Chapter 4810 — No Way Out

Putting away the Beauty Pill, Leng Rufeng and Yang Qianshuang both nodded their thanks. Only then did Leng Rufeng suddenly react, blurting out in shock, "You said just now that you can refine the Thunder Profound Pill? You're a seventh-grade alchemist?"

It was not only Leng Rufeng who was shocked; even Chen Xinglan beside him wore a look of astonishment. She had known only that Wei Zhao was the consort of West Island, and that he was a disciple of the Sandie Pavilion of North Island, but never once had she known he was a seventh-grade alchemist. My heavens, how old was he?!

"I suppose so." Wei Zhao and Ning Xuefei exchanged a smile. Strictly speaking, alchemy in his hands relied entirely on the Shennong Medicine Cauldron; he himself was merely the one who poured in true qi and lent a hand, and could hardly be counted a bona fide seventh-grade alchemist. Yet to say he was not would also be untrue, for he really could refine the Thunder Profound Pill with ease, at an efficiency far greater than that of an ordinary seventh-grade alchemist...

A chorus of sharp intakes of breath rose unbidden through the private box. Every one of them, Chen Xinglan included, now looked at Wei Zhao as though he were some kind of monster. Half a month of fierce battle had already proven the fellow a monster, but none of them had truly expected that this was only the tip of the iceberg.

Leng Rufeng stared at Wei Zhao in a daze, at a loss for what to say, and could only hurry to drain a cup of wine to steady himself. Truth be told, he still felt a touch of resentment at having lost to Wei Zhao; were anyone else in his position, they could not have accepted it wholly either.

Only, there had been a wager beforehand, and Wei Zhao had of his own accord promised him the Beauty Pill and the Thunder Profound Pill—that was the sole reason Leng Rufeng had been willing to lower himself to serve as his guard. But now he felt something close to genuine reverence. A seventh-grade alchemist so young—there was no second such person under heaven!

"Brother Leng, may I ask you something? Once Miss Yang has fully recovered from her injuries, will you still remain at Xiangyun Academy?" Wei Zhao asked suddenly. Having heard the conspiracy of Ren Zhongyuan and the others, this was the thing he most needed to clarify.

Silence fell over the table at once. Wei Zhao waited quietly for the answer, and it was a long while before Leng Rufeng spoke. "Three months. I will stay here only three months."

"Only three months?" Wei Zhao's brows knit at once. This matched exactly what Ren Zhongyuan and the others had predicted.

"That's right. If you find it unsuitable, you need not give me the Thunder Profound Pill; I will buy the Beauty Pill at market price, and I can serve as your guard for three months. After that, I must beg your pardon, for I have an account in the Profound-Tier Sea Region that I must settle, and no one can stop me." Leng Rufeng's face held a note of apology, but his resolve was absolute.

Wei Zhao regarded him deeply, raised his cup, and did not press further. He had deliberately let the other man know he was a seventh-grade alchemist precisely to elevate his own standing and plant in Leng Rufeng the wish to cultivate his acquaintance, so that he need not worry about Ning Xuefei being left unprotected.

But Leng Rufeng's expression told him plainly that the Profound-Tier Sea Region had likely become an obsession. Had it not been for Yang Qianshuang, he would have had no patience to remain here at all, and no amount of persuasion from Wei Zhao would avail.

In the end, Leng Rufeng had agreed to this condition only because he had lost the duel. The two had been enemies before that, their relationship far from the firmness of friendship. Since Leng Rufeng meant to leave, Wei Zhao had no grounds, by feeling or by reason, to hold him back.

What was to be done, then? Wei Zhao's head began to ache. Since he could not keep Leng Rufeng, then perhaps he would have to remain in East Continent himself; after all, Ning Xuefei's safety came first. Yet he could not simply wear out his days here forever!

Two levels advanced in half a month—plain meditation and cultivation could no longer meet his needs. Whether to consolidate his strength as swiftly as possible or to seek the next opening for a breakthrough, Wei Zhao had to go out and move about the world. Shutting himself away in one place for long stretches was simply not his style.

Troubling as the matter was, Wei Zhao did not make things difficult for Leng Rufeng. Three months it was, then; for what came after, he would simply have to think of something else.

"My thanks." Leng Rufeng felt both gratitude and guilt. He knew his conduct in this was somewhat less than honorable, but he would not change his mind. Three months hence, he must go to the Profound-Tier Sea Region and settle matters once and for all!

Wei Zhao smiled and said no more. After seeing Leng Rufeng and Yang Qianshuang off—with an agreement that they would meet again once Yang Qianshuang had taken the Beauty Pill—he returned to the Newcomers' Court with Ning Xuefei and Chen Xinglan, and there laid the whole matter out.

"What? They would dare be so bold?" Chen Xinglan was instantly shocked. Ning Xuefei herself was not much worried, but after the three of them put their heads together, they decided in the end to send word to the Chenjiao Academy and summon Liu Ziqi and Huo Yudie as well.

Barely half a day later, Liu Ziqi and Huo Yudie arrived, travel-stained and weary. With Ning Xuefei's future safety at stake, the matter allowed no carelessness.

The five sat around the table, every face drawn with worry. Even Liu Ziqi and Chen Xinglan could not, for the moment, devise any effective countermeasure.

"If they made a move, it would be easy enough to deal with—we need only obtain evidence, and the academy could step in at any time. At the very least we could always put them under house arrest. But as things stand, we have only words and no proof. Ah." Chen Xinglan sighed.

Though she was a vice-director of the academy, her temperament made her far from an authoritative figure among its leadership; in status and in say, she could not even compare to Ren Tiansuo. To think of warning or rebuking Ren Zhongyuan and the others with a few words was all but hopeless.

Liu Ziqi, by contrast, was forceful by nature—only she belonged to the Chenjiao Academy, and had even less reason to meddle in the affairs of Xiangyun Academy. On this matter her say was worth even less than Chen Xinglan's.

Seeing everyone frowning, Ning Xuefei spoke up. "It's not really all that serious, is it? As long as I stay with my master the whole time, they can do nothing to me. Surely those people wouldn't be so brazen as to play tricks right in front of my master?"

"That's true enough, but Feifei, you can't stay at Xingmo's side every hour of every day. A thief may be kept at bay for a thousand days, but there is no guarding against one for a thousand. Given time, they will always find a crack to exploit," Liu Ziqi said with a bitter smile and a shake of her head.

"Then how about I move over and keep Feifei company?" Huo Yudie blinked and proposed.

Everyone's eyes lit up at once. Liu Ziqi could not very well relocate just to protect Ning Xuefei, but Huo Yudie could. Chen Xinglan need only arrange an exchange-disciple quota through official channels for her to take up long-term residence here. The two could keep each other company, and Huo Yudie was no weakling—she could guard Ning Xuefei closely.

"We'll see in three months. If no better plan comes to mind by then, this is what we'll have to do," Wei Zhao said with a bitter smile and a shake of his head. In his eyes, this could only be counted a last resort.