Chapter 4444 — The Final Preparations

"Eh?" Everyone was stunned again, and only after a moment did they understand: by "settle the bill," he meant the points.

"Just what trick did you use?" Wu Baoliang, however, would not give up. A dangerous light gleamed in his triangular yin-yang eyes, and he made as if to rush forward and seize Wei Zhao by the collar.

"You are welcome to try." Wei Zhao suddenly smiled. He had been worrying that he might never find a chance to finish the man off; if this creature dared to harm him first, then he could strike with perfect justification and slaughter this scum before everyone's eyes.

At the same time, Qi Mingyuan, Qi Wenmo, and the others beside him abruptly radiated killing intent, forcing Wu Baoliang to check his movement midway. Had he not stopped, these men truly would have joined forces to kill him.

"Hmph. I will soon learn this trick of yours—when you die at my hands!" Wu Baoliang laughed with a harsh cackle. After giving Wei Zhao a long, deep look, he said a word to Cheng Haonan and Long Kuiba, then turned and left.

Watching Wu Baoliang's receding figure, Wei Zhao could not help but secretly lament the lost opportunity. Arrogant as this creature was, he was no fool. Of course, had he truly been a fool, he would not have survived to this day—he would have fallen into the hands of the Enforcement Hall back at North Island.

"Chief Escort Hai, now you have nothing to say, do you?" Wei Zhao turned to Hai Wuliang and said.

Hai Wuliang's face was ashen. He did not utter a single word; with a cold snort he turned and walked off. From the look of him, he could not even be bothered to search the remaining two escort agencies—he simply had no heart for it.

Wei Zhao exchanged a smile with Qi Mingyuan and Qi Wenmo, then turned to the crowd and said, "Is there any other escort agency that would like to try its luck?"

Oh, brother! At these words, everyone's face darkened at once. You've raked in a full three hundred points over this round alone, dragged both the Sihai Escort Agency and the Longzhou Escort Agency into the pit, and you're still not satisfied—you want to trap more suckers?

The remaining heads of the escort agencies, whenever Wei Zhao's gaze swept over them, could not help shrinking their necks. There was surely some hidden knack to this, and surely it could not be cracked in a short while. Only a fool would fall for your scheme!

"No one? Then never mind." Wei Zhao looked rather disappointed. Since no one would challenge them again, there was naturally no need to put the escorted item back. As for the members of the "bandit crew," though their leader Hai Wuliang had gone, the competition had to go on. Zhao Bufan and the others were still present, and so the group promptly moved on to the next escort agency.

"Brother Ling, you can tell me now, can't you? Where on earth did you hide it?" Seeing that the others had drawn far away—and that his own father, Qi Mingyuan, had gone with them—Qi Wenmo hurriedly leaned in, unable to contain himself. Compared with the thrill of suddenly gaining three hundred points, he was more curious about this.

"A secret." Wei Zhao smiled faintly and said no more. The answer was simple: he had casually tucked it into the jade pendant's space, where no one could possibly find it. But that answer could not be told to anyone; it would have to remain a secret forever.

"Uh..." Qi Wenmo was clawing at his heart with a hundred talons, yet Wei Zhao kept his mouth firmly shut, and there was nothing he could do—neither coaxing nor pestering availed. In the end, he had to give up in frustration.

Soon, however, he put the matter behind him. Over there, the "bandit crew" had already searched out the escorted items of the remaining two escort agencies, and with that, the fourth round of the Hide-the-Escort-Item-in-Peril contest came to an end.

The crowd returned to the Demon Cold Plaza. The posted points ranking had already been updated. After four rounds, the Qingtian Escort Agency stood far ahead in sole first place with a top-tier score of six hundred seventy points—so vast was its lead that it inspired awe and dread, like a lofty mountain.

Next, in second place, was the traditional powerhouse, the Shenfeng Escort Agency, with two hundred seventy points. Though it could not remotely compare with the Qingtian Escort Agency's lone brilliance, it still kept a whole host of other escort agencies beneath its feet.

The Sihai Escort Agency, originally ranked second, had challenged the Qingtian Escort Agency in this fourth round. Not only did it fail to hold on to the seventy points already in hand, it actually lost thirty points on top of that, ending the four rounds with a total of two hundred forty—tied for third with the rest of the Five Great Escort Agencies.

Worth noting: the Longzhou Escort Agency, so ambitious at this year's gathering, had a four-round total of one hundred ten points, placing fifth from the bottom. At this rate, never mind competing for a place among the Five Great Escort Agencies—if they gave out an award for the Weakest Five of South Continent, it would surely be on the list.

On the public board, the points ranking of the thirty-two escort agencies was laid out plain at a glance—some rejoiced, others grieved. And at present, the focus of everyone's discussion inevitably centered on this year's godlike dark horse, the Qingtian Escort Agency.

Although it had been one of the Five Great Escort Agencies last time, the vast majority of people had in fact been pessimistic about the Qingtian Escort Agency from the start. The outside betting pools were unanimous in writing it off; at least seven out of ten had wagered on it dropping out of the Five Great Escort Agencies. Of course, those people were now weeping bitter tears.

To carve out six hundred seventy points across four rounds, opening a colossal four-hundred-point gap over second place—such a thing might not be unmatched by future generations, but it was absolutely unprecedented. Barring a catastrophic accident, in this year's South Continent Escort Gathering the top seat that once belonged to the Sihai Escort Agency had already fallen into the hands of the Qingtian Escort Agency, and no one could shake them from it.

From this gathering onward, the balance of power in South Continent's escort trade would undergo earth-shaking change. The center of gravity would shift from the Demon Cold Sea Region to the once unknown Wei Hu Sea Region; the Qingtian Escort Agency would henceforth supplant the Sihai Escort Agency as the overlord and become South Continent's foremost house. This was now all but the consensus of everyone.

Of course, beyond the mainstream opinion, the streets could hardly lack other voices, and those bent on talking down the Qingtian Escort Agency could still often be found. Whether or not there were other escort agencies behind these people, their arguments were not, at least, entirely without reason.

Looking over the past South Continent Escort Gatherings, the first four rounds were important—they could establish an advantage and open up a gap—but the truly decisive main event still lay in the final round.

For all the Qingtian Escort Agency's enormous present advantage, once it underperformed in the last round and was overtaken by other escort agencies while they had the chance, or even had a latecomer surge past, all of it was entirely possible. Only the agency that survived the fifth round's final showdown and laughed last would be the true winner.

Naturally, the fifth round's final showdown would not begin until tomorrow. At least as of today, the most glorious and triumphant, the most eagerly courted by the many merchant guilds, was still unquestionably the Qingtian Escort Agency.