Chapter 4007 — The Manual Reappears
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
The chamber was sealed on every side—walls, ceiling, floor—in airtight bronze, with no way out whatsoever. Even with Xu Lingchong's exceptional eyes, he could find no crack. He could even sense familiar protective formations worked into the walls, their defensive grade so high it was jaw-dropping.
And yet the masked man had vanished into thin air in just such a place, right before his eyes, under his very nose. Such cultivation, such power—even by Xu Lingchong's standards it was staggering, beyond all belief.
Drawing a deep breath, Xu Lingchong sat down cross-legged and began to study the Chrysanthemum Manual. Whether he willed it or not, matters had come to this pass; unless he did as the masked man said and cultivated the manual to a measure of mastery, he feared he would never see the light of day again.
This strange turn in Xu Lingchong's fortunes was, to the unsuspecting Wei Zhao, as good as a great favor done him by proxy.
After all, Xu Lingchong had just suffered a shattering blow; this was precisely the moment he was most likely to go to extremes, and most dangerous to Wei Zhao—and yet all at once this masked man of unknown origin had locked him away to cultivate the Chrysanthemum Manual.
Never mind what the future might hold; for the short term at least, Xu Lingchong could pose no threat to Wei Zhao, who was free to devote himself to cultivation for a while. Nor did Wei Zhao make any effort to inquire where Xu Lingchong had gone. With no news forthcoming, he was content to enjoy the peace.
Time slipped by, and in the blink of an eye the day of the auction arrived. As agreed beforehand, Wei Zhao came early and alone to the Hong Merchant Guild to meet Hong Zhong.
This time, however, he appeared in his true form. Hong Zhong already knew his identity, and their association had been seen by everyone at the birthday banquet; rather than keep hiding behind the guise of Lin Er, it was better to be open about it and appear openly as his true self.
This was in fact a kind of psychological gambit. After all, to this day Nan Tianxiong and his lot, however much they might suspect him, still lacked sufficient evidence to confirm that he and Lin Er were one and the same. Faced with Wei Zhao in his true form, that sliver of uncertainty might well become an opportunity—whereas if he appeared as Lin Er, they could strike at him directly, with no doubt at all.
After greeting Hong Zhong and exchanging a few pleasantries, Wei Zhao at once drew a pouch from his robes and handed it to him. "Steward Hong, these are some pills I refined not long ago. Shall I bundle them and sell them to your Hong Merchant Guild?"
Hong Zhong's eyes lit up. He took the cloth bundle and opened it, and there lay a full thirteen pills, every one a Foundation Establishment Barrier-Breaking Pill. What startled him more was that each pill shimmered with layer upon layer of elixir halos—all of them rare, top-grade goods.
"Thirteen top-grade Foundation Establishment golden pills at one go—Young Hero Lin, this is truly a grand gesture!" Even Hong Zhong, an old steward who had seen his share of the world, could not help exclaiming again and again.