Chapter 4149 — Loathing and Disdain

"Oh? We're all one family here, no need for such talk. Ask away, Xuanchen—I'll tell you everything I know." Si Haitao agreed readily.

"I have a disciple in the secular world. He was teleported to Cloud Terrace Island together with me this time, but he didn't come to Central Island. So I'd like to ask you, Steward Si, whether he might have been teleported to North Island instead. His name is Kang Jingming," Patriarch Xuanchen probed.

"Kang Jingming? So he's your disciple, Xuanchen! What a coincidence—I don't mind telling you, that young fellow was recruited by us not long ago. He's an outer member of our Center now. Had I known about the connection, I'd have taken good care of him!" Si Haitao laughed and agreed to everything with great readiness.

"What? He really is on North Island! That's wonderful. Thank you for looking after him, Steward Si. Here—let me drink a toast to you on my unworthy disciple's behalf!" Patriarch Xuanchen was overjoyed and hurried to toast Si Haitao.

"Think nothing of it, think nothing of it. Old friend Nan Tian, join us too. Judging by how highly our host values you today, you're bound for great prosperity. When that day comes, don't forget your old friend here." Si Haitao turned and said with a smile.

"The same to you. We're all in the same boat—none of us can afford to forget the others." Nan Tianjiguang roared with laughter, and the three of them drained their cups on the spot.

Central Island, Snow Sword Sect.

More than half a month had passed since the grand auction of Central Island. The entire sect had thrown all its strength into hunting down the martial artist Ling Yi, yet to this day not a single trace of him had turned up.

The man might as well have evaporated into thin air. Forget capturing him—after all these days, not even one person had so much as laid eyes on him. The sect's higher-ups were furious, but for the time being there was nothing they could do but let the matter rest.

As for Wei Shenjin, he had barely recovered enough to get out of bed and move about. But the meridians in his body could not be healed, and naturally his early Golden Core strength was gone with them. He was now little different from an ordinary man.

No matter how much attention he had once drawn as a core disciple, now that he had become a powerless commoner, Snow Sword Sect could hardly keep its eyes on him. Since his injuries could not be cured, pouring in more and more medicinal materials was meaningless. The sect's higher-ups had abandoned him entirely.

In the room, one man and two women lay with their clothes in disarray. Carnal revelry in broad daylight, all tangled together—it was Wei Shenjin, together with Situ Qian and their maidservant Xiao Qiuhua.

Plunged from the heights of a revered, highly sought-after prodigy to the pitiful depths of an ant in the dust, Wei Shenjin simply could not accept such a cruel reality. He did not dare leave his room, and could only numb himself with day-and-night debauchery.

Otherwise, the gloating looks of his fellow disciples would surely have tortured him into madness.

And yet, even in bed, his injuries made it hard for him to summon a man's prowess. He was no longer what he had once been.

"Why so short again this time? I'm not even satisfied yet. Useless!" Situ Qian climbed off the bed with a look of disgust, her face full of displeasure.

The maidservant Xiao Qiuhua beside her wore the same resentful expression. Back when they were newly wed, Wei Shenjin had been vigorous as a dragon and fierce as a tiger, more than enough to satisfy the two of them. But now he could not even satisfy Situ Qian alone—he was spent before they had even begun, and it never got round to her, the little maidservant. These past days she had been positively pent up to the point of bursting.

Watched with such disdain by the two women, Wei Shenjin could not help feeling thoroughly dejected. His meridians were ruined, so naturally that aspect of him suffered as well. What was more, he had not yet recovered from his injuries—his body was even frailer than an ordinary man's—while Situ Qian and Xiao Qiuhua had strong demands in this regard. He simply could not rise to the occasion. What was he supposed to do about it?

Seeing Wei Shenjin in such a spineless state, the disgust in Situ Qian's eyes grew ever thicker. When he had first been injured, she had not yet entertained many thoughts. She had busied herself tending to him day and night, and at the same time taken it upon herself to console and encourage him. She had done her utmost.

But as time wore on, she began to grow impatient. She had always been a wanton woman; she had admired Wei Shenjin's strength back then, and that was why she had schemed to be with him.

Now, however, the sect's higher-ups had abandoned Wei Shenjin, and he was utterly worthless, with not the slightest hope of recovery in sight. The little admiration in Situ Qian's heart had long since vanished, replaced by an ever-stronger disgust.

"Forget it. I'm going to cultivate!" Situ Qian could not be bothered with such a good-for-nothing any longer. She shot Xiao Qiuhua a look, and mistress and servant threw on their clothes and went out the door together, hips swaying.

"Cultivate?" Wei Shenjin was taken aback. As far as he could remember, Situ Qian had never been such a driven person—she would rarely take the initiative to cultivate even once in a whole year. The sun had risen in the west today.

The room was suddenly empty, leaving Wei Shenjin alone with his melancholy. He stared blankly at the withered autumn scene beyond the window, lost in a daze.

……………………

Di Xingdao had regained his full formidable strength and once again become the awe-inspiring deputy island lord of Central Island. Business at the Heavenly Elixir Pavilion had likewise gotten on track, and both Tianchan and Xueli had found their footing. As far as Wei Zhao was concerned, matters on Central Island were more or less all settled.

Counting the days, it had been about a month in all. This unexpected trip to Central Island ought to come to an end; if he dragged things out any longer, Wei Zhao could not be sure what might happen over on North Island.

Before leaving, however, Wei Zhao began refining pills with all his might. He wanted to leave the Heavenly Elixir Pavilion a greater reserve of elixirs. Though Tianchan's strength had soared and her refining efficiency had improved greatly, at present it seemed enough to sustain the Pavilion's daily operations.

But the Pavilion's business was still growing, and at this rate it would soon outstrip Tianchan's capacity. Wei Zhao had to prepare in advance.

Of course, he could keep refining pills after he returned and simply have Hong Zhong carry them over at regular intervals.

Yet beyond the Pavilion's business, what Wei Zhao found hardest to leave behind was Tianchan and Xueli.

Though both women had now reached the early Golden Core stage, and with a powerful figure like Di Xingdao watching over them there was little need to worry about their safety, Wei Zhao was still reluctant to part from them.

They had only just been reunited here on Central Island after so much trouble, and now they were to be separated again. Anyone in his place would feel the same reluctance—especially since the two women were peerless beauties and his closest confidantes. Wei Zhao was, after all, no monk who had renounced all earthly desires. Living day in and day out with two such stunning creatures, it would be an outright lie to say his heart never stirred. (To be continued...)

...R861