Chapter 4765 — Passing the Cup
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
Though this place stood on dry land, it lay so close to the sea that any random swell might flood the cave whole, and at times even ravenous sea beasts came prowling out—a spot of the utmost peril.
The Western Island authorities had declared outright that death here was all but certain and survival a matter of chance; ordinary cultivators did not dare set foot in it. Yet these two seemed entirely at ease, paying the warnings no mind at all. Small wonder—their strength was enough to disregard such danger, for one of them was the mysterious man in black, and the other a peerless champion of the spirit beast race, the newly appointed Azure Dragon.
Apart from Miss Luan, his direct superior at the Center, the mysterious man in black carried himself with absolute arrogance and dominance wherever he went, and had never once bowed his head to anyone. Yet this time he was willing to sit below the Azure Dragon, and his tone even carried an indefinable note of humility.
That the mysterious man in black should treat him so spoke volumes about how fearsome this new Azure Dragon's strength must be—a peerless champion of the spirit beast race after all, in name an equal of the Vermilion Bird herself.
One a member of the Center, the other a top elder of the spirit beast race—that these two should meet in such a place would surely set tongues wagging the world over if it were known. But having chosen such a spot, they could hardly be discovered easily; even the reclusive old monsters of the Western Island would not catch the faintest trace of them.
What the two of them discussed, no one knew. Yet judging by the cordial atmosphere of cups passed back and forth, both parties seemed well pleased with this first meeting. Whether some cooperation had been struck, or some alliance forged, was impossible to say.
All of it remained unknowable; apart from the two of them, no third party would ever learn of it. Should anyone happen to overhear even a stray word or two, needless to say, their fate would be to be flung into the sea to feed the beasts—not a chance of living to see the next day.
The next day, the Western Island docks bustled with noise and excitement. The enormous treasure ship bearing the emblem of the Northern Island's Threefold Pavilion lay steady at the water's edge, and after lingering a full two months on the Western Island, the Northern Island delegation was at last ready to set sail for home.
The ship's hold was already packed with return gifts from the Western Island, and the Northern Island disciples had boarded one after another. Lan Tieshan and Gongsun Jie still kept a very low profile, quietly mingling among the crowd.
The happiest of all just then were surely Xu Lingchong and Kang Jingming. From the moment they stepped onto the treasure ship, nerves strung taut for so long finally began to relax. Day after day of late they had shut themselves indoors, hearts in their throats—no one could endure such savage mental strain. They had been pressed until they could scarcely breathe; that they had not been driven to madness was itself a tribute to remarkable fortitude.
Little did they know their fears had been sheer waste of feeling. Ning Shanghe had long since ordered the Western Island disciples to refrain from acting on their own—a host, after all, must bear herself like a host. Had that order never been given, the indignant disciples of the Western Island would have torn the two of them to shreds long ago, and hiding in the embassy residence would have done them no good. When your time is up, it is up.