Chapter 5173 — The Ancient Trials
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
Ota Zhou, far from finding any of this troublesome, was positively delighted to oblige. Had Wei Zhao truly met with misfortune in the secular world, he might well have let the tea go cold once the guest had left; but since Wei Zhao was safe and sound, he remained a promising prospect worth courting and cultivating. A trifle like this was nothing at all—a single word from him could sell a favor, and he would have been only too glad to have the chance.
It had to be said that Ota Zhou's face still carried real weight. The Center had already made an exception last time in agreeing to send the letter; now, at a casual word from him, Luan Xiaofu unhesitatingly gave it the green light. Still, when she saw the thick stack of letter paper, she could not help but blink in surprise, and on opening it she found nothing but a bewildering assortment of introductory cultivation methods.
"What does he want with so much junk?" Luan Xiaofu muttered to herself. These introductory methods from the various sects and schools were utterly worthless in her eyes; even on Cloud Terrace Island they were common goods, hardly worth a second thought. She had them sent down to the secular world on the spot.
Once the things reached the secular world, Lan Xiaoru and Dr. Glasses in turn made the same puzzled remark. But without the express permission of the original Luan Xiaofu, they dared not open Wei Zhao's belongings on their own. Still, anyone laying eyes on that thick stack was bound to be curious—a person who did not know better might have taken it for a bundle of old newspapers being recycled...
Be that as it may, this compendium of cultivation methods from the sects of Cloud Terrace Island was in the end safely delivered into Wei Zhao's hands. After a rough pass through it, he was overjoyed. These things were common goods on Cloud Terrace Island, but in his hands—especially at this juncture, with the Ancient Alliance bursting onto the scene out of nowhere—they were worth cities.
Especially now: this compendium of methods possessed not only long-term value, but the immediate, firefighting utility of something that could answer an urgent need.
Wei Zhao at once gathered Qiu Lingshan and the others together, and asked Aunt Qing to cook her signature dishes, and the whole crowd sat around a table, chatting and laughing. The atmosphere was thoroughly congenial, and Ying Ziyu piped up first: "Brother Wei Zhao, let's just set a rule—from now on, we'll have a gathering every three days. Look, we just had the bonfire party a couple of days ago, and today we get to eat Aunt Qing's specialty dishes again. Isn't that wonderful!"
"Yes, yes, that's exactly how it should be!" the others chimed in, laughing.
"Fine by me, as long as you're all happy. Besides, everyone really has been working hard lately—a little relaxation is only proper," Wei Zhao agreed at once.
Though it had been several months since he and the others were reunited, proper, carefree gatherings like this had been few and far between. At first there had been the Ancient Alliance disciples running amok everywhere to deal with, then the interview with Xin Yi'an, and after that the move to this transfer archipelago. Settled they might be, but alas, everyone was either busy building seaside villas or rushing headlong into cultivation without pause.
Not only the deeply conscientious sorts like Qiu Lingshan and Wu Chengtian, but even Ying Ziyu and the others, who had the least inclination toward cultivation, had all shown remarkable self-discipline since arriving here. After all, they were surrounded by Ancient Alliance disciples, and for them this was not merely pressure but a sense of urgency—that time waited for no one. The rest they could let slide, but above all they feared holding Wei Zhao back.