Chapter 4638 — Arriving at West Island

The crowd was afraid because they did not know the full picture. Had they known that Wei Zhao possessed the jade pendant, a divine artifact capable of giving early warning, they would not have been so panic-stricken. Wei Zhao's approach here was exactly the same as it had been back at the South Island Escort Agency grand gathering: he relied on the pendant's warnings to steer their course.

Bang! Mid-voyage, everyone suddenly heard a faint knocking sound. Just as the helmsman had predicted, they had clearly struck a reef. Instantly, every person stood on high alert. If this really was a vast reef field, it could spell serious trouble.

Yet what happened next took everyone completely by surprise. Though that faint knocking came again every so often, it was nowhere near as dense or violent as they had imagined. At this level, it was well within what the giant treasure ship could withstand.

"How is that possible?!" Not only the helmsman but everyone present was stunned, Gongyang Jun and Lan Tieshan included. The way they looked at Wei Zhao was unmistakably tinged with disbelief. No normal person could possibly do such a thing—unless Wei Zhao's strength far surpassed theirs and his spiritual sense could pierce through layer upon layer of sea mist. But that was simply impossible!

The people aboard the giant treasure ship were merely shocked, but the spirit beast experts on that sea vessel were utterly dumbfounded. Watching the treasure ship's silhouette vanish rapidly from sight, their faces were all masks of alarm. That was far too fast!

The reason they had deliberately chosen to operate within the sea mist was the fear that their quarry might flee with utter abandon. After all, no ordinary sea vessel could match the speed of any treasure ship. Only by letting the sea mist seal off movement did they stand any chance of succeeding. Setting aside the rare treasures aboard, the value of a single treasure ship alone was enough to let them live in comfort for the rest of their lives.

Yet they had never imagined that before they had even begun attacking the protective formation, their target would flee for dear life as if they had taken the wrong medicine—and by the look of it, deliberately charge into a reef field. What were they supposed to do now?

The sea mist might have a relatively minor effect on spirit beast experts, but it was not something they could completely ignore. If they too drove their ship as recklessly as Wei Zhao, a few stray knocks against the reefs would punch holes in the hull, and then the joke would be on them.

The spirit beast experts exchanged glances and finally had no choice but to abandon the pursuit in frustration. Treasure ships were rare encounters, but with enough patience, another opportunity would surely come. These spirit beast pirates might live beyond the law, but they valued their lives greatly. There was no way they would dare gamble like Wei Zhao…

Under the shroud of sea mist, the giant treasure ship tore along at maximum speed for a full hour, and everyone aboard spent that hour in nail-biting suspense—especially the helmsman, the most skilled in maritime affairs of them all, who was frightened into numbness.

Laymen merely watched the spectacle, at most sensing that something impressive was happening without understanding why. But to a professional like him, Wei Zhao's method fundamentally overturned his worldview and his entire outlook on life. An hour of extreme speed through the sea mist, and yet nothing at all had happened. A giant treasure ship could actually be sailed like this?

After another moment, the view before them unexpectedly opened up. Visibility that had been a mere ten zhang suddenly stretched to several hundred, and it was still rapidly extending farther. The layers of sea mist soon vanished without a trace, and the scene before them returned to an endless expanse of blue sky and white clouds.

"That will do. I'll leave the rest to you." Wei Zhao then gestured for the helmsman beside him to take over. A burst of delighted cheers erupted from the crowd around them. Everyone had thought that this time they would be lucky to escape with their skins intact. Who would have imagined that thanks to Wei Zhao's handling, they had passed through without wind or wave!

"Little Junior Brother, you're amazing!" Shangguan Lan'er said joyfully, clinging to Wei Zhao's arm, while little Juantuan the bear capered along with her. The people nearby hurriedly cleared a wide berth—the little creature still had a pair of giant shears in its paws, and one careless moment could cost a man his vital parts.

"Setting everything else aside, this kid really does have some skill." In the corner, Xu Lingchong and Kang Jingming exchanged a glance. Watching Wei Zhao, surrounded by the crowd at the center and hailed as a hero, their eyes held both envy and jealousy.

In fact, even Lan Tieshan, who had opposed the plan outright from the start, now couldn't help but regard Wei Zhao with new respect. He had never dealt with Wei Zhao before; everything he knew had come from hearsay. He had assumed Wei Zhao was like Ma Dangfeng, that so-called top rookie king—a mere embroidered pillow, more fame than substance. He had not expected the man to truly have a few tricks up his sleeve. No simple fellow.

"As expected of the champion of the South Island Escort Agency grand gathering. This time you have truly opened my eyes," Gongyang Jun said mildly, glancing at Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao was somewhat surprised to hear this—Gongyang Jun actually knew about that? But on reflection, it made sense. The Law Enforcement Hall under his command was not only the enforcement organ of the North Island Sandie Pavilion but also its intelligence agency. If even Shangguan Tianxia knew of it, then to Gongyang Jun it would naturally be no secret either.

"Hall Master Gongyang flatters me. A trifling trick, hardly worth mentioning," Wei Zhao said with a modest smile.

Gongyang Jun said no more. After exchanging a glance with Lan Tieshan, the two silently vanished into the crowd. Now that the crisis was over, they ought to resume their mission of secretly protecting Shangguan Lan'er. They could hardly stand out in the open like this.

The rest of the journey passed without incident. Seven days later, the giant treasure ship finally arrived at the West Island docks, two days behind schedule—because Wei Zhao had taken a considerable detour while fleeing at the helm. Even so, that was far better than being trapped in place by the sea mist or falling into the hands of the spirit beast pirates.

In any case, it was only two days late. Ning Xuefei's birthday banquet was not until three days from now, so this bit of delay hardly mattered.

The arrival of the giant treasure ship made the already bustling West Island docks even livelier. The docks were crowded with a sea of people, and nearly everyone in the vicinity had squeezed over to watch the spectacle.

With all eyes upon them, Wei Zhao and Shangguan Lan'er led the way down from the treasure ship, while the rest disembarked in order of status. Only Gongyang Jun and Lan Tieshan were nowhere to be seen—they would not appear in such a public setting.

"Greetings, Miss Shangguan. I am Feng Lu, the special reception envoy for this occasion. By the Island Master's command, I have been waiting here for our distinguished guests from North Island. You must have had a tiring journey." A woman stepped forward from the crowd.

Wei Zhao sized her up. She had the face of a young woman, but her features were plain, as if she had never applied any beauty treatments. Yet what shocked him was that this woman named Feng Lu, though she gave off no aura of an expert whatsoever, was in fact a Xuan Ascension stage expert!

It seemed West Island truly was a place where experts gathered like clouds! (To be continued…)