Chapter 3807 — The Blind Fool

She did not know Shangguan Lan'er at all, and there was no personal grudge between them whatsoever; the remark had been born purely of a moment's pique and jealousy.

Before Shangguan Lan'er appeared, she had been the only woman present, and a good-looking one at that, so she had been the moon around which all the stars revolved—even Young Master Xu, Xu Lingchong, whose backing ran deep, had favored her considerably.

But the moment Shangguan Lan'er showed up, everyone cast her aside like a worn-out shoe and paid her no further mind. The drop was simply too steep, and she could not help but voice a jab.

Hearing this, Shangguan Lan'er merely glanced at her with cool indifference, gave a little sniff, and without another word went straight into the private guest chamber nearby.

The little Curly Bear cub in her arms, however, spent a good while barking "woo-woo" at the woman from afar in open defiance. Do not forget—small as the creature was, still in its infancy, the Curly Bear was by nature a high-order spirit beast, sharp of wit from birth; it understood perfectly well what the woman had said.

Seeing Shangguan Lan'er walk into the guest chamber as though she could not be bothered with her, the woman froze, then flew into a shamefaced rage. But before she could open her mouth again, Xu Lingchong's face had already turned utterly black.

"Who brought this woman here?" Xu Lingchong did not so much as glance at her expression, sweeping his cold gaze over the crowd of young masters around him.

Apart from Shangguan Lan'er, his background was the deepest of anyone present, and now that he had spoken, the other young masters had no choice but to fall in line.

"Young Master Xu, it was I," one of them said, weakly raising his hand.

The woman was a relative of some low-ranking elder of Chongtian Pavilion. She had been raised in her hometown all this time, and because her cultivation was decent, she had recently been brought to the Pavilion—only to have this happen on her very first outing. She did not know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth; when a person insists on digging her own grave, no one can stop her.

"Take her back. Tell her family what happened today. Let them decide what to do with her. And as for the rest of you—anyone who dares show her a kind face from now on, you will answer for the consequences yourselves," Xu Lingchong said coldly.

To be honest, the woman was quite a beauty, and at first sight Young Master Xu had been rather taken with her. But set beside Miss Shangguan, she was not worth a fart. Xu Lingchong trampled on her without the slightest hesitation.

As his words fell, Xu Lingchong turned and followed into the guest chamber, leaving outside a crowd of young masters glancing at one another, and a woman whose face had gone deathly pale as she realized disaster was about to descend upon her.

"Little junior sister Lan'er, that blind fool of a woman outside—your senior brother has already taught her a lesson for you. Here, have some of this spirit tea, just imported from the Middle Island, to calm your temper," Xu Lingchong said, all fawning smiles as he plied her with attentions.

This spirit tea was the work of a tea master from the Middle Island. A single sip could clear the mind and settle the spirit, and it was of great benefit to cultivation besides, refining the true qi within the body to greater purity. Every ounce sold for at least a hundred spirit jade.

Shangguan Lan'er took it, but before she could so much as wet her lips, the little Curly Bear cub snatched it away, downing it in one gulp as though it were plain water—and then, for good measure, held the cup up toward Xu Lingchong, signaling for a refill.

Xu Lingchong's eyelid twitched violently. But for Shangguan Lan'er's sake, he could only grit his teeth and pour the cub another full cup, his heart bleeding all the while. What did they call squandering heaven's gifts? This, right here, was the genuine article!

Watching Xu Lingchong's obvious anguish as he forced himself to put on an air of generosity, Shangguan Lan'er could not help but smile to herself. This fellow really did love to put on a show—hypocritical to the core. Compared with him, her own little junior brother Wei Zhao was far more straightforward.

After listening to Xu Lingchong ramble for a few idle moments, Shangguan Lan'er finally spoke, deliberately steering the conversation: "That Wei Zhao from the Welcome Pavilion—how is he getting on these days? Didn't you say you were going to find someone to deal with him and vent my anger for me?"

Could it be that little junior sister Lan'er had come all this way specifically to demand an accounting?

He was only too happy to see Shangguan Lan'er and Wei Zhao at daggers drawn, but if Wei Zhao's comeuppance never came, and it soured her opinion of him as a senior brother, that would be a losing bargain indeed!

Startled, Xu Lingchong hurriedly thumped his chest and pledged: "Rest easy, little junior sister Lan'er. I have already set people to watch the brat day and night. Plan first, act after—once we have probed just how much strength he really has, finding an opening to finish him off will be as easy as turning my palm."

As he said this, Xu Lingchong felt rather ashamed of himself. Here he was, a grand young master of Chongtian Pavilion, and to deal with Wei Zhao—a mere newcomer from the mortal world—he had to go to such lengths. If word of this ever got out, he would not have the face to meet anyone.

"Oh." Shangguan Lan'er nodded noncommittally. She had not come to egg Xu Lingchong on against Wei Zhao in the first place; she had brought him up only as Wei Zhao's letter instructed—to open the conversation and steer it toward Yu Jiang and Nan Tianyong.

After a brief pause, Shangguan Lan'er said: "Lately I have heard people around me say that someone in Chongtian Pavilion has been scouring the world over for news of the Welcome Pavilion's new disciple. Has Senior Brother Xu heard anything of it?"

"Is little junior sister Lan'er speaking of that master-and-disciple pair, Nan Tianyong and Yu Jiang?" As the young master of Chongtian Pavilion, Xu Lingchong had ears in every corner; no stir within the Pavilion could possibly escape him, and he was naturally well versed in such matters.

"I think those were the names. I only heard them mentioned in passing, but I couldn't help thinking that the strong newcomer they are looking for from the Welcome Pavilion might well have some connection to Wei Zhao. People often say the enemy of my enemy is my friend. If it is inconvenient for Senior Brother Xu to move against Wei Zhao directly, why not get in touch with those two? You might reap an unexpected harvest," Shangguan Lan'er suggested, feigning carelessness.

Xu Lingchong was taken aback, then his eyes lit up: "Of course! Little junior sister Lan'er, you are truly sharp as ice and bright as snow. Had you not pointed it out, your senior brother would never have thought of it!"

This was no lie. Without Shangguan Lan'er's prompting, Xu Lingchong would have let such rumors go in one ear and out the other, and would never have connected them to Wei Zhao for a good while yet—let alone thought of joining forces with the likes of Yu Jiang.

Yu Jiang was an inner disciple of Chongtian Pavilion as well, but with his ordinary background he and Xu Lingchong were not remotely on the same level. He could never catch Young Master Xu's eye; associating with him would only be beneath his dignity and a loss of face.

In truth, it was not only Yu Jiang—even his master, Nan Tianyong, for all his title of supervisory steward of Chongtian Pavilion, was not necessarily one Xu Lingchong would truly take seriously.

(.)RU