Chapter 4977 — Taking Him Down a Peg

"Young Hero Lin, I never imagined that in just a few short months you would already be a skilled hand of the early Xuan Sheng stage—this is truly a cause for celebration!" Okuda Qi was visibly taken aback when he saw Wei Zhao. The last time they met, the young man had only been at the middle Nascent Soul stage, had he not? This was not merely progress—it was flight!

Of course, the man simply had not seen enough of the world. If he knew that Ning Xuefei had gone from the Golden Core stage to the Xuan Sheng stage overnight, his reaction would likely have been the same as Leng Rufeng's—his eyes would have bulged clean out of his head.

"Ha, it is rare enough that I come to the Eastern Continent at all. If I had made no progress in strength whatsoever, how could I bear to go back and face anyone?" Wei Zhao could not help but smile.

"That is going too far! I, Okuda Qi, have lived in the Eastern Continent for so many years, and I have never heard of anyone advancing as fast as you. Young Hero Lin is truly no creature meant for the pond." Okuda Qi sighed with feeling, then asked, "Is Young Hero Lin preparing to set out to sea?"

"Indeed. I intend to make a trip to Middle Island, but I have no other connections here. After thinking it over, I had no choice but to ask the captain for help." Wei Zhao nodded.

"Help? What help? Has Young Hero Lin forgotten that you are the honorary vice-captain of this ship? We are all family here—what is this talk of help?" Okuda Qi put on a show of displeasure.

"Ha, I misspoke. I hope the captain will not take offense." Wei Zhao shook his head with a laugh. Come to think of it, this Okuda Qi was quite the character—capable, and able to turn his face like the flip of a page, yet warmhearted toward anyone who caught his eye. So long as one grew accustomed to his style, he was not hard to get along with.

"Heh heh, now that is more like it!" Okuda Qi laughed and clapped Wei Zhao on the shoulder, then spoke in the tone of one addressing his own kin: "I will have it arranged at once, though it will take a little time to prepare. After all, a warship this immense cannot simply sail off empty. So many brothers above and below decks all need to eat. Running all the way to Middle Island for one man alone is hardly practical—I hope you can understand that."

"Naturally." Wei Zhao nodded. The resources consumed by an ancient warship—such a behemoth—on a single voyage were nothing short of astronomical. Even if Okuda Qi thought highly of him, the man could not possibly take such a loss in earnest; he would certainly seize the chance to turn a profit.

"Good, then. Young Hero Lin is indeed reasonable. I will have Middle Island posted on the board at once. I trust a merchant guild will come knocking soon enough—it will not delay us long." Okuda Qi smiled.

Under normal circumstances, an ancient warship of his scale would not take on such business. It generally dealt with the great personages of the various Cloud-Tier Islands and thereby did business with the forces of every faction—much as he had last carried the disciples of the Chenjiao Academy and the Xiangyun Academy. It seldom ran errands for the great merchant guilds.

But this time was special. The main purpose was to deliver Wei Zhao to Middle Island, and picking up a bit of extra income from the guilds along the way as compensation was only reasonable. Ancient warships had always been much sought after by the great guilds as a favorable wind to ride, for in both speed and safety they far surpassed ordinary treasure ships. So once the board went up, it would not be long before enough business was drawn in.

Wei Zhao was eager to leave the Eastern Continent as soon as possible, but waiting of this kind was unavoidable. He could only settle down aboard the warship with patience.

After circling about for several days in this manner, the warship was finally loaded with vast quantities of goods from the various merchant guilds, and at last the horn sounded.

Standing on the deck, Wei Zhao looked out over the bustling Yellow-Tier Harbor and could not help but feel a surge of emotion. His journey to the Eastern Continent had not been long—only a few short months—yet what he had been through had been full of twists and turns, and every last matter had left a deep impression.

Just as he was lost in reflection, Wei Zhao's eyelid suddenly twitched. Over Yellow-Tier Harbor a fierce wind rose all at once, and in the clouds of the sky above, a man and an eagle flickered in and out of view.

"Eh? Is that not the Life-Reaper? What is he doing here?" Okuda Qi's voice suddenly sounded from beside him. The man had always made a habit of dealing with the great personages of every faction, and Chang Minghui was a name of great renown in the Yellow-Tier sea, so there was no way he would not know him.

"He is here to kill me." Wei Zhao gave a faint smile.

"Truly? When did Young Hero Lin offend such a creature?" Okuda Qi was startled at the words.

"Earlier, on the Road of Giants, I beat his wife and son. Naturally he hates me to the bone. If not for him, I would not be leaving the Eastern Continent in such a tearing hurry." Wei Zhao smiled bitterly.

"Such a thing happened? I recall his wife, Zang Zili, is a skilled hand of the early Kaishan stage, is she not? You could even beat her?" Okuda Qi was once again stunned as though beholding a prodigy.

"That is hardly a good thing, or why else would this creature have chased me all the way here, reeking of murderous intent?" Wei Zhao shook his head with a bitter smile. He had still underestimated Chang Minghui's resolve to kill him. The man had clearly been badly wounded last time, yet so soon he had come back for another round—and chased him all the way to Yellow-Tier Harbor. That was truly beyond what he had expected.

"You need not worry. Since you have come aboard my ship, what use is it for this Life-Reaper to chase you here? Just stand here and watch—see whether he dares come one step closer!" Okuda Qi chuckled. By the look of him, he had not the slightest intention of giving Chang Minghui any face.

"This..." Wei Zhao could not help but be taken aback. He truly had not expected Okuda Qi to be so loyal.

"Heh heh, this is not for your sake alone. Come to think of it, I have a bit of a grudge with this creature myself. Back when I went to his wife to have pills refined, the wretch opened his jaws like a lion and wanted to stick a foot into my warship's affairs—the bullying was too much. This is the perfect chance to take him down a peg!" Okuda Qi sneered.

"Then I thank the captain. I am endlessly grateful." Wei Zhao clasped his hands in gratitude. If Okuda Qi had not stepped forward to shield him today, that scene from the South Continent sea might well have played out again—except that then it had been the Old Sect of Xishan chasing him across the world, and this time it would have been Chang Minghui.

As the two spoke, Chang Minghui on the other side had also spotted Wei Zhao's figure. After all, Wei Zhao stood openly on the deck; if a skilled hand of the late Kaishan stage could not even detect him with his divine sense, that would only prove him a fraud.

"So he really is here!" Chang Minghui was overjoyed. After seeing off his clansman Chang Tianwen last time, he had first gone back to settle Zang Zili and Chang Laiting. Both of them were now little more than living corpses—half-dead vegetables—and unless he could find a peerless healer of the medical dao like Zhang Lifeng to exert every effort to save them, it would be very difficult for them to ever wake.

This outcome naturally left Chang Minghui grinding his teeth with hatred. In his fury, he paid no heed to his own lingering injuries and pursued without hesitation to the Chenxing Academy. Yet he dared not descend directly upon the academy, and could only quietly seek someone to make inquiries for him—only to learn that Wei Zhao had gone to the Xiangyun Academy.