Chapter 4445 — Asking a Favor

Inside the room it was still the same trio. Cheng Haonan and Wu Baoliang sat to one side drinking tea—except that Long Kuiba's furious pounding on the table had spilled the fine spirit tea, a rarity seldom seen outside, all across the floor.

They had sworn solemn oaths that they would force their way into the top five escort agencies and take Qingtian Escort Agency's place; to that end they had even gone so far as to ally themselves in every possible way with the Poison Eye Mercenary Corps. The ideal had been plump and full, but reality proved painfully thin. The conference was now down to its final round, and they had indeed achieved their ambition of entering the top five—only from the bottom.

"Killing that Ling Yi would not be hard. The hard part is finding the chance to do it," Wu Baoliang said, his expression cold and grim. What had happened that day had left him thoroughly humiliated. He had clearly deployed so foolproof a technique as All Things Slay One Another, and in the end he had still been played by that Ling Yi. This was more than any man could bear!

More importantly, the two of them had only come face to face at close range for the first time that day, yet for some reason he had a vague sense that this Ling Yi actually harbored killing intent toward him. Because of the peculiar nature of his cultivation method, his perception was far sharper than that of an ordinary Golden Core late-stage master—of this there could be no mistake.

Could it be that because the fellow hated the Poison Eye Mercenary Corps, he hated everything associated with them? That was not impossible, but instinct told Wu Baoliang that the matter was likely not so simple.

In short—whether to snuff out this inexplicable hidden danger, or to clear the road for Longzhou Escort Agency—that Ling Yi, who had appeared out of nowhere, had to die.

"But we have no right to make the competition rules, and it is very hard to think of a way to pull strings behind the scenes. Whether we get matched against Qingtian Escort Agency—and especially against this Ling Yi—all depends on luck. That is hard to say." Long Kuiba scratched his head, his face twisted with frustration.

"Not necessarily. We cannot do it ourselves. But someone else can," Wu Baoliang said, with a pointed look.

"Who?" Long Kuiba blinked.

"Brother Long, have you forgotten the Four Seas Escort Agency?" Cheng Haonan sneered from the side. "Judging by today's events, we are not the only ones who hate this Ling Yi to the bone. Hai Wuliang must be itching to tear the boy limb from limb and flay him alive—only he dares not make his move openly."

"You two mean to go to the Four Seas Escort Agency and see Hai Wuliang?" Long Kuiba's eyes lit up.

"Exactly. The Four Seas Escort Agency has always been the overlord of the Southern Continent's escort agencies. Word has it that more than half the competition rules for this conference were laid down by Hai Wuliang himself. If he were to pull some strings in the shadows and arrange for us to face Qingtian Escort Agency—would that not be simplicity itself?" Cheng Haonan laughed heartily.

"Of course!" Long Kuiba slapped his own head, overjoyed. "If we had gone to him for help out of the blue before today, Hai Wuliang might not have paid us any mind. But now, with things as they are, he will certainly grant this small favor!"

The enemy of one's enemy is a friend—this saying proves true time and again.

There was no time to lose. After some discussion, Long Kuiba and the other two set out at once for the Four Seas Escort Agency to seek an audience with Hai Wuliang.

While the three handed in their name cards and waited to be announced, Hai Wuliang was in his study smashing cups. Beside him sat a whole set of exquisite, top-grade tea ware. He picked them up one by one and hurled them to the floor, the bang-bang-bang never ceasing.

This was Hai Wuliang's habit. Whenever he was in a bad mood he would smash his tea set, and once he had smashed the whole set, his evil temper would have vented itself, and his mood would naturally settle back down.

The servants stood trembling to one side, hands folded, waiting for Hai Wuliang to finish. Then they would have to clear the shards from the floor as quickly as possible—otherwise, if Hai Wuliang took one look at the mess and his temper flared again, it might well be their turn to suffer.

Once Hai Wuliang had smashed the entire set and his fury had visibly subsided, the gatekeeper who had long been waiting at the side seized the moment and placed the calling cards of Long Kuiba and the other two into Hai Wuliang's hands.

"Longzhou Escort Agency? What do these people want?" Hai Wuliang frowned slightly as he looked at the cards. Though the Longzhou Escort Agency's strength was not the absolute bottom of the Southern Continent, they had always been suppressed by the Qingtian Escort Agency and had never had a chance to rise; naturally they could not catch the eye of an overlord of his standing.

"Master Hai, shall I send them away for you?" the gatekeeper suggested, quick to read the mood.

The Southern Continent Escort Gathering was being held in this city, and over these days virtually every head and chief of the various escort agencies had come to the Four Seas Escort Agency to pay their respects. The stronger, larger agencies could still obtain an audience with Hai Wuliang; as for those third-rate little agencies, they were dismissed with a single word and never even caught a glimpse of his face.

"Wait." Hai Wuliang hesitated a moment, then made up his mind. "Take them to the small hall to wait."

"Yes, sir." The gatekeeper answered and went off, secretly astonished. So this obscure Longzhou Escort Agency actually carried some weight in Master Hai's eyes after all. Though they were not worthy of entering the main hall, at least they could go into the small hall, rather than being sent away with a single word.

Little did he know that Hai Wuliang had never so much as given the Longzhou Escort Agency a proper look. The only reason he had agreed to meet them this time was what had happened during the day, which made him suspect there might be something more to this.

Long Kuiba and the other two were led into the small hall. No one served tea, no one came to exchange pleasantries; they simply waited there in vain for a full quarter of an hour, until all three were seething with anger and on the verge of storming out—only then did Hai Wuliang finally deign to appear.

"Long Kuiba of the Longzhou Escort Agency, and Cheng Haonan and Wu Baoliang of the Poison Eye Mercenary Corps, pay our respects to Chief Escort Hai!" For all their discontent, in Hai Wuliang's presence the three dared not be the least negligent, and hurriedly rose to greet him with due courtesy.

"Sit, sit. I was just now in talks with an important guest, and kept the three of you waiting—I trust you will not take offense." Hai Wuliang chuckled. It was all nonsense; in truth he had simply been drinking tea in his study, deliberately leaving the three of them to cool their heels.

"Chief Escort Hai, you are a busy man of great affairs—the fault is ours for intruding so abruptly," Long Kuiba hastened to say with an ingratiating smile.

"That is a stranger's way of speaking. You three have come to my Four Seas Escort Agency this time—might I ask what business brings you?" Hai Wuliang could not be bothered to waste words with them and came straight to the point.

Long Kuiba was taken aback, and exchanged a glance with Cheng Haonan and Wu Baoliang, clearly caught off guard. He had meant to exchange a few more pleasantries, draw their relations closer, and add a little weight to his case before broaching the matter.