Chapter 4367 — What Can You Do About It?

Wei Zhaotong was still stewing in his own lingering dread and gloom when a clerk came dashing in, panic written all over his face, crying that someone had come to wreck the place...

"What do you think you're doing?!" Wei Zhaotong hurried out after the clerk, and the moment he laid eyes on Wei Zhao and the two women, he froze.

"Doing?" Wei Zhao regarded him with arms folded, relaxed and unhurried, and smiled. "That depends on how you look at it. We've come to investigate the illegal and disciplinary violations committed by Manager Wei, here. Though from where you stand, I suppose you could also call it wrecking the place."

So it really was wrecking the place after all! Wei Zhaotong's mouth twitched. Wei Zhao himself he could afford to ignore, but Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao were another matter entirely—he did not dare underestimate them. These two were personal disciples of the Divine Nun of the East Sea; to offend them was to offend the Divine Nun herself, and that was no laughing matter. Cheng Qitian, who had died so miserably just moments ago, was a vivid cautionary tale.

And so, even though the other side had openly admitted to wrecking the place, so long as matters had not yet slid beyond all control, Wei Zhaotong could only pretend he had not heard.

"Investigate my illegal and disciplinary violations?" Wei Zhaotong feigned astonishment. "Did this old man hear that correctly? Your Morning Star Academy may hold a lofty position, but even so, there is no principle by which you may meddle in the affairs of the Hong Merchant Guild. I'm afraid that hardly conforms to the rules, does it? Do the academy's elders know you are out here carrying on like this? And besides—what illegal or disciplinary violations have I, an old man, ever committed?"

That string of rhetorical questions, paired with Wei Zhaotong's expression of astonished innocence, would have fooled most people easily enough. Wei Zhao and the two women, however, were plainly not about to take the bait.

"You're right enough—the Morning Star Academy truly cannot meddle in this, and has no principle by which to meddle in your affairs. But I can." As he spoke, Wei Zhao suddenly produced a purple-gold jade pendant of exquisite workmanship, within whose heart the characters for the Hong Merchant Guild faintly surfaced.

The others had no idea what it meant, but Wei Zhaotong took one look, and his expression changed on the spot. He was struck dumb.

This was purple-gold jade, exceedingly rare in this world. Small as the piece was, put up for auction it would fetch at least tens of thousands of spirit jades—perhaps even more. That alone would have been nothing; Wei Zhaotong had seen more fine things than he could count. But the trouble was that within the Hong Merchant Guild, a purple-gold jade pendant of this kind carried a very special meaning.

In the Hong Merchant Guild, any high-ranking figure at the vice-chairman level possessed a jade pendant to prove their identity. The chairman's was black-gold jade; the vice-chairmen's, blue-gold jade. The purple-gold jade, meanwhile, represented an outside high-ranking figure who had rendered some special service to the guild—in other words, an honorary vice-chairman!

All three kinds of gold jade were exceedingly rare, and each was specially inscribed with a formation array unique to the Hong Merchant Guild. Outsiders could never hope to counterfeit one. So long as one produced it, therefore, whichever branch one walked into, it was enough to prove one's identity.

Still, the existence of the purple-gold jade pendant was generally disclosed within the Hong Merchant Guild only to those who had risen to the level of branch manager. Ordinary retainers and skilled hands, or common clerks and servants, being of insufficient rank, might go a lifetime without ever seeing one—the vast majority knew nothing of it at all.

"What exactly do you want?" Wei Zhaotong's eyelid twitched involuntarily. He kept his face impassive as he parried with a question, while his mind raced to devise a countermeasure.

He had acquaintances among the guild's high command. He knew that Hong Zhong had recently been promoted to vice-chairman, and that at the same time an honorary vice-chairman had been added. But never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Wei Zhao was this mysterious honorary vice-chairman!

"Heh, so Manager Wei knows his goods, it seems—you understand what this purple-gold jade pendant of mine represents. Then I won't beat around the bush. I now declare, in my capacity as honorary vice-chairman of the Hong Merchant Guild, that I am taking over this branch. Everyone here, Wei Zhaotong included, is to submit to my investigation!" Wei Zhao announced in a ringing voice.

Uproar swept through the Hong Merchant Guild at once; everyone stared at everyone else. What on earth was going on? How had an honorary vice-chairman suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and one who meant to take over and investigate the entire branch?

Not only the assembled clerks—even the two skilled retainers stationed here showed shock in their eyes. They knew nothing of the purple-gold jade pendant, but they knew at least that an honorary vice-chairman could, at a critical moment, indeed take full control of a branch!

Wei Zhaotong took in the reactions of the crowd, and alarm surged in his heart. He knew he had to respond at once, or once these people accepted the fact, he would never be able to turn things around again.

"Men! Seize this impostor who dares pose as an honorary vice-chairman!" Wei Zhaotong cried, seizing the moment. "This man's name is plainly Ling Yi—a mere escort of the Skyhold Escort Agency! How could he possibly be an honorary vice-chairman of our Hong Merchant Guild? The name carved on that pendant is clearly Wei Zhao! This man is impersonating a member of the guild's high command—he must have some ulterior motive!"

At his words, the looks cast at Wei Zhao were at once thick with suspicion again. An honorary vice-chairman was a personage of what lofty stature—how could such a one possibly go work as a lowly escort at the Skyhold Escort Agency? Plainly Wei Zhaotong was right: this man must be an impostor!

One was the manager of their own branch, their absolute superior; the other, a nameless little escort of the Skyhold Escort Agency. For everyone present, whom they ought to believe was obvious at a glance—there was no need to agonize over it at all.

And yet, whether the ordinary clerks and servants believed one side or the other would make no real difference to the outcome, for their strength was pitifully low and they never took part in battle.

On Cloud Terrace Island, whatever the matter, what ultimately decided who had the right to speak was strength alone; only the one with the biggest fist could laugh last.

Wei Zhaotong knew this perfectly well, which was why his words had not been aimed at the others, but at those two Nascent Soul-stage retainers.

The moment his voice fell, the two retainers indeed believed him. Their auras flared to the full at once, and they dropped to either side of Wei Zhao and the two women, glaring at them like tigers watching their prey. Together with Wei Zhaotong, himself a Nascent Soul-stage expert, they had vaguely surrounded the three—and once blows were struck, their positioning alone would already give them the advantage.

"Ling Yi, even if you really can punch above your level against Nascent Soul experts, there are now three of us here, this old man included. Do you truly think you can still do anything to me?" Wei Zhaotong sneered, unwilling to give up. "I advise you to be a little more sensible and just withdraw. This old man can pretend today's business never happened—spare yourself a clash, and save your own wretched life, not to mention dragging the Divine Nun of the East Sea's two esteemed disciples down with you." (To be continued.) R655