Chapter 3270 — Impossible to Conceal

Lute thought nothing of it. He warmly saw Wei Zhao to the door and had his secretary, Secretary Lu, escort Wei Zhao out of the group building.

This, of course, suited Wei Zhao perfectly. He was able to surreptitiously snap several photographs of Secretary Lu from various angles; once he returned, he planned to fashion a disguise from them.

After bidding Secretary Lu farewell, Wei Zhao left the Conch Group quickly, without lingering for even a moment. That whole business about being a procurement manager for the Bufon family hotel group was pure fabrication. Wei Zhao's master might know old Bufon, head of the Bufon family, but Wei Zhao had no desire whatsoever to trouble the old man, and certainly did not want to drag him into his own mess.

After all, Red Conch was no benevolent outfit. The Bufon family might be vast and powerful, but to make an enemy for no reason was unwise. It was entirely possible that the other side would quickly discover that the Bufon hotel group had no such person as Yi Ling at all.

Naturally, Wei Zhao was unconcerned about that. The identity of Yi Ling had made its final appearance at the Conch Group; he would return tomorrow, but certainly not as Yi Ling.

Wei Zhao casually hailed a taxi by the roadside and headed for the town's largest cosmetics market. He had come to buy the necessary supplies for a disguise. Tomorrow, his identity would be Secretary Lu!

Though it had been a long time since Wei Zhao had dealt with such things, this was, after all, his old trade, and he shopped with practiced ease. Once everything had been properly purchased, Wei Zhao went straight back to the bathhouse where he was staying.

Of course, before returning, he had carefully checked for a long while, making certain no one was tailing him, before finally entering the bathhouse.

Wei Zhao's guess had been correct. Secretary Fanny soon made contact with the Bufon family. The Bufon family might be wealthy and sprawling, but it took only a moment to confirm whether a hotel procurement manager named Yi Ling existed—after all, a procurement manager was, more or less, a mid-level executive.

The reply Secretary Fanny received was that the hotel group had no one by the name of Yi Ling at all—indeed, no such person existed anywhere in the entire Bufon Group's leadership!

Something was definitely wrong!

When Fanny reported this result to the general manager, he was not particularly surprised. He merely frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said to Fanny: "Fanny, go contact the Overseas Cultivator Association now. Tomorrow's transaction will take place in my office as general manager. Apart from President He Dantou, no one else is permitted to take part!"

"Ah? Will they agree to that?" Fanny was slightly taken aback.

"If they agree, we deal. If not, we forget it," the general manager said. "There's something strange about today's business. I see no need to invite trouble over a single deal!"

"Yes, boss." Fanny nodded and went off to carry out the order.

Perhaps the Overseas Cultivator Association was truly short on cash, for in order to close this drug deal, they actually agreed to the general manager's terms! After all, though the Association was wealthy and powerful, most of its holdings were stable real estate with largely fixed annual yields; to produce a lump sum of cash, it had to engage in other lines of business.

The Overseas Cultivator Association's reply set the general manager's mind somewhat at ease.

After going upstairs, Wei Zhao did not return directly to his own room. Instead, he went to Cheng Yiyi and Xu Shilan's room and knocked on the door.

Footsteps sounded from within, but no one spoke at once. Wei Zhao could sense a person standing behind the peephole. After a moment, the door opened, revealing Cheng Yiyi's face, bright with pleasant surprise.

"Wei Zhao, all done?" Cheng Yiyi stepped aside so that Wei Zhao could enter.

"You're quite cautious." Wei Zhao was well pleased with Cheng Yiyi's conduct.

"Of course. At the first sign of trouble, I'd take Xiaohan and run," Cheng Yiyi said.

"Mm. Where's Xiaohan?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Asleep. She actually waited up for you all night, but she couldn't hold out any longer and went to sleep," Cheng Yiyi said.

"You waited up all night too?" Wei Zhao glanced at Cheng Yiyi and asked.

"I... I'm a cultivator. It's no trouble," Cheng Yiyi said, a little embarrassed.

"Thank you for your trouble." Wei Zhao knew that if Xu Shilan had not slept the night before, then Cheng Yiyi must have stayed up with her without rest. And now that Xu Shilan was resting, Cheng Yiyi still had to remain vigilant, fearful that someone might come looking for trouble.

"It's nothing..." Cheng Yiyi shook her head. "In the past, I hurt Xiaohan far too much. Now I can only do my best to make it up to her..."

As she said this, Cheng Yiyi's expression suddenly changed!

"What is it?" Wei Zhao asked quickly.

"Earlier, Feng Tianhu called me. But I pretended not to hear—I didn't answer, didn't reply. I was afraid he'd ask about what happened here, and I wouldn't know how to answer..." What Cheng Yiyi meant, of course, was that Wei Zhao did not actually possess such formidable strength. Never mind killing an expert at the peak late-stage Heaven Rank grand perfection—even against an ordinary peak late-stage Heaven Rank expert, Wei Zhao was still no match, and would be sent fleeing in every direction.

Wei Zhao was slightly startled, and his brow furrowed! The news that he had been hunted by He Tianzu here would probably spread back soon enough. Wei Zhao did not believe that the Overseas Cultivator Association had no connection whatsoever to the other ancient sects; judging by how they knew about the automatic medicine cauldron, they must have had more or less some ties to the other ancient sects.

So once word of his being hunted got out, the near-mythical reputation he had been credited with would collapse of its own accord, and he would be toppled from his altar! But this was something Wei Zhao could not prevent. Tongues belonged to other people; Wei Zhao simply could not control them!

He was sure that once this news spread, his enemies would begin stirring again. When he returned, what awaited him... Ah, the very thought of it gave Wei Zhao a splitting headache!

"Tell him the truth," Wei Zhao said after pondering for a moment. Since it could no longer be concealed, it was better to let Cheng Yiyi speak honestly; otherwise, she would only be harming herself.

"Ah?" Cheng Yiyi was stunned. She had not expected Wei Zhao to tell her to speak the truth.

"There's no hiding this matter any longer." Wei Zhao waved a hand. "The Overseas Cultivator Association must have more or less some ties to the other ancient sects. And even if they don't, they won't be so kind as to keep my secret for me. They'll likely seize the chance to spread the news and let my enemies come seeking revenge, won't they?"