Chapter 4538 — Long Time No See
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
An affair of this magnitude, one that could shake the balance of the entire Cloud Terrace Island at a moment's notice, was something only the great figures of the prestigious sects could handle once it had blown up into a full storm. With Wei Zhao's current strength, which was barely enough to keep himself alive, he naturally could not afford to wade into such troubled waters; the only wise course was to hurry back to the North Island before the storm broke.
Although all was peaceful in the Weihu Sea region for the moment, Wei Zhao did not dare act rashly. The trials of the past month had sharpened his vigilance considerably; unless he could be certain beyond any doubt, he would not show himself openly before a crowd.
Even though Weihu City was nowhere near as fraught with peril as the South Island, Wei Zhao still remembered clearly that back at the South Continent Escort Alliance Conference, the Old Sect of the Western Hills had declared outright that they would come to station themselves at the Dragon Boat Escort Agency. Until he knew exactly what the Old Sect of the Western Hills was up to, appearing in the open would be nothing short of inviting trouble.
Thanks to his earlier legendary exploits, Wei Zhao was a celebrity known to every soul in Weihu City; he could probably plant himself in any forgotten corner and still draw a crowd. Fortunately, he now wore the Thousand-Silk Mask, and in the eyes of ordinary folk he was nothing but a coarse-featured warrior passerby, naturally attracting no attention.
Once inside the familiar streets of Weihu City, Wei Zhao did nothing at all for a whole day. He simply found a tavern, ate a little something while resting and easing his fatigue, and pricked up his ears to listen to the chatter of the other patrons around him.
This, too, was a kind of martial-world experience: if you wanted to know what had recently happened in a place, the best method was to sit in a local tavern for a day. Basically, any faint stir of rumor would come to you loud and clear.
Sure enough, the three topics most discussed by the patrons around him were almost all directly or indirectly connected to Wei Zhao: first, his own legendary deeds; second, the Skysupport Escort Agency, the newly risen overlord of the South Continent Escort world; and third, the Old Sect of the Western Hills, the giant of the evil cultivators now stationed at the Dragon Boat Escort Agency.
The first two were merely entertaining gossip, but the last was of great value to Wei Zhao. Thank goodness he had not shown his true face; otherwise, once word of his return got out, the Old Sect of the Western Hills, given its previous fight-to-the-death attitude, would have come killing at the first moment, and that would have been a serious mess.
He waited in the tavern until nightfall. Only then did Wei Zhao set out, using the cover of darkness to make his way to the Skysupport Escort Agency. He had meant to enter through the front gate, but after noticing several hawkers across the street who kept darting glances his way, he abandoned the idea on the spot and instead climbed over the back wall into the rear courtyard.
This was no ordinary mortal night market. After dark, there were basically no vendors left out on the streets; after all, this place was chaotic enough by day, and at night it was worse still. Those without nerve did not even dare linger on the street, let alone set up a stall.
The only vendors still holding their posts at such an hour were of two kinds: those genuinely desperate for spirit jade, and those with ulterior motives. Judging by the few across from the Skysupport Escort Agency, whose clothes were not shabby and whose manner betrayed not the slightest hint of destitution, they were clearly not the sort desperate for spirit jade. So they must be the latter.