Chapter 3987 — A Strange Relationship
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
After all, the agreement between them and Xu Lingchong had not been settled by those few men alone; the fact that the two sides could shake hands and make peace was the result of a mutual compromise between the powers behind each of them. To act rashly would not only offend the other party but even breed resentment among one's own backers.
To offend people both within and without—Nantian Ba, however hot-tempered he might be, would never do anything so foolish.
Nantian Guan had no choice but to fall silent. He now stood right at the threshold of Foundation Establishment perfection, and the Star Ink Stone tempted him more than it tempted anyone else; to be caught in a position where he plainly suspected and yet could not act was enough to drive a man to sheer, maddening frustration.
As they spoke, Nantian Ba had already taken the lead and walked off into the distance—and the direction he was heading was, remarkably enough, straight toward where Gongyang Jun and Wei Zhao sat.
"Hall Master Gongyang, it has been a long time." Coming up before them, Nantian Ba spoke first in greeting, while Wei Zhao, an insignificant figure of no consequence, was simply ignored outright.
Gongyang Jun lifted his eyelids and gave him a faint glance. "That proposal from last time—have you thought it over?"
"That matter... still requires careful consideration..." Nantian Ba hesitated for a moment, then shot Wei Zhao a glance, as though there were some secret involved that no outsider could be permitted to know. At once his face turned harsh and his voice sharp. "What sort of creature are you, to dare sit here and disturb the conversation between Hall Master Gongyang and myself? Get out of the way, and be quick about it!"
Wei Zhao's brows knitted at once. Nantian Ba might be formidable, but by his estimation the man still fell far short of Gongyang Jun before him—even Gongyang Jun had never been so overbearing, so who did this Nantian Ba think he was?
"My apologies. I have never been in the habit of giving up my seat to anyone. If you wish to speak with Hall Master Gongyang at length, sir, you might consider finding another place?" Wei Zhao raised an eyebrow and said mildly.
"What did you say, you little wretch?" Nantian Ba's fiery temper flared up on the spot.
As for Gongyang Jun, he merely went on lounging lazily in his seat, wearing the expression of one entirely detached from the affair.
"I have no interest in repeating myself. If you have a problem with your ears, sir, I suggest you find a physician—there may still be hope for a cure." Wei Zhao remained utterly unmoved.
However powerful his opponent, so long as that opponent came looking for trouble and provocation, Wei Zhao had never known the meaning of backing down. When enemies meet on a narrow path, the brave prevail; a cowardly milksop could never become a peerless expert standing at the very summit.
"You're asking for death!" The words squeezed out from between Nantian Ba's teeth. Never had he imagined that he could be publicly provoked by an ant of such feeble strength.
Wei Zhao's mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation could not escape his eyes; before an exalted Golden Core expert such as himself, Wei Zhao could indeed only be reckoned a worthless speck that would shatter at a single blow.
As the words fell, Nantian Ba's ferocious aura was abruptly driven to its very peak, drawing a chorus of startled cries from the whole hall. A Golden Core expert was no trifling matter to begin with, but what astonished people even more was that anyone would dare to start a fight in such a setting.
"This is Miss Shangguan's birthday banquet. Before you raise your hand, sir, you had best think carefully about the consequences." Wei Zhao spoke unhurriedly.