Chapter 4397 — First, Return to the North Isle
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Senior Brother Lu, I am glad to hear you say that." Wei Zhao breathed a visible sigh of relief at his words, and could not help but regard Lu Bianren a little more highly. He had feared the man's pride would not allow it, yet Lu Bianren had agreed so readily. Nodding in approval, Wei Zhao said, "Since our strength falls short of what the task requires, we should bide our time for now, and wait for a better opportunity in the days to come."
"Mm, you are quite right, Junior Brother. I shall take my leave and return to the North Isle at once," Lu Bianren said, decisive now. He knew that every moment he lingered in Demon Cold City was another moment of risk and hidden peril. Having resolved to go, he would not hesitate—better to leave early, before the Central Chamber of Commerce could fully respond.
"Wait, Senior Brother Lu." Wei Zhao hurriedly called him back. "The Central Chamber of Commerce is stronger than you or I can imagine. Once they react, their people will be everywhere. If you simply walk out like this, you will be far too obvious a target. You likely will not even get past the docks—you would be walking straight back into the tiger's jaws."
Wei Zhao had been wearing the Thousand-Silk Mask all along. Now that he had removed it, he was a completely different person; he could walk out and nothing would happen to him.
But Lu Bianren was different. He had been locked in the dungeon for so long, and had only just escaped. The people of the Central Chamber of Commerce were sure to remember him. Once the docks were sealed, if Lu Bianren went out like that, he would be delivering himself straight into their hands—as certain as nails driven into a board.
"This..." Lu Bianren hesitated as well. It was not that he did not wish to drag Wei Zhao down with him, but neither had he reached the point of being so fearless as to go courting death—otherwise, why would Wei Zhao have gone to such lengths to rescue him?
Yet staying here carried no small risk either. To outsiders, the Central Chamber of Commerce was merely a newly risen merchant guild of considerable size, but Lu Bianren and others who had glimpsed its dark secrets understood its power far more deeply than most.
If the people of the Central Chamber of Commerce truly set their minds to hunting him down, and once they mustered their full forces, Lu Bianren would sooner or later be discovered if he kept hiding here. There was not the slightest room for luck in this.
To leave now, and he might well be blocked at the docks; to stay now, and they might yet come knocking at his door. For a time, Lu Bianren found himself caught between a rock and a hard place.
Just as he stood there in his quandary, hurried knocking suddenly sounded at the door. Wei Zhao and Lu Bianren were both startled, and the first thought to leap to mind was: had the Central Chamber of Commerce tracked them down this quickly?
"Who is it?" Wei Zhao shot Lu Bianren a look, motioning him to hide deeper in the room, while he himself, betraying nothing, asked in a low, steady voice.
"Brother Ling, it is me." Qi Wenmo's voice came from outside the door. Only then did Wei Zhao breathe easy. He went over, opened the door, and let Qi Wenmo in.
"Ah, Brother Ling, I finally found you! Why did you leave on your own? I thought you had suddenly vanished—you had me worried sick for nothing!" Qi Wenmo said, arriving in a rush, both delighted and reproachful.
Earlier, on the second floor of the Central Chamber of Commerce, he had only just asked a clerk a few questions when he turned around and Wei Zhao was gone. His first thought had been that Wei Zhao had gone up to the third floor. He tried to follow, but the clerk stopped him, saying the third floor was a private area, not open to anyone outside the Central Chamber of Commerce.