Chapter 3989 — The Beautiful Box

Nantian Guan had once told Wei Zhao to his face that he, too, knew the soul-searching art. Even if his cultivation was not as profound as Gongyang Jun's, the crudest, most rudimentary soul-searching technique still demanded wary caution.

Until he possessed sufficient strength, Wei Zhao reckoned it wisest to keep his dealings with such people to a minimum.

Watching Wei Zhao leave with Shangguan Lan'er, Nantian Ba's eyes fairly spat fire. Truth be told, none of them truly suspected Wei Zhao; it was simply that Nantian Ba could not stomach him and had seized on the matter as a pretext for venting.

After all, they had already tested and investigated Wei Zhao several times before, always to no avail. So even if flaws remained in Wei Zhao's story, their thinking had inevitably fallen into the blind spot of searching only the shadows under the lamp—especially since Wei Zhao had smoothly deflected the greatest suspicion onto Kang Jingming. Until Kang Jingming was thoroughly investigated, it was unlikely they would turn back to suspect Wei Zhao.

This time, one could only say Wei Zhao's luck was truly wretched: seated beside so illustrious a figure as Gongyang Jun, he had inexplicably drawn Nantian Ba's displeasure and thus stumbled into an unexpected crisis.

Following Shangguan Lan'er up to the third floor, he found the rest chamber that Huayang Residence had prepared exclusively for the young miss. Apart from the strict guards outside, no idle strangers would be found within—which, to Wei Zhao's mind, would spare him a great deal of unnecessary trouble.

Only after urging Wei Zhao to sit did Shangguan Lan'er adopt a grave expression and warn him, "Little Junior Brother, that big dark-faced ugly brute—though he cannot be mentioned in the same breath as a madman like the Cold-faced Ghost—is still very formidable. Whatever you do, do not underestimate him. My grandfather once privately appraised the rising powerhouses of the Santie Pavilion, and this fellow is ranked among the top ten, a most troublesome character. So in future, Little Junior Brother, you had best steer well clear of him."

"Ranked among the top ten rising powerhouses of the Santie Pavilion? Thank you for the warning, Little Senior Sister. I will remember it." Wei Zhao's heart tightened at these words.

At the mention of the Santie Pavilion's rising powerhouses, the first to come to mind must surely be Gongyang Jun, the madman-tier existence who presided over the Law Enforcement Hall. Before him, all others paled into insignificance, entirely on a different plane.

Yet this did not mean the other rising powerhouses were weak. Gongyang Jun was merely a rare exception; the goal he chased was a legend like Zhang Lifeng. The rest of those rising powerhouses remained the future pillars of the Santie Pavilion, their status and strength alike beyond the power of ordinary folk to shake.

The appraisal of Shangguan Tianxia, master of the Chongtian Pavilion, even if only a private one never made public, carried credibility and accuracy in no way inferior to the official authority of the Santie Pavilion. That Nantian Ba could rank among the top ten showed plainly what a formidable character he was.

At least for the present, Wei Zhao before him was no more than a lowly ant not worth trampling. To possess the strength to face such a threat, four words sufficed: there is ample time.

"Hehe, but you need not be too afraid, Little Junior Brother. You are still a newcomer. Unless that big dark-faced ugly brute catches you alone outside, he will not dare come to your door to make trouble," Shangguan Lan'er consoled him with a smile.

The Santie Pavilion's protection of newcomers was no empty talk. Though in influence and power the Welcome Pavilion ranked near the bottom among the various independent halls, so long as one remained within its little patch of ground, no one dared lay a hand on these newcomers—not even Nantian Ba, unless he wished to be hunted down with the full force of the Council of Elders.

"Mm, I know," Wei Zhao nodded, though he remained noncommittal about this claim.

Normally, as a newcomer, so long as he holed up in the Welcome Pavilion he would indeed have nothing to worry about—but that was on the premise that no one caught him in any flaw or opening. Otherwise, others would always find a gap to exploit.

To forge iron, one must oneself be hard. In the end, only when one's own strength was truly formidable was there any king's road to peace of mind.

Of course, there was no need to explain these misgivings in detail to Shangguan Lan'er. Wei Zhao at once drew from his bosom an exquisite spirit-jade box, one he had carefully selected last time at the Hong Clan Merchant Guild, and handed it to her, saying, "Little Senior Sister, a small token of my regard. Happy birthday."

"Wow, what a beautiful box!" Shangguan Lan'er's eyes lit up, and she cried in delighted surprise, "This is top-grade spirit jade in texture, and the carving is superb—surely a master's handiwork. I was just wishing for a treasure box like this. Thank you, Little Junior Brother, I love it!"

Seeing how she could not put it down, Wei Zhao could not help smiling. The spirit-jade box had indeed cost him no small amount of spirit jade—but how could a gift from his hand be merely a box and nothing more?

The spirit-jade box was only the setting; what lay within was the true gift.

"Little Senior Sister, why not open it and have a look," Wei Zhao said with a smile, gesturing at the box.

Shangguan Lan'er was slightly taken aback. In her eyes, given Wei Zhao's circumstances as a newcomer of the Qingyun Pavilion, to present her with so exquisite a spirit-jade box was already rare and thoughtful enough to move her deeply. But from the sound of it—could there be something inside as well?

Shangguan Lan'er steadied her breathing, and with the anticipation of one about to witness a pleasant surprise, meant to slowly open the spirit-jade box. Yet before she could move, Little Curly Bear at her side snatched the box from her hands. Shangguan Lan'er gave a little cry and hurried to snatch it back.

Just then, Xu Lingchong happened to reach the door of the room and caught that faint, ambiguous cry from Shangguan Lan'er. He kicked the door open and burst in, anxiety on his face: "Little Junior Sister, what is it?"

Only then did Shangguan Lan'er recover from her astonishment. Forgetting to chase Little Curly Bear, she covered her mouth and stuck out her tongue, then said with feigned composure, "What do you mean, what is it? Nothing at all is the matter here. Senior Brother Xu, do you not think it unbecoming to barge into this young lady's room like this?"

Xu Lingchong eyed the two of them suspiciously. He had just heard a servant say that Shangguan Lan'er had personally brought Wei Zhao alone up to the third floor—a man and a woman alone in one room—and, fearing some scandal might arise, had hurried up after them, only to find this scene.

The lad Wei Zhao looked nothing out of the ordinary, still wearing that calm, self-possessed air of his. But the young miss Shangguan Lan'er was distinctly not herself.

At this moment her cheeks were flushed, and a strange light unmistakably danced in her eyes. Add to that the ambiguous little cry just now—and especially that instant when he kicked the door open, he had clearly seen Shangguan Lan'er with her hand still covering her mouth. R1152