Chapter 4779 — The Captain Steps In
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"Hmph. I've only suppressed the poison for the time being. If I really were all right, would those two dogs at the door still dare stand there?" Ren Zhongyuan shook his head in annoyance.
"Ah, Liu Ziqi decides everything now. After what happened yesterday, no one else dares make a sound either—what can we do?" Yi Xiaotian could only spread his hands helplessly. If the opponent were only Wei Zhao, it would still be manageable, but now a single word from Liu Ziqi could crush them. What the hell was the point of fighting that?
"I do have a way to hold that old woman down. Here's what you do: send a letter out for me, and everything will unravel neatly." Ren Zhongyuan stroked his chin and gave a faint smile, and the corner of his mouth once again curved into that smug arc from the day before.
By noon, the Eastern Continent disciples—Liu Ziqi, Wei Zhao, and the rest among them—had gathered in twos and threes in the dining hall to eat, when a sudden commotion broke out at the entrance. Everyone looked over at the sound and was startled: a heavyweight uninvited guest had arrived—Captain Aotianba!
Listening to the hushed exclamations all around, Wei Zhao sized up the newcomer from a distance. This was the first time he had seen the legendary captain in person: thick brows, large eyes, a gait like a dragon's or a tiger's. He looked to be a middle-aged man of bold, sweeping spirit.
For this ancient warship, Liu Ziqi and the Eastern Continent diplomatic mission were only temporary guests. Its true masters were its original crew, and the one who led them was none other than this Captain Aotianba.
The dining hall for the Eastern Continent disciples and the one for the warship's crew were separate, however, and this Aotianba had never once come to this side. What wind was blowing today?
"Captain Aotianba, your presence graces us—we have been most remiss." Liu Ziqi suppressed her puzzlement and rose to greet him. The other party was the actual controller of the ancient warship, and in both strength and status he was not beneath her, the vice-headmistress of the Morning Glory Academy; even Liu Ziqi had to be courteous.
"Haha, this captain has come without notice—I must ask Vice-Headmistress Liu not to take offense. Come, come, everyone sit down and carry on with your meal." As he spoke, Aotianba took the lead and sat down himself, behaving entirely as though he were no outsider. Yet, strictly speaking, he really was the host here, so there was no fault to be found in that.
"The captain is a rare guest. Might I ask what brings you here this time?" Liu Ziqi responded, neither soft nor hard.
"Oh, I heard people say there was some trouble on your side yesterday—that many Eastern Continent disciples had been poisoned—so I came over to look in on everyone and see if there was anywhere I could help." Aotianba laughed heartily.
"Many thanks for the captain's concern. All the Eastern Continent disciples' poison has been successfully neutralized; everything has returned to normal now." Liu Ziqi smiled faintly.
"Good, good. You are honored guests of this ship—if anything were really to happen, this captain would be hard-pressed to escape the blame." Aotianba laughed, then asked, "Oh? How is it I don't see Zhongyuan? That boy's father and I are old friends. It's rare that I come over, and he doesn't even come to pay his respects. Vice-Headmistress Liu, could you have someone call him over so I can have a few words?"
As soon as the words fell, Liu Ziqi and Wei Zhao exchanged a glance and understood at once: the captain's visit to see the Eastern Continent disciples was a pretext—coming to stick up for Ren Zhongyuan was the real business! (To be continued.)