Chapter 4350 — A Grand Gathering of Escort Agencies

"There's no wall in this world that wind cannot pass through. Within two days, word of this incident will have spread across the entire Weihu Sea—no, even the neighboring waters will hear of it. By then everyone will know that although our Qingtian Escort Agency had its shipment waylaid midway and although we had already paid out compensation, we kept our word: once the goods were recovered, we still delivered them to their destination!"

"Brother Qi means that although this incident cost us three hundred thousand spirit jades, it has also restored the agency's reputation?" Wei Zhao's eyes lit up. He had to admit that Qi Wenmo's reasoning did carry a certain blessing-in-disguise logic—it was not mere self-consolation.

"Precisely. A man without trust cannot stand, and in our line of work, reputation is everything. Reputation is the very foundation on which we stand. If three hundred thousand spirit jades can burn the image of our agency keeping its promises deep into people's hearts—that is worth every coin. You could not buy that with any amount of spirit jades. In days to come, the returns it brings will far exceed three hundred thousand spirit jades—three million, perhaps more!" The more Qi Wenmo spoke, the more animated he grew, until he no longer felt they had taken a loss at all, but had made a killing.

"Ha, to see the good in a bad turn—Brother Qi, you are truly an optimist at heart. Having a man like you at the helm is a blessing for the Qingtian Escort Agency," Wei Zhao said with an involuntary smile.

He did not mean it as mere banter. In truth, people with that quality were exceedingly rare, and in some measure, such people were always closer to success in whatever they did than anyone else.

"Haha, you could call it finding joy in hardship. The deed is done, so I can only use it as a pretext to console myself." Qi Wenmo laughed magnanimously, then said, "Brother Ling, I really must apologize. I never imagined you had been concealing your strength all along—the fault is mine for being blind to it. Had I known, I should have put you in charge of the convoy from the start instead of handing it to petty men like Li Yanji and Guan Zhiyuan. Then none of this would have happened."

"We have not known each other long, and neither of us is familiar with the other's abilities—that is only natural. Besides, Brother Qi, if you had put a newcomer like me in charge of such an important escort mission right off the bat, it may well have caused resentment among the ranks. The outcome might have been hard to say." Wei Zhao waved a hand dismissively.

This was the honest truth. Given the nature of Li and Guan, even if Qi Wenmo had declared Wei Zhao the man in charge, the two of them would certainly have paid lip service while doing as they pleased. If a situation like this had arisen, Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao would have had to watch their backs in case the pair played some trick behind them. For safety's sake, they might not have risked a head-on clash with the pirates.

"By the way, Brother Ling, I would like to invite you to formally join the Qingtian Escort Agency. What say you?" Qi Wenmo said, suddenly perking up.

From the very first time he laid eyes on Wei Zhao, he had been struck by his strength. True, that time he had joined forces with Huang Xiaotao, but to wound Old Kong, who stood at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage, was already a remarkable feat.

And now, the strength Wei Zhao displayed was even more formidable—he had effortlessly slain three pirates at the peak of the late Golden Core stage, and frightened the pirate chief so badly that the man's soul seemed to have left his body; he did not dare harbor even the slightest thought of resistance. Such was the force of his intimidation.

To the Qingtian Escort Agency, a man like Wei Zhao was the sort of talent one could search for with a lantern and never find. He simply had to be recruited. A mere nominal escort's title was far from enough; if they could bring him in as a resident escort, only then would he truly be one of their own.

Seeing Wei Zhao hesitate, as if about to shake his head and refuse, Qi Wenmo hurried to cut in and add, "Brother Ling, this is not simply me trying to recruit you—I want to ask you a favor."

"A favor?" Wei Zhao was taken aback. There was no way he could serve as a resident escort here, but if it was merely a matter of doing something to help, that was another matter.

"Exactly. As I mentioned, my father is busy preparing for the Southern Continent Escort Agencies' Grand Gathering. Brother Ling, you are powerful and capable of fighting above your level—so I hope you will fight on our Qingtian Escort Agency's behalf and take part in this grand gathering!" Qi Wenmo said, his eyes burning with fervor.

"What is that, exactly?" Wei Zhao asked with a frown. When he had first heard of it, he had assumed it was merely an industry summit among the escort agencies of the Southern Continent, but from what Qi Wenmo had just said, there were evidently contests involved as well.

"Every three years, all the escort agencies in the waters around the Southern Continent gather together to hold a grand gathering of escort agencies. From it, the top five agencies are chosen, and their rankings determine the corresponding escort routes and profit distribution. Naturally, the higher the rank, the greater the share of profits," Qi Wenmo explained to Wei Zhao.

Where there are people, there is a martial world, and of all trades, the escort business is the most inextricably bound to that martial world. In a sense, therefore, the triennial Southern Continent Escort Agencies' Grand Gathering could almost be understood as the martial arts assembly so often spoken of by storytellers!

"The top five agencies?" Wei Zhao was briefly startled, then could not help asking, "And where does the Qingtian Escort Agency rank…?"

"Three years ago, our Qingtian Escort Agency barely made the cut, entering the top five for the first time. Of course, we were ranked last—the fifth of the five." Qi Wenmo gave a bitter smile, then his face lit with anticipation. "But if you were to join us this year, Brother Ling, I am confident our ranking would rise. As for compensation and treatment, whatever you ask, Brother Ling, we will find a way to satisfy it. In short, I guarantee you will be pleased. What do you say?"

"This…" Wei Zhao hesitated. The terms on offer were undeniably generous, but he had never intended to stay long in the Southern Continent. He could only decline tactfully. "Brother Qi, to be frank, I came to the Weihu Sea carrying a mission from my sect. I never intended to remain here long-term. Joining the agency… I'm afraid that truly won't be possible…"

"Oh? Brother Ling is on a sect mission?" Qi Wenmo was taken aback. Seeing that Wei Zhao's expression held no trace of deception, he asked, "What mission is it? Have you completed it?"

"Not yet." Wei Zhao shook his head with a bitter smile. From the very first moment he and Huang Xiaotao arrived in the Weihu Sea, trouble had clung to them. Then their shipment had been waylaid midway, after which they had gone to Zhenduan City and the Lufeng Forest—and the mission that had been one of the original purposes of this journey had not been touched from beginning to end, let alone made any progress.

"In that case, if it is convenient, Brother Ling, why not tell me what your mission is? I can help you think of a way. I would not claim the Qingtian Escort Agency is especially powerful, but at least in these waters around the Southern Continent, our connections run wide. Perhaps we can be of help," Qi Wenmo promptly offered.