Chapter 4072 — Fallen for It?

Zhong Yongliang, meanwhile, stared silently at the wreck of a man on the ground. The fellow had no idea the two of them had slipped in right under his nose—his vigilance was pitiful. And to be knocked out cold by Kang Jingming in a single move, when Zhong had been hoping to quietly make his own move—well, that chance was gone.

While Zhong Yongliang was still weighing his options, Kang Jingming had already stepped over the unconscious man and crossed the distance to the forging pool in two strides. Glancing at the misshapen lump of iron in the pool, he sneered, "So this is the weapon Wei Zhao's been forging, is it? Word is he went to Hong Zhong for help and bought up piles of priceless materials. Today we'll make off with this thing and see if it doesn't kill him with grief!"

Before Zhong Yongliang could get a word out, Kang Jingming reached straight into the forging pool and scooped the lump of iron out. After all, the pool looked as placid as a stagnant pond—surely there was nothing to fear.

But the very next instant, Kang Jingming's expression changed abruptly. "Aaaargh!!!"

A scream torn from the depths of his throat ripped through the entire cave, startling whole flocks of birds from the woods outside.

Ssssss! With a sizzle that made the scalp crawl, a layer of skin was seared clean off Kang Jingming's hands. Both hands swelled before their eyes into a pair of red radishes. He let go in frantic haste, and the lump of iron crashed down with a thud onto his foot—taking another layer of skin with it.

The forging pool might look tame at first glance, no different from any ordinary little pond, but the heat within it was beyond anything a human body could endure.

Even a seasoned Foundation Establishment cultivator was still flesh and blood. In the eyes of anyone who knew the craft, Kang Jingming's little stunt was plain old Longevity Star hanging himself—suicide by sheer stupidity.

"It's burning me! Burning me! Burning me!..." Watching Kang Jingming shriek and thrash about on the ground for all he was worth, Zhong Yongliang did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had just been racking his brains for a way to handle the situation, and now this fool had gone and jumped into the pit all on his own!

Well, that worked out nicely—saved him from having to think at all. Without a word, Zhong Yongliang grabbed Kang Jingming by the ankle and dragged him bodily out of the cave.

Only after the time it takes to burn a stick of incense did Kang Jingming's howls finally begin to fade. He turned to Zhong Yongliang and said weakly, "What the hell was that cursed thing? How was it so hot!"

Zhong Yongliang secretly laughed to himself. What else could it be? It was the very weapon Wei Zhao was forging—and to grab something out of a forging pool with your bare hands... With a brain that addled, the man's stupidity truly moved heaven and earth.

On the surface, though, Zhong Yongliang's eyes darted about, and he offered his analysis: "Zhaoming, I suspect this is a nasty little trap Wei Zhao laid for us on purpose. He's pulled this kind of thing before—pretending to be careless to lure us in. Think about it: after what happened last time, this place of his has obviously been exposed. If it were you, would you keep on forging here?"

Kang Jingming froze for a moment, then shook his head decisively. "No way I'd dare! Something that important—I'd have moved locations long ago. No way I'd stay here waiting for people to come after me!"

"Exactly. So he must have quietly relocated ages ago, then set up this useless lump of iron to deliberately lure us into coming and making trouble—and that plays right into his hands!" Zhong Yongliang said with ringing conviction.

"Right! I was just thinking that lump of iron didn't look like a weapon at all—so it was a trap all along! That little bastard Wei Zhao is truly devious, even planting a man here on guard to make it look like the thing was really something valuable. Otherwise I never would have fallen for such a rotten trick!" Kang Jingming cursed furiously.

Being that sort of man himself, he naturally judged Wei Zhao by the worst possible motives. Little did he know that every bit of the suffering he had just endured was self-inflicted from start to finish—and if there was a true cause, it was simply this: he was too stupid.

Seeing that Kang Jingming had talked himself into a neat explanation all on his own, Zhong Yongliang was happy to chime in with eager agreement. The two of them headed straight back to the tavern to report to Si Haitao.

Seeing Kang Jingming swathed in bandages from head to toe, looking for all the world like a casualty on his last legs, Si Haitao was dumbstruck. "Wei Zhao did this to you?"

"No—Steward Si, I was tricked by him..." Kang Jingming at once launched into a tearful, sniveling tale of woe, which boiled down to a single sentence: it wasn't that I didn't try my best—it's that Wei Zhao is just too cunning!

Having heard the whole tale of Kang Jingming's misadventure, Si Haitao, Nan Tianxiong, and Nan Tianguan exchanged glances. On reflection, though, Kang Jingming's being tricked this time was partly his own doing—if Si Haitao hadn't ordered him to present a token of allegiance, Wei Zhao could never have set such a trap, no matter how devious he was.

"Very well. You may not have succeeded this time, but even without merit there is hard work to your credit. I have seen your sincerity—let this count as your token of allegiance. In the days to come, I will naturally look after you," Si Haitao said mildly.

Kang Jingming was overjoyed and thumped his chest. "Thank you, Steward Si! If you ever have a command for me, I'll brave boiling water and tread through fire without a moment's hesitation!"

"Good. Then I'll be watching how you perform from here on." Si Haitao nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Zhong Yongliang. "Now, Zhaoming has joined my ranks, and I have accepted him. But you, Zhong Yongliang—I can't simply take you in just because you're Zhaoming's friend. You'll have to produce some solid contribution first. Otherwise, you'll have to remain under observation for the time being."

Zhong Yongliang thought it over, then put on a show of difficulty. "Steward Si, I went to make trouble with him just now too, but Zhaoming charged ahead of me—the moment he picked up that lump of iron, he got burned. I had no choice but to drag him back out. I never got a chance to show what I can do."

"Be that as it may, I treat all alike. Zhaoming only earned his place after suffering greatly for it. If you want me to take you in as well, you can't come with no contribution at all," Si Haitao said, still shaking his head.

This old devil really won't be fooled! Zhong Yongliang fretted inwardly. This lot have their sights set squarely on Wei Zhao—if I don't find a way in now, it'll be next to impossible to dig up intelligence on their schemes later.

Suddenly, Zhong Yongliang's eyes lit up. "That's right—Steward Si, aren't you looking for people of crooked mind but real potential? As it happens, I know just the one—and a rare beauty at that!"

Si Haitao's harassment of the two young ladies had long since spread across the whole of North Island, and Zhong Yongliang naturally knew of it. The old lecher was lust incarnate—bringing this up was deliberately playing to his tastes.