Chapter 3803 — Li Zhengming the Mole; Even a Decent Man Has a Temper, and Now That the Strong and Weak Have Changed Places, How Could Xiao Che Let Meng Zhou Off So Easily?
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
Back then he had thought that throwing in his lot with Meng Jueming, the steward senior brother, would win him more cultivation resources—if not a great slab of meat, then at least a few mouthfuls of broth. Looking back now, he had been utterly blind: from first to last he had gained scarcely any decent benefit, and on top of that had been repeatedly squeezed and trampled by that worthless wretch Meng Zhou!
Had he only opened his eyes a little wider back then and gone over to Wei Zhao from the start, he might well have broken through to Foundation Establishment long ago!
Alas, there are no ifs in this world; the bitter fruit he had brewed he could only eat himself. Even if it cost him blood and tears, for now Li Zhengming could only endure in silence. He believed that so long as he served well as Wei Zhao's mole, in days to come Wei Zhao, as their leader, would surely not treat him shabbily.
That said, though Li Zhengming had yet to break through to Foundation Establishment and paled beside the other four of the top five, against the rest of the Greeting Pavilion's newcomers his strength still gave him ample advantage.
The newcomer who challenged him now ranked in Cave Dwelling Three at the foot of the mountain. After two victories in as many outings over the previous rounds, he had fought his way up all the way from Cave Dwelling Five below the mountain—his strength was, by any measure, quite respectable. Yet in this match against Li Zhengming, the gap was laid bare at once.
From first to last he was pressed and pounded at every turn, and in a mere three illumination periods he was blasted off the platform—a clean, crisp defeat at Li Zhengming's hands, one he accepted wholeheartedly.
Watching Li Zhengming perform so, Wei Zhao, observing from below the platform, felt his eyes light up at once, and inwardly he began to turn matters over: it seemed the time had come to find an opportunity and secure a little benefit for Li Zhengming.
Come to think of it, Li Zhengming had not been on his side for long, but in this stretch as a mole he had been absolutely diligent and earnest, secretly supplying no small amount of valuable intelligence.
Even though Wei Zhao had long since planted Zhong Yongliang as a mole, Zhong Yongliang was, after all, situated in the Soaring Heaven Pavilion and could at best keep watch on Kang Jingming; he could not possibly shadow Meng Jueming at all hours. And as things stood, the most threatening and most immediate enemy to Wei Zhao was none other than Meng Jueming.
That Wei Zhao had repeatedly seen through Meng Jueming's plots and schemes in advance these past days, and calmly countered them so that the other side lost a chicken only to lose the rice as well—in all this, Li Zhengming's merit was paramount.
Reward where earned, punish where due—kindness and severity applied together: that is the one unfailing recipe for commanding subordinates.
So by both sentiment and reason, Wei Zhao had to secure some modest benefit for Li Zhengming; otherwise, if time dragged on and this little brother mole tasted no sweetness, he might at some point turn disaffected and disloyal—and that would be a truly grievous loss.
In Wei Zhao's eyes, Li Zhengming's potential for growth far outstripped Qiao Hongcai's, and compared with Xiao Che he was if anything the more promising. Nurtured properly, he was absolutely a seedling who could one day stand on his own and bear the heaviest beams.
Such talent—so long as his loyalty could be assured—Wei Zhao would naturally not let go to waste.
At the end of the day, the cultivation world has always honored the strong—and "strong" here does not mean strength alone; more important still is power and following.