Chapter 4185 — Vital Intelligence
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
The former Young Master Xu had thought of nothing but succeeding Xu Yuanzheng, then becoming Shangguan Tianxia's son-in-law, and lifting the Xu family one rung higher—that would have been fulfillment enough. But by present reckoning, such ambitions were child's play to Xu Lingchong; his aspirations now reached far, far higher.
With the center—whose foundations defied heaven itself—at his back, he had power in abundance and influence to match. So long as he advanced step by step, what great undertaking could he possibly fail to achieve?
Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the whole company, Si Haitao included, vied to curry favor, flattering the already complacent Xu Lingchong into transports of delight. Only then did they disperse.
"By the way, Zhaoming, Pinliang, the two of you come with me to the Welcome Pavilion. I want to have a look at that boy Meng Zhou." Xu Lingchong called the two back, paused, then suddenly sneered. "And while we're at it, we may as well see Wei Zhao. Isn't the fellow at the height of his fame? I should like to see just how much ability he has grown!"
At the mention of Wei Zhao, Xu Lingchong's naturally sinister air turned all the more venomous, like a viper flicking out its bloody forked tongue, until everyone present felt the hairs on their bodies stand on end.
Though joining the center now seemed to Xu Lingchong a blessing in disguise, he had not forgotten the day the little curling bear had snapped him out of existence. Almost every time he closed his eyes, that day came back to him, haunting him like a nightmare that would not fade—and the author of it all was that meddling Wei Zhao!
That a mysterious man in black had afterward carried him into the center he owed, in a manner of speaking, to Wei Zhao, and ought to thank him properly. As for how to thank him—naturally, he would find an opportunity to exact blood for blood!
"Yes, sir!" Kang Jingming and Zhong Yongliang exchanged a glance and answered together, faces alight with excitement.
Kang Jingming at once led the way, bursting with vigor. Stifled under Wei Zhao's heel for so long, and then cold-shouldered by Hu Yunfeng, master of the Welcome Pavilion, he—a new steward who had lost his patron—was now a shadow of his former self, and many of the newcomers no longer took him seriously at all.
But now that Xu Lingchong had returned in force, he could at last borrow the tiger's might once more, lift his tail high again, and throw his weight around in the Welcome Pavilion!
Beside him, the delight on Zhong Yongliang's face was feigned. His only thought now was to find a chance as soon as possible to slip the intelligence to Leader Wei Zhao. This matter of Zhang Naipao was of the gravest importance.
The three set off for the Welcome Pavilion. Hu Yunfeng, a man of the Xu family faction, scrambled out to receive them the moment word arrived, hovering at their side and attending to their every need.
Yet when the party reached the newcomers' cave dwellings of the Azure Cloud Pavilion, Wei Zhao was nowhere to be seen. According to the other Azure Cloud Pavilion newcomers nearby, Wei Zhao had been summoned away by Shangguan Lan'er only a short while before.
"Gone off with Shangguan Lan'er?" Xu Lingchong's expression shifted at once, though he quickly smoothed it back to normal. He felt no trace of affection for Shangguan Lan'er any longer—she was like Wei Zhao in that regard; all he had left was a bellyful of fury and a hatred that seared to the bone!
Kang Jingming, hearing this, could not hide his disappointment. Having finally regained the coattails of Young Master Xu, he had thought at last to have his chance to strut before Wei Zhao and recover his ground—only to meet with such a result. It was like driving a heavy fist into cotton, leaving a man sunk in frustration for no reason at all. R1152