Chapter 4620 — Visiting the Scrap King

Such talk was not idle speculation. Many sects on Central Island also held recommendation rights, but unlike the low-key Tri-Stack Pavilion of North Island, they always handled matters with public competition in the name of so-called fairness—and in the end, of all those prodigies sent to East Continent Academy, scarcely any ever returned to serve their own sects!

Because from the very start, the academy had been their goal; their sect was merely a stepping stone, and once the goal was achieved, why would they ever come back to serve a stepping stone?

But being recommended by the Tri-Stack Pavilion for advanced study and single-mindedly wanting to go to East Continent were two entirely different matters! It was like a man in the secular world attending a school while everyone around him had his heart set on testing into a better school elsewhere; once he got in, he naturally would never return to the old one.

But if he were an employee of a company and one day the boss said to him, "I'm giving you a chance to go study and further your training," the man would surely be moved to tears of gratitude—and once his studies were complete, he would still return to the company.800

"That makes sense. And the second reason?" the crowd asked.

"The second reason, of course, is to bide our time and hide our light. For any sect or power, the more prodigy disciples it can recommend to East Continent Academy, the stronger its future strength will be. Since we can be certain these disciples will return to North Island in the future, naturally we keep them hidden away as our trump cards!" Hong Zhong could not help but laugh as he answered with a question of his own.

"I see!" Everyone nodded one after another. The reason a trump card was a trump card was that it left others unable to gauge one's true strength and thus inspired fear; once it was played and made known to all, not only could it no longer seize the initiative, even its deterrent power would be greatly diminished.

"Little Junior Brother, so after that you and Sister Xiaotao parted ways?" Shangguan Lan'er continued, steering the talk back on topic.

"That's right. Xiaotao went straight off with the Divine Nun of the East Sea. I returned to Weihu City alone. As it happened, on the way I ran into those pirates from before and took the goods back from them, then went back to confront Wei Zhaotong. After that I agreed to join the Qingtian Escort Agency in the South Continent Escort Gathering—you all must know about that by now, surely?" Wei Zhao asked.

"We know, we know—they say you killed the evil cultivator Wu Baoliang at the gathering, and that stirred up the Old Sect of West Mountain, who hunted you all over the world," Shangguan Lan'er said, and Lu Bianren and the others nodded along.

"I have heard the name of the Old Sect of West Mountain. Word has it he is the second-ranking figure of the West Mountain evil faction, an unfathomable evil cultivator of the Mountain-Opening Stage. That you could escape from his hands unscathed, Young Hero Lin, is truly inconceivable," Hong Zhong could not help but sigh.

Only one who had reached a sufficient level could truly understand how terrifying a Mountain-Opening Stage titan was. He knew far better than the muddled crowd just how difficult such a feat was.

"Heh, in truth it came down mostly to luck. With my strength I could never have shaken off his pursuit, but by a stroke of chance I fled into South Island, and he dared not pursue me deep into it—after all, the spirit-beast clan is not to be trifled with. So I simply hid on South Island and cultivated, and only recently did I completely throw off the Old Sect of West Mountain's surveillance and manage to slip away and return," Wei Zhao explained in a few brief words. As for the Five-Poison Swamp and the Five-Venom Dragon, there was no need to tell the others in detail—a passing mention would do.

"To hide on South Island so long and come away unharmed is no small feat. It cannot be summed up with a simple word like luck; the hardships and perils involved are more than ordinary people could endure. Young Hero Lin, I salute you!" Hong Zhong said in admiration.

"Little Junior Brother (Leader), we salute you too!" the others chimed in.

"Thank you all. Come, let us drain this cup together!" Wei Zhao laughed and downed his in one go.

"By the way, I have a letter here for you, Young Hero Lin, but I was in such a hurry coming over just now that I did not bring it. I will give it to you tomorrow," Hong Zhong said suddenly.

"A letter? What letter?" Wei Zhao did not quite catch on at first and stared blankly.

"It was delivered by the transport house under the Central Chamber of Commerce. It clearly states the recipient is Young Hero Lin, but for some reason it was delivered into my hands," Hong Zhong said, somewhat puzzled himself. Though it was hardly strange that a letter could not reach Wei Zhao himself, given that he had left no word from South Continent all this time, it was baffling that it should end up in his own hands—there was something very odd about that.

If Wei Zhao had not personally arranged it, then it meant this suddenly risen Central Chamber of Commerce had investigated even the private friendship between him, Hong Zhong, and Wei Zhao down to the last detail. The feeling was more than a little unsettling.

Hong Zhong was still worrying over whether some plot lay behind it, but when Wei Zhao heard this, the ever-composed man was struck dumb on the spot, not reacting for a long while, leaving everyone exchanging glances and wondering whether he had eaten something strange...

Wei Zhao stood frozen for a good while before coming back to himself. Seeing everyone watching him with concern, he suppressed the excitement in his heart, shook his head, and said with a rueful laugh: "Oh, I'm fine. Elder Hong, I have waited a long time for this letter. I will come find you first thing tomorrow morning."

No wonder he had lost his composure. The moment he heard the words "Central Chamber of Commerce," Wei Zhao already knew—this letter was most likely the reply from the secular world that he had been awaiting all this time!

After hearing this news, Wei Zhao could not help but seem a little distraught. Fortunately, he had already given a rough account of his experiences in South Continent, and the crowd's curiosity was at last satisfied. And because Shangguan Lan'er had to get back before nightfall, the banquet did not last much longer; seeing that the hour was about right, everyone dispersed.

After seeing everyone off, Wei Zhao did not retire to rest. His mind was now wholly occupied with the letter Hong Zhong had mentioned, and he was too excited to settle down. Still, he retained some self-restraint: rather than going with Hong Zhong to the Hong Clan Trading Company that very night, he took the wine and dishes he had set aside in advance and went alone to the Scrap King's secret base.

After all this time, the place had not changed in the slightest. When Wei Zhao appeared carrying the wine and food, the Scrap King was bent over his desk writing furiously, utterly possessed, calculating something or other, with written drafts strewn all over the floor around him. Wei Zhao stood right behind him, yet there was not the slightest sign that he had noticed. (To be continued.)xh118R466