Chapter 5160 — Next Up...
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
"Forget it—since you seem like a decent sort to me, I'll say one more thing. Joining the Center means starting over. Under normal circumstances, your handler will always be your handler, because whenever a mission earns any credit at all, the handler eats the meat and you get the broth. But this secret mission is a rare opportunity. If you're content to let Jing Taiyang keep squatting on your neck and shitting on you forever, then pretend I never said a word." With that, Qin Yuanming turned and walked off without a moment's hesitation.
Those words struck right at Jing Yueming's weak spot. It was true he and Jing Taiyang were cousins, and true that he was a subordinate Jing Taiyang had developed, but every time he watched Jing Taiyang strutting around in front of him, he dreamed of climbing onto the other man's head in turn—he simply had never had the strength for it. Now, however, the opportunity had come.
"All right, I'll go with you." Jing Yueming made up his mind on the spot and hurried to catch up with Qin Yuanming. But before long he froze, because the people who appeared ahead were not Dr. Glasses and Brother Dafeng, but Wei Zhao and Lin Dongfang.
"Not bad—you haven't disappointed me. Keep it up." Wei Zhao smiled.
"Yes. So who's next?" This time Qin Yuanming was quite conscientious. He wanted more than to stay alive; he wanted to gamble on a future. Besides, so long as one was shrewd about such matters, there was hardly any risk—at least it was far easier than fighting and killing. A free merit was not to be refused.
"The Five Luminaries Sect of Antiquity—Canlong," Wei Zhao said offhandedly.
"Understood." At those words Qin Yuanming set off again at once, while Jing Yueming, who had come along with him, was left staring dumbstruck. What on earth was going on here?!
"You... you're from the Center too?" Jing Yueming looked at Qin Yuanming's departing back, then at Wei Zhao and Lin Dongfang, utterly bewildered.
"It's not fear of not knowing your goods, it's fear of comparing goods with goods. I used to think Qin Yuanming was nothing much, but now I actually think you've got a good eye, kid—at least you're not like this one here, dumb as a rock." Lin Dongfang looked at Jing Yueming with amusement.
"Dumb as a rock?" Jing Yueming still had not figured out the situation. He genuinely assumed that Wei Zhao and Lin Dongfang, like himself, had secretly thrown in their lot with the Center—especially since these two were fine hands such as the secular world could scarcely produce. Only their secret allegiance to the Center could explain it, along with the Center's improved pills. There was no second possibility.
"Enough chatter." Wei Zhao could not be bothered explaining things to this fool who helped count the money after being cheated. He stepped forward and drove a blast of Five Elements killing qi straight down through the top of Jing Yueming's head. Jing Yueming was still only a late-stage Foundation Establishment hand, with not a shred of power to resist; he collapsed with a wail on the spot and soon passed out from the pain. Compared with Qin Yuanming, this one really was far inferior.
Once the toxic qi hidden in his dantian was dealt with, Lin Dongfang personally planted the gu. The whole process went smoothly, and what followed was even simpler and clearer: Jing Yueming was not only useless, he was far more craven than Qin Yuanming. Before Wei Zhao had even finished speaking, he was already scrambling to his knees.
After Qin Yuanming came Jing Yueming; after Jing Yueming came Canlong. Wei Zhao used this method to break them down one by one, secretly subduing all three in succession. The progress was so smooth it was almost unexpected.
"So what do you plan to do next—keep hunting for people, or lie low for now?" Lin Dongfang asked.