Chapter 4994 — Making Trouble Out of Nothing
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
But now he knew better. The Central Island weighed less and less in Wei Zhao's estimation, while the Northern Island, which he had always dismissed as unremarkable, now seemed to him to possess hidden depths. At the very least, the Northern Island had Shangguan Tianxia—a name that could strike fear into a whole crowd even in the Eastern Continent, where experts were as numerous as clouds.
"This..." Wei Shenjin still had not caught up.
"You're not like us. None of the three of us are natives of the Central Island—we can leave at any time without a care, and at worst become wanderers for the rest of our days. But you can't. All your kin and fellow disciples are on the Central Island. You can't run from it, so you absolutely must not wade into these muddy waters with us. If we can weather this storm safely, it won't be too late for you to come back and help me then." Wei Zhao spoke earnestly.
Wei Zhao had never had a habit of dragging his own people down with him. Wei Shenjin was his subordinate, and over the past two years, if he had not earned merit, he had at least endured hardship—there was no way Wei Zhao would let him be implicated.
"Boss, what kind of man do you take me for?" Wei Shenjin finally understood. His face flushed crimson, and he said in shame and indignation, "In your eyes, Boss, am I really the sort of coward who clings to life and fears death?!"
"That's not cowardice. Pointless sacrifice is something the wise do not commit. There's no need for you to do such a meaningless, foolish thing over so-called loyalty." Wei Zhao shook his head and sighed. "Rest assured, I'm not testing you. I genuinely hope you'll lie low for a while. Even if you won't consider yourself, consider your kin and friends."
"Boss, I understand what you mean, but I actually don't have any kin or friends on the Central Island, so you're worrying over nothing. No matter what you say, I'm not leaving—not even if you beat me to death." Wei Shenjin's expression was unprecedentedly grave and resolute.
Wei Zhao was at a loss for words. He could only exchange a helpless glance with Tianchan and Xueli. He truly did not want to drag Wei Shenjin down with him, but now that Wei Shenjin had said his piece, what else could he do?
By evening, Wu Che indeed returned in force. Thanks to the lessons of the previous few encounters, the patrons packed into the Heavenly Pill Pavilion consciously retreated the moment they saw him enter, crowding outside the door to jostle for good spots and enjoy the show.
"Half a day. You're punctual." Wei Zhao glanced at him and held out his hand. "Where's my seventh-grade Great Restoration Pill?"
"Hmph, you ignorant whelp. Do you really think our Island Lord's Pavilion is easy prey?" Wu Che's swollen face was forced into an expression of contempt all the same.
"So you haven't learned your lesson, then?" Wei Zhao's eyes narrowed.
"Whether I've learned my lesson doesn't matter. What matters is that you're about to learn yours!" Without waiting for Wei Zhao to make a move, Wu Che turned and addressed the person behind him with utmost deference. "Island Lord, this is the Wei Zhao who has disrupted order on the Central Island, running rampant on the strength of his cultivation. Not only does he smuggle and sell Eastern Continent pills—even more unforgivably, he has openly struck your subordinates while they were carrying out official duties, showing utter contempt for the dignity of our Central Island. I beg the Island Lord to render judgment!"
So it had indeed come to the Central Island Lord stepping in! Wei Zhao and Tianchan exchanged a silent glance. When they saw a dignified middle-aged man step out from behind Wu Che, everyone's heart skipped a beat. He was worthy of being the Central Island Lord—just standing there, the man gave off a sense of lofty, unattainable majesty that inspired awe.