Chapter 4766 — The Engagement Gift

"Sister Huo, you can hug our little junior brother all you like—once we're gone, hug him as long as you want, as long as you can win him away from Feifei!" Shangguan Lan'er giggled and gave her another squeeze, her words turning Huo Yudie red to the ears, who scolded her again and again in mock reproach.

At last, amid the crowd's reluctant farewells, the giant treasure ship sounded its final departure horn. Shangguan Lan'er and Han Jingyi climbed aboard, looking back at every step, waving frantically to Wei Zhao and the others.

"See you again someday!" Ning Xuefei and Huo Yudie waved just as desperately, both of them red-eyed and on the verge of tears. For all of Shangguan Lan'er's clowning, parting was never a happy thing—especially for girls as close as sisters, who could not know when they would next meet after this farewell.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you all get together again one day, I promise," Wei Zhao said softly, consoling them.

"Mm!" Ning Xuefei and Huo Yudie nodded hard in unison; then, after exchanging a glance, they looked at Wei Zhao and, without a word between them, burst into laughter through their tears—leaving Wei Zhao utterly baffled. What was this? The world of girls was truly beyond comprehension!

After the Northern Island, the next to leave was the Southern Continent fleet—by which was meant, of course, the fleet Qi Wenmo and Xia Qianqian had brought. As for the spirit beast race's new Azure Dragon, though he too hailed from the Southern Continent, he was plainly not of their party, and had already departed ahead of them.

Since Qi Wenmo and Xia Qianqian were leaving, Wei Zhao naturally went to see them off, and this time Ning Xuefei and Huo Yudie came along as well. Though in their few brief meetings these past days they had hardly exchanged words, these were Wei Zhao's good brothers, and so of course they must make an effort to build some goodwill—after all, they would all be of one camp hereafter.

Unlike the Northern Island, which had only a single giant treasure ship, the Southern Continent fleet had brought out three whole treasure ships, packing the great Western Island docks to bursting. When Wei Zhao and the girls finally picked out Qi Wenmo and Xia Qianqian from the vast crowd, the Southern Continent crew were all busy hauling cargo, the scene a bustle of feverish activity.

They had not come merely to offer birthday congratulations this time; they also carried commissions from the various merchant guilds, great and small, of the Southern Seas, to purchase all manner of Western Island specialties here—and by the look of things, all three treasure ships would be filled to the brim.

"Ha, worthy of the Ship King indeed—three treasure ships at once. I truly can't imagine anyone else with that kind of hand." Wei Zhao walked up beside Qi Wenmo with the two girls and sighed with a smile.

By size alone, each of these three treasure ships was considerably smaller than the Northern Island's vessel, but all were of middling scale—and with three of them lined up together, the sheer impact they gave was no joke.

"Brother Ling!" Qi Wenmo and Xia Qianqian greeted him with a smile, and only then realized that Ning Xuefei and Huo Yudie had come along too. Flattered and a little caught off guard, they hurriedly bowed to the two girls.

Ning Xuefei and Huo Yudie returned the courtesy with graceful poise; still not well acquainted with Qi Wenmo, both wore the air of well-bred young ladies of good family—the sort of upbringing they had received since childhood. Add to that their peerless looks and bearing, and though such stately grace still fell short of Ning Shanghe's effortless naturalness, it was enough to dazzle all present.

Qi Wenmo could not help giving Wei Zhao a discreet thumbs-up. Every beauty at his side was a matchless paragon who would make the world green with envy—truly, his brother was a model for all men!

"You'll be heading back to the Southern Continent soon, and who knows when we'll meet again, so I must have you take your engagement gift with you now—otherwise, if neither the man nor the gift shows up when the time comes, that would be inexcusable," Wei Zhao said with a smile.

"Engagement?" Qi Wenmo was struck dumb for a moment. These past days he had thought of nothing but being inseparable from Xia Qianqian, and had truly never seriously considered the matter! And this was no small matter. Only... though Xia Qianqian had agreed, the Xia family might not be so easy to persuade.

Beside him, Xia Qianqian's face flushed bright red at once, lovely and charming, her brows and eyes brimming with shyness and happiness.

"Of course—happy occasions like this should come sooner rather than later. Don't tell me you mean to keep Miss Xia dangling like this, Brother Qi? That would be heartless," Wei Zhao said, teasing him with a look, then drew from his robe a finely made wooden box he had long since prepared. He had specifically had Ning Xuefei find it earlier; carved upon the Southern Continent miniature map on its lid was a great 'double happiness' character—elegant and festive at once.

"Brother Ling, I haven't even figured out how to handle this yet. Getting past the Xia family will be no easy thing..." Qi Wenmo shook his head with a bitter smile. He had no idea what was in the box, but since it was an engagement gift, whatever it was he would not refuse it—this was, after all, Wei Zhao's heartfelt gesture.

Xia Qianqian's expression was somewhat complicated as well. To be with Qi Wenmo—she herself was more than willing—but she was not a lone individual; safeguarding the family's interests was the first principle drilled into her since childhood. If Qi Wenmo could not satisfy the Xia family—above all, win her father's approval—then this matter would be harder than reaching the heavens.

"No rush—take a look at the gift first," Wei Zhao said with a laugh.

Qi Wenmo and Xia Qianqian were taken aback. In their eyes, opening another's gift on the spot was a grave breach of courtesy, but under the urging of Wei Zhao's gaze they still lifted the lid, and two pills faintly crackling with arcs of lightning came into view.

"Thunder Profound Pills?!" Qi Wenmo and Xia Qianqian cried out in spite of themselves, and luckily had the presence of mind to clap their hands over their mouths at once—otherwise the passersby would surely have heard.

Xia Qianqian was utterly stunned now, an incredulous light flickering in her eyes; she covered her mouth and for a long while could not speak. The last time Wei Zhao had given away a top-grade Golden Core of Infant Gathering, that gesture alone had been astonishing enough—and now this time it was even more outrageous, straight to seventh-grade Thunder Profound Pills, and two of them at that, counting her share as well!

Before, it had been a Golden Core of Infant Gathering to usher one into the Nascent Soul stage; now hard on its heels came two Thunder Profound Pills. Had she not witnessed it herself, Xia Qianqian would never in her wildest dreams have imagined there could be a man of such grandeur under heaven. Compared with this man, the so-called top geniuses of her own family could not even show their faces—they would only disgrace themselves.

"Brother Ling, this..." Qi Wenmo gulped for a long while before lowering his voice to ask timidly, "Did you refine these yourself?"

Had he not known that Wei Zhao had just recently come into possession of a Thunder Profound Vine, even he would not have dared believe Wei Zhao capable of refining Thunder Profound Pills—after all, a seventh-grade alchemist was a rarity so rare that across the whole Southern Continent, outside the spirit beast race, one could scarcely be found anywhere in the territories of human cultivators!

"Indeed—I refined them only a few days ago. Just in time to give them to you as an engagement gift, it seems," Wei Zhao said with a chuckle. (To be continued...)