Chapter 4428 — Beyond All Expectation

Fortunately, Jade Tablet No. 5 had remained safe and sound all along. Of the thirty-two jade tablets, only two were left, and one of them was No. 1, the other No. 5.

The man in charge of the Four Seas Escort Agency had worn a look of unshakable confidence from first to last, never once even glancing at the mother-and-child jade tablet formation, as though the outcome were already carved in stone. Having endured to this point, Qi Wenmo finally allowed himself a measure of relief.

It seemed his choice had not been wrong. Ling Yi never undertook anything he was not sure of; if he had dared to go, that meant he had complete confidence, and the present state of the jade tablet formation was proof enough of it.

Even so, until he saw Wei Zhao return safe and sound, Qi Wenmo still dared not let his heart rest entirely easy. He kept praying in nervous silence that nothing unexpected would happen next.

The time of one long stick of incense—not so very long, yet not so very short either. By the rules of the contest, anyone who could return within that span would earn the highest score of two hundred points.

But that was only in theory. In the first round, with so many escort agencies and so many lives spent, only the Four Seas Escort Agency had managed a score above one hundred. Points like that did not come easily.

So that lofty two hundred was fair to look at and nothing more—a castle in the air, a decoration no one could ever realistically attain.

None of them had personally sailed the contest route, but since it was put forward in a grand gathering where the finest were assembled, one could well imagine that this stretch of sea was anything but simple. The near-total death rate was proof enough of that, and the round trip was a full forty li. To return within one stick of incense—how could that be easy?

Any insider with even a little common sense would never believe anyone could make it back within a single stick. Especially now, when of the thirty-two escort agencies only two remained alive. Never mind one stick—it would already be remarkable for anyone to return before the third.

"A boat's coming!" Just as the first stick of incense was about to burn out, someone suddenly shouted. The docks erupted into commotion at once; everyone rose on tiptoe and craned their necks in anticipation. The experts and connoisseurs among them gaped in astonishment, exchanging looks of disbelief.

"Couldn't be an outside vessel, could it?" someone muttered doubtfully, and at once many around him echoed the sentiment. The docks had been sealed off temporarily for the contest, but foreign ships could not be entirely barred from entering the harbor. So if it were an outside vessel, there would be nothing strange about it.

But then, as the sailboat drew nearer and its outline grew clearer through the sea mist, the crowd abandoned that guess one after another—because this sailboat was unmistakably one of the standard vessels used for the contest.

"Heh heh, that rascal Wang Baitiao has really come along!" Hai Wuliang, seated with the other four judges, could not help saying with pleased surprise.

In the earlier special drills, Wang Baitiao's best time had been two sticks of incense, which by the rules earned exactly one hundred points—never in his wildest dreams had he expected the boy to deliver a surprise like this. This was a full hundred points for free.

"Congratulations, congratulations—looks like the Four Seas Escort Agency takes the crown again this year." Zhao Bufan and the others cupped their hands and offered congratulations to Hai Wuliang, while inwardly sighing in helpless resignation. With the Four Seas gaining two hundred extra points just like that, the rest of them truly had no chance at all.

There was no help for it. This situation had been foreseeable back when the contest was first approved. Among the five great escort agencies, the Four Seas Escort Agency's supremacy was ultimately unshakable; with its immense reserves of power, it was already capable of controlling the outcome to a very great extent. Faced with its carrot-and-stick offensive, no one could keep from bowing their heads.

"Not at all, not at all—the gathering has only just begun, it's far too early to say such things. We've merely stolen a bit of a head start; everyone still has their chance." Hai Wuliang laughed heartily and accepted all the congratulations with perfect composure.

Everyone, whether by design or by accident, seemed to have deliberately cast one thing to the back of their minds: the contestants still alive were not only No. 1 of the Four Seas Escort Agency, but also No. 5 of the Qingtian Escort Agency!

Listening to Hai Wuliang and the others trade pleasantries, Qi Mingyuan cursed their hypocrisy inwardly, though he dared not show it. After all, even he found it hard to believe that the one returning now could be Ling Yi of his own agency...

"Well then, this round was no easy trial. As judges, I feel we ought to go and welcome the victor in person. What do you all say?" Hai Wuliang said, rising to his feet. His meaning was plain: he meant to use the occasion to heap praise upon the winner—in plain terms, to let his Four Seas Escort Agency bask in a little more glory.

Zhao Bufan and the others exchanged glances, each cursing up a storm in his heart, yet none of them wished to quarrel with Hai Wuliang and the Four Seas Escort Agency over such a trifle. Since the man demanded it, they would pinch their noses and give him his show of honor.

The heads of the five great escort agencies at once made their way to the very front of the docks to await the sailboat's arrival in person. The crowd buzzed with excitement—such treatment was truly unprecedented. After all, these five represented the very highest echelon of the Southern Continent's escort world.

"No. 5! It's No. 5!" someone in the crowd suddenly cried, and more and more people made out the number on the sailboat, each one astonished beyond measure, voices rising in heated discussion.

Hai Wuliang had been brimming with smug satisfaction, but when he made out that number, he froze on the spot, his face darkening in an instant like the bottom of a scorched pot. For a long while he could not utter a single word.

By contrast, Qi Mingyuan and Qi Wenmo, along with everyone in the Qingtian Escort Agency, were overcome with jubilation, their cheers shaking the heavens.

The boat drew alongside the dock, and Wei Zhao leaped down from it. He glanced at the first stick of incense, not yet fully burned out, then cast a somewhat astonished look at Hai Wuliang and the others blocking his way, their faces a marvelous spectacle. Turning to Qi Mingyuan and Qi Wenmo, he said with a faint smile, "Well then—I'm glad to report I did not fail my charge."

In truth, had it not been for that final stretch of sea thick with hidden reefs and devilishly hard to navigate, he could have returned even sooner. But it made no difference now—one stick of incense either way, and the score was the same.

"Outstanding! Simply outstanding!" The Qingtian crowd, wild with excitement, hoisted Wei Zhao onto their shoulders on the spot, shouting and leaping, beside themselves with joy, unable to calm their elation.

"It seems congratulations are in order for Chief Escort Qi—truly beyond all expectation, truly extraordinary," Zhao Bufan and the others said after a moment of stunned silence, cupping their hands toward Qi Mingyuan. At the same time they shot a meaningful glance at Hai Wuliang, eager to see how the fellow would react. (A pie from the sky—a fabulous event, with a cool phone waiting for you to claim! Follow the Qidian/Chinese Web official account (WeChat: Add Contacts—Add Official Account—enter qdread) and join right away! Prizes for everyone—follow the qdread WeChat official account now!) (To be continued) R466