Chapter 4881 — Mutual Flattery

"Still not clearing out? This spot belongs to our Morning Star Academy now!" Wei Zhao said, looking coldly at Ren Zhongyuan and Yi Xiaotian and the rest of their group.

"What?!" Ren Zhongyuan and the others were struck as if by lightning. A moment ago they had watched Wei Zhao single-handedly drive off Lei Dong Academy and breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they could at last keep hold of these Thunder Tribulation nodes. They had never imagined that the wolves would indeed be chased away only for a fiercer, more savage white-browed tiger to come stalking in.

The Morning Star Academy crowd was overjoyed at these words, while the disciples of Chenjiao Academy and Xiangyun Academy looked as though they were at a funeral. Even Wang Dianxing and the others from Lei Dong Academy had been cowed into perfect submission by Wei Zhao—how much more so these people, who knew his strength far more intimately. Now all they could do was look on with greedy eyes, not one of them daring to make a move.

In truth, Wei Zhao's words were not simply born of vented anger. After all, his current identity was still that of the Morning Star squad's temporary captain, and Morning Star Academy and Chenjiao Academy were twin-born mortal enemies. He was not in the least afraid of making trouble for Morning Star Academy; in fact, if he did not do this, he might well be complained about by Ling Yuanqing and the others once he returned.

As for Xiangyun Academy, they had always advanced and retreated as one with Chenjiao Academy, so it mattered even less. At bottom, the source of Wei Zhao's dislike for them lay squarely with fools like Ren Zhongyuan—so let them complain.

"This..." Ren Zhongyuan, Yi Xiaotian, and Yao Jiali all looked discomfited. Yet they brazenly refused to retreat at once, instead gazing pitifully at Huo Yudie, hoping that for the sake of past ties she might put in a good word for them.

After all, there were fully fifty-some Thunder Tribulation nodes here. Even if Morning Star Academy took thirty, that still left over twenty. Rather than let those bystanders pick up the cheap spoils for nothing, it would be better to let familiar faces like themselves have them as a favor—it would cost Wei Zhao and Morning Star Academy nothing at all.

But they had clearly flattered themselves. These so-called familiar faces were nothing but a dead loss as far as Wei Zhao was concerned—did they really think they counted as a point in their favor? If not for them, the other disciples of Chenjiao Academy and Xiangyun Academy might have managed to snatch a few spots. Now, thanks to them, it was all down the drain.

For a time, the disciples of the two academies who knew of the bad blood between Wei Zhao and Ren Zhongyuan's group all stared at them with bitter resentment. It was only because of their deep backgrounds that they were not beaten to death on the spot; anyone else would have been set upon by the mob. These were the very horses that ruined the herd!

Wei Zhao could not be bothered with these people. He promptly directed the Morning Star Academy disciples into the Thunder Tribulation nodes. As for the remaining twenty-odd, he handed full authority to Huo Yudie, letting her find a few disciples on good terms with her to divide them up. Everyone else could only squat obediently to one side and watch the show.

"Junior Sister Yudie! Junior Sister Yudie!" Seeing that the decision now rested with Huo Yudie, Ren Zhongyuan and the others immediately felt their chance had come again. They hurried over and said, "Show some consideration for old times' sake! Even if only for the sake of our two academies advancing and retreating as one, you can't give us not a single one, surely? If it really comes to it, we can even pay spirit jade to buy them!"

"I never said not a single one," Huo Yudie said, glancing at them. Before Ren Zhongyuan and the others could rejoice, she casually called over several other Xiangyun Academy disciples. She had once spent a period as an exchange student at Xiangyun Academy, so she could still name a few friends she was on good terms with.

Ren Zhongyuan and the others watched helplessly as those few entered the Thunder Tribulation nodes in high spirits, utterly dumbfounded. They felt their faces burning with stinging pain—what a crisp, soundless slap in the face that was!

The other onlookers, meanwhile, gloated over Ren Zhongyuan's misfortune while eying the Thunder Tribulation nodes with watering mouths. Their numbers were no fewer than Morning Star Academy's, and watching the others stroll leisurely into the nodes, every one of them could not help but grow restless.

But with Wei Zhao holding the field, they would not dare make a move even if they had a hundred times the courage. After all, this was a mid Xuan Ascension cultivator—who would dare offend him?!

The others had all entered the Thunder Tribulation nodes one after another, yet Wei Zhao and his companions did not go in at once. On the one hand, they were holding the surrounding onlookers in check; on the other, after several months apart, they naturally wanted to catch up a little—especially since this was the first time Huo Yudie had met Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao.

"Little sister pays her respects to Sister Xinyan and Sister Xiaotao," Huo Yudie said, blushing as she greeted the two women.

"What? You're older than both of them, aren't you? And you're calling them 'sister'?" Wei Zhao was instantly amused. But when he turned his head, he found Huo Yudie fixing him with a murderous glare. He broke out in a cold sweat and hastily pasted on an apologetic grin—bringing up a woman's age in front of her was simply asking for death...

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao glared at Wei Zhao in unison, instantly leaving him under crushing pressure and forcing a bitter smile. This was the rhythm of carelessly incurring the wrath of the crowd.

Wang Xinyan affectionately took Huo Yudie's hand and said with a gentle smile, "Though I can hardly deserve the title of 'sister' from you, because of a certain someone, we truly are sisters. We must see much more of each other from now on. Xiaotao and I have no friends at all in the Eastern Continent, so we sisters will be good company for one another."

Wei Zhao silently gave a thumbs-up. He had never noticed before—so Wang Xinyan had the makings of a harem mistress after all.

"Sister is right," Huo Yudie said with a shy smile, casting Wei Zhao a glance full of charm. She and Wei Zhao had clearly done nothing yet, but Wang Xinyan's words were as good as indirectly granting her a title and status, and she could not help feeling a little thrill in her heart.

At this moment she also felt quite fortunate. Thankfully, Wei Zhao's confidantes were all easy to get along with. Han Jingyi and the others went without saying, and even Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao, whom she was meeting for the first time, were gentle, water-like women. Had it been a woman of forceful character or a jealous disposition instead, her prospects with Wei Zhao would have been rather uncertain.

"Sister Yudie really does inspire tenderness at first sight. When we first heard him speak of you, the two of us were quite startled—to think he could even win over the sister of one of the Three Fairies. A certain someone is truly blessed in romance," Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao said, exchanging smiles.

"Not at all. Sister Xinyan is one of the Three Fairies too, and Sister Xiaotao's beauty is in no way beneath mine. If anyone inspires tenderness at first sight, it is truly the two of you," Huo Yudie said, covering her mouth with a laugh.