So dealing with Wei Zhao will be a simple matter. Still, this must be planned out first, and a good opportunity found—best of all if Wei Zhao delivers himself to our door. Otherwise, as the North Isle steward of the Hong Merchant Guild, it would hardly be proper for this old man to go to the Welcome Pavilion and start a fight there."

"Yes, yes—Steward Si has thought it through most thoroughly." Nan Tianguan echoed again and again.

Si Haitao nodded in satisfaction, then added, "By the way, why are there so few women on your North Isle? This steward wishes to find a woman for some amusement and there is none to be had—it is dull beyond words." R1152