Chapter 4659 — Qi Wenmo's Beloved

At this point, Qi Wenmo could hardly say anything more and merely nodded: "In that case, I won't stand on ceremony with you, Brother Ling."

"That's more like it." Wei Zhao smiled. In his eyes, Qi Wenmo was one of his own, just like his long-suffering senior brothers, and he had never been stingy with his own. If the Golden Core of Gathering Infants could help bring about a happy union, so much the better.

"Truth be told, I'm ashamed—ever since we first met, I've done nothing but receive favors from you, Brother Ling. If we're counting debts of gratitude, selling my life to you wouldn't be enough to repay them. It seems I can only serve you as an ox and a horse," Qi Wenmo said, half joking, half in earnest.

"With a perfectly good escort agency awaiting you as its young master, why would you want to be my ox or horse? Don't forget, Brother Qi, I still hold a thirty percent share in the Qingtian Escort Agency. Helping you is helping myself—call it a long-term investment, not some favor or debt of gratitude." Wei Zhao laughed heartily, dismissing the notion.

"Heh, if every merchant under heaven invested the way you do, Brother Ling, they'd all be drinking the northwest wind and never recover their capital in this lifetime." Qi Wenmo shook his head with a smile, then looked at the Golden Core of Gathering Infants in his hand and could not help growing excited. "Honestly, Brother Ling, this Golden Core of Gathering Infants is a gift in the snow. My father and I have been asking around for one for half a year, but there's simply none to be had in South Continent. You've resolved a pressing need of mine."

"Enough. Condense your Nascent Soul at once, then go win the heart of that Ship King's daughter. I'm waiting to drink at your wedding," Wei Zhao said with a chuckle.

"Rest assured. What you said just now opened my eyes, Brother Ling. Since fate has brought us together, I must seize it tightly. I will never let myself live in regret." Qi Wenmo's gaze instantly turned fervent again, now with a visible measure of resolve that had not been there before.

"That's the Brother Qi I know!" Wei Zhao nodded in approval and laughed. "Don't forget to send me an invitation when the time comes. I'll come no matter how far—I want to see for myself just how this daughter of the Ship King is so ravishing that she could enchant you."

"That..." Qi Wenmo lowered his head and rubbed his hands, a little embarrassed. "Actually, she's here this time too. If you really want to meet her, Brother Ling, you can in the next couple of days..."

"What? I didn't see her. Was she sitting with you just now?" Wei Zhao blinked. Earlier he had only had eyes for Qi Wenmo and had not paid attention to who was beside him.

"Yes. The main reason I came this time was to have more chances to be near her. She's mixed in with the South Continent delegation, but this is a secret visit—very few people know her identity," Qi Wenmo said with a bitter smile.

"Oh? Then I really must find a chance to get acquainted!" Wei Zhao laughed heartily. Seeing Qi Wenmo's bashful look, he teased: "So you and her are quite close, then—already walking together. Not bad, not bad!"

"Uh, you misunderstand, Brother Ling. There's nothing between us yet. We're traveling together this time mainly because our Qingtian Escort Agency is working with her family's Treasure Ship Transport Company," Qi Wenmo said, his old face flushing red again.

"What cooperation?" Wei Zhao asked, surprised.

"For this birthday banquet, the South Continent Escort Alliance has a huge shipment of goods to deliver to West Island. This used to be the Four Seas Escort Agency's business, but now it's fallen to our Qingtian Escort Agency. Not just West Island—basically all the long-distance escort business connected to the other Cloud Tier Islands will be handled by our Qingtian Escort Agency from now on," Qi Wenmo explained.

"That's excellent. If you can swallow up all that business, the agency will be reborn!" Wei Zhao's eyes lit up.

An escort agency confined to the waters of South Continent and one that ranged across the five Cloud Tier Islands were existences on two entirely different levels. Once the Qingtian Escort Agency successfully digested this long-distance business, its strength would advance by leaps and bounds, beyond the reach of any other agency still confined to the South Continent seas.

"Yes, my father and I both see this business as crucial—not the slightest mistake can be allowed. But we don't have treasure ships of our own, and ordinary sea vessels simply cannot cross such vast distances. That's why we decided to cooperate with the Treasure Ship Transport Company. It was through this matter that I met her..." A silly smile suddenly surfaced on Qi Wenmo's face.

Wei Zhao could not help but laugh at the sight. The old Qi Wenmo had been, if not a gallant ladies' man, certainly an elegant young gentleman. Now, because of a woman, he had become a foolish, lovestruck swain. Truly, the word "love" was wondrous and unfathomable.

"Enough, Brother Qi. Put away that infatuated look—I'm getting goosebumps," Wei Zhao said, shaking his head speechlessly.

"The pot calls the kettle black. Aren't you tangled up in your own debts of love, Brother Ling? Now that's what I call true brothers," Qi Wenmo laughed.

"I'm not nearly as infatuated as you..." Wei Zhao pursed his lips, then asked: "By the way, how are things in South Continent lately? Have the spirit beasts made any moves?"

"They've already begun. The waters and city docks closest to South Island have all been taken over by spirit beast experts. For now they claim they're only maintaining order and haven't started charging fees directly, but everyone knows it's only a matter of time." Qi Wenmo's expression turned several degrees graver at the mention of this.

"So they couldn't hold back after all." Wei Zhao nodded. Frankly, the spirit beasts taking this long to make a move was itself quite unexpected. With Zhuque's ambitious posture, laying hands on the surrounding South Continent waters was inevitable—no one could stop it short of war with the spirit beast clan.

"We have you to thank for the warning, Brother Ling—otherwise our Qingtian Escort Agency would have suffered badly! Did you know the Shenfeng Escort Agency has already fallen apart? One of their fleets refused to submit, and its people were blasted to death on the spot by spirit beast experts. After that, every escort run the Shenfeng Escort Agency made ended in wrecked ships and dead men. They can't hold on at all now. That's the price of provoking the spirit beast clan. If we hadn't prepared in advance, I'm afraid it would be us they'd have set their sights on." Qi Wenmo spoke with lingering fear.

"The Shenfeng Escort Agency?" Wei Zhao pondered for a moment before recalling. It was one of the five great escort agencies, an old aristocratic house just like the Four Seas Escort Agency! R1152