Chapter 4292 — Meeting an Old Friend in a Foreign Land

"You don't have any? That's no problem—we'll give you ours, and then you'll have some, won't you?" The two azure-robed men exchanged a glance, their expressions tinged with amusement.

"Huh???" Wei Zhao was instantly dumbstruck, staring blankly at the two azure-robed men before him, almost convinced his ears were playing tricks on him. Only after exchanging bewildered looks with Huang Xiaotao did he finally confirm that he had not misheard—and that only left him more baffled than ever.

Give them their own star-ink milk? Was there really such an absurd stroke of good fortune in this world? Were these two so stuffed with idleness that they had nothing better to do than toy with the pair of them for a laugh?

Yet before Wei Zhao could react, the two azure-robed men seemed to be in deadly earnest—they actually laid out before Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao all the star-ink milk they had just seized from Chang Daoping and his companions.

That was not all. Not only the star-ink milk, but every manner of treasure they had plundered from Chang Daoping and the others was flung over to them in one great heap.

Watching this scene, even a man of Wei Zhao's temperament could no longer keep his composure, any more than Huang Xiaotao could. How had things suddenly come to this? What on earth was going on here?

"Well, old pal? I beat you fair and square this time, didn't I? Hahaha! A bet's a bet—from now on, your clan waits on us hand and foot. No welching, mind you!" The azure-robed man paid Wei Zhao's expression no mind at all, turning instead to his companion and boasting smugly.

"Hmph, if you hadn't snatched away all three of the strongest ones the moment we started, would I have lost to you? And it's all that hypocrite of a leader's fault—damn him, pulling such a filthy little trick. That great jug of his star-ink milk had more in it than everyone else's put together, and then some. What a swindle, I swear!" the other azure-robed man fumed indignantly.

The sight of the two bickering away like this left Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao, already utterly bewildered, even more at a loss. What in the world was going on?

"You two—you're really giving all of this to us?" Wei Zhao cut in, his expression strange. He refused to believe in pie falling from the sky like this. These two late-Nascent-Soul masters of the spirit-beast clan had robbed Chang Daoping and the rest, only to turn around and hand the whole haul to the two of them—what kind of joke was this supposed to be?

If the ghost thing had appeared and cowed the pair with the aura of an elder of the spirit-beast clan, that would at least make some sense—but in a place like this, the ghost thing would never show itself. And these two were top-tier late-Nascent-Soul existences; with the ghost thing reduced to a mere primordial spirit, its deterrent force was likely not enough to overawe them.

"Of course—all of this is yours. And if it's not enough, there's more." As one azure-robed man spoke, the other obligingly waved a hand, and a burst of true qi threw open a cabinet not far away.

A fragrance peculiar to star-ink milk instantly hit them in the face. Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao stared at the sight before them and were struck dumb. Inside the cabinet were row upon row—nothing but spirit-jade bottles and spirit-jade boxes, and by the look of it, every one of them full of star-ink milk!

A single small bottle of star-ink milk was a priceless treasure on the open market, something money could not buy—and what lay before them was no single small bottle, but several hundred of them at the very least!

For a fleeting moment, Wei Zhao even had the dazed feeling that star-ink milk was not so very rare after all...

"Heh heh, well? There's quite a lot here, isn't there?" the azure-robed man said with a chuckle from the sidelines. "It's all yours—take as much as you like. As much as you can carry."

Now Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao were more baffled than ever. The whole affair today was simply too bizarre. They did not for a moment believe these two azure-robed men could be so kind-hearted. Showering them with gifts out of nowhere—what kind of fit had come over them?

From the way they had treated Chang Daoping's group of six earlier, one could tell that these two formidable beings of the spirit-beast clan, though not exactly savage by nature, were certainly no candidates for the title of good men. "Eccentric in their dealings" was perhaps a fair description—but why should they treat the two of them alone so differently?

As the old saying goes, no one fawns without a motive; if not a traitor, then a thief. At this moment Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao felt not the slightest delight at the unexpected favor; instead, a chill crept through their hearts. Even Wei Zhao, steadfast of mind and decisive in action as he had always been, could not tell whether to advance or retreat this time.

Had the other side simply shouted for a fight, then no matter how powerful they were, Wei Zhao would not have needed to hesitate—he would have staked his life and fought with all his strength. But as things stood, the other side not only refrained from striking but lavished gifts upon them, and the sheer strangeness of it set his heart quaking. Surely Wei Zhao could not be the one to strike first?

Had these two before them not been so truly formidable—late Nascent Soul, no less—and had Wei Zhao not been unsure whether the ghost thing could handle them, he would at this very moment have summoned the ghost thing to hold the field...

"One does not accept reward without merit. Might I ask plainly—what is the meaning of all this? I would have the two of you speak frankly," Wei Zhao finally said, steeling himself, while inwardly bracing to fall out with these two spirit-beast masters.

At his words the two azure-robed men burst into smiles. They exchanged a glance, then suddenly, in unison, cupped their hands and bowed deeply to Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao started in surprise at the sight, and Huang Xiaotao beside him was struck utterly dumb. What was going on now? Even eccentricity had its limits, surely?

"Heh heh, benefactor, it's been too long. We finally have the chance to thank you in person," the two azure-robed men said in perfect unison.

"Benefactor???" Wei Zhao grew even more mystified. He had been on Cloud-Tier Island for barely more than a year. Had he met these two during that time, his memory would never have failed him—and besides, with the other party's formidable late-Nascent-Soul strength, whatever trouble they might have had was surely nothing Wei Zhao could have helped with. Where did this talk of "benefactor" come from?

Yet the next moment, instead of explaining further, the two azure-robed men, right before Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao's eyes, transformed into their true beast forms—a great fire lion and a giant spider!

Wei Zhao was stunned for an instant, then recognized them at once. These two before him were none other than the two clan chiefs of the fire-lion clan and the spider clan, whom he had first met back in the mortal world, in the Wulonghaote Mountains!

No wonder their voices had sounded familiar. So they really were old friends—only they had both taken human form, and more to the point, their strength was now far beyond what it had been. Without a hint, Wei Zhao would never have connected the dots.

"So it's you!" Wei Zhao relaxed at once, the heart that had been hanging in midair finally settling back into place. Turning to Huang Xiaotao, who was still staring in astonishment, he said, "It's all right now. No need to be afraid—these are friends of ours." (To be continued) R466