Chapter 4739 — The Destined Consort
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
Nor was it only Ning Shanghe, the mother. Beside her, Yan Xinlan and Liu Ziqi were likewise seething with wrath. The two exchanged a knowing glance, and a flicker of killing intent flashed past.
If Ning Shanghe were to give tacit consent, they would not in the least mind playing the unseen assassin. They had watched Ning Xuefei grow up since she was small, and nothing could make them stand by and watch her leap into a pit of fire; still less could they allow a shameless wretch like Kang Jingming to become the Western Island's consort.
Ning Shanghe gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. As Ning Xuefei's mother, she wished for it more than anyone, but another, more important identity forbade her from doing so. Even if she wished it ten thousand times over that Kang Jingming not become the Western Island's consort, she could never resort to such crude means, so easily turned into a weapon against her.
"Everyone, the time is about right. We shall break for the midday rest, and announce the results this afternoon," Ning Shanghe declared placidly, and promptly led Ning Xuefei from the field first, leaving the crowd staring in astonishment.
The other trial participants were unbothered. It was plain enough that this no longer concerned them; whether the results were announced now or in the afternoon made not the slightest difference. If they could not wait, they were free to leave this very moment.
Kang Jingming's expression, however, was a veritable spectacle. Smug but moments ago, he had even prepared his acceptance speech; at Ning Shanghe's words he nearly bit his own tongue off.
A midday rest? High-level cultivators did not even need to eat, drink, or relieve themselves, and going without sleep or rest was common knowledge. Damn it, what did anyone mean by a "midday rest"?
For a moment, feeling the ill-intentioned gazes of the Western Island disciples from every direction, Kang Jingming was scared witless on the spot. His prospective mother-in-law had deliberately carved out this blank stretch of time—surely she did not mean to give these Western Island disciples their opening?
Kang Jingming was a schemer himself, and faced with such a thing his mind naturally ran to conspiracy theories. Think about it: if he could be killed off before the trial results were announced, then the Thunder Mystic Vine could be reclaimed in all propriety, and all the Western Island would have paid was a scapegoat. However he looked at it, that was a bargain.
At this very moment, under the envious gazes of the other trial participants, Kang Jingming was drenched in sweat, his legs gone weak with fright. Why would Ning Shanghe not play by the rules? What was he supposed to do now?
Watching the other trial participants withdraw one after another, Kang Jingming sat on pins and needles. Instinctively he made to bolt, but Xu Lingchong caught him by the arm.
"Young... Young Master Xu, this looks bad. Why don't we just run for it? That brat Wei Zhao can't possibly come back anyway—so long as we keep him from getting his hands on Ning Xuefei, taking the Thunder Mystic Vine back with us should count as completing the mission, right?" Kang Jingming proposed nervously.
"What's the panic?" Xu Lingchong snorted. He of course knew how grave the situation was. To dig up an immature Thunder Mystic Vine by the roots—they had gravely offended nearly every Western Island disciple. Even if Ning Shanghe made no move, there was no guaranteeing the people below would not take matters into their own hands and send assassins after them. Such things were impossible to guard against.
"But..." Kang Jingming still wanted to flee. To his mind, the period before the trial results were officially announced was the most dangerous of all—especially in a place surrounded by Western Island experts on every side. If someone took it into their head to launch a surprise assassination, he would not even know how he died. (To be continued)