Chapter 4673 — Temporary Team-Up

"Fine. For Vice Island Master Shangguan's sake, I'll let you tag along and leech a few benefits off us." Ren Zhongyuan gave a cold snort and withdrew his hand with a sullen air.

Vice Island Master Shangguan? This time it was Wei Zhao's turn to be taken aback. He had been on Cloud Tier Island long enough to have crossed paths with Shangguan Tianxia, that top-tier titan, more than once, yet he had never heard that the man was actually the North Island's vice island master.

All along, the North Island had emphasized only the Sandie Pavilion—from top to bottom, everyone spoke of nothing but the North Island's Sandie Pavilion—and against such a backdrop even the island master had seemed shrouded in mystery, let alone a vice island master.

That Shangguan Tianxia was the master of the Chongtian Pavilion was known to all the world, but his identity as the North Island's vice island master was known to far fewer; at the very least, newcomers of Wei Zhao's shallow seniority had never heard it mentioned.

Seeing the charitable, condescending look on Ren Zhongyuan's face and the rest, Wei Zhao's earlier ferocity ebbed away. Noting that everyone was watching him—especially Huo Yudie, whose gaze carried a hint of pleading—he curled one corner of his mouth and gave an ambiguous nod. "Very well, then. I'll trouble you for the trouble."

These few were hardly worth mentioning as individuals, but unless it was truly necessary, Wei Zhao had no wish to clash with Eastern Continent people for the moment. These sorts had deep ties in every sort of academy, after all, and short of the last resort, there was no point in Wei Zhao making enemies.

Seeing Wei Zhao cooperate so readily, Huo Yudie finally let out a small sigh of relief. From their earlier dealings she had already sensed an indefinable arrogance in his bones—hard to see on the surface, yet present everywhere all the same—and she had genuinely feared he might come to blows with these people, in which case things would spiral completely out of control.

Fortunately, arrogant though this Wei Zhao was, he was not entirely without self-awareness. At least he knew how to bend and stretch, which showed he was no brainless fool.

"Junior Sister Yudie, let's go." Ren Zhongyuan took the lead in striding forward, though he did not forget to glance back at Wei Zhao. "I hope you won't drag us down. Otherwise, even if you're Vice Island Master Shangguan's own disciple, it won't help you—if your strength fails and you die in the trial, no one will have a word to say about it."

Jiali and the other man followed behind him, likewise remeasuring Wei Zhao with a knowing look and a touch of mockery. "Heh, no wonder Senior Sister Huo took a fancy to you—turns out you've got such a powerful patron behind you. But it's still the same as I said: be careful not to die."

Wei Zhao shrugged it off carelessly. These fellows clearly meant to use him as a punching bag—did they really take him for a soft persimmon? If the journey passed without incident, so much the better; otherwise they had best be careful not to kick an iron plate.

"Don't take it to heart. They're only taking it out on you because of me. I'm sorry." Huo Yudie deliberately walked at the very back with Wei Zhao and apologized in a low voice.

"Oh, it doesn't bother me at all." Wei Zhao answered with a faint smile.

"Mm, that's good, then." Seeing that Wei Zhao's airy composure did not seem feigned, Huo Yudie could not help but regard him with a little more appreciation. His strength was far below Ren Zhongyuan's and the others', but to remain unruffled by favor and disgrace alike was truly rare; set against those people, the gulf between them was plain at a glance.

"Forgive me for asking bluntly, but are you sure there's no problem in acting together with the three of them?" Wei Zhao asked suddenly. His whole purpose in going with Huo Yudie lay in the Thunder Profound Vine, and now her original plans and rhythm had clearly been thrown into disarray. If this meant the Thunder Profound Vine was doomed to slip beyond reach, he had no intention of wasting his time trailing these people for nothing.

"That..." Huo Yudie hesitated too, her tone faltering. "The more people, the more strength—traveling with them has its advantages and disadvantages. Let's take it one step at a time for now, and if it doesn't work, we'll think of something else."

"Fine. Since you put it that way, I've no objection." Wei Zhao nodded. He could tell that Huo Yudie evidently did not want to say much; her words were vague enough that he could not make out her meaning. Then he asked, "By the way, just who are those people, exactly?"

Though a few scraps of information had let him infer some of their identities, it was hardly complete. Wei Zhao felt it necessary to first ascertain the other side's background, so that if a conflict arose he could weigh his options without too many reservations.

"The man in front is named Ren Zhongyuan—you heard that much yourself. He's a disciple of the Xiangyun Academy of the Eastern Continent. Over at Xiangyun Academy he has no particular backing, but he is the son of our academy's Grand Libationer." Speaking of the man, Huo Yudie's eyes plainly held a measure of disgust—her suitor clearly had no favor in her eyes.

"Grand Libationer?" Wei Zhao was taken aback. He had heard of posts like Libationer—his old adversary, Southern Heaven Aurora, was a Libationer at the Middle Island Cultivators' Academy, for instance—but Grand Libationer was something he was hearing for the first time.

"Mm, these are posts unique to the Eastern Continent's academies. In authority they're roughly on par with a vice dean; the two offices overlap and oppose each other, and in some respects the Grand Libationer's grip on the academy is even stronger than a vice dean's—because all the Libationers and students fall under the Grand Libationer's jurisdiction, decided by a single word from him." Huo Yudie offered a brief explanation.

"I see." Wei Zhao more or less grasped the meaning of the post. Most likely, because the academies of the Eastern Continent were so formidable and heaven-defying, their power so vast, this position had been set up expressly to balance authority—lest a vice dean's hand cover the sky. After all, the deans of the various academies would never have the inclination to personally manage the academies' internal affairs.

"The other man is named Yi Xiaotian, also a disciple of Xiangyun Academy. His uncle is a vice dean there." Here Huo Yudie paused abruptly, then, blushing, went on in a voice as faint as a mosquito's: "He is Jiali's dual-cultivation partner, which is why he often comes with Ren Zhongyuan to our academy."

"Dual-cultivation partner?" Wei Zhao could not help but throw the pair an odd look. Sure enough, Yi Xiaotian's hand was resting restlessly on Jiali, groping about—carrying on such petty tricks right in front of the rest of them. The man was truly a piece of work.

Still, this fellow was not necessarily uninterested in Huo Yudie. Just now, though he had not reacted as strongly as Ren Zhongyuan, the way he looked at her was plainly tinged with lust. Eyeing the dish in his bowl while coveting the pot—that was the common failing of all rich young masters.

"As for Junior Sister Jiali, her full name is Yao Jiali, and she is the granddaughter of Vice Dean Yao of our Chenjiao Academy." Huo Yudie suddenly gave Wei Zhao a meaningful look before continuing, "That mortal woman I mentioned to you before—she only came to such an end because she offended her." R1152