Chapter 3762 — The Bully
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Still, since he claimed to be from the Soaring Heaven Pavilion, he surely had some backing—perhaps a second-generation cultivator from one of North Island's bigwigs, one who simply had not been seen about much before?
Hong Zhong made a few quiet guesses, then asked without betraying a thing: "Then may I ask what brings Your Excellency to our shop today?"
At that, Nan Tianyong drained the cup of precious tea in one gulp, making the attendant beside him twitch at the corner of his mouth and curse inwardly at such waste of a fine thing. Only then did Nan Tianyong give a cold snort and say, "Long ago I heard that a rather sizable Hong Clan Trading Company had opened on the inner street of the market, but I never found the time to come have a look. So today I took a moment to drop by—and while I'm at it, to demand justice for that good-for-nothing disciple of mine!"
As he spoke, Nan Tianyong's powerful aura poured out without the slightest restraint. Every table, chair, and ornament in the private room trembled in its wake; had the attendants not been standing by, several precious porcelains would surely have been shattered outright.
"Justice? Might I ask your disciple's name, and what grievance he has with the Hong Clan Trading Company?" Hong Zhong's face went abruptly cold.
As the branch manager of the Hong Clan Trading Company, he was all for harmony in the pursuit of wealth, but he was still a person of some standing. If a man came to patronize his business, he would of course greet him with a smile; but since this one had plainly come to wreck the place, there was no need for him to bow and scrape.
On this trifling North Island, the Hong Clan Trading Company did not lightly make enemies where it could be avoided, but given their power and their backing, if they truly ran afoul of some foe, there was still no need for them to bow their heads to anyone.
To dare bare your fangs at the Hong Clan Trading Company, you had first to possess a fine set of teeth—and from what Hong Zhong knew, there were no more than three people on all of North Island with such teeth.
Nan Tianyong, however, paid his expression no mind at all. He crossed his legs at his ease and said, his face unfriendly, "My disciple's surname is Yu, given name Zhe."
Yu Jiang? Hong Zhong frowned. Still no impression came. Unless it was a VIP like Wei Zhao, who could casually produce two top-grade Foundation-Breaking Pills, he never troubled himself with ordinary customers' names; naturally he had no idea what sort of personage this Yu Jiang might be.
Seeing Hong Zhong still silent, Nan Tianyong snorted and went on: "A couple of days ago my disciple came to your place and took a fancy to some worthless rock. He meant in good faith to do business with you, yet not only did he fail to buy it, he ended up in a brawl and was left half dead. He's still lying in bed, and we don't even know if he'll recover. This happened at your Hong Clan Trading Company, so you owe me an explanation!"
So it was the man who had competed with Lin Er over the Star-Ink Stone!
Only now did Hong Zhong understand. He had not known the name Yu Jiang, but the man himself had left a deep impression. With his eye for people, he had seen through Yu Jiang's disguise despite how well the man had played his part.
That young man from the Soaring Heaven Pavilion was a master of masking himself and putting others at ease—a truly deep and calculating sort. Any rival of his own level with a little less experience would surely have fallen into his trap.
Yet what truly startled Hong Zhong was not that, but the meaning behind Nan Tianyong's few sentences.