Chapter 4618 — A Harmonious Banquet
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"All right, then I'll start from the beginning." Wei Zhao paused, then began: "On the very first day Xiaotao and I arrived in South Continent, we ran into a trouble neither too big nor too small—we clashed with a local thug of a young master in the Weihu Sea Region. Fortunately, Qi Wenmo, the young proprietor of the local Qingtian Escort Agency, helped us out of it. After that, the two of us joined the Qingtian Escort Agency and became escorts. And the very first escort mission we took came from the Weihu branch of the Hong Clan Merchant Guild here."
"The matter of Wei Zhaotong. It was this old man's failure to judge character—I never imagined it would nearly do you harm. I am truly sorry." Hearing this, Hong Zhong cut in with a face full of apology.
"Elder Hong, you speak too seriously. You introduced this Wei Zhaotong entirely out of concern for me; that he changed heart and turned rotten was his own affair, and it has nothing to do with you. I can at least tell good from bad in this matter—why should you blame yourself for it? Besides, he never truly caused me any trouble. As far as the outcome goes, he actually promoted and won over Chai Laoshi, which is a rare piece of good fortune for both you and me." Wei Zhao waved his hand dismissively with a laugh.
"Be that as it may, a mistake is a mistake. I must keep this matter firmly in mind, to remind myself to keep my eyes sharp in the days to come and never again be blinded by such a petty scoundrel." Hong Zhong sighed with some emotion. Wei Zhaotong had been his old friend for many years, and for such an affair to come of it—no matter who it happened to, their mood would not be good.
"What on earth are you two talking about? Who is Wei Zhaotong? How did he nearly harm you, Little Junior Brother?" Shangguan Lan'er and the others were utterly baffled.
"Heh heh, Wei Zhaotong is none other than the manager of the local Weihu branch. I had thought the fellow was a good man, never expecting him to harbor malicious intent and be utterly devoid of conscience. On one hand he had the Qingtian Escort Agency transport the goods; on the other he contacted pirates to intercept them midway. After swallowing his own goods back, he would then demand the Qingtian Escort Agency compensate him at full price. The manager of a branch of the illustrious Hong Clan Merchant Guild actually running a business with no capital at all—it truly leaves one speechless just thinking about it." Wei Zhao smiled bitterly.
"Rob his own goods and then make the escort agency pay compensation at full price? To think there's such a black-hearted, black-lunged scoundrel in this world—he deserves death!" Everyone was instantly filled with righteous indignation.
"And after that? Little Junior Brother, did you beat those scoundrels to a pulp?" Shangguan Lan'er said eagerly, her eyes shining. In her eyes, Wei Zhao had always been an omnipotent presence, and at a time like this he of course ought to have shown his prowess.
"No. Four pirates came at us, and each one was far stronger than the four of us escorts. On top of that, the lead escort on our side was the first to give up resistance, so we had no choice but to endure it in silence." Wei Zhao shook his head, then said: "After that, those pirates dumped us in Zhenduan City. Xiaotao and I could not return to the Weihu Sea Region for the time being, so we had to stay in Zhenduan City. In the meantime we made a trip to explore the Rufeng Forest on South Island, and we reaped quite a few unexpected gains." (July 13th: the live-action drama *The School Beauty's Bodyguard* premieres on iQiyi. For more news, follow Yuren 22.) (To be continued)