Chapter 4275 — Drawing Them In

"Still, you might call it a kind of heaven's will. Star Ink Milk is plainly far more useful to you humans, yet it appears only in the territory of the spirit beasts. Otherwise, were it on human soil, I'd wager it would long since have been a storm of blood and a river of gore." The ghost-thing cackled with a strange, grating laugh.

"Uh, maybe..." Wei Zhao was caught between laughter and tears. The remark was made in jest, but given the temperament of human cultivators—who would scheme and betray one another over the merest crumb of profit—faced with a temptation like Star Ink Milk, and especially a Star Ink Milk that could be produced again and again, a slaughter that darkened the heavens and soaked the earth was not merely possible.

While Wei Zhao communed with the ghost-thing through his primordial spirit, he kept a constant watch on the world outside. To the eyes of the others, he showed not the slightest sign of anything unusual.

"That is hardly strange. Word has it the stuff is of no use at all to the spirit beasts." Brother Chang's answer, though less detailed than the ghost-thing's, was cut from the same cloth.

"Ah..." Wei Zhao put on a look of sudden understanding, then sighed in admiration. "I have often heard it said that the spirit beasts hold the Southern Isle yet seldom deal with the outside world. To think that you, sir, actually know a steward of the spirit beasts and could learn such vital intelligence from his own lips—most people would never have the chance."

"Heh heh, for others, forming a connection with a steward of the spirit beasts would be difficult indeed, but for me it was simplicity itself." Brother Chang smiled with a touch of pride. "My father is the branch manager of the Myriad Trade Gathering here in the Wei Arc Sea. The spirit beasts keep to themselves, but they still must trade with the outside world for goods, and our merchant guild is where they most often come."

The Myriad Trade Gathering? At the name, Wei Zhao's eyelid gave a faint twitch. Was this not one of the merchant giants that had joined hands to bring down the Hong Merchant Guild? One of the five largest such powers, no less.

"The spirit beast steward I mentioned is the very one charged with liaising with our guild. After dealings back and forth, we grew well acquainted, and only then did he grant me this opportunity." Here Brother Chang made his offer once more. "Well, young brother? A chance like this is exceedingly rare, and that you and I should meet here—is that not a kind of fate? Shall we go together?"

At these words Wei Zhao fell into hesitation. To speak truthfully, he did have designs on the Star Ink Milk, but this Brother Chang before him was curiously eager, and something about it struck him as off. After all, the case of Chu Bubai was fresh before his eyes; he could not afford to drop his guard.

Shrewd as Wei Zhao was, had everything the man said been a pack of lies, he would surely have found the seams. But if it was like Chu Bubai—truth and falsehood woven together—then there was no guarding against it.

As Wei Zhao hesitated, the ghost-thing's voice sounded once more in his mind. "Everything he said is true. I have never set foot in the Lu Feng Forest myself, but I have heard tell that the Odor Cultivation City ruins produce Star Ink Milk. That much should not be false. This is the sort of thing one encounters but cannot seek out. You may as well go along and try."

With the ghost-thing—an elder of the spirit beasts—standing surety, Wei Zhao's heart eased at once, and he gave a slight, thoughtful nod.

"Have you thought it over, young brother? That you should meet me here may well count as a stroke of fate. Let this chance slip by, and you may lose the Star Ink Milk forever—a regret you might carry the rest of your days!" Brother Chang, seeing Wei Zhao waver, pressed his advantage.

"Mm, then let me ask one more thing: just how much Star Ink Milk is there? If the two of us join, will there be enough for so many to share?" Wei Zhao inquired, careful to confirm.

In his reckoning, a rare treasure like Star Ink Milk could not possibly be plentiful, and the other party already numbered six. Whether he and Huang Xiaotao could secure a share by joining was hard to say.

Judging by the balance of strength between them, even if Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao joined forces, they could not hope to contend with those six. Should it come to pass that they could not even get a sip of the dregs, they would have no one to blame but themselves for a wasted effort.

"Your misgivings are not without reason, young brother, but in my view there is little cause for worry. According to my friend the spirit beast steward, the formation guarding the Star Ink Milk has not been opened by anyone for a full three years, so a good store of it should have accumulated." Brother Chang pledged this with the utmost assurance.

"Then... how shall it be divided when the time comes?" Wei Zhao pressed on. Even if there truly was a good deal of Star Ink Milk, it depended on how it was apportioned. If this Brother Chang demanded ten or eight catties off the top, and then his Dao companions and hangers-on took their turns, by the time it came to the two of them there would be precious little left.

"Heh heh, that you need not worry about. Our agreement is this: each person may fill only a single bottle at the outset." As he spoke, Brother Chang produced a small spirit jade bottle, modest in volume—no larger than a bottle of floral water from the mortal world—and smiled. "By order of joining the group, I go first, then each takes his turn in sequence. You two join last, so naturally you draw last. This much I trust you can understand, young brother. But I believe there should be Star Ink Milk enough—at the very least, a bottle apiece should remain for the two of you."

Brother Chang did not thump his chest and promise the world, for that would only breed distrust. Spoken as it was, his words seemed fair-minded and were all the easier to believe.

Wei Zhao considered a moment. This method of division was reasonably fair. He and his companion were, after all, latecomers; in both strength and standing they were inferior to the others, so it was only natural they be placed last in priority.

So long as the other side did not play some contemptible trick—taking the whole of the vast waters in a single ladle—then by this arrangement they should reap some small harvest. If even that failed, he could only blame his own poor luck.

Of course, he could not rule out another possibility: that this Brother Chang would go back on his word and fatten himself at their expense. That would be a grave problem indeed. But since one had come out to venture, such risks could not be avoided in any case; to insist on absolute safety, one would have to hide at home forever and never emerge.

"Very well, we join. Thank you for your kindness, sir." Wei Zhao exchanged a glance with Huang Xiaotao, then at last nodded in confirmation.

"Splendid! Young brother, you are no ordinary man—you have not disappointed me." Brother Chang broke into a broad smile. The reason he had been willing to expend so much breath was precisely to bring Wei Zhao and his companion into the fold. Had Wei Zhao shrunk back at the last and lost his nerve, it would truly have been a waste of time. R1152