Chapter 5076 — Heading to Snow Valley
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
With his dantian destroyed, even the mightiest cultivator was nothing but a cripple. Unless some heaven-defying stroke of fortune came his way, Xue Jianming's life was over.
His howls of agony would not stop, and the ruckus even drew the attention of the residential compound's security guards. Wei Zhao casually scooped up a rag and stuffed it into his mouth, and only then did Xue Jianming finally quiet down. He slumped to the ground utterly broken, not stirring so much as a finger, all his former swagger and self-assurance gone; even his eyes had gone a flat, despairing gray.
"Little silly girl, find someone later to haul him back to the Mystery Investigation Bureau and lock him up," Wei Zhao said, turning to Qiu Lingshan. "Use whatever methods you have to—squeeze as much intel out of him about the Tai Gu Alliance as you can, see what they're really up to. A piece of trash like this doesn't deserve any courtesy."
"Huh? Oh..." Qiu Lingshan had been staring at Wei Zhao in a daze, and only snapped back to herself when she noticed everyone's odd looks fixed on her. She hurriedly made an excuse about making a phone call and scurried off to one side.
"She's a deputy director already, and after three years apart she's still this scatterbrained." Wei Zhao shook his head with a helpless smile, then let his gaze fall on Fei Yangnian nearby.
Fei Yangnian was scared witless. Yin Zhiping and Sun Baimei had been brutally slaughtered by Wei Zhao before, and now even the far stronger Xue Jianming had met the same fate. Wei Zhao's madman-like power had taken deep root in his heart, and with his mere mid-Foundation Establishment strength he could not summon the slightest thought of resistance. He dropped to his knees with a prompt, well-practiced thud.
"Spare me, Senior! This business really has nothing to do with me—I was forced to be his driver, I didn't actually do anything! Please, Senior, don't destroy my cultivation, I surrender, I surrender..." Fei Yangnian's kneeling-and-begging posture was as neat as a picture, while his heart quaked with fear. After all, Wei Zhao sparing him last time had been a rare mercy. Now that he had fallen into Wei Zhao's hands a second time, even though he had not lifted a finger against Qiu Lingshan and the others, who knew what Wei Zhao was thinking?
In truth, Wei Zhao had never intended a bloodbath. Seeing him so sensible, he nodded and said, "Fine, then. Stay and follow me. We'll be dealing with the Tai Gu Alliance people soon enough, and I happen to be short an inside guide."
"Yes, yes, thank you for your mercy, Senior. Thank you for your mercy." Fei Yangnian was overjoyed at the words. So long as he could keep his life and his dantian, everything else was negotiable.
To be sure, serving as Wei Zhao's errand-runner and guide smacked somewhat of betraying his country for the enemy, but the Tai Gu Alliance's demands regarding honor and integrity were not much higher than the secular world's—especially when weighed against things like one's life and one's dantian, there was no need to agonize over the choice at all.
Xue Jianming crippled, Fei Yangnian surrendered—the sudden upheaval had at last run its course, and only then did Qiu Lingshan and the others have a chance to surround Wei Zhao in a tight circle.
Looking at those familiar faces, Wei Zhao felt a warm current well up in his heart. Amid everyone's delighted cries, he went from Qiu Lingshan onward and gave every last one of them, men and women alike, a great bear hug. To him, every person here was family.
"These three years, you've all worked hard," Wei Zhao said, visibly moved as he looked at them.
"What are you talking about, Chief? This is all just what we ought to be doing—hard work doesn't even come into it!" Wu Chengtian blurted out at once.
"Exactly! Chief, you're being all distant with us—you're breaking our hearts here!" Yu Bing, Zhao Qilei, and the rest chimed in, egging him on.