Chapter 4364 — Reunion After Long Parting
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
All eyes promptly fell on Wei Zhaotong, and at that point, no matter how deep into his corner he shrank, he had no choice but to brace himself and step forward.
"I actually heard it from Cheng Qitian as well… but… he's already dead… I never imagined he was that sort of man either…" Wei Zhaotong defended himself with an awkward expression.
"So after all this back-and-forth, it all ends up pinned on a dead man?" Ling Yuanqing could not help growing somewhat vexed, and Qin Deli and Wei Zhaotong, hearing this, were instantly seized with terror—if this great figure flew into a rage like the East Sea Divine Nun, then the two of them truly would be going to keep Cheng Qitian company.
Yet Ling Yuanqing was, after all, the head of the Morning Star Academy, and unlike the East Sea Divine Nun, whose scales had been truly trampled, he was not one to kill at random, nor did he intend to dig any deeper into the matter—it was meaningless.
Wei Zhaotong was someone he knew; back when the man had served as vice steward in the Gao Lin sea region of the Eastern Continent, he had run to the Morning Star Academy often enough. Now that he had become the branch steward of the Wei Arc sea region, he was, whatever else one might say, a man of the Hong Merchant Guild, and Ling Yuanqing was not about to move rashly against a member of the Hong Merchant Guild over so trifling a matter.
"In that case, we may as well go back," Ling Yuanqing said at last, and beside him Wei Hebei let out a regretful sigh. He had come full of hope, only to return empty-handed; this so-called peerless prodigy who could slay foes across a whole great realm turned out, in the end, to be nothing but a farce—how was a man supposed to stomach that?
Yet regrets, however keen, changed nothing now that the truth was out in the open. The three of them were mighty figures of the Mountain-Opening stage; they could not linger long in this little Qingtian Escort Agency, or the uninformed outsiders would begin to imagine there was some dark secret understanding between the Morning Star Academy and the Qingtian Escort Agency.
The party rose at once to leave, but Wang Xinyan suddenly spoke up: "Master, Xiaotao here is this Young Master Ling Yi's junior sister, and she once worked alongside the others here at the Qingtian Escort Agency. To have her simply leave with us like this would be a bit heartless. Why not let me stay behind with Xiaotao, and invite them to a meal—a final farewell, if you will."
"Very well, then. When you come back tonight, mind you be careful on the road," the East Sea Divine Nun said with a nod of assent. She had always doted on these two disciples, and so reasonable a request was naturally not one to refuse.
"Rest assured, Senior. Our agency's people will escort the two of them back together," Wei Zhao said hurriedly.
"Yes, yes. Small as our Qingtian Escort Agency is, we still carry some weight in these parts of Wei Arc City. No one will be allowed to spoil the two young ladies' mood," Qi Wenmo pledged in turn.
"Mm, then I'll trouble you all," the East Sea Divine Nun said with a nod, and then she departed together with Ling Yuanqing and the others. Wei Zhao and the rest saw them out with every courtesy as far as the main gate before turning back inside.
"Brother Ling, I kept wondering why Escort Huang never came back—I was worried all along that something had happened to her, and I dared not ask for fear of upsetting you. Who would have thought she had been chosen by the Morning Star Academy and become a personal disciple of the East Sea Divine Nun, a titan of the Mountain-Opening stage! You're too unkind, Brother Ling—keeping a thing like this from me!" Qi Wenmo clapped Wei Zhao on the shoulder with feigned reproach.
"Ha ha. You never asked all this time, Brother Qi, so I never found a good way to bring it up. Otherwise people would think I was bragging, or even spinning tall tales!" Wei Zhao laughed.