Chapter 3981 — The Price of a Trade
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Xu Lingchong understood this more keenly than Kang Jingming did. He at once lowered his voice into a threat: "Peak No. 1 cave dwelling—apart from Kang Jingming, I will not let it fall into anyone's hands. Not anyone's. Wei Zhao, do you want to try me?"
Wei Zhao burst out laughing on the spot. He was not about to fall for that. Arching an eyebrow, he said, "Truly worthy of Young Master Xu—what a magnificent display of authority. A pity this is the Welcome Pavilion, where matters concerning this place are, I'm afraid, not quite yours to decide, are they, Young Master Xu? Or is the Young Master perhaps preparing to overstep his station and manage us new underlings on Pavilion Master Hu's behalf?"
"Hmph. Sharp tongue, glib mouth." Xu Lingchong shot Wei Zhao a venomous glare, then all at once broke into laughter himself. "Hahaha, I was merely joking. Must you be so tense, Young Master Lin? As you say, this is Hu Yunfeng's domain. Naturally I would not presume to meddle beyond my remit."
"Good to hear. I was beginning to think Young Master Xu meant to wipe out with a single sentence the spoils I won through such hard effort. Reaching your hand out so far—if that were to reach the ears of the higher-ups, it would be rather hard to explain, wouldn't it?" Wei Zhao smiled faintly, wholly unruffled.
A man like Xu Lingchong had deep roots and a boundless future, flawless in every respect almost beyond the reach of attack—on the surface, an opponent of immense and terrifying strength. And yet he had one great weakness: his ambition was too vast.
It was precisely because Xu Lingchong harbored such grand ambitions that he had to guard his image. Never mind sending assassins after Wei Zhao—a venture of enormous risk; even so commonplace a trifle as suppressing a newcomer could not be done, for it would tarnish his shining reputation.
Otherwise, had he truly been without scruples, then given the vast gulf in strength and status between them, Wei Zhao could never have sparred with him unscathed to this very day.
Xu Lingchong's expression stiffened. He had no choice but to say, "What will it take for you to give up Peak No. 1 cave dwelling? Name your price."
"Let me name my price?" Wei Zhao smiled meaningfully. "My apologies. I have already made an agreement with the other newcomers of the Soaring Heaven Pavilion. If, in the end, Grand Steward Kang is still occupying Peak No. 1 cave dwelling, it would rather damage my reputation, would it not?"
The implication between the lines was plain enough: he was preparing to squeeze him for everything he was worth.
Xu Lingchong disdained to haggle with a lowly newcomer like Wei Zhao, and he liked even less the feeling of being held over a barrel. He at once shot Kang Jingming a look, signaling him to step forward and settle the matter—after all, this was a mess Kang Jingming had brought upon himself; what reason was there for Xu Lingchong, the ringleader, to wipe his backside for him in person?
Kang Jingming had no choice but to brace himself and say, "So long as the terms are right, nothing is impossible. Surely you understand as well as I do, Wei Zhao, that no other newcomer of the Soaring Heaven Pavilion could offer you better terms than I can. Better to let yourself profit than to let those others profit—is that not so?"
"Oh? And what terms has Grand Steward Kang prepared for me? By all means, let's hear them." Wei Zhao sounded rather intrigued.
Kang Jingming choked yet again. With the leverage in Wei Zhao's hands, he knew he was sure to be squeezed dry today—there was no escaping it. He could only say, "Men die for wealth, birds die for food. You want spirit jade, nothing more. I'll give you five pieces of spirit jade. How's that?"
Wei Zhao couldn't help but laugh. "Five pieces of spirit jade? A grand Peak No. 1 cave dwelling, worth only five pieces of spirit jade in the eyes of Grand Steward Kang? Forgive me for asking—are you tossing alms to a beggar?"