Chapter 4067 — The Central Merchant Guild
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
The Central Merchant Guild was nothing like the other commercial houses, which grew bit by bit from small to great. It gave the impression of springing from nothing into being in a mere few days—like a spring wind arriving overnight, and a thousand trees blooming with pear blossoms—suddenly, all at once, it was spread across the five great islands of the Heavenly Steps.
Following the mysterious figure all the way into an elegant private room, Si Haitao saw him sit down facing him, and only then did he stiffen his scalp and say with some nervousness, "You sought me out...?"
Before the words had left his mouth, the mysterious figure said nothing but produced a Fifth-Grade Great Meridian-Opening Pill and placed it on the table before Si Haitao.
"This... this is for me?" Si Haitao could not help but swallow hard, his eyes shining as he stared at the Fifth-Grade Great Meridian-Opening Pill before him. This was the one life-saving pill that could let him turn things around now.
Yet Si Haitao was no fool after all. However much he craved it, he dared not rashly reach out for the Fifth-Grade Great Meridian-Opening Pill. He could only rub his hands awkwardly and say, "I... I have no spirit jade..."
"No spirit jade is needed. It is a gift," the mysterious figure said mildly.
Si Haitao was overjoyed, but he still forced down his greed and said, "This... this old man believes that I am now worth nothing at all. I do not know what you..."
"You have value. You simply have not discovered it yourself," the mysterious figure interrupted.
"Oh?" Si Haitao was startled, not quite understanding what the other meant.
"So long as you agree to serve me with all your heart from now on, then this Fifth-Grade Great Meridian-Opening Pill is yours," the mysterious figure stated his terms.
"Agreed!" Si Haitao did not hesitate for an instant, agreeing without a second thought. He had nothing left now; whatever this mysterious figure wanted him to do in the future, it would still be better than being a wreck waiting for death as he was now.
The mysterious figure nodded in satisfaction, then said, "I hear you come from an intelligence background. Good. I have an organization in hand, and I will put you in charge of it from now on."
"Oh? Me, in charge? What do I need to do?" Si Haitao's eyes lit up as he asked hastily.
The mysterious figure smiled faintly. "Very simple. Help me find people with growth potential, but whose hearts are crooked—people like yourself, for instance."
"Huh?" Si Haitao suddenly felt his brain was not quite up to the task. Finding people with growth potential was easy enough to understand, but crooked of heart? What kind of requirement was that?
"No need to ask why. So long as you agree, I will give you a brand-new future. Your status shall be no lower than that of a branch manager in your Hong Clan Merchant Guild, and as for power, it will be beyond anything you can imagine." The mysterious figure's tone was flat, yet in Si Haitao's ears it was an extraordinary temptation.
"Good, I agree!" Si Haitao nodded at once.
"Excellent. From today on, you are the manager of the North Island Central Merchant Guild. That, of course, is only your public identity. As for your hidden identity—you are the head of the Central North Island Intelligence Group!" the mysterious figure said mildly.
"Ha?" Even though Si Haitao had already conjectured countless possibilities in his mind, hearing the mysterious figure's words now, he was still so stunned that he could not recover his senses for a long while.