Chapter 4523 — An Uncanny Situation

Such a thing was not impossible; in the eyes of the crowd, it was in fact highly likely. Yet amid their fear and trembling, apart from the bad news that the Xishan Old Sect was now seated at the Longzhou Escort Agency, they had at last heard one piece of good news: Wei Zhao was not dead—at least, he had not died at the hands of the Xishan Old Sect.

"Excellent! Brother Ling truly did not disappoint us. I knew that no matter what happened to him, it would be no surprise at all—hahahaha!" Qi Wenmo was overjoyed on the spot. Compared with this, the mere threat posed by the Xishan Old Sect he had utterly disregarded.

"Young Hero Ling is truly a rare prodigy under heaven—even the Xishan Old Sect can do nothing to him. This is really..." Qi Mingyuan, delighted as he was, could not help but stare dumbfounded!

That was a devil-cultivator titan of the Mountain-Opening stage, after all—and yet, personally hunting down a mere Golden Core expert, he had actually failed. If such a thing had not come from the Xishan Old Sect's own mouth, no one would have dared believe it.

"It is indeed cause for celebration that he escaped the Xishan Old Sect's pursuit, but Young Hero Ling is still deep in the territory of the South Island—danger lurks on every side." Old Chai, who had hurried over upon hearing the news, remained somewhat worried.

"Steward Chai, set your mind at ease. Brother Ling has heaven's own protection. If even an old monster like the Xishan Old Sect could not take his life, then neither can the Spirit Beast clan. We need only wait calmly for his return." Qi Wenmo, however, was brimming with confidence in Wei Zhao. Having witnessed so many miracles in the man, he had unconsciously developed a kind of blind worship, and was close to enshrining Wei Zhao as an idol.

"Quite right. Young Hero Ling has been to the Rufeng Forest before and has experience surviving on the South Island. This time he may well turn danger into safety. We few need not fret over troubles that may never come." Qi Mingyuan agreed.

"True enough. With Young Hero Ling's strength, he will surely return safe and sound this time as well." Old Chai nodded emphatically.

Apart from the enormous sensation the Xishan Old Sect's sudden appearance had initially caused in Weihu City—throwing the whole of the Qingtian Escort Agency into panic—he made no further moves afterward, simply sitting in residence at the Longzhou Escort Agency and never stepping a single foot beyond its gates.

As time passed, the focus of public chatter gradually shifted away from the Xishan Old Sect. It seemed that the arrival of this Mountain-Opening-stage devil-cultivator titan had not greatly affected Weihu City at all. If one insisted on naming an effect, it was that the Longzhou Escort Agency's business had improved a little—and that was all.

Yet even with the Xishan Old Sect seated there, the Longzhou Escort Agency's business recovered only to its former level and never reached any particularly booming height. In truth, what came knocking were all scattered small jobs, earning nothing but petty profits. As for genuine long-term, high-value contracts like those of the Hong Merchant Guild—not a single one had come.

For one thing, the vast majority of such bulk orders from the great merchant guilds had already been signed, one after another, back at the South Continent Escort Alliance Assembly. The Longzhou Escort Agency had failed to get a bite of meat then, and now it was fated to slurp only a little thin broth.

For another, most merchant guilds still trusted the Qingtian Escort Agency more. After all, that was the escort霸主 in name and in truth—its strength and reputation both first-rate—whereas the Longzhou Escort Agency was another matter entirely.

Having thrown in its lot with devil cultivators, its reputation could hardly be good to begin with. And now, with the Xishan Old Sect seated in residence, its strength was beyond doubt—but the question was, who could guarantee that the Xishan Old Sect would stay at the Longzhou Escort Agency forever?

If these guilds signed long-term, large contracts with it, and then one day the Xishan Old Sect suddenly up and left, would they not lose enormously? Merchants are profiteers by nature; if they cannot see stable returns, getting them to hand over great piles of spirit jade is harder than ascending to heaven...

Long Kuiba, who had set his heart on surpassing the Qingtian Escort Agency, was plainly dissatisfied with this middling result. He could never have imagined that even with the Xishan Old Sect personally in residence, the Longzhou Escort Agency's business would remain so half-dead and listless. This was a far cry from the booming scene he had envisioned.

Such a vast gap left Long Kuiba so gloomy he wanted to vomit blood. After all, these past days he had been driven out every single day to search for Nascent Soul female cultivators. So immense a pressure, and all it bought was such meager returns—how was he supposed to bear the shame?

Yet no matter how gloomy he was, Long Kuiba was utterly powerless. Business, after all, was a matter of mutual consent. As the owner of an escort agency, he could hardly go about using the Xishan Old Sect's name to force the merchant guilds into buying and selling by coercion, could he? If he truly stirred up a storm of public resentment, the first to come settle accounts with him would be the Xishan Old Sect—and that devil-cultivator titan was bent on keeping a low profile. Would that not be Long Kuiba making trouble for him?

Weihu City returned to its former calm. If one had to name a difference, it was that noticeably more outsiders were now coming to the Weihu Sea. Such was the centripetal effect brought by an escort hegemon: in the past everyone had gone to the Moleng Sea, but now the wheel of fortune turned, and it was the Weihu Sea's turn...

In the South Island Forest, after the ghost thing had given the Xishan Old Sect a fright and sent him off with more alarm than harm, Wei Zhao stayed where he was to rest briefly. Only after his wounds had healed did he continue onward through the dense woods. Though the place was entirely unfamiliar, with the ghost thing as a competent guide, he need not worry about losing his way.

What struck Wei Zhao as rather strange, however, was that he had walked through these dense woods for three full days and nights, and yet had not encountered a single spirit beast. This was the stronghold of the Spirit Beast clan; by all reason, a strong spirit beast ought to come tumbling out at the slightest kick. So why was there not one? It made no sense.

After all, even in the Rufeng Forest, which lay at the very fringes, spirit beast traces were still frequently found. And according to the ghost thing, this place was much closer to the core heartland of the South Island than the Rufeng Forest. If the Rufeng Forest was a remote mountain village, then this place was at least the outskirts of a city. Yet the scene before him was like this—it was a little too abnormal.

Not only Wei Zhao; even the ghost thing was beginning to find it uncanny. However one looked at it, this could not be called normal.

If it had been empty like this at the fringes, that would have been understandable. But they had now walked three days and nights, long since deep into the heartland, and it was still as deathly silent as a graveyard—that truly made no sense.

"Senior, do we keep going deeper, or should we turn back? I have a feeling this place is a bit uncanny." Wei Zhao could not help frowning. When things were abnormal, there was sure to be a demon behind it—especially in a place like this, the stronghold of the Spirit Beast clan. One careless step, and it could cost a life.

A gentleman does not stand beneath a tottering wall. Wei Zhao was no gentleman, but he still knew enough to seek advantage and avoid harm.R1152