Chapter 4657 — Alone with His Thoughts

"Huh? Lan'er, you want me to stay and keep him company?" Han Jingyi stared blankly, first at Shangguan Lan'er, then at Wei Zhao. A shy flush suddenly crept across her cheeks.

"Pfft!" Shangguan Lan'er was stunned for a moment, then, once she understood, burst out laughing so hard she nearly choked. Even Wei Zhao was amused. There was no denying Han Jingyi's intelligence—she was a genuine prodigy, a veritable monster—but that held true only for her research. At all other times, she had a habit of saying something foolish now and again, as she had just done.

Having been laughed at by Wei Zhao and Shangguan Lan'er for quite a while, Han Jingyi finally caught on, belatedly. Her face turned crimson in an instant, the blush spreading all the way down her neck. She ducked her head as low as she could; had there been a crack in the floor, the girl might well have dived into it headfirst.

In the end, Shangguan Lan'er, laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath, dragged Han Jingyi away. Once again Wei Zhao was left alone in the room. Holding Ning Xuefei's letter in his hand, he silently resolved himself, and not a shred of hesitation remained.

As the princess of an entire island, Ning Xuefei could write such a letter as this. If Wei Zhao still failed to understand her feelings, he would truly deserve to be struck down by lightning. This time, he could not disappoint her, no matter what.

With the hesitation cleared from his heart, Wei Zhao felt refreshed from head to toe. He knew this West Island trial had drawn experts from every quarter; the road ahead would surely not run smooth, and danger lurking on all sides was a certainty.

Yet ever since his rise in the mortal world, Wei Zhao had never known what fear was. He had come through the dragon's den of South Island without a scratch—was he really to be afraid of a mere West Island trial?

Putting aside all distracting thoughts, Wei Zhao was about to settle his condition and begin cultivating when a familiar aura suddenly appeared outside the door. Wei Zhao's spirits lifted at once: Qi Wenmo had come!

"Brother Qi, I've been waiting for you a long while." Wei Zhao hurried to open the door and warmly invited him in. This was the arrangement the two had made with their eyes at the banquet earlier. Old friends meeting by rare chance here on West Island—of course they had to get together properly.

"My apologies. Things on my end aren't fully settled yet, so I was delayed. I've kept you waiting, Brother Ling." Qi Wenmo smiled apologetically, looked Wei Zhao up and down, then suddenly stepped forward and gave him a bear hug. "Brother Ling, you really do have heaven's favor. Those bastards at the Dragon Boat Escort Agency were still running their mouths, saying you'd died on South Island. Ha! I knew they were talking nonsense!"

Qi Wenmo had long known Wei Zhao's true name, but he had grown used to calling him Brother Ling and could not be bothered to change. Ling Yi and Wei Zhao—they sounded much the same anyway.

"Ha, it's a long story, but I'm not so easy to kill." Wei Zhao smiled and led Qi Wenmo into the room, pouring him a cup of spirit tea himself. Only then did he ask, "By the way, Brother Qi, how did you end up here? Could it be that the Qingtian Escort Agency has good ties with West Island?"

"How could that be? West Island is a towering colossus that holds sway over all of Cloud Terrace Island. We're nothing but a tiny escort agency. If not for you, Brother Ling, they wouldn't even have heard of us—what ties could there possibly be?" Qi Wenmo laughed at himself. His gaze caught the letter on the table, and he found it a little odd, though he paid it no mind.

Wei Zhao smiled at that. Qi Wenmo's words were no false modesty: before Wei Zhao's time, the Qingtian Escort Agency had been known only within the Weihu Sea Region, and beyond that not even the other sea regions of South Continent were likely to have heard of it—let alone West Island, ten thousand li away and wholly unconnected to them.

"This time I came under the banner of the South Continent Escort Alliance. Seizing this rare opportunity, my old man sent me out to see the world—and, if the chance arises, to make a few useful connections along the way. That's the advantage of being the overlord of the South Continent escort world: you can speak for the entire South Continent sea region. If we'd come under the Qingtian Escort Agency's banner alone, they wouldn't even give us a proper look, and we might not have gotten through the door." Qi Wenmo smiled bitterly.

"One step at a time. The fact that the Qingtian Escort Agency can reach beyond the South Continent sea region is itself a welcome advance—at the very least, it shows you've risen a whole level above the past." Wei Zhao smiled and went on to analyze: "Besides, the Qingtian Escort Agency is the overlord of the South Continent escort world now. Any great power that wants a share of the South Continent sea region will ultimately have to go through you. Where there's profit, there are connections—this is a perfect strategic window for the agency to rise further."

"What do you mean 'you'? It's 'we,' isn't it? Don't forget, Brother Ling, you hold shares yourself!" Qi Wenmo said, his expression turning serious.

"All right, all right—we." Wei Zhao could not help laughing. He pressed on: "So, Brother Qi, you've come all this way to West Island just for the birthday feast and to broaden your connections?"

"Not exactly. Those are only incidental. I'm actually here bearing a weighty mission." Qi Wenmo shook his head.

"A weighty mission?" Wei Zhao was taken aback.

"That's right. You saw what happened at the birthday feast, Brother Ling. My old man sent me here specifically on account of this West Island princess. On her eighteenth birthday she'll surely be choosing a husband, and he told me to find some way to compete for it. The odds aren't good, but if I succeed—with a colossus like West Island as our backer—then the Qingtian Escort Agency will stand on unassailable ground." So said Qi Wenmo.

Hearing this, Wei Zhao's expression turned somewhat peculiar. He had guessed there would be no shortage of rivals this time, but he had never imagined that Qi Wenmo would be among them. He truly did not know what to say.

"What is it?" Only then did Qi Wenmo notice Wei Zhao's expression. He started. "Could it be that you're in the running too, Brother Ling? Oh, of course—you're North Island's envoy. I hear North Island and West Island have always been on good terms. It's only natural you'd have such a duty…"

"I…" For a moment Wei Zhao did not know how to begin. His gaze drifted awkwardly to the letter on the table. Surely he could not come out and say that he and Ning Xuefei had long been involved?

Following Wei Zhao's eyes, Qi Wenmo's gaze fell upon the letter as well. He had noticed it from the start: the paper was not fully folded, and the neat, delicate handwriting of a young woman was easy to make out.

In that instant something stirred in Qi Wenmo's heart, and he understood. He glanced at the letter in surprise, then turned to Wei Zhao, hardly able to believe it. "Brother Ling, could it be that you and Ning Xuefei…"

Wei Zhao gave a bitter smile and said nothing.

"Ha! So that's how it is. Then I won't compete—I couldn't beat you anyway!" Qi Wenmo burst into teasing laughter. (To be continued) R466