Chapter 4235 — Setting Sail on the Escort

After all, in a sense, Wei Zhao's stepping forward on his behalf had indeed extricated him from an awkward spot—at least he had not lost face before Wei Zhaotong. For that alone, he owed Wei Zhao a debt of gratitude.

"My junior sister and I have only just arrived, and Brother Qi has received us with such warmth. Since there is a place where we can be of use, we naturally ought to do our modest part—it is only fitting," Wei Zhao said with a smile.

"You two are so gallant and true—I knew I had not misjudged you." Qi Wenmo clapped Wei Zhao on the shoulder in delight, then gestured toward the two escorts who had stepped forward earlier. "Let me introduce you. These two are longtime escorts of our agency, Li Yanji and Guan Zhiyuan. They are both vastly experienced in the escort trade, and I hope you will work together in good faith."

Wei Zhao sized the two men up. Li Yanji was a peak mid-Golden Core expert, while Guan Zhiyuan was slightly weaker—a mid-Golden Core expert.

"We pay our respects to Brother Li and Brother Guan. We hope you will bear with us and look after us," Wei Zhao said, exchanging a glance with Huang Xiaotao before taking the initiative to greet them.

Li Yanji and Guan Zhiyuan gave no answer, merely cupping their hands in a perfunctory salute, their manner as cold as before. There was plainly a measure of disdain for Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao in their eyes.

This was only human nature. Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao were at the early Golden Core stage, a full two tiers below them, which meant that should the escort run into trouble along the way, they would likely be of little help—and worse, they might easily become the point at which the enemy broke through, turning into an outright burden.

And in their eyes, these two newcomers knew nothing at all. That they should step forward to take the assignment now was, in all likelihood, mere flattery, a pair of sycophants currying favor with the young master. There was truly no call to regard them highly.

Yet Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao seemed wholly unaware of the two men's contempt, their expressions betraying not the slightest sign of anything amiss, their faces as calm as ever.

Qi Wenmo took all this in and shook his head inwardly. Li Yanji and Guan Zhiyuan might be veteran escorts of deep standing in the agency, but set beside Wei Zhao and his companion, the difference in caliber was plain at a glance.

In terms of strength, Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao had wounded old Kong—a peak early-Nascent Soul expert—head-on, and to call them unfathomable was no exaggeration whatsoever. Li and Guan, by contrast, could likely not even handle an ordinary late-Golden Core expert. By what right did they look down on anyone?

In terms of bearing, Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao were neither servile nor overbearing, unmoved by favor or disgrace, while Li and Guan not only failed to see the reality of things but fancied themselves a cut above. The gulf between them was not a matter of a hundred thousand li—it was vaster still.

Qi Wenmo had once thought Li and Guan passable enough, but set beside Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao, the comparison was almost fatal—they were simply not in the same league.

Still, Qi Wenmo said nothing more. To do so might only displease Li and Guan and sow discord among them, and then this escort run would truly be fraught with peril.

Once the escorts were chosen, the whole party proceeded straight to the Hong Clan Trading Company. Wei Zhao took careful note and found the architecture to be exactly the same in style as the branch on North Island—only somewhat smaller in scale, yet no less grand and imposing.

Under Wei Zhaotong's guidance, Qi Wenmo brought Wei Zhao and the other three to inspect the goods in person. All were boxes already sealed with paper strips, their contents unknown—this was to prevent the escorts from stealing from within, a rule of the trade.

When the time came, Wei Zhao and the other three need only deliver these sealed boxes untouched to the Fang Family Estate on Xianpeng Island, and the task would be complete. Should the seal on any single box be broken, the responsibility would be theirs.

After the count was finished, Qi Wenmo gave Wei Zhao and the other three a map of the Wei Arc sea region. Unlike an ordinary sea chart, it bore a newly marked route, drawn by Qi Wenmo's own hand just moments before—the very route the four would take on this escort run.

This too was a rule of the trade. To guard against traitors within, the specific route of any escort run was an absolute secret, handed to the escorts only just before departure.

So long as the route was not leaked, then even if ill-minded men caught wind of the matter beforehand and learned the destination, they could not lie in wait in advance—for they had no way of knowing which route was the true one.

When all was in readiness, Wei Zhaotong came over and gave Wei Zhao and the others earnest instructions. "Our Hong Clan Trading Company entrusts everything to you this time! The goods are precious—I will not deceive you four, they are worth at least three hundred thousand spirit jade. That is an astronomical sum, and should anything go wrong, the consequences are unthinkable. So I beg you all to do your utmost. When you return, I shall host a feast in your honor and reward you handsomely besides!"

"Rest assured, Manager Wei, we would not dare be remiss in the slightest." Wei Zhao and the other three felt their hearts tighten at once. Three hundred thousand spirit jade and more—that was no small sum at all. This was indeed a major consignment.

"Follow the route I have given you, and if all goes well, you will encounter scarcely any pirates along the way—indeed, you should pass through regions nearly devoid of people. But that does not mean there is no risk." Qi Wenmo added his own warning from the side. "There is an old saying in our trade: danger always strikes when it is least expected. So you must heighten your vigilance and on no account let down your guard."

"Rest easy, Young Master. This is not our first escort run—we know what to be wary of," Li Yanji and Guan Zhiyuan answered with nods.

"Good. You two are seasoned escorts of long experience, and this time the responsibility is grave. Young Master Ling and Miss Huang are newcomers who know little of our trade. I hope you will not stint your guidance—consider it another service rendered to our Qingtian Escort Agency." Qi Wenmo cupped his hands and bowed. Seeing this, Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao likewise cupped their hands in salute.

"Mm. We know what we are about," Li and Guan said, exchanging a glance.

When the instructions were done, the four did not linger. After taking their leave of Qi Wenmo and Wei Zhaotong, they at once set sail from the harbor of the sea region.

The route Qi Wenmo had given them clearly indicated that they must travel by water, not by air.

"Brother Li, Brother Guan, I have a question in my heart and would ask you two to enlighten me: why must we go by water rather than use flying spirit beasts?" Wei Zhao asked, curious, and Huang Xiaotao was equally at a loss.

As the two of them understood it, traveling by air was not only faster and steadier but plainly safer than the water route. After all, the vessel they now rode was only an ordinary sailing ship, not a treasure ship built to withstand the attacks of sea beasts. With no protection whatsoever, to simply set sail like this was truly cause for worry. R1152