Chapter 4345 — Severe Punishment
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
Qi Wenmo was taken aback for a moment, then regarded Wei Zhao with even greater esteem. This man not only kept his true strength hidden deep, but conducted himself with such neither-humble-nor-haughty composure and such breadth of mind—truly a rare find!
"In that case, I thank Brother Ling for his understanding." Qi Wenmo did not stand on ceremony further. His gaze fell upon the trembling Li and Guan, and he announced coldly: "From this day forth, my Qingtian Escort Agency expels Li Yanji and Guan Zhiyuan, places them on the agency's blacklist, and publicly circulates the notice. They are cast out this very day!"
At these words, the crowd broke into murmurs. For Li and Guan to have committed such treachery, dismissal from the agency was only to be expected. No doubt not a single coin of the pay they had accumulated over the past period would they see—they would be lucky not to be made to compensate for the astronomical losses, let alone speak of wages!
However, placing the two on the agency's blacklist and circulating a public notice was rather more serious, for it meant that their misconduct would become known to every escort agency in the trade. From then on, no agency would be willing to hire them; at least within the escort profession, they could forget about ever working again.
Li Yanji and Guan Zhiyuan exchanged a glance. Hearing this sentence, they were not alarmed but rather delighted—in their view, keeping their lives was already good fortune enough. It was a pity they could no longer work as escorts, but after all, both were capable cultivators of the Golden Core stage; they need not worry about finding somewhere to go.
"Fine, we'll be on our way then!" Now that their lives were spared, Li and Guan immediately grew much bolder. Casting a look of boundless venom at Wei Zhao, they turned to stride out the door.
Wei Zhao narrowed his eyes noncommittally, paying the two clowns no mind, though he was somewhat surprised. Could Qi Wenmo really be so soft-hearted? Such a punishment was not impermissible, but was it not a little too light?
The matter was not over yet. Li and Guan were stooping as they walked out, when suddenly Qi Wenmo's cold voice sounded behind them: "Go? Did I ever say you could leave now?"
As the words fell, the guards ahead at once blocked their path. Li Yanji and Guan Zhiyuan's hearts sank; they turned stiffly to look at Qi Wenmo and asked in terror: "What further orders does the Young Master have?"
"Hmph. What I just said was merely the punishment, as head of the agency, for your dereliction of duty as escorts. The score for your treacherous slander of Brother Ling Yi has not yet been settled!" Qi Wenmo said with a cold sneer.
So he had not finished after all! The corners of Wei Zhao's mouth curved upward. Though he did not take Li and Guan seriously, letting them walk away just like that would have left him somewhat displeased. But now it seemed Qi Wenmo had never intended to let the two off so easily.
"Th-then... what more is there..." Li and Guan said in fear and trembling.
"By the rules of the jianghu, treachery has only one consequence: three blades, six holes. I will not make things especially hard for you, but neither will I let you off so lightly," Qi Wenmo said coldly.