Chapter 4349 — The Old Man at the Frontier Loses His Horse

Wei Zhao turned and glanced at Wei Zhaotong's retreating back, then could not help frowning. This man was not merely black-hearted and vicious, having schemed to swallow up the life-saving supplies that meant survival for the several hundred souls of Fangjia Manor on Xianpeng Island; now that the truth had come to light, he showed not the slightest intention of bowing his head and admitting fault, and instead kept arguing with such shameless sophistry. To be so utterly devoid of honor as to reach this degree—truly a rarity in history.

A scoundrel of that stamp had sunk completely into the ranks of conscienceless black-hearted merchants, and was utterly unworthy of calling a man like Hong Zhong his friend. If Hong Zhong were here, he would surely have cut ties with the wretch on the spot.

Wei Zhao was minded to make an example of Wei Zhaotong, yet after turning it over carefully in his mind, he first withdrew together with Qi Wenhan.

He was too weak and isolated now; the time was not yet ripe. Wei Zhaotong was no easy quarry—beyond being a formidable hand at the Nascent Soul stage himself, he was also the representative voice of one faction within the Hong Chamber of Commerce. To deal with him, one would have to plan in stillness before acting, and wait for a perfect opportunity.

Seeing Qi Wenhan, Wei Zhao, and the others emerge, the escorts waiting outside immediately crowded around, all talking at once and asking what had happened.

As for the passersby who had gathered to watch the excitement, every one of them craned their necks with keen anticipation—the sort who love a spectacle and never mind how big the trouble grows, wishing for nothing more than a brawl between the Qingtian Escort Agency and the Hong Chamber of Commerce.

"We're leaving," Qi Wenhan said, his face blank, and without another word strode off. The escorts exchanged bewildered glances; but from the look of things, they had clearly come off the worse, and with the young master in a temper, no one dared ask more.

They had come breathing fire and fury, and in the end had gained not the slightest advantage, only to slink back in disgrace. Standing on the second floor, Wei Zhaotong watched the backs of the Qingtian Escort Agency crowd and gave a cold laugh, cursing with contempt, "Idiots."

Back at the Qingtian Escort Agency, the escorts waited with solemn faces for the young master's next orders—only to see Qi Wenhan wave his hand and say, "All of you, disperse."

Every face was written with disbelief. Qi Wenhan had not held the helm of the Qingtian Escort Agency long, but his men knew this young master's style well enough—he was absolutely not one to swallow a loss.

Two years earlier, Qi Wenhan had even personally led men into several clashes with the infamous Poison Eye Mercenary Corps, forcing Cheng Haonan into headlong retreat, after which the man never again deliberately obstructed the agency's business. So fierce a young master—faced with a matter like this, would he really swallow his grievances and keep silent?

But since Qi Wenhan had spoken, no one dared waste words; after exchanging a glance, they nodded and went their separate ways.

Wei Zhao had meant to find a place to stay first—after all, he had delivered the escort and hauled the pirate chief back; everything that was his to do had been done. What came next was Qi Wenhan's affair, not something for a nominal escort like him to fret over.

But Qi Wenhan suddenly called him back: "Brother Ling, wait. This business did not merely wrong you—you also performed a great service. As the man in charge of the agency, by both sentiment and reason, I must reward you properly. I will have a banquet laid on at once, to welcome you and wash the dust from your journey."

"Then... I shall obey rather than stand on courtesy." Wei Zhao nodded in assent; he had nothing pressing anyway. And judging by all that had gone before, Qi Wenhan was indeed a man worth befriending—closer ties would do no harm.

Qi Wenhan promptly led Wei Zhao to the banquet hall the Qingtian Escort Agency kept for receiving honored guests. In the past, those who dined here had been, at the very least, figures of note in the Weihu Sea region—a measure of the regard in which he held Wei Zhao.

"Uncle Song, go to my father and report today's events to him. He has no time to concern himself with such matters now, but at the very least he must be informed, so we are not caught off guard if something else happens later." On the way, Qi Wenhan gave this instruction to the old steward who had followed at his side throughout, then pointed at the trembling pirate chief: "Oh, and lock this thing in the dungeon. He is a vital witness—nothing must happen to him."

"Yes." The old steward called Uncle Song nodded, then seized the pirate chief with one hand and leaped away. His figure drifted and wavered; he seemed to take but a single step, yet had in truth covered a dozen or more zhang—plain proof of a master exceedingly skilled in movement arts, and more importantly, a genuine expert of the Nascent Soul stage.

Seeing Wei Zhao studying the steward's back with curiosity, Qi Wenhan smiled and explained, "Uncle Song has deep ties to our Qingtian Escort Agency. He was first an orphan taken in by my grandfather, and later became my father's sworn brother in life and death. That the Qingtian Escort Agency could gain a firm foothold in this chaotic Weihu Sea region is in great part his doing. Brother Ling, you may not know it, but my Uncle Song's strength ranks among the foremost in the whole Weihu Sea—not a single expert dares underestimate him."

"So that is how it is." Wei Zhao nodded. If even an old steward of the Qingtian Escort Agency possessed such strength, the agency's foundations were plainly no trifling matter—no wonder it could stand firm in the Weihu Sea. Then curiosity stirred again: "Then this Steward Song's strength must be second to none in our Qingtian Escort Agency?"

"Indeed. Though the agency has many fine hands, the only one who could truly match Uncle Song—and perhaps even surpass him by a head—is my father, I should think. But lately he has been busy preparing for the Southern Continent Escort Gathering and rarely comes back to the agency. Otherwise I would certainly introduce you to him, Brother Ling—he has always loved making the acquaintance of heroes from all corners, especially young talents like you." Qi Wenhan laughed.

"Brother Qi flatters me." Wei Zhao waved a hand with a smile. He too enjoyed befriending able men, and since Qi Wenhan's father was the Qingtian Escort Agency's greatest fighting strength, he was genuinely interested in meeting the man.

The two came to the banquet hall, where wine and dishes were already laid out. Qi Wenhan poured Wei Zhao a cup himself and raised his own in thanks: "Brother Ling, I thank you for this business. It opened my eyes to the true face of that old fox Wei Zhaotong. From now on, our agency will certainly never work with him again."

"Brother Qi, you make too much of it. In truth I bear some blame as well—it happened that the docks at Zhenduan City were under strict lockdown this time, and I could not return in time, which cost the agency dear." Wei Zhao raised his cup likewise.

"No, no—Brother Ling, you have done very well. If fault there is, the greatest fault lies with me: I misjudged a man and fell into that old fox's trap, and so brought such a loss upon us." Qi Wenhan shook his head again and again, then went on: "Still, though the agency lost three hundred thousand spirit jades this time, we did not come away entirely empty-handed. When the old man at the frontier lost his horse, who could say it was not a blessing?"

"Oh? How do you mean?" Wei Zhao asked, puzzled.

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