Chapter 4224 — The Vast Sea

"Steward Hong, you've misunderstood. I'm not going to the South Island—merely to the Weihu Sea Waters near it," Wei Zhao hurried to explain with a smile.

"Oh, then there's no problem at all. Apart from the South Island proper, quite a few human cultivators have settled on the surrounding archipelagos." Hong Zhong breathed a sigh of relief, then thought for a moment and added, "The Weihu Sea Waters are a mixed and murky place, said to be quite chaotic. But as it happens, our Hong Clan Merchant Guild has a branch there. The steward is named Wei Zhaotong, an old friend of mine these many years. Once you arrive, you can make your identity known, and whatever you need of him, simply speak up."

"Wei Zhaotong? I'll remember that. Thank you, Steward Hong." Wei Zhao smiled faintly. The scene before him felt oddly familiar—when he had set out for Mount Hucai Tianwu, Hong Zhong had given him much the same counsel, though the name introduced then had been Cai Zhongxuan, and now it was Wei Zhaotong.

Looking back on it now, Wei Zhao's ability to withdraw unscathed from the Central Island, and to reap such rich rewards besides, had owed a great deal to Hong Zhong's timely, foresighted warning. Otherwise, once he had gone beyond the Central Island, he would not even have found a foothold, and would most likely have been hunted down and dragged back by the Snow Sword Sect long ago—whether he would still be alive today was anyone's guess.

At this thought, Wei Zhao could not help but laugh to himself. Here was the same familiar scene once again—and who could say how it would end this time?

"Come now, what's all this talk of thanks? Even without my connection, this is a matter within Wei Zhaotong's own duty. Have you forgotten? You are now an honorary vice-chairman of our Hong Clan Merchant Guild!" Hong Zhong said with a laugh.

"Heh, but that's still under wraps, isn't it? Without word from your higher-ups, whether he even acknowledges my honorary vice-chairmanship is another matter. Your old friendship with him is the more reliable card to play," Wei Zhao said, shaking his head.

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen him in some years myself, and I've no notion of his present circumstances. But should anything unexpected arise, Young Hero Lin, you may as well declare your honorary vice-chairman status outright. Even if some doubt it, the Merchant Guild's internal channels will soon enough confirm it with the Central Island headquarters. Do not underestimate that status—at a branch in a small place like the Weihu Sea Waters, not a soul from top to bottom would dare defy your word, for to do so would be tantamount to betrayal, and the penalty for that is severe," Hong Zhong instructed with care.

"Understood. I'll remember," Wei Zhao said with a nod.

A strong dragon may not oppress the local snake, as the saying goes—but when he and Huang Xiaotao went to the Weihu Sea Waters, a place where they knew neither the land nor its people, it would indeed become troublesome if even the local Hong Clan Merchant Guild branch would not cooperate with them. If it truly came to the worst, then he would simply have to overawe them with power.

After taking his leave of Hong Zhong, with all preparations complete, Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao set off at once for the Weihu Sea Waters.

Since Huang Xiaotao's spirit bird was already a superb flying spirit beast, the two had no need of further contrivance—two people and one bird could simply depart.

From the Triple-Tiered Pavilion on the North Island to the Weihu Sea Waters, the distance all but spanned the entire map of Cloud Terrace Island—by no means a short journey. Even a flying spirit beast pressing on day and night without rest would need at least ten days or more, and should some mishap or danger arise along the way, all the more.

Fortunately, apart from lacking in aggression, Huang Xiaotao's spirit bird was otherwise excellent in every respect—swift, steady in flight, highly alert, and above all possessed of extraordinary stamina. For a purely flying spirit beast, such qualities were rare indeed.

Moreover, the route Wei Zhao had chosen from the start ran along the coastal fringe, affording a fair measure of safety. Thus the first few days passed calm and uneventful, without a single hitch.

But next they would have to cut straight across the vast sea—there was no avoiding it. If they kept following the land, they could indeed reach the South Island eventually, but that would require going all the way to the Central Island first and then taking a detour from there to the South Island. The time such a course would consume would be far more than ten days—twenty days, even a month, might not suffice.

On so long a journey, carrying two people on its back—let alone Huang Xiaotao's spirit bird, even the finest flying spirit beast could not endure it. And the airspace around the Central Island was strictly controlled; without the insignia of some major power, ascent was forbidden outright, to say nothing of crossing it. The trouble involved would be more than a trifle.

Of course, had Wei Zhao been riding the personal mount of the Central Island Master's Pavilion from the Tianxing Dao of old, that would be another matter entirely—but alas, it was not.

"It's fine. So long as we stay sufficiently alert, we can avoid any danger ahead of time. There's no need for undue worry." Wei Zhao glanced at Huang Xiaotao, saw her tense expression, and spoke up with a smile to comfort her.

"Mm-hm, with you here, I'm not afraid," Huang Xiaotao said with a docile nod.

In truth, she was no stranger to trial missions. In past years she had spent most of her idle time around the North Island Cultivators' Guild, but had seldom left the bounds of the North Island; even when she did leave, it was at most to places like Mount Hucai Tianwu, never far afield.

This time, however, not only would they cross the whole of Cloud Terrace Island from north to south, but they would also traverse the vast sea. This was her first time in all her life. She had heard no end of tales of the perils of crossing the sea, and to claim she felt not the slightest nervousness would be an outright lie.

Even so, seated beside Wei Zhao, she somehow always felt a quiet reassurance, and the little knot of dread in her heart dispersed with it.

"Crossing the sea, the greatest danger is actually neither the sea beasts below nor the fierce birds above, but cultivators and sea fog," Wei Zhao said, letting Huang Xiaotao nestle close beside him as he explained in a calm, reassuring tone. "The jianghu is a treacherous place, it's true, but so long as one keeps guard against human cultivators and doesn't let them draw near too easily, there won't be much trouble. As for the sea fog—that is the truly deadly nuisance. Fortunately, we've made our preparations in advance, so there's no need for excessive worry."

The open sea stretches boundless in every direction, and once swallowed by sea fog, visibility often shrinks to a mere dozen or so zhang. Not only does it become hard to guard against lurking threats, but worse, one easily loses one's bearings—and to lose one's way in such a place is truly to be a step from death. Many cultivators who come out on missions meet their end beneath the sea fog. R1152