Chapter 3945 — Nan Tianxiong Returns
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
So long as this leverage could be confirmed as real, then the situation was no longer one in which he had to bow his head to Wei Zhao—it would be the other way around: Wei Zhao would have to bow his head to him of his own accord!
Meng Jueming sneered without pause. If this leverage were played just right, then no matter how powerful or formidable Wei Zhao might be, he could forget about ever leaping out of his palm!
What delighted him even more was this: the fellow Wei Zhao could turn worthless jade into fine jade, could he not? The man was nothing less than a little hen that laid golden eggs! So long as he could be kept under his thumb, then future wealth and glory—why, that was nothing worth even mentioning.
By Meng Jueming's reckoning, the secret must lie in Mine No. 10. Back in the mortal world, Wei Zhao had known nothing of what spirit jade even was! Yet after entering Mine No. 10, he had unceasingly dug out fine jade from it. Now it seemed highly likely that somewhere inside Mine No. 10 there was something akin to a spirit eye—place worthless jade within it, and it would swiftly be charged full.
That would also explain why Wei Zhao could dig up fine jade while he and Meng Zhou, try as they might, dug up none at all! That jade was not dug out—it was flushed out!
Meanwhile, over on the other side, Wei Zhao was in truth drenched in a cold sweat, and even a man of his temperament could not help but feel the chill of lingering dread.
Though by all appearances his responses just now should have betrayed no flaw whatsoever, instinct told him that a cunning old fox like Meng Jueming would not be so easily fooled.
In times of peace, think on danger; always be prepared for the worst. The one thing Wei Zhao needed to consider now was this: if Meng Jueming truly did discover his identity, what was he to do then?
If it really came to that, Wei Zhao's position would be profoundly disadvantageous. Meng Jueming could use this leverage to squeeze him at will, and yet he would have no real means of striking back.
The other man was the senior disciple in charge of affairs, and might one day be one of the three pavilion masters besides. No matter how strong Wei Zhao was, he would have no chance to face him head-on—unless he took the desperate risk of finding an opportunity to assassinate him. Even that method was not entirely unworkable; it was merely that the risk would inevitably be enormous.
"As matters stand, all I can do is take one step and watch the next," Wei Zhao murmured to himself, shaking his head at his own miscalculation. He could not now be certain whether Meng Jueming had discovered anything at all, so for the time being he could only hold still and make no move.
On today's trip to the marketplace, he had not run into Yu Jiang and the others who were scheming so hard to find him—instead, he had been caught out by Meng Jueming entirely by accident. Such a thing could not even be described as screwing over one's father; it was screwing over eighteen generations of ancestors!
Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Wei Zhao pressed his worries down to the bottom of his heart and, following his plan, paid a visit to the Hong Merchant Guild.
At Wei Zhao's sudden arrival, even Hong Zhong—an old steward who took surprises in stride—could not help but click his tongue in wonder.
Unlike Wei Zhao, given Hong Zhong's standing and level, and added to that his close connections with many of the Three Stack Pavilion's high-ranking figures, there was not the slightest stir within the pavilion that could escape his ears and eyes.
Perhaps in Wei Zhao's understanding, the only ones currently investigating his identity as Lin Er were still Nan Tianguan and Yu Jiang—but Hong Zhong knew that some time ago, Nan Tianxiong, leader of the Three Heroes of the Nan Clan, had already returned from his mission.