Chapter 3941 — The Scrap King Is Looking for You

After the newcomer assessment had concluded that day, Meng Jueming scoured every corner for rare healing remedies, hoping to nurse Meng Zhou back to health. None of them worked; some even backfired, nearly killing Meng Zhou on the spot.

Yet just when Meng Jueming was at his wit's end, reduced to watching helplessly as Meng Zhou slipped toward death, Meng Zhou endured days of agony worse than death itself—and then, by sheer force of his will to live, clawed his way back from the brink.

By now Meng Zhou's injuries had gradually stabilized. He could not recover in a short span of time, but recovery was only a matter of time.

"The man's a damned cockroach—you just can't kill him!" After reading the intelligence report, Wei Zhao could not help but frown darkly.

He had a faint, ominous premonition that after this ordeal, Meng Zhou—a minor figure who should never have amounted to anything—seemed to be growing into a serious threat.

It was like opening Pandora's box. The Midnight-Noon Heart-Shattering Pill seemed to have created another Meng Zhou, a far more troublesome Meng Zhou. Given time, the man might well grow into a figure of real consequence—and then things would get difficult.

But matters had come to this, and for the moment Wei Zhao had no good way to strangle the threat in its cradle. Having the strength yet no chance to strike made Wei Zhao taste, for once, the helplessness that had once plagued Meng Jueming and his lot. Surely he could not order Li Zhengming to quietly assassinate Meng Zhou!

Never mind whether Li Zhengming would agree—even if he were willing, pulling it off under Meng Jueming's very nose would be nearly impossible. One slip, one telltale sign, and he was finished.

Apart from this report, after several more days of bitter cultivation, once his realm had stabilized sufficiently, Wei Zhao finally decided to make a trip to the market district.

During the month he had spent in the back mountains, he had gathered no small number of rare natural treasures, and along the way he had also slain several high-grade spirit beasts that had set their sights on him.

Spirit beast carcasses were not like rare herbs and other natural treasures—many of their parts required processing by skilled hands before they were of any use. Keeping them on his person was pointless, so he might as well trade them away at the market.

Wei Zhao now needed to begin preparing for his next breakthrough. Yet after circling the outer reaches of the back mountains for a full month, he had failed to find another Heart-Devouring Linglong Grass.

The result left him deeply dejected, and it also made him realize something: relying solely on his own searches each time for so rare a spirit herb as the Heart-Devouring Linglong Grass was plainly unrealistic. A single man's strength had its limits—what hope was there of finding the grass in the vast back mountains all by himself, time after time?

So this time he meant to pay another visit to the Hong Clan Merchant Guild. If Hong Zhong would agree to put out feelers and buy on his behalf, then with the connections and influence of a guild magnate, Wei Zhao could not claim a hundred percent certainty—but it would be far better than searching alone.

Beyond that, over the past two months, for reasons unknown, the pursuit of Lin Er by Nantian Pass and Yu Jiang had clearly died down. So in theory, this trip to the market carried little risk.

His mind made up, the long-dormant Lin Er returned to the world. He soon appeared on the outer street of the market district, his purpose plain—he went straight to Chen Heihu, the man who dealt in spirit beasts.

Though he had dealt with Chen Heihu only once, Wei Zhao's impression of him was rather favorable.

Not that Chen Heihu was a good man—in truth, no one who thrived in a place as rife with every sort of fish and dragon as the market district could be truly good. But Chen Heihu knew how to conduct himself; he was the shrewd sort who genuinely understood when to advance and when to yield, and he was generous besides. Dealing with a man like that suited Wei Zhao's tastes far better.

"Well now, Brother Lin! It's been ages!" Though they had met only once, Chen Heihu recognized Wei Zhao at a glance and greeted him warmly with a broad smile.

Wei Zhao paused a beat, then smiled and replied, "Brother Chen Heihu, I trust you've been well."

Chen Heihu glanced at the sack Wei Zhao was dragging behind him and nodded knowingly. "So Brother Lin means to give my business some custom again. Every time I see you, good fortune follows—a rare and welcome guest indeed, a guest of honor!"

Wei Zhao wasted no words. "This sack holds the carcasses of several spirit beasts. Have a look, Brother Chen, and give me an estimate."

"Right away, Brother Lin, rest easy. You know how I do business—the price will satisfy you, guaranteed!" Chen Heihu promptly called over his servants and set them busy.

He himself, however, drew Wei Zhao aside and said in a low voice, "Brother Lin, there've been people asking after you in the market for some time now, and they seem to be no small players. You'd best keep your eyes open."

Wei Zhao nodded. "Many thanks for the warning. I'm truly grateful."

"Bah, what's all this thanks between friends? If even a friendly warning earns gratitude, that's far too formal." Chen Heihu laughed heartily, then went on, "These days those people come around less often, though they still show up to look things over now and then. As long as you stay a little alert, Brother Lin, I doubt there'll be any trouble."

"Mm, I have that well in mind. I'm obliged to you for the trouble, Brother Chen," Wei Zhao answered.

He had long known of this himself, but he still had to acknowledge the favor. Otherwise, with a more opportunistic sort, far from warning him, the man would likely have slipped off by now to inform Nantian Pass and Yu Jiang. After all, there was surely a handsome reward for providing intelligence—and who in these times turns up his nose at spirit jade?

Chen Heihu waved a dismissive hand, then added, "Oh, right—one more thing. That fellow the Scrap King seems to be looking for you as well. I'm only mentioning it to you, Brother Lin—in truth, a fellow who talks big and never delivers is best ignored."

Wei Zhao felt a twinge of shame at that. He had promised to go to the Azure Cloud Pavilion to have the Scrap King forge a weapon for him, and several months had passed since—he had put the matter entirely out of his mind. Now that he thought of it, he really had done the Scrap King wrong.

Admittedly, Wei Zhao had indeed been busy of late—first the newcomer assessment, then preparations to refine pills and boost his strength. And when he had spoken to the Scrap King, he had said he would come by after a while. Yet now several months had slipped by in a blink, and he had left the man hanging rather badly all this time.

"That was my oversight. In a few days, I'll go to the Azure Cloud Pavilion to see him," Wei Zhao replied.

He had previously obtained a ten-thousand-year tree crystal and a thousand-year tree crystal from Half-Moon Lake. It was the perfect occasion to sit down with the Scrap King and work out how to wring the greatest value from them—and how best to upgrade his refined steel staff. R1152