Chapter 3995 — The Origin of the Pills
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
There were two answers—either he had refined them himself, or they had come by some other means—and each had its own advantages and perils. This was a matter of life and death for the future; before answering, Wei Zhao had to think it through clearly.
If he simply admitted to refining them himself, the risk would be enormous. At the very least, even if he were not seized and made into a pill-refining machine, he would surely incur even deeper hatred from Xu Lingchong, and his troubles hereafter would only multiply. Linghua could shelter him, but there would always be times when Linghua could not watch over him.
If, on the other hand, he chose the other answer and said the two top-grade Foundation Establishment golden pills were not of his own refining, then at first glance this would indeed let him dodge the peril of becoming the target of all. Yet with his identity as a newcomer of the Azure Cloud Pavilion, how easy would it be to fabricate on the spot a plausible and legitimate origin?
Everyone here was a personage of wide experience and keen judgment. However Wei Zhao racked his brains, any lie concocted on the spot stood a chance of at least ninety percent of being exposed then and there—no less than that.
That risk was simply too great. And once a lie was exposed before the crowd, he would be thrown entirely onto the back foot; should Xu Lingchong then fan the flames and cast doubt on the provenance of his two top-grade Foundation Establishment golden pills, the trouble would truly be enormous.
It was not impossible that Gongyang Jun, the hall master of the Law Enforcement Hall, might personally take action and subject Wei Zhao to the soul-search technique.
Advance and it was hard; retreat and it was hard. Whichever choice he made carried enormous risk. At this moment Wei Zhao was like a man bound to the rack and roasted over fire, enduring torment beyond measure.
At last, Wei Zhao gritted his teeth in secret and made ready to confess that he had refined them with his own hands. Though this too was fraught with danger, it was better than the second outcome. As a top-tier rising star watched by many great figures, so long as he trod carefully in all things hereafter, there would still be hope of carving out a thread of survival.
Yet just as Wei Zhao was about to lay his cards on the table with a sigh, Hong Zhong, seated in the master's chair, suddenly spoke: "Everyone, as to the origin of Young Hero Lin's two top-grade Foundation Establishment golden pills, this old man can serve as a witness—for these two pills came precisely from my Hong Merchant Guild."
At these words the whole hall erupted in an uproar, and even Wei Zhao himself was momentarily stunned. He did not let it show, however, and quickly buried the astonishment deep in his heart.
Wei Zhao had never imagined that, without any prior communication, Hong Zhong would suddenly step forward to extricate him. The risk Hong Zhong had to shoulder in doing so was no small matter at all.
After all, Wei Zhao now appeared in his true face; in theory Hong Zhong should never have laid eyes on him. Even if he had judged by build and bearing and suspected that this was Lin Er, with whom he had dealt several times, that could at most be suspicion—it should not amount to a hundred-percent certainty.
Unable to confirm his identity, Hong Zhong had still rashly stepped forward to smooth things over for Wei Zhao—a course wildly at odds with his long-standing style of steady, seasoned dealing. And yet it was precisely this that revealed the remarkable and singular side of the man.
One who knows only steadiness may become a great steward, but can never become a great merchant. Rare goods are worth hoarding; once the moment comes, one must stake heavily—that is the essence of a merchant. (To be continued...) R752