Chapter 3968 — The New Order of Yingxin Pavilion
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"Murong Zhen, Meng Zhou, and two other newcomers. They seem to have gotten in touch with Kang Jingming of Chongtian Pavilion and mean to keep resisting us." At this, Senior Brother Kubi could not help but worry. He was not a man built for conflict; without Wei Zhao to bear the weight for him, either Murong Zhen or Meng Zhou would likely have been enough to give him a very hard time.
"They've thrown in their lot with that creature Kang Jingming? Ha, the thieves really won't give up." Wei Zhao smiled dismissively, not taking it much to heart. With his current strength, if he still took such people seriously, that would be underestimating himself far too much.
"A dog can't change its taste for filth—that they'd do this doesn't surprise me in the least. But there's one person who did give me quite a shock," Qiao Hongcai chimed in.
Before he could finish, Xiao Che beside him had already spoken the name he was about to utter: "Li Zhengming."
There had been no sign of it beforehand, and Li Zhengming's defection, shocking as it was, was also so abnormal as to invite suspicion. The blunt and impatient Qiao Hongcai could not help saying, "Boss, you don't think this fellow's got some crooked scheme in mind?"
Xiao Che nodded as well. "From where he stands, coming over now is a forced choice, compelled by circumstances. But there is one thing we must guard against: if this is a false surrender, and he means to coordinate with Meng Zhou and the others from within, it will leave endless trouble."
"How about this... I go and test him?" Qiao Hongcai said eagerly. By "test" he naturally meant a fight—simple, direct, and often very effective. A man with something to hide easily gives himself away when trading blows.
Wei Zhao smiled noncommittally, neither speaking up to explain on Li Zhengming's behalf nor moving to stop him. Men come to know one another through fighting; no amount of talk is as solid as a good brawl, and besides, he wanted a look at Li Zhengming's true strength now as well.
In any case, whoever got hurt, Wei Zhao was confident he could heal them. Let it be a friendly sparring match between fighters.
Seeing Wei Zhao's tacit consent, Qiao Hongcai at once went off, crowing with delight, to find Li Zhengming. When it came to fights, he never turned one down.
And truth be told, though his hostility toward Li Zhengming was not as implacable as toward Meng Zhou, he still remembered with perfect clarity that scene on the mountain behind the compound during his first month in Yingxin Pavilion—the newcomers' trial, when Li Zhengming had defeated him in a single move. That loss had rankled him ever since.
After successfully establishing his Foundation and having his strength utterly transformed, Qiao Hongcai had thought he would get his chance against Li Zhengming, only to find that through two full months of the newcomers' challenge tournament he had somehow missed him entirely. Though he had in the end trampled Meng Zhou underfoot, missing out on Li Zhengming had remained a nagging regret, neither great nor small.
But now the chance had finally come. Wei Zhao had tacitly consented, and his challenge to Li Zhengming would likewise be a rare opportunity for the man to display his strength and stake a claim to standing—surely he would not refuse.
And indeed, it went exactly as Qiao Hongcai had expected. Hearing the challenge, Li Zhengming was only slightly taken aback; after exchanging a glance with Wei Zhao, he promptly and readily agreed.
Just as Qiao Hongcai thought—Li Zhengming truly did need such an occasion to show himself. To be sure, he had all along been Wei Zhao's key inside man, and if his merits and hardships were laid out, they would more than suffice to win him the recognition of both Xiao Che and Qiao Hongcai.R1152