Chapter 4351 — They Came Knocking

Without help from outside forces, there was every chance they would never even catch sight of him, let alone lay hands on him.

The Qingtian Escort Agency was a local power in the Weihu Sea, and in the escort business, connections and information were nothing to be scoffed at. With Qi Wenmo's help, matters would indeed go far more smoothly.

"Since Brother Qi has said as much, I shall not stand on ceremony. To put it plainly, I came to the Weihu Sea this time to hunt down a wanted criminal who fled from our North Island. His name is Wu Baoliang." Wei Zhao explained this to Qi Wenmo at once.

"Wu Baoliang?" Qi Wenmo raised an eyebrow and mused, "I can't say I've heard the name. But since he fled here from the North Island, it's hardly surprising he's nobody here. Brother Ling, why don't you tell me in detail?"

"Very well. This man's strength was once at the peak of the late Golden Core stage, and he was a highly notorious wicked cultivator on the North Island, feeding on the vital blood of maiden girls to advance his cultivation. Some three hundred or more fell to his foul deeds, rousing public fury to a boiling point. When the North Island's Law Enforcement Hall was preparing to move against him, he slipped away. And according to the Hall's latest intelligence, the last place Wu Baoliang was seen was right here in the Weihu Sea." Wei Zhao laid out the whole situation.

"Feeding on maidens' vital blood, and three hundred or more of them?" Even Qi Wenmo clicked his tongue at such an appalling tale. Chaotic as the Weihu Sea was, men who committed crimes on so monstrous a scale were still few and far between.

"And that's only a rough count. Add in the women who went missing nearby, and the true number is surely far higher." Wei Zhao shook his head with a sigh. The reason he had taken this assignment in the first place was partly that he had deliberately set his sights on the Weihu Sea as a posting, but also that he felt this wicked cultivator had exhausted every shred of human decency and simply had to be put down.

"To think such scum exists, preying on women and nothing else—he's a match for that utterly evil pair, the Cheng father and son!" Qi Wenmo was equally indignant. "Rest easy, Brother Ling. I'll send men to make inquiries about this Wu Baoliang at once. The moment there's word, I'll notify you."

"That would be wonderful. Many thanks, Brother Qi. But while your men are asking after Wu Baoliang, could you also help me trace the whereabouts of one other person?" Wei Zhao said hurriedly.

"Another person? No problem at all. Gathering information is what our agency does best. Whoever it is you're looking for, Brother Ling, just say the word." Qi Wenmo agreed without hesitation.

"Good. The man I'm looking for is named Lu Bianren. He was my senior brother at the Qingyun Pavilion on the North Island and always looked after me kindly. He came out to the Weihu Sea on a mission with others, but afterward he was separated from the group, and there has been no news of him since." Wei Zhao's voice carried a note of sorrow. This, in truth, was the foremost reason he had decided to come to the Weihu Sea. Whether or not he found him in the end, he had to make the attempt.

"No problem. If he shows himself in any public place here, we'll be sure to hear of it. Brother Ling, you may set your mind at ease." Qi Wenmo agreed readily, then added, "Actually, about the Southern Continent Escort Agency Grand Gathering—Brother Ling, you really ought to give it serious thought. It won't take up much of your time. Who knows, the gathering may well be over before your business here is even done."

"Very well, I'll give it serious thought." Wei Zhao nodded. If it was merely a favor of helping out at the Southern Continent Escort Agency Grand Gathering, rather than joining the agency and settling here for good, then it was not out of the question. He could treat it as doing the man a good turn in return for his help with the inquiries.

As the two of them were talking, a sudden commotion broke out beyond the agency gates—a clamor of noise and voices, as though a good many people had arrived.

"Could my father have come back?" Qi Wenmo wondered aloud. His old man had lately been busy preparing for the Southern Continent Escort Agency Grand Gathering, the agency's foremost undertaking, so under normal circumstances he should not be returning. Still, the agency had been swindled so badly by Wei Zhaotong this time, and that was no small matter either—it was entirely possible he would come back in person to deal with it.

But just as Qi Wenmo and Wei Zhao exchanged glances, a guard came dashing in, his face stricken. "Something's wrong, Young Master! That wretch Cheng Qitian has brought men and barricaded our gate!"

"Cheng Qitian? Has the fool taken leave of his senses, daring to bring men to block the gates of our Qingtian Escort Agency?" Qi Wenmo was struck dumb.

The Poison Eye Mercenary Corps might plague the region, and many turned pale at the mere mention of them, but he had never taken them too seriously—especially after leading men against them in several fierce clashes over the past two years. Cheng Qitian was no match for him at all, and had been sent fleeing, routed, time and again.

So thoroughly cowed was the lofty Young Master Cheng that every time he set eyes on Qi Wenmo, his heart quailed and his legs turned to jelly. And if the fellow's father, Cheng Haonan, should take the field, then his own father would step up in person as well. What did he have to fear?

Qi Wenmo was still baffled, but beside him Wei Zhao understood perfectly well. After the drubbing he had given the man at the docks earlier, this Young Master Cheng had surely gone back to fetch reinforcements and was out to recover his face.

"Brother Ling, stay here and keep drinking. I'll go out and take a look—I'll be back shortly." Qi Wenmo rose to his feet at once. Cheng Qitian was, after all, the young master of the Poison Eye Mercenary Corps; if he did not go out in person, the rest of the agency would have a hard time handling him.

"Brother Qi, I'd better come with you. If I'm not mistaken, this fellow is here for me." Wei Zhao shook his head with a smile.

"Eh?" Qi Wenmo was at a loss, then suddenly clapped himself on the head. "Right! Brother Ling, you two ganged up and wounded Old Kong back then. With this fellow's petty, spiteful nature, he certainly wouldn't let you off easily. But after all this time, coming to block our gate over a trifle like that—is the man out of his mind?"

"Ah, well, that may not be quite it. There's actually something I didn't get a chance to tell you, Brother Qi—before we came back to the agency just now, I had another fight with them at the docks..." Wei Zhao pinched his nose.

"What? Brother Ling, you're not hurt, are you? That scum Cheng Qitian knows nothing but bullying others on the strength of his position, dragging Old Kong around to throw his weight about every day. A fine expert at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage, reduced to a dog kept by his household—but that dog is a formidable one. Brother Ling, if you run into them again alone in the future, it's better to hold your temper." Qi Wenmo hastened to advise him.

"There's no need to give them such a wide berth, actually. That dog you just mentioned—I crippled him a moment ago." Wei Zhao shrugged and spread his hands.

"Er..." Qi Wenmo's face turned strange all at once. He looked Wei Zhao up and down afresh, his gaze as though beholding a monster. He had already thought highly of Wei Zhao's strength, yet it turned out he had greatly underestimated him still. He could not help asking, "Forgive my curiosity, Brother Ling—you're still an expert at the Golden Core stage, aren't you?"

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