Chapter 4721 — What Is a Bottom Line?
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Well, well—what a small world! I thought some clueless fool had beaten us to it, but it turns out to be you, Mr. Show-Off himself!" Kang Jingming snapped once he'd recovered his wits, hopping mad. At the same time he couldn't resist leveling his laser cannon at Wei Zhao, itching for any excuse to put a shot into him.
Kang Jingming and Xu Lingchong were stunned—but in truth, Wei Zhao and Huo Yudie were even more stunned than they were. Wei Zhao had sensed them coming beforehand, yet his shock now was no act; he genuinely had not expected these two to show up here.
With an unobtrusive glance at the laser cannon in Kang Jingming's hand, Wei Zhao quietly readied himself for a fight. In terms of raw cultivation, the two of them posed no threat whatsoever—but that laser cannon could effortlessly annihilate a cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and it had to be guarded against.
Worse, the two of them had planted themselves right at the exit. If fighting broke out, his and Huo Yudie's position would be terribly disadvantageous—they'd be like turtles trapped in a jar. If it came to blows, they absolutely had to strike first.
Meanwhile, Huo Yudie was also quietly gathering her qi. Running into these two here, at a time and place like this, made an amicable resolution all but impossible. She might be a woman, but if it truly came to a fight, she, Huo Yudie, would be the first to hit hard.
Unlike Kang Jingming, whose mind was fixed on finding an excuse to make trouble for Wei Zhao, Xu Lingchong's attention was on the Thunder Mystic Vine. After sweeping a glance over the cliff face, he frowned. "Hm? Why are all these Thunder Mystic Vines still immature? Don't tell me you two already hacked down the mature ones?"
"Are you blind? If we'd cut them, go on and find them. Did you eat them? We only just got here!" Wei Zhao retorted, curling his lip with obvious hostility.
Xu Lingchong and Kang Jingming exchanged a look. It was true that neither Wei Zhao nor Huo Yudie showed any sign of carrying Thunder Mystic Vine—after all, if they really had cut down a whole plant, the combined bulk would be far from small, and there'd be no hiding it on their persons.
"So you two came for the Thunder Mystic Vine as well?" Xu Lingchong asked again.
"Obviously. What else would anyone come to a place like this for—the scenery?" Wei Zhao's tone carried an unmistakable whiff of gunpowder; he gave the impression of a man stewing in his own frustration. He snorted coldly. "After all that trouble getting here, it turns out none of them are ripe yet. Whole trip wasted—nothing to do but go back empty-handed. What rotten luck!"
As he spoke, he threw a look at Huo Yudie and led the way out with a sour expression. Xu Lingchong and Kang Jingming made no move to stop them; since the other pair hadn't gotten any Thunder Mystic Vine anyway, letting them go was no loss. They obligingly stepped aside to open a path.
Huo Yudie followed Wei Zhao's lead with her heart in her throat—and to her amazement, they truly passed through without a hitch. She couldn't help admiring his composure and quick wits: carrying an entire Thunder Mystic Vine on him, yet he'd hoodwinked the other two so thoroughly. What an actor he was.
They let Wei Zhao and Huo Yudie pass. Kang Jingming had originally meant to pick a fight, but since Wei Zhao had so sensibly conceded and withdrawn—and since his superiors had told him not to provoke the man—he simply couldn't be bothered. Turning to Xu Lingchong, he said, "Young Master Xu, since that's the case, let's just dig them up ourselves. Forget that show-off."
"These two Thunder Mystic Vines aren't mature yet. Taking them back would be useless." Xu Lingchong shook his head with a frown.
"That's true enough." Kang Jingming thought it over, then suggested, "How about we pull them up roots and all and take them back? The higher-ups handed down the order, so let them sort out the details. We've done the best we could."