Chapter 3619 — Stealing Jade Again
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
So faced with this, Wei Zhao—contrary to his usual domineering manner—retreated again and again, until at last he was pressed hard into a node in the farthest corner, and only then did no one come to disturb him anymore.
This was the sorriest node in all of Mining Zone Seven. Not only was its yield of jade far below the others, but from the look of it, no one had worked it in a very long time.
"What in the world did this unlucky newcomer do? To have that pack of Foundation Establishment failures gang up on him, and he doesn't even dare squeak—how pathetic is that?"
"Hey, word is Meng Jueming put out the word. The kid didn't know any better and went and offended someone like Meng Jueming. Serves him right, the unlucky bastard!"
"That sorry node he's got—hasn't been touched in years, has it? You think he can still dig up any jade there?"
"Who cares whether he digs up jade or not? It's got nothing to do with us anyway! That node's so far out of the way I can't even be bothered to walk over and take a look. If he can't dig up any jade, all the better—saves us the trip!"
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The guards watched this scene with clicks of the tongue, every one of them wearing the look of a man enjoying a good show, with not the slightest intention of stepping in.
This lot, assigned to guard the mining zone, were bored out of their skulls day after day and loved nothing better than a bit of harmless spectacle. Of course, if things went too far—say, if Wei Zhao were not even left his last node, or if someone actually came to blows—then they would have to intervene.
After discussing it a while, the guards' attention soon drifted away from Wei Zhao again. And because his spot was so very remote, even the guard nearest to him stood at least forty or fifty paces off, quite unable to notice any small trick on Wei Zhao's part—which was exactly what Wei Zhao wanted.
That being so, he could go on working just as he had in Mining Zone Ten, and there would be no problem at all.
Digging away with his head down while smoothly swapping the real for the fake whenever the guards were not looking, Wei Zhao could not help laughing to himself. Meng Jueming might be an enemy, but looking back on one thing after another, the fellow was practically the benefactor of his life—gifting him a cave residence, gifting him spirit jade, gifting him a mining zone, and now, at the first hint of trouble, promptly solving it for him as well. If this were the mortal world, he really ought to hand the fellow a few good-guy cards!
Over on Wei Zhao's side, everything was going smoothly and his spirits were high—but by contrast, Meng Jueming and Meng Zhou, toiling away in Mining Zone Ten, were in no such good mood. Not merely unhappy, in fact: their mood was downright foul.
The same mining zone, the same nodes, and Meng Jueming again throwing himself into the work in person—yet after another full day of labor, the two of them had the same result as yesterday: nothing at all! They had dug up a few more pieces of waste jade, but as for good jade, still not a single piece!
After yesterday's lesson, Meng Jueming no longer clung to the hope that he had simply misjudged. Now he and the equally bedraggled Meng Zhou sat slumped together, the pair of them a thoroughly wretched sight. RP