Chapter 4222 — The Wei Arc Seas

As soon as these people caught sight of Wei Zhao, every one of them could not help but show a look of awe. Wherever Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao passed, all present consciously parted to make way, not daring the slightest offense.

Times had changed. However much Wei Zhao had shone in the past, it had all fallen within the scope of a newcomer at the Welcome Pavilion—they could envy him, gossip about him, and if they found him displeasing, they could even sneer at him. But things were different now.

Because of that single sentence from Shangguan Tianxia, Wei Zhao now existed in a different world from them. Facing Wei Zhao was like facing Gongyang Jun back when he had burst onto the scene out of nowhere—they dared only to look up to him, and did not dare show the least disrespect.

They were no fools. They knew that in the face of a truly absolute gap, any self-important little schemes were utterly foolish notions that would bring them ruin and nothing else.

The rest of them—especially those who had once crossed Wei Zhao—dared only to keep a respectful distance from the Wei Zhao of today. There was one exception, however: rather than avoiding him or yielding, this person deliberately pressed close, feigning carelessness as she brushed against Wei Zhao. That person was Murong Zhen.

"Senior Brother Wei Zhao, it's been so long, and I've missed you so much." Murong Zhen greeted him in a coy, cloying voice. In the cultivation world, strength commanded respect, so calling him senior brother was not out of line.

Seeing this woman press up so seductively to entice Wei Zhao, Huang Xiaotao at his side unconsciously tightened her grip on his arm. She had long since regained her looks and her confidence, and she was certainly no inferior to a flirt like Murong Zhen—nor did she doubt Wei Zhao's self-control. Yet deep down, she still did not want Wei Zhao to have any dealings at all with a woman of such ill repute.

Wei Zhao smiled and patted Huang Xiaotao's hand to signal that she need not worry, then turned to glance at Murong Zhen and said mildly, "Given the history between us, words like 'missed you' seem a bit odd, don't they?"

"Oh, Senior Brother Wei Zhao, you're so magnanimous. Before, it was this humble girl who failed to recognize your eminence and gave you offense in many ways. I apologize to you here—please, whatever you do, don't take it to heart." Murong Zhen wore a tense look.

"Save your scheming. Speak plainly—I don't have time for your roundabout talk." Wei Zhao looked up at the mission board, not even turning his head as he spoke mildly.

"Well... Senior Brother Wei Zhao, you see, might this humble girl be allowed to serve a while longer in the post of newcomer steward? Rest assured, I will do my utmost to assist Pavilion Master Ku and Senior Brother Xiao, and I dare not harbor any other designs." Murong Zhen probed cautiously.

Although Xu Lingchong had returned, he kept a low profile and shut himself away, and he had never been interested in her anyway. Her only backer, Si Haitao, had no influence at all here at the Triple-Tiered Pavilion, so her present situation was truly precarious.

With Ku Zhongle installed as the Third Pavilion Master of the Welcome Pavilion and Xiao Che serving as the head senior brother of the newcomer stewards, the Azure Cloud Pavilion's influence within the Welcome Pavilion had, so to speak, fallen entirely under the control of Wei Zhao's faction. As a mere second senior steward of the newcomers, she was pinned down completely by Xiao Che. However much she schemed, she had no means of fighting back at all.

Whether she kept her position depended entirely on Wei Zhao's mood. If Wei Zhao took a dislike to her and wanted her removed, it was a matter of a single word, and there was not a thing she, Murong Zhen, could do about it.

"I'm no longer at the Welcome Pavilion now, and I won't meddle in its affairs any further. Four words for you: conduct yourself well." Wei Zhao answered.

"Yes, yes—thank you for your magnanimity, Senior Brother Wei Zhao. This humble girl will remember it well." Murong Zhen was instantly overjoyed; after a flurry of thanks she hurried off, for if she lingered too long and earned Wei Zhao's annoyance, she would have no end of grief.

Besides, she was, after all, a subordinate of Xu Lingchong's faction. If rumors spread and Xu Lingchong learned that she had deliberately curried favor with Wei Zhao, that would be no small disaster either.

Watching Murong Zhen's hastily retreating figure, Wei Zhao's lips curved in a noncommittal smile. With Senior Brother Ku and Xiao Che joining hands to control the situation, her post as second senior steward of the newcomers was of no consequence—she could stir up no waves at all. Whether or not she was removed naturally made no difference to him.

Of course, Wei Zhao also knew that given this woman's nature, even if she endured in silence for now, she would not stay so sensible forever. A day would come when she stirred up wind and rain. Still, having such a person at the bottom watching like a tiger did Xiao Che no harm.

Xiao Che was fine in every respect, except that his temperament was too mild and unhurried. Murong Zhen's presence could spur his fighting spirit, keep him constantly on guard, and leave him no room for slack—so she might as well be put to good use.

Having dealt with Murong Zhen, Wei Zhao continued scanning the many missions on the board. After a moment, his gaze suddenly sharpened slightly and settled on a trial mission at the very edge of the list.

What drew Wei Zhao's attention to this mission was that its location was none other than the Wei Arc Seas near South Island!

Wei Zhao did not know any Vice Pavilion Master Yao, but he still cared a great deal about the matter of Lu Bianren's disappearance. Before, he had been too far away to help even if he wanted to, but now, if he could take the opportunity of this trial mission to look for Lu Bianren along the way, that would be a fine idea that killed two birds with one stone.

Examining the mission details carefully, Wei Zhao found that it was in fact a pursuit mission—and one of no small difficulty!

The target, Wu Baoliang, was at the peak of the late Golden Core stage. Back on North Island he had been a notorious wicked cultivator, specializing in draining the essence blood of virgin girls for his cultivation. In most of the cultivator tribes on North Island and its vicinity, traces of this man's crimes had been left behind. By the Enforcers' Hall's rough count, the number of women who had met a cruel end at this man's hands totaled as many as three hundred—and that was only an incomplete tally. Many women who had gone missing might well have fallen victim to him as well; it was simply that at the time no one had connected them to him.

This string of cases had caused a veritable sensation on North Island. With public outrage at a boil, it had even alarmed the upper echelons of the Triple-Tiered Pavilion. Only after the Enforcers' Hall intervened and investigated were they finally able to fix their target on that wicked cultivator, Wu Baoliang.

Unfortunately, just as the Enforcers' Hall's finest were preparing to move, the man caught wind of it and fled North Island outright. After that he vanished far away and was never seen again within the bounds of North Island, remaining a fugitive all this time.

By convention, the Enforcers' Hall of the Triple-Tiered Pavilion carried out arrests only within North Island. There had been cases of pursuing a man to the ends of the earth regardless of cost, but those were exceedingly rare—only special criminals whose existence threatened the safety of the Triple-Tiered Pavilion enjoyed such extraordinary treatment.