Chapter 4539 — Farewell

Seeing Qi Wenmo so overjoyed he could barely string his words together, Wei Zhao felt a stir of emotion in spite of himself. When he had first joined the Qingtian Escort Agency, it had been merely to find a place to shelter; if he was honest, it had not been so much a meeting of kindred spirits with Qi Wenmo as a matter of mutual convenience.

But after weathering so many storms and trials together, Wei Zhao knew he had gained more than just an ally—he had gained a brother who would stand by him through thick and thin. That, more than anything, was the most precious thing he had brought back from his journey to Nanzhou.

"Ha ha, I'm fine. Sorry to have worried you all," Wei Zhao said with a smile, clapping Qi Wenmo on the shoulder.

The two of them sat down facing each other. Qi Wenmo had been beside himself for quite some time, and it took him a long while before he finally managed to calm down. Looking at Wei Zhao as he was now, he could not help asking curiously, "Brother Ling, how did you suddenly come to look like this?"

"I wear a mask to keep from being recognized. I hear the old sect of the Western Hills has taken up residence in the Longzhou Escort Agency?" Wei Zhao said.

"That's right. They only got back a few days ago. Though they proclaim far and wide that you perished on the Southern Isles, in private they still haven't given up. They've planted a great many spies outside our agency, and I reckon they're after you, Brother Ling. Good thing you're wearing a mask—what foresight," Qi Wenmo said in admiration.

These spies were a constant nuisance; they kept virtually every movement in and around the Qingtian Escort Agency under surveillance. Yet Qi Mingyuan and he could only fume in silence. Had it been the Longzhou Escort Agency alone, those spies would have been dragged out and killed long ago—but who could help it when their backer was the old sect of the Western Hills?

Even though the Qingtian Escort Agency now stood at the very pinnacle of its power, it still could not afford to ruffle the brow of that towering old monster of a devil cultivator at the Mountain-Opening stage. If they truly provoked him into taking action, there would be nothing at all they could do.

"That old monster of the Western Hills hasn't made trouble for the agency, has he?" Wei Zhao asked instead. He himself had nothing to fear, but if the old sect of the Western Hills were to vent its anger on the Qingtian Escort Agency, that would be truly thorny.

"Not so far. They've only posted people to watch us. Nothing else, no excessive moves. I imagine he's wary of our agency's standing; under normal circumstances he shouldn't dare do anything to us," Qi Wenmo said confidently.

"Mm, that's good then." Wei Zhao nodded. The halo of Nanzhou's foremost escort agency was indeed not for nothing. Even if the other party was a devil cultivator giant at the Mountain-Opening stage, he would have to think twice before making any move. After all, the influence at stake was considerable; one careless step and he might draw a siege from the righteous path.

As the two were talking, a footstep suddenly came from outside the room. Wei Zhao and Qi Wenmo exchanged a glance and fell silent at once. After all, lives were at stake; word of Wei Zhao's return must not leak out in the slightest. Even though he now wore the Thousand-Silk Mask and had changed his appearance, he still had to keep others from noticing.

The footsteps halted abruptly at the door, and then a familiar voice called out, "Wenhan, still awake?"

"It's my father." Qi Wenmo glanced at Wei Zhao and asked, "Brother Ling, would you like to see him?"

"Of course. Anyone else I can skip, but how could I skip Chief Escort Qi?" Wei Zhao smiled faintly. His whereabouts had to be kept absolutely secret from ninety-nine out of a hundred people, but surely he would not leave without so much as seeing Qi Mingyuan. If that were the case, there would have been no need to make a special trip back to the agency at all.

"Good, I'll call him in right away." Qi Wenmo nodded, unable to hide his excitement, then hurried out to open the door and usher Qi Mingyuan inside.

"Wenhan, tomorrow I'm going to discuss the alliance with Zhao Shanying, so I'm leaving everything at home in your hands. See that those merchant association representatives are properly settled—they're all rare and important clients—" Qi Mingyuan was halfway through when his expression suddenly changed. Only then did he realize there was an unfamiliar stranger in the room.

Qi Mingyuan shot Qi Wenmo a reproachful glare. Why hadn't he said there was an outsider present? What he had just spoken of was confidential, a matter concerning the grand scheme of the entire Nanzhou Escort Alliance. If it leaked out in advance, it could well stir up trouble, or even come to grief halfway through.

"Father, this is no outsider," Qi Wenmo said with a shrug, offering no further explanation.

"No outsider?" Qi Mingyuan was taken aback. He looked the man up and down carefully and found him vaguely familiar, though he was certain he had never seen that face before. As the chief escort of the Qingtian Escort Agency, his eye was far keener than most, so he could only venture tentatively, "Might I ask who Your Excellency—"

"Chief Escort, it's been a long time," Wei Zhao said with a faint smile.

"You are—" At that familiar voice, Qi Mingyuan froze on the spot. He exchanged an incredulous look with Qi Wenmo beside him, and only after Qi Wenmo nodded in confirmation did he finally exclaim in shock and delight, "Young Hero Ling?!"

"That's right, it's me. I've put you to a great deal of trouble these past days, Chief Escort," Wei Zhao said with a nod and a smile.

"Not at all, not at all. It's good that you're back, good that you're back. Young Hero Ling, your safe return is a cause for tremendous rejoicing!" Even the usually steady and reserved Qi Mingyuan could not conceal his excitement now, any more than Qi Wenmo could. At the same time, a trace of shame crept into his voice. "The Qingtian Escort Agency owes everything it has today to you, Young Hero Ling. And yet we could do nothing to help you in return. I feel ashamed in my heart—truly unworthy of facing you."

"Chief Escort, you're far too serious. Everything the agency has done for me is engraved in my heart. There's no need for such words between us—we're family," Wei Zhao said with a smile, glancing at Qi Wenmo beside him.

His relationship with Qi Mingyuan was still that of allies doing business together, but so long as Qi Wenmo was part of the Qingtian Escort Agency, Wei Zhao could keep his trust in it. In the end, it was because of Qi Wenmo that he had grown so close to the agency. More than the agency itself, he valued the man Qi Wenmo. Birds of a feather flock together—after all, were they not both men of feeling?

"Young Hero Ling is right. We are family, with nothing held apart between us. I won't stand on ceremony with you any longer," Qi Mingyuan said, nodding again and again in agreement. Then his expression turned grave. "Young Hero Ling's safe return is a tremendous piece of good fortune for the whole Qingtian Escort Agency. But the old sect of the Western Hills is at the Longzhou Escort Agency now, so word must not leak out. It's best to lie low for the time being."

"Chief Escort is right. That was my thinking as well. To be frank, I've come back this time to take my leave of you both," Wei Zhao said.

"Take your leave?" The Qi father and son were startled at once. Qi Wenmo hurriedly asked, "Brother Ling, are you really going to leave the Nanzhou sea region?" (To be continued.