Chapter 4671 — Shabby Teammates

The reason he dared to demand such an exorbitant price and brazenly extort her was that Wei Zhao had already read Huo Yudie completely. True, all the intelligence was in her hands alone, but Wei Zhao was a hundred percent certain that the process of obtaining the Thunder Mystic Vine would be extremely difficult and that she would inevitably need him to lend a hand; otherwise, why wouldn't she have gone off to grab such a prize all by herself?

Even though she had released that woman from the mortal world whose identity he did not know, Wei Zhao did not for one moment believe that Huo Yudie's heart was overflowing with kindness. The Thunder Mystic Vine was an exceedingly rare natural treasure—would she really just hand someone a share for no reason at all? Was she bored out of her mind?!

The fact that she had so deliberately sought him out meant there must be something she needed him for. So Wei Zhao was not in the least afraid of scaring her off. Besides, her need for the Thunder Mystic Vine was far more urgent than his own. If he did not seize such a ready-made opportunity to drive a hard bargain, Wei Zhao would feel he had let himself down.

Sure enough, Huo Yudie stood frozen for a long while, her expression shifting between bright and dark, and in the end she squeezed two words out through her teeth: "Deal."

"Excellent, then it's happily settled." Wei Zhao gave a sunny smile. But faced with this so-called happy split, Huo Yudie's expression was so gloomy she looked on the verge of tears; she could not even help wondering whether she had made a mistake in seeking Wei Zhao's cooperation this time!

The two had only just struck their partnership when three people suddenly appeared not far behind them—two men and one woman—chatting and laughing as they walked, their manner not in the least as grave and cautious as everyone else's, as though this West Island trial were to them no more than an outing to enjoy the scenery. There was no difficulty to speak of.

"Oh my, isn't this Senior Sister Huo? Why didn't you wait for us?" The one who spoke was the woman among them. Having spotted Huo Yudie from afar, she led the way over with a coquettish laugh. The other two men followed with smiles as well, and judging by their manner they were all acquaintances of Huo Yudie.

Yet the moment Huo Yudie saw the three of them, her expression changed—though the veil hid it so well that it was hard to detect—and her eyes swiftly returned to their usual indifference.

So this girl's relationship with the three behind her is hardly harmonious either! Wei Zhao took in Huo Yudie's reaction while turning to size up the three newcomers.

The woman in the lead wore a close-fitting soft green armor that showed off her delicate, shapely figure to the fullest, lending her a certain seductive appeal. Her face, while not as striking as Shangguan Lan'er and the others, was still that of a rare beauty—only in Wei Zhao's eyes it came off as second-rate.

No matter how he looked at her, Wei Zhao felt there clung to her an inescapable air of frivolous arrogance that tainted her whole temperament and made one faintly uncomfortable; so although she was pretty, he felt not the slightest appreciation or admiration.

As for the two men who had come over with her, at first glance they were both handsome young fellows with bright, cheerful images—the type that should be popular with the girls. And from their bearing and expressions as they walked, one could tell they were definitely the sort who thought exceedingly well of themselves. They might well have the vaunted aura of geniuses hovering over their heads.

Unfortunately, Wei Zhao took one glance at the pair and then paid them no more mind. For a man, looks have far less influence on one's image than the unique presence gradually formed within.

According to Wei Zhao's long-standing experience, any man who had accomplished something in some field would inevitably develop a distinctive presence of his own, whereas the presence of these two men was at best a little better than an ordinary person's, far from leaving any deep impression. In Wei Zhao's view, they were not even a match for the Scrap King.

"So it's Junior Sister Jiali." Huo Yudie gave a faint nod, then changed tack: "But why should I wait for you?"

The woman called Jiali immediately changed color at these words. Her cheeks twitched awkwardly for a moment. She put away that false sweet smile and looked coldly at Huo Yudie: "What? From the sound of it, Senior Sister Huo doesn't welcome me? Have you been treating the Principal's words as so much wind past your ears? Before we set out, the old lady specially instructed us to work as one. Surely Senior Sister Huo isn't relying on her status to disregard even the Principal?"

Huo Yudie's eyes narrowed slightly, and the surrounding atmosphere instantly turned cold. Wei Zhao could tell that this girl really was on very bad terms with this Jiali—the impatience was plain to see.

"Haha, Junior Sister Yudie, Junior Sister Jiali, there's no need for you two to be so tit-for-tat. You two are known as the Twin Beauties of Morning Pride—here on West Island, of all places, you ought to be working as one!" The slightly taller of the two men hurried to smooth things over.

"Exactly. We're all from the East Continent, and working as one is the proper thing. We can't let outsiders make a joke of us and damage the image of the East Continent Academy," the other man chimed in.

As the two spoke, their gazes fell one after another on Wei Zhao standing to the side. Though they said nothing directly, the superiority that seeped from their bones and the contempt that welled up from the heart were truly infuriating—only Wei Zhao could not be bothered to pay them any mind.

Put on the spot by the two of them, Huo Yudie could not help feeling somewhat awkward. After a glance at the several of them, she shut her mouth and said nothing more; what she was thinking, no one could tell.

"That's right, Senior Sister Huo, our two senior brothers are quite correct. You mustn't ruin the image of our Morning Pride Academy." That sweet smile reappeared on Jiali's face. She gave Wei Zhao a look full of ill intent and curled her lip: "Senior Sister Huo, weren't you always the proud and aloof ice lotus no man could touch? It's only been a few days since you left the East Continent—how have you already taken up with some wild man? Even if your heart has begun to stir, you might at least mind the image of our academy?"

"Nonsense!" Huo Yudie's fair face flushed red with anger. She exchanged an awkward glance with Wei Zhao, then turned her head and snapped coldly: "He is merely a teammate I found. Junior Sister Jiali, if you say such outrageous things again, don't blame me for forgetting our bond as fellow disciples!"

Jiali frowned and was about to add a few more mocking words when the tall man standing beside her beat her to it: "Teammate? Hahahaha, Junior Sister Yudie, wherever did you dig up such a rustic teammate? He wouldn't be a native man of West Island, would he? I hear the men here spend all year round pouring tea, serving water, and looking after the children—this is the first time I've ever seen one!"

This man was one of Huo Yudie's suitors, and the fervent look in his eyes when he gazed at her was utterly undisguised! (To be continued)