Chapter 4366 — Crashing the Party
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Wang Xinyan was equally torn. Like Huang Xiaotao, she naturally wanted to settle Wei Zhao's score with Wei Zhaotong before leaving, but to go to their master with such a request would only put her in an awkward position. What was to be done?
"Ha, you two are both overthinking it. Who ever said dealing with Wei Zhaotong requires your master to step in? A man of his caliber—does he even deserve to have a patriarch of the Genesis Stage lift a finger against him?" Wei Zhao said with a laugh, watching the two women fret from the sidelines.
"But what can the three of us do alone—just storm their gates by force? Without some respectable pretext, the Hong Merchant Guild won't be so easy to enter. Wei Zhaotong is a cunning old fox; he might just turn around and bite us instead," Wang Xinyan said with some concern.
She knew that even a branch office of the Hong Merchant Guild would have skilled retainers guarding it, and one could not simply barge in. Without a legitimate cause, once the matter blew up, the three of them might well find themselves outmaneuvered by Wei Zhaotong.
"That's not necessarily so. The academy may not be able to touch a creature like Wei Zhaotong, but I can," Wei Zhao said with a knowing smile.
"Eh?" Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao were stunned, exchanging bewildered glances.
"Xiaotao, have you forgotten? I believe I mentioned it to you before—I'm no outsider at the Hong Merchant Guild. I'm one of their own, through and through. I'm their honorary vice-chairman!" Wei Zhao said with a grin.
"That's right!" Huang Xiaotao suddenly remembered. It was only an empty title, of no use in daily life, and if Wei Zhao had not brought it up, she would never have recalled it.
"Honorary vice-chairman?" Wang Xinyan's eyes lit up, and she too brightened with delight. "That's wonderful! The position carries no real authority, but the standing it confers is unmistakable, and the right to speak is beyond question. With these pieces of evidence in hand, it's perfectly suited for dealing with a branch manager like Wei Zhaotong!"
"Exactly. Wei Zhaotong has committed outrages against heaven and reason; he can't be allowed to run wild any longer. Even from the standpoint of an honorary vice-chairman, I owe the Hong Merchant Guild some measure of responsibility," Wei Zhao said, resolve settling into his voice. "To deal with Wei Zhaotong, the first thing we must do is take the Weihu branch office out of his hands. That's a bit beyond my strength alone, so I need you two to help."
"How do we help?" Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao asked eagerly. Neither was of a warlike temperament, but to help Wei Zhao deal with Wei Zhaotong, they were fairly itching to begin.
"Simple. Take on the skilled retainers there with me. Barring surprises, Wei Zhaotong himself is a Nascent Soul expert, and he certainly won't surrender meekly. He'll surely stir up the other retainers against us. To keep things from spiraling out of control, we must strike swiftly and finish the fight as quickly as possible," Wei Zhao analyzed.
"All right!" Huang Xiaotao nodded happily without a second thought. She had long since fallen into the habit of doing whatever Wei Zhao said. Never mind merely seizing control of the Weihu branch—if he had told her to burn it to the ground, she would likely have done that too.
"Mm, understood." Wang Xinyan thought it over briefly, then nodded as well. Her mind was more sensitive than Huang Xiaotao's, so she naturally weighed more—how feasible the plan was, what consequences it might bring for Wei Zhao.
Of course, Wei Zhao's business was her business, and she would never stand by and watch. Still, she needed to think things through before acting, and all things considered, the method Wei Zhao proposed was likely the most direct and effective.