Chapter 5108 — The Disappearance of Ergoudan
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Wrong. This wall-sneaking talent of mine wasn't learned on Yunjie Island—I learned it from you, old man." Wei Zhao promptly hurled the shoe back and pushed the door open.
"Xiaoyi? You're back!" It was nearly noon, and Aunt Qing happened to be busy in the kitchen. The moment she saw Wei Zhao, her face lit up with delight and she hurried out to greet him.
"Aunt Qing, wearing yourself out looking after a crotchety old codger like this—you really have my sympathies." Wei Zhao grinned broadly.
"Who's a crotchety old codger?" Old Man Wei glared, thoroughly indignant. "You'd better make yourself clear, boy—when exactly did I ever teach you to sneak along walls?"
"Well now… Widow Wang…" Wei Zhao trailed off on purpose.
Sure enough, Aunt Qing was still cheerfully pouring Wei Zhao tea, but the moment those words landed, the temperature around them plummeted. Old Man Wei leapt to his feet in a fury. "Don't you go slandering an honest man, boy! When have I ever skulked around Widow Wang's wall?"
Wei Zhao looked baffled instead. "What's the rush? I never said you skulked around Widow Wang's wall. Isn't that a confession without any torture? I only meant to say I just heard a few things from Widow Wang…"
"You rotten brat, you're just vicious!" Old Man Wei rolled his eyes in defeat, while Aunt Qing burst into stifled laughter behind her hand. She invited Wei Zhao to sit and have his tea, then went back to bustling about the kitchen.
"This tea is rather good—where did you get it?" Wei Zhao said in surprise after a sip. He had drunk his share of fine spirit tea on Yunjie Island, the sort of top-grade stuff money couldn't buy, yet this tea looked utterly ordinary at first glance—and once it touched the tongue, the aftertaste lingered endlessly.
"Has your brain gone soft? It's just wild tea picked anywhere in the hills. You used to refuse it even if you were beaten for it." Old Man Wei curled his lip.
"Is that so? Then why does it taste so profound this time?" Wei Zhao asked, puzzled.
"That's called the way of tea—don't you know it? Drinking tea isn't only about the quality of the leaves. What matters more is who brews it. The fact that you can taste a few layers of depth means you've improved somewhat. Not bad." Old Man Wei nodded in satisfaction.
Wei Zhao chuckled, then asked, "Aren't you even going to ask about the Ancient Alliance?"
"What's there to ask? You turn up here grinning like an idiot, so that means the Ancient Alliance business is settled. Otherwise, when would a brat like you have the time to run home?" Old Man Wei wore an expression that plainly said, this boy has something wrong with his head.
"…" Wei Zhao could only smile bitterly. The old man's reasoning was sound, but that expression was truly beyond words.
"You've heard about what's been happening in the village, I take it?" Old Man Wei asked.
"Mm. Widow Wang just told me. It does sound a bit strange." Wei Zhao nodded. Until the truth was truly uncovered, nothing could be certain—but one thing was sure: it was definitely not the ghosts and monsters Widow Wang spoke of. There had to be some other trick to it.
"Good. Since you happen to be back, this matter is yours to handle." Old Man Wei promptly shoved it onto him.
"I come back and you put me to work right away—is that really appropriate?" Wei Zhao said, speechless.
"If I don't put you to work, who else would I put?" Old Man Wei rolled his eyes, his face radiating the confidence of self-evident truth. "Besides, Ergoudan has already gone to investigate. Are you really at ease leaving him to it alone?"
"Er…" Wei Zhao was instantly at a loss. So this was what Ergoudan had gone off to do. His strength was more than sufficient, but the problem was his head wasn't much good. Send him to pick a fight, fine—but investigating a supernatural affair steeped in eeriness at every turn was forcing a donkey to fly. Wei Zhao could only smile bitterly. "And you're at ease letting him go?"