Chapter 3980 — When Will the Cave Dwelling Be Handed Over
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Wei Zhao burst out laughing. "Whether I'm worthy or not doesn't much matter to me—I've never had a taste for licking anyone's toes. But you, Grand Steward Kang, you must surely be worthy, mustn't you? Otherwise how would you ever have become another man's lackey?"
Kang Jingming choked on the spot, struck dumb for a good long while. True, licking Young Master Xu's toes was a dream every one of them secretly nursed, but cultivators did, after all, have their pride; to say such a thing aloud—how would he ever show his face in the Welcome Pavilion again?
"Judging by how lively the Grand Steward looks, your injuries must be more or less healed by now. Splendid—the ten-day deadline Pavilion Master Hu spoke of is nearly upon us. Perhaps you might hurry up and vacate that Peak No. 1 cave dwelling for me? I'm still waiting to trade it to the other newcomers of the Soaring Heaven Pavilion," Wei Zhao said, arching an eyebrow.
Kang Jingming's face went stiff all over again. Damn it, he thought, something's gone badly wrong here. I came out with Young Master Xu to throw my weight around, so how is it that after a few short words from this brat Wei Zhao, the man has turned the tables and made himself the host?
In truth, Hu Yunfeng had fed him a fourth-grade Great Restoration Pill at the time of his injury, and under the force of its potent medicine, Kang Jingming's wounds had all but healed days ago. Had it been otherwise, he could never have kept up those endless nights of romping with that shameless vixen Murong Zhen.
All these days, Kang Jingming had deliberately put the matter out of his mind, and he had not breathed a single word of it even to Xu Lingchong, the patron at his back. Who would have thought Wei Zhao would now drag it out into the open right in front of Xu Lingchong? How was he supposed to salvage this?
Sure enough, Xu Lingchong caught the odd turn in the conversation and shot Kang Jingming a suspicious glance. "Zhaoming, you're handing Peak No. 1 over to him? What is the meaning of this?"
Lately Xu Lingchong had been wholly occupied with contesting the post of chief senior brother of the Soaring Heaven Pavilion against Nantian Pass. He had only just managed to see some light at the end of that tunnel when the Meng Jueming affair blew up in his face, and on top of that he had the birthday banquet for Shangguan Lan'er to host and arrange. The trifling business of the Welcome Pavilion was the last thing on his mind.
What was more, Kang Jingming had never volunteered the truth to him, and Hu Yunfeng, unwilling to embarrass Kang Jingming, had likewise refrained from raising the matter. Of this whole cross-pavilion challenge, Xu Lingchong was utterly ignorant.
Kang Jingming hemmed and hawed, unable to produce a word. Seeing this, Wei Zhao chuckled and spoke for him. "So the Young Master Xu was kept in the dark after all! Grand Steward Kang deliberately suppressed the report—that's rather a poor showing for a subordinate, wouldn't you say? Very well then. Since the Grand Steward is too embarrassed to speak, allow me to say it for him. Young Master Xu, in that cross-pavilion challenge he lost Peak No. 1 cave dwelling to me. By Pavilion Master Hu's own words at the time, the ten-day deadline has now arrived, so naturally he must hand the dwelling over to me—we can hardly let Pavilion Master Hu be made a liar, can we?"
"Such a thing actually happened? Hmph. Useless creature—I'll settle accounts with you when we're back!" Xu Lingchong's face darkened further still.
That Kang Jingming could not beat Wei Zhao was something he could well understand. But what galled him most was that Kang Jingming had dared to conceal it from him. That he could not tolerate.