Chapter 4617 — A Wealth of Talent

In that instant, Xu Lingchong's killing intent stirred almost involuntarily. If Zhong Yongliang dared stand in his way, he would not mind finding some pretext to make this underling vanish from the world for good.

"What? Do you have a problem with that?" The mysterious man gave a cold snort.

Though nothing at all had been done, the temperature inside the secret chamber abruptly plunged for no discernible reason, sending a chill crawling up every spine. Zhong Yongliang had recovered from his earlier trembling, and now it was Xu Lingchong's turn to be scared out of his wits.

"N-no... no, this subordinate would never dare!" Xu Lingchong broke out in a cold sweat, silently cursing himself for letting anger cloud his head. When the mysterious man promoted one of his own, what right did he have to cut in? If he let the man take offense, then never mind some North Island Envoy post—he might not even be able to keep his miserable life. Whether a man lived or died hung entirely on the mysterious man's whim.

"If it happens again, you can forget about being North Island Envoy. We happen to be short on Nascent Soul stage test subjects right now." The mysterious man gave him a cold glance. Seeing that Xu Lingchong was frightened almost to the point of prostrating himself on the ground, he deigned to explain: "Zhong Yongliang was appointed North Island Envoy because Junior Brother Pao named him personally. Whatever ideas you may have, you will put them away. You had best not play any little games—otherwise not even I will protect you."

In truth, if one put oneself in his shoes, the mysterious man could well understand what Xu Lingchong was feeling. In fact, his original selection had been Xu Lingchong and no one else, with at most Meng Zhou as an assistant. But now that the higher-ups had made their wishes known, he had no choice but to break his own arrangements.

"Ah? So it was Lord Pao who recommended him..." Xu Lingchong deflated entirely. At the sound of that name his whole being seemed to lose its soul, for he knew there was no turning back now. Moreover, from this day forth he could not merely refrain from making things difficult for Zhong Yongliang—he would have to actively cultivate good relations with him, must discard his pride and stoop to befriend him.

After all, Lord Pao was to him as a master, a figure who, like the mysterious man, held the power of life and death over him. Since it was Lord Pao's will that Zhong Yongliang be promoted, how would Xu Lingchong dare breathe a word against it?

Lord Pao? Off to the side, Zhong Yongliang nearly leapt out of his skin at these words, his pupils suddenly going wide. Had he not deliberately kept his head down, the mysterious man would surely have caught the telltale shift.

Holy mother of—! The last time he had heard the name Lord Pao, Zhong Yongliang had already begun to suspect that this Lord Pao might have some connection to that brat Zhang Naipe. And now, with this turn of events, he was seven or eight parts certain. His guess might actually be right!

If this Lord Pao was not Zhang Naipe, then why on earth would he recommend Zhong Yongliang out of nowhere? Zhong Yongliang reckoned he had no ties whatsoever to anyone in the central organization—he did not know a single one of them. Were it not for that connection, then this so-called Lord Pao, never mind recommending him for no reason, would probably never even have heard his name...

Zhang Naipe had suddenly transformed into Lord Pao, a figure of high station and great authority within the central organization. This accidental discovery left Zhong Yongliang dumbstruck with amazement. Though it was not yet fully confirmed, even this seven or eight parts certainty was enough to be called fantastical.

But surely that brat Zhang Naipe had not actually turned traitor? Otherwise how could he be thriving so smoothly within the central organization? Damn it all. If he ever got the chance to see him, he would have to ask him straight out—that brat had better not forget his debts!

Catching the mysterious man's gaze falling upon him, Zhong Yongliang snapped back to himself and hastily put on a grateful air: "Many thanks for the senior's promotion. This subordinate will surely exert himself to the utmost and swear to complete the mission unto death!"

"Good. For now there are no special assignments for you. What you must do next is adapt as quickly as possible. Whatever you do not understand, you may ask Xu Lingchong. And of course, you may also contact me directly through the Blood Bat," the mysterious man said with a faint nod.

Standing to one side, Xu Lingchong could not help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. To be able to contact the mysterious man directly—he was now truly on equal footing with himself. A minute ago he had been nothing but an insignificant low-ranking underling, and now the tables had turned so that he had to deliberately curry favor with him. The more he thought about it, the more it grated on him.

Zhong Yongliang curved the corner of his mouth at Xu Lingchong, his tone somewhat teasing: "Then I'll be relying on Brother Chong's guidance from now on."

"Not at all, not at all. Past matters—I must ask Pinliang... oh no, I mean Brother Liang to be magnanimous about them. In the days to come, let us brothers cooperate with all sincerity and strive not to disappoint the senior and Lord Pao." Xu Lingchong forced a stiff smile as he spoke.

Zhong Yongliang chuckled, while in his heart he was already calculating how to pass this news to Wei Zhao. Besides, now that he was the so-called North Island Envoy, he needed a few men under him to do his bidding—otherwise he would still be at Xu Lingchong's mercy.

Looking over the whole lot gathered under Xu Lingchong's banner, Meng Zhou was Xu Lingchong's diehard, so he was naturally out of the question. That brat Kang Jingming was too cunning, and had always considered himself above everyone else, so he could not be won over either. That left only Yu Jiang and Nan Tianxiong, Nan Tianguan, and that half-crippled Ma Dangfeng. From among these he could work something out.

Ma Dangfeng especially—the man's head was full of water, and he should be easy enough to pull over.

So it was that Zhong Yongliang formally took up his post in that secret chamber. Meanwhile, on the other side, the Number One Residence of the Azure Cloud Pavilion's inner gates was ablaze with lights, ringing with laughter and joy. Not only had Wei Zhao and the whole group gathered together, even Hong Zhong, upon receiving the news, had made a special trip over.

Given his sensitive identity as vice chairman of the Hong Clan Merchant Guild, he was not supposed to come and go freely within the San Diego Pavilion's inner gates. But Hong Zhong's personal friendship with Wei Zhao was already known to all, and his relations with the San Diego Pavilion's high-ranking figures had always been good, so he was not afraid of breaking this taboo just this once. No one would trouble him and Wei Zhao over such a trifle—unless that person had a few screws loose and was tired of living.

When the banquet was laid out, Wei Zhao of course sat at the head, with Hong Zhong on his left. After all, whether in status or strength, he was the highest here apart from Wei Zhao, so he was wholly deserving of the seat. After Hong Zhong came Lu Bianren and Miserable Senior Brother, while on Wei Zhao's right, in order, sat Shangguan Lan'er, Xiao Che, Qiao Hongcai, and Li Zhengming.

To describe the assembled company as a wealth of talent was no exaggeration at all. Wei Zhao, Hong Zhong, and Shangguan Lan'er need hardly be mentioned—each was either a local magnate or a child of heaven. As for the rest, every one of them, set against the other disciples of the Azure Cloud Pavilion, was unquestionably an elite figure. (To be continued..)