護花近衛 - 第4429章 慶功宴 - 翰墨軒

Wang Baitiao was on the verge of tears. At his normal level, he would never have dared hope for one stick of incense, but he could reliably make it back within two. This time, however, he had not only gotten tangled up with Wei Zhao for a while—the real killer was that he had run into pirates at the designated spot. That he had escaped with his life at all was nothing short of a miracle.

Luckily, there was one of the Four Seas Escort Agency's own people among the pirates, who secretly let him slip through. Only then did Wang Baitiao get his chance to break free. Even so, in the panic he had smashed a great hole in his boat.

Sailing and patching all the way, Wang Baitiao had truly squeezed out every last drop of strength, even the strength he'd used to suckle at his mother's breast, to survive this time. He had clawed back his miserable little life—only to be greeted by Hai Wuliang's fury.

Over two rounds, the Skyshaker Escort Agency had accumulated three hundred points in total, surging from behind to claim first place. The Four Seas Escort Agency had one hundred and seventy, placing second.

Staring at the scoreboard, Hai Wuliang truly regretted it down to his very guts this time. For the sake of this second round, he had exhausted every trick he knew to get the others to nod it through, believing he could use it to cement first place. Little did he expect that he had only been lifting a rock to smash his own foot, while the Skyshaker Escort Agency sat back and reaped the rewards, perched at the top of the standings.

And so the first day of the Southern Continent Escort Gathering drew to a close. The great escort agencies dispersed one after another, each conserving its strength and preparing for the contests of the second day.

Whether in the streets and alleys or in the taverns and inns, the talk of everyone in Demon Cold City over tea and meals now revolved around the Southern Continent Escort Gathering—and of them all, the one who had stolen the show was none other than the dazzling Skyshaker Escort Agency.

Though it was one of the five great escort agencies of the previous term, its foundations were shallow, and apart from the Vaunted Arc Sea, the Skyshaker Escort Agency had never been particularly well known throughout the Southern Continent's waters. Many people did not even know it was one of the five great agencies.

But this time, the Skyshaker Escort Agency's star had eclipsed every other agency at once, the Four Seas Escort Agency included. Its fame and the eyes upon it had exploded overnight, and it was now regarded as the greatest dark horse of this gathering—even the eventual favorite.

For any escort agency, fame usually meant strength. The greater the fame, the more the public acknowledged one's strength, and the more business came knocking at one's door.

Even Qi Mingyuan and Qi Wenmo, father and son, had never imagined that the Skyshaker Escort Agency could one day be like this, crowding out every other agency to become the center of everyone's conversation.

"Young Hero Ling, the credit for today's contest belongs to you. On behalf of our agency, father and son, we thank you!" At the Skyshaker Escort Agency's victory feast, Qi Mingyuan, with Qi Wenmo at his side, bowed solemnly to Wei Zhao in gratitude.

"The chief escort is too kind. Since I am a member of the Skyshaker Escort Agency, it is only right and proper that I do my part for the agency. Why stand on ceremony?" Wei Zhao hurried to stop him.

"It is no exaggeration at all—you are our agency's great benefactor and hero, and no amount of thanks could ever be enough! We have nothing else to repay you with, so please accept these hundred thousand spirit jades, Young Hero Ling. A small token, do not think it beneath you." As he spoke, Qi Mingyuan had Qi Wenmo bring over a miniature card reader that had been prepared in advance.

A hundred thousand spirit jades! The escorts gathered around could not help swallowing hard at the words.