Chapter 4376 — A Brand-New Beginning
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
"That..." Qin Deli was instantly choked off. Of course he wanted to say exactly that, but one furtive glance at the Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea's expression and he could only force it back down. To question Ling Yi, an outsider, was nothing—but to question Huang Xiaotao along with him would be courting certain death.
The two magnates, Ling Yuanqing and Wei Hebei, both turned to look at the Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea. Having heard the matter this far, there was no longer any point in arguing further; it remained only for the Holy Nun to render her own judgment.
"This old woman trusts that her disciple would not lie," the Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea said mildly. To trust Huang Xiaotao was, naturally, to trust Ling Yi as well.
No one was surprised at this. She had always been one to shield her own; between Qin Deli, an outsider, and her own personal disciple, whom she would choose was plain at a glance—there was no suspense about it whatsoever.
"Thank you, Master," said Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao, one on either side, as they happily clung to the Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea.
Qin Deli, meanwhile, looked ashen, so dejected he nearly coughed up blood again, and refused to give up: "But..."
"Have you something more?" The Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea gave him no chance to speak at all, cutting him off outright. "Why must you be so full of trouble? Are you some kind of busybody? Every single time it is you who comes to lodge complaints, and now you would even slander my disciple as a liar. Do you no longer wish to hold this post of procurement officer? Or is it that you no longer wish to remain at the academy?"
"No, no, no... your disciple has nothing more... your disciple takes his leave..." Qin Deli scrambled away in terror, tumbling and crawling, and fled the room as though for his very life.
The Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea, as a magnate of the Mountain-Opening stage, was absolutely a woman whose word was law. Truly provoke her wrath, and not only would his rice bowl be smashed—his little life would go with it.
"Serves him right!" Watching Qin Deli's bedraggled back, Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao exchanged a smile. The scheming wretch was no small talent at quibbling, but set against the bond between them and their master, the Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea, it was pure self-humiliation—he had only himself to blame!
Morning Star Academy convened its selection tournament on schedule, and the focus of the entire city of Weihu shifted accordingly to the venue of the trials. The chatter in the streets about the Hong Clan Merchant Guild dwindled imperceptibly. With less attention from the outside world, there was naturally far less turmoil as well.
The Hong Clan Merchant Guild, high and low, gradually returned to normal under Chai Laoshi's management. The people were no longer so fearful and unsettled; they began little by little to accept reality—the era of Wei Zhaotong was over, and the Weihu Branch was about to greet a brand-new beginning.
These past few days, Wei Zhao had not been idle, save for having Wei Zhaotong kept under strict watch. This was the crucial period for the investigation of Wei Zhaotong; apart from Chai Laoshi's ledger, just how much decisive evidence could still be found would depend on what was reaped in these days.
Thanks to Chai Laoshi's zealous efforts, the harvest of these past few days had been considerable indeed. Watching Wei Zhaotong's shameless dealings—which the man had fancied seamless—be unearthed one by one by Chai Laoshi, Wei Zhao rejoiced greatly and could not help but sigh in wonder as well.
Chai Laoshi was truly a talent—at least in the running of a merchant guild and in auditing and bookkeeping, the fellow was a genuine expert. By comparison, Wei Zhaotong's bookkeeping tricks, which were merely of the entry level, looked like a show-off wielding an axe before the master carpenter—far too childish.