Chapter 4041 — A Meeting of Minds

Seeing that Si Haitao had already put things that way, Nan Tianxiong and the other two could hardly press him further, and could only nod in silence.

"For the time being, let me think of a way to investigate the whereabouts of that Lin Er for you," Si Haitao said with a smile. He might be a stranger in these parts, but after all he had deep ties to an intelligence network like the Hongying Group; borrowing the Hongying Group's intelligence forces in the North Island was merely a matter of asking.

"Then we shall trouble Steward Si with this!" Nan Tianxiong and the other two were instantly overjoyed.

Dealing with Wei Zhao had been for the sake of revenge alone, but finding Lin Er meant not only avenging their third brother Nan Tianyong, but also gaining enormous benefits like the Star Ink Stone—this matter was far more urgent.

Meanwhile, while Si Haitao and Nan Tianxiong's group were scheming on this side, Wei Zhao, having seen Hong Zhong off, went to find the Scrap King and delivered every last piece of the artifact-forging materials into his hands, which genuinely left the man dumbstruck.

Although he had once listed seven kinds of artifact-forging materials for Wei Zhao and even pointed him toward the auction as the proper path, the Scrap King had truly never imagined Wei Zhao could purchase them so smoothly. Had it been himself, he reckoned there would be no hope of ever gathering so many top-grade materials in this lifetime.

Now that the artifact-forging materials were all assembled, the Scrap King did not immediately begin forging. As an artifact forger, he needed to spend time familiarizing himself with these materials; otherwise, if he rushed into it, the success rate would be a grave concern.

During this period, Wei Zhao had little to do instead. The preparatory work for forging was handled by a professional like the Scrap King, and as for the day-to-day affairs of the Yingxin Pavilion, Kang Jingming and his crowd had clearly lowered their flags and silenced their drums owing to Xu Lingchong's sudden disappearance, so Wei Zhao's life became placid and uneventful.

Murong Zhen gnashed her teeth over this, yet there was nothing she could do. Without Kang Jingming and the others to stand up for her, wanting to deal with Wei Zhao through her own strength alone was sheer fantasy.

But a creature as vindictive as she could never give up so easily. Since there was no opportunity to ride the current, she would create one herself and stir up waves anew!

……………………

While the Scrap King made his final preparations, Wei Zhao cultivated with his usual dedication. Beyond continually familiarizing himself with and mastering his newest lethal moves, he needed to spend time consolidating his new realm.

He had heard others say before that every peak within the Foundation Establishment realm was a threshold difficult to surmount, and his breakthrough to the early peak of Foundation Establishment last time had proven it. This time, at the mid-stage peak of Foundation Establishment, if he did not cultivate diligently, no amount of pills would help when the time came.

Yet in recent days, a rumor about Wei Zhao was spreading like wildfire throughout the Sandie Pavilion.

"Boss, is it true that you're sweet on Miss Shangguan?" Qiao Hongcai asked with a sly grin when they gathered together, and even the Miserable Senior Brother, Xiao Che, Li Zhengming, and the others all had two words plainly written across their faces: gossip.

"What do you mean?" Wei Zhao was utterly bewildered.

Wei Zhao was even more baffled. Glancing at their strange expressions, he said curiously, "What on earth is going on? What is it you want me to admit?"

The group exchanged looks, and finally Xiao Che explained unhurriedly, "Lately a very heated rumor has been circulating in the streets. They say you, boss, are fond of Miss Shangguan, but that your confession at her birthday banquet came to nothing—and that Xu Lingchong, having seen you alone with Miss Shangguan at the time and sensing the danger, was only then moved to attempt that assault."

This rumor was told with vivid detail, and it did bear some resemblance to the circumstances of that day. With protagonists like Shangguan Lan'er and Xu Lingchong—figures of such prominence—it perfectly satisfied everyone's appetite for gossip, so it was only natural that it spread ever more fiercely in a place like the Sandie Pavilion.

Looking at the group's burning thirst for knowledge, Wei Zhao shrugged helplessly. "They say rumors stop with the wise. Surely none of you actually believe such a thing? The logic here is plainly flawed. If my confession to Shangguan Lan'er had failed, then what would Xu Lingchong have to worry about? To go mad and try to assault her merely because he saw me standing a little close to Shangguan Lan'er, and end up a wanted fugitive—is Xu Lingchong really that brainless?"

"That's true enough." The Miserable Senior Brother and the others nodded one after another.

In truth, they did not much believe the rumor either; it was merely an obvious fact that Shangguan Lan'er regarded Wei Zhao with special favor. At bottom, what they really wanted to know was whether Wei Zhao had any interest in this Miss Shangguan.

"Still, this rumor has suddenly surfaced—is it purely because everyone loves gossip, or is someone pulling strings behind the scenes?" A trace of suspicion crept into Wei Zhao's brow.

Never mind what deeper repercussions might come later; for the moment alone, this rumor had already set Wei Zhao roasting over a fire. Every move he made next would draw close scrutiny—a truly considerable nuisance.

At Wei Zhao's words, the eyelids of the Miserable Senior Brother and the others twitched in unison. "That's right! If this rumor is taken as truth, then you're in danger, Junior Brother Lin. It amounts to making you the culprit behind Xu Lingchong's present predicament. Xu Yuanzheng has always regarded him as the Xu family's future—there's no telling whether he might strike back!"

"That's possible, but elders of Xu Yuanzheng's caliber always present themselves as paragons of righteousness and propriety. The odds of him openly moving against me are probably slim—after all, it would hand others a handle against him." Wei Zhao shook his head. Compared with his own situation, he was now more worried about Shangguan Lan'er.

For all the dazzling halo of being Shangguan Tianxia's only granddaughter, Shangguan Lan'er had little strength of her own, was somewhat naive and innocent by nature, and often slipped out with Little Curly Bear. If someone truly meant to target her, it was not unthinkable that they might succeed.

Whether it was a meeting of minds or simply that speak of the devil brought him right on time, while the group was still discussing, a small figure came bounding toward Wei Zhao from afar—none other than Little Curly Bear.

At the sight, the Miserable Senior Brother and the rest immediately exchanged meaningful winks at Wei Zhao and tactfully withdrew to their respective cave dwellings. R1152