Chapter 961 — Even More Ruthless Than You

"So... we just let it go, then?" Yu Feng asked, taken aback.

"Little brother, I know you want revenge for me and for Father. But Second Uncle was right—we cannot act rashly now!" Yu Kun was just as hungry for vengeance, but he understood all too well that this was no time to be hasty.

"Xiao Feng, you are still young and impulsive!" Yu Shuixing nodded. "Right now, Wei Zhao is clearly playing the pig to eat the tiger. His strength never vanished at all—it has actually advanced a step further. And that is not all. Even the dog at his side has already been trained into a cultivated beast! Just how vast a power, how sky-covering a background, must stand behind him to make such a thing possible? That dog—Xiao Kun had already beaten it to the edge of death back then. To heal it would have consumed no small amount of heavenly treasures. Forget the other great families; I cannot even say for certain whether our own Yu family could produce so many of them, let alone spend them on a dog! And to train a dog into a cultivated beast—training a person is already difficult enough. Yet they went and produced a cultivated beast. Is it that they have so many heavenly treasures they have nowhere to spend them, or so many skilled hands they must find amusement for want of anything better to do?"

Hearing his father's words, Yu Feng lowered his head in silence. His father was right—from these tiny threads, one could see just how formidable Wei Zhao's backing was. How could he have been so reckless as to make a move?

"Then what are we supposed to do now? Just swallow it?" Yu Feng asked, suddenly rather deflated.

"For now, we endure—that is all we can do. You must remember: whoever would achieve great things must first learn to endure. Did not King Goujian of Yue sleep on brushwood and taste gall? Are such not the very paragons of endurance?" Yu Shuixing said. "In this matter, I will contact your eldest uncle and see what counsel he offers. So long as the Yu family can be kept hidden while it speaks on our behalf, then we need fear nothing. My only worry is that those on the other side will not be so easily moved to act!"

"Ah. Then we can only endure for now!" Yu Feng nodded.

The news that Wei Zhao had not lost his strength spread as though on wings, and the father and son Zhen Dazhou and Zhen Yingjun learned of it at the very first moment.

When the two of them heard that Wei Zhao's strength was intact, they panicked at once—they were terrified that Wei Zhao would come knocking at their door!

"Master Ma, when is your master coming down from the mountain? Wei Zhao has not lost his strength, and I hear he is now hunting down his enemies for revenge!" Zhen Dazhou said to Ma Zhu, pale with fright. "Both the Yu family and the Xiao family have lost people. The Medicine King and Zhao Qibing have each been wounded to varying degrees. What are we to do? Will Wei Zhao come for us next?"

"What? Wei Zhao has actually recovered his strength?" Ma Zhu was incredulous when he heard the news, and then a wave of bitterness followed. Had Wei Zhao been crippled as well, his own spirits might have been a little better. But now Wei Zhao was perfectly fine, while he himself was a cripple—how could Ma Zhu bear such an imbalance?

"Yes, and I fear Wei Zhao will come to take revenge on us!" Zhen Dazhou said anxiously. He had already begun to regret provoking Wei Zhao. Now his son had been left with no descendants to carry on the family line, and Ma Zhu too had been gravely injured!

"Hmph! Let him dare—once my master arrives, his only fate is death!" Ma Zhu sneered. In his eyes, Wei Zhao was no simple opponent, but before his master he was nothing at all!

"Then when can Master Ma's master come? Could it be sooner? I fear that before he arrives, Wei Zhao will already be at our door..." Zhen Dazhou said worriedly.

"My master is an Earth-rank expert. But according to the regulations of the Arbitration Association of the Hidden Families, Earth-rank experts may not appear at will in the secular world unless there is an unavoidable reason. He has already applied to the Arbitration Council..." Ma Zhu said, frowning.

Ma Zhu knew his own affairs best. He knew that the rules of the hidden families applied only to those hidden families; to the great sects they were useless. Before those top-tier ancient sects, these hidden families amounted to little at all!

The hidden families simply could not control them—they did not even have the qualifications to know about the affairs of those ancient sects!

But Ma Zhu's sect was very small, no more than a newly established one, and such petty sects were naturally bound by the Arbitration Association of the Hidden Families.

"I see..." Zhen Dazhou nodded. "Then what do we do now?"

"My master said we should endure in hiding for a time, and once he arrives, everything will be easy!" Ma Zhu said.

Ma Zhu's words had barely fallen when a knock came at the door of the room!

"Who is it?" Zhen Dazhou asked instinctively.

"Wei Zhao," Wei Zhao said mildly. He had learned from Zhao Qibing which hotel room the Zhen father and son were staying in.

"Wei Zhao!" Zhen Dazhou was thrown into a great fright and nearly collapsed to the floor. He looked at Ma Zhu in terror. "Master Ma, what do we do?"

"Did I not tell you to endure in hiding for a time? Once my master arrives, dealing with him will be easy and pleasant enough!" Ma Zhu frowned with some impatience. He hated Wei Zhao bitterly as well, but he knew that with his present strength there was no possible way he could do anything to Wei Zhao.

"Oh..." Zhen Dazhou walked over warily and opened the door of the room, saying with forced composure, "Wei Zhao, what are you doing here? We're already even, aren't we? Master Ma was beaten half to death by you, and my son was crippled. What more do you want?"

"Oh, last time's business is settled. But what I've come for this time is a new matter, and it has nothing to do with last time." Wei Zhao smiled, speaking very mildly.

"A new matter? What do you mean?" Zhen Dazhou was stunned.

"Last time you extorted me. This time it's my turn to extort you!" Wei Zhao said.

"Extort me?" Zhen Dazhou's expression changed.

"Five hundred million. I'm generally fond of paying things back double, and you extorted two hundred fifty million from me, so five hundred million isn't too much to ask, is it?" Wei Zhao smiled at Zhen Dazhou, his smile looking quite harmless. "If you don't pay, I'll go kidnap your son, then head to Donghai and smash up all your holdings. I'm best at tearing down houses and toppling buildings—I've already brought down two of Zhao Qibing's towers. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Zhen Dazhou's expression turned even uglier! Wei Zhao was threatening him—a bare-faced threat! Wei Zhao was even more ruthless than he was. At least he had only demanded ransom from Gu Pengzhan after kidnapping Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu; Wei Zhao hadn't even kidnapped anyone yet, and already he was demanding five hundred million, threatening that he would only go kidnap his son if the money wasn't paid!