Chapter 4994 — Making Trouble Out of Nothing

But now he knew better. The Central Island weighed less and less in Wei Zhao's estimation, while the Northern Island, which he had always dismissed as unremarkable, now seemed to him to possess hidden depths. At the very least, the Northern Island had Shangguan Tianhua—a name that could strike fear into a whole crowd even in the Eastern Continent, where experts were as numerous as clouds.

"This..." Wei Shenjin still had not caught up.

"You're not like us. None of the three of us are natives of the Central Island—we can leave at any time without a care, and at worst become wanderers for the rest of our days. But you can't. All your kin and fellow disciples are on the Central Island. You can't run from it, so you absolutely must not wade into these muddy waters with us. If we can weather this storm safely, it won't be too late for you to come back and help me then." Wei Zhao spoke earnestly.

Wei Zhao had never had a habit of dragging his own people down with him. Wei Shenjin was his subordinate, and over the past two years, if he had not earned merit, he had at least endured hardship—there was no way Wei Zhao would let him be implicated.

"Boss, what kind of man do you take me for?" Wei Shenjin finally understood. His face flushed crimson, and he said in shame and indignation, "In your eyes, Boss, am I really the sort of coward who clings to life and fears death?!"

"That's not cowardice. Pointless sacrifice is something the wise do not commit. There's no need for you to do such a meaningless, foolish thing over so-called loyalty." Wei Zhao shook his head and sighed. "Rest assured, I'm not testing you. I genuinely hope you'll lie low for a while. Even if you won't consider yourself, consider your kin and friends."

"Boss, I understand what you mean, but I actually don't have any kin or friends on the Central Island, so you're worrying over nothing. No matter what you say, I'm not leaving—not even if you beat me to death." Wei Shenjin's expression was unprecedentedly grave and resolute.

Wei Zhao was at a loss for words. He could only exchange a helpless glance with Tianchan and Xueli. He truly did not want to drag Wei Shenjin down with him, but now that Wei Shenjin had said his piece, what else could he do?

By evening, Wu Miao indeed returned in force. Thanks to the lessons of the previous few encounters, the patrons packed into the Heavenly Pill Pavilion consciously retreated the moment they saw him enter, crowding outside the door to jostle for good spots and enjoy the show.

"Half a day. You're punctual." Wei Zhao glanced at him and held out his hand. "Where's my seventh-grade Great Restoration Pill?"

"Hmph, you ignorant whelp. Do you really think our Island Lord's Pavilion is easy prey?" Wu Miao's swollen face was forced into an expression of contempt all the same.

"So you haven't learned your lesson, then?" Wei Zhao's eyes narrowed.

"Whether I've learned my lesson doesn't matter. What matters is that you're about to learn yours!" Without waiting for Wei Zhao to make a move, Wu Miao turned and addressed the person behind him with utmost deference. "Island Lord, this is the Wei Zhao who has disrupted order on the Central Island, running rampant on the strength of his cultivation. Not only does he smuggle and sell Eastern Continent pills—even more unforgivably, he has openly struck your subordinates while they were carrying out official duties, showing utter contempt for the dignity of our Central Island. I beg the Island Lord to render judgment!"

So it had indeed come to the Central Island Lord stepping in! Wei Zhao and Tianchan exchanged a silent glance. When they saw a dignified middle-aged man step out from behind Wu Miao, everyone's heart skipped a beat. He was worthy of being the Central Island Lord—just standing there, the man gave off a sense of lofty, unattainable majesty that inspired awe.

"You wounded the standing vice island lord and provoked the rules of the Central Island. Do you know your crime?" the middle-aged man said coldly.

His gaze fell upon Wei Zhao, and inexplicably it made Wei Zhao's shoulders sink. This vast pressure, as tangible as a physical weight, far exceeded Wei Zhao's expectations. Wei Zhao was instantly alarmed and turned pale—this was nothing like what he had anticipated. How was the other party some mere Foundation Establishment figurehead? This pressure alone was in no way inferior to Zhuang Yifan's!

In Wei Zhao's estimation, it was even enough to rival Shangguan Tianhua and Ning Shangling. Since when had the Central Island Lord become so terrifying? The one he had seen last time had not been such a monster, had he?

But Wei Zhao soon noticed something was off. The man before him was not the Central Island Lord he had seen last time at all—yet Wu Miao had clearly addressed him as Island Lord. Could the Central Island Lord have been replaced in the past two years?

"Are you the Central Island Lord, Senior?" Wei Zhao asked respectfully, drawing a deep breath. Judging from this aura and pressure, the man's strength might well surpass even Zhuang Yifan's. Once they came to blows, there would be no question of winning—he would not even be able to flee. He could only pin his hopes on the other party's character.

"I am Aotian Zhou, acting island lord of the Central Island. The rightful island lord is in secluded cultivation, so I temporarily exercise the island lord's authority in his stead." The dignified man introduced himself.

Acting island lord? Wei Zhao was taken aback. No wonder this was not the same man he had met. But how was this acting island lord's aura and pressure so much stronger than the rightful island lord's? That hardly made sense.

Doubts aside, Wei Zhao naturally could not voice such a question. He cupped his hands toward Aotian Zhou and said, "Since you exercise the island lord's authority, then I must ask: does holding authority mean one may call black white and disregard justice?"

"What do you mean by that? Are you saying you were not the one who wounded Vice Island Lord Wu?" Aotian Zhou's eyes narrowed, and the pressure bearing down on Wei Zhao's shoulders immediately grew heavier, as though intent on crushing him outright. Even Wei Zhao found it hard to breathe.

What tremendous might this man possessed! Wei Zhao was secretly alarmed, yet his expression remained unchanged. Neither haughty nor humble, he said, "I did indeed wound him. But as for provoking the rules of the Central Island, I beg your pardon—I cannot accept that charge. Unless the rules of the Central Island consist of making trouble out of nothing, in which case I have nothing more to say."

"Making trouble out of nothing?" Aotian Zhou glanced at Wu Miao, then looked at Wei Zhao with an unfathomable expression. "Tell me, then—just how was it making trouble out of nothing? If the facts bear you out, I will see that justice is done for you."

Wei Zhao's heart eased at those words. Though this man's might was formidable, he did not appear to be birds of a feather with Wu Miao. Nor did he immediately use his position to force Wei Zhao into submission; instead, he gave him a chance to explain. That was rare indeed.

Anyone else would likely not even deign to exchange a few words—they would simply declare themselves the island lord and strike. Who would listen to his rambling? Still less would they specifically point out that they were only the acting island lord and explain so much at the cost of their own dignity!