Chapter 1089 — Once You Enter the Palace Gates, the Sea Runs Deep

At this thought, an anxious look rose unbidden to Palace Mistress Wan'er's face. She had regained her freedom, and yet she was utterly helpless; surely she could not go down the mountain and keep Gu Pengzhan and Gu Mengyao company forever?

Moreover, though she had regained her freedom, whether she would be permitted to leave the mountain remained unknown. She was certain the Grand Elder had long since issued the order forbidding her from going down.

"Young Mistress, there is nothing we can do about these matters for the time being. Fortunately, those hiding the Yu family have made no move yet, and the hidden clan where Uncle Pi resides appears not to have learned of it either!" Elder Li sighed. "For now, all we can do is watch and wait... But the gravest danger to the Gu family at present is not the hidden Yu family or Uncle Pi's hidden clan. It is something else altogether!"

"Uncle Li, what other trouble is there?" Palace Mistress Wan'er was briefly taken aback, and asked at once, full of worry.

"From what I have learned, Ma Zhu's master, Jin Wudi, has already submitted an application to the Arbitration Association of the Hidden Clans, seeking leave to come out into the world and settle accounts with Wei Zhao, to avenge his disciple! Whether the Gu family will be caught up in it then, I cannot say..." Elder Li heaved a sigh and nodded, his expression somewhat grave.

"But... what is to be done? What is the measure of Ma Zhu's master?" Palace Mistress Wan'er asked.

"By my investigation, he is an Earth-rank adept, with the strength of the early Earth rank..." Elder Li said. "And once his application is approved by the Arbitration Association of the Hidden Clans, Wei Zhao should be no match for him..."

"Elder Li, Wan'er begs you: could you pass this news to Yao-yao's close guard Wei Zhao as early as possible? So that he may prepare himself in good time?" Palace Mistress Wan'er knew that Elder Li could not lift a hand himself, and that she could not go down the mountain; the only course was to send word through the men of the Shadow Group. Their lightness skill was remarkable, but their strength was quite ordinary; they could be of no real help. The one thing they could do was carry a message.

"Rest easy, Young Mistress. This much your old servant can still manage! There are men of my own line in the Shadow Group; I will get this news to Wei Zhao as quickly as I can!" Elder Li nodded and said.

"Then that is all we can do. I am sorry to trouble you, Uncle Li!" Palace Mistress Wan'er said, somewhat helplessly, a deep worry and sorrow sweeping across her delicate face...

As the saying goes, once you enter the palace gates, the sea runs deep. This palace is not that palace, yet the principle is no different.

……………………

An off-road vehicle labored along the mountain road. Zhong Yongliang was at the wheel, and Gao Xiaofu sat in the passenger seat.

"Brother Liang, we will be seeing Pao-zi any moment now. I am truly excited!" Gao Xiaofu said, gazing out the window eagerly.

"Mind what you say when we get there. This place is full of masters of the martial world. In their eyes we are nothing at all. Do not go stirring up trouble!" Zhong Yongliang instructed Gao Xiaofu mildly.

"Don't worry, Brother Liang, I know my limits!" Gao Xiaofu nodded hurriedly. He felt that Zhong Yongliang had grown much more reserved of late; the swagger had gone out of him, and he was becoming more and more like Wei Zhao in his composure.

Zhong Yongliang nodded, said no more, and drove on.

Half an hour later, the car came to a checkpoint. It was not an official checkpoint, but one set up privately by the sect on the mountain.

This was neither a tourist spot nor a vital thoroughfare, so no one but those coming to the sect would ever pass this way.

"What's your business?" A young man in black walked over and rapped on Zhong Yongliang's window.

Zhong Yongliang hurriedly rolled down the window and said respectfully to the newcomer, "Hello, we have come to visit Zhang Naipao!"

"Zhang Naipao? You are friends of Junior Brother Naipao?" At the name, the young man's manner turned respectful at once, and his attitude toward Zhong Yongliang became most cordial.

"Yes, the two of us are Zhang Naipao's good brothers, come to visit Brother Naipao!" Zhong Yongliang nodded, secretly startled. It seemed Zhang Naipao was doing rather well for himself here.

Zhong Yongliang had learned to read faces by now. Seeing the young man's expression, he knew the man must hold Zhang Naipao in high regard, and so had turned respectful toward him as well.

Zhong Yongliang understood the rules here well enough: the only thing that earns another's respect is one's own strength. This man called Zhang Naipao his junior brother, yet treated him with such deference. The only explanation was that Zhang Naipao was powerful, more powerful than many of his senior brothers.

At this thought, Zhong Yongliang felt a secret thrill of excitement. It seemed he truly had not misjudged the man—who would have guessed that Zhang Naipao was such a formidable cultivator too? Zhong Yongliang could scarcely wait to learn just how far Zhang Naipao had advanced in his training.

"Brother Zhang, keep watch here for a while. I'll take them up the mountain—they're friends of Brother Naipao!" the young man instructed another man not far away.

At the mention of Zhang Naipao's name, that other man's face too took on a solemn expression. He nodded and said, "Right, leave it to me!"

The road above was no longer passable by car, so Zhong Yongliang and Gao Xiaofu got out and followed the young man on foot up the mountain.

After a while, Zhong Yongliang and Gao Xiaofu were visibly flagging, yet the young man strode on as though flying, seeming not to care in the least how rugged the mountain path was. In truth, as the lowest-ranked patrol disciple, he had to run up and down the mountain several times a day—it had long since become routine.

"You've got great stamina, brother. We can't keep up at all..." Zhong Yongliang panted.

"I'm only the lowest-ranked disciple. Brother Naipao... heh, he's far more formidable than I am!" the young man said with no small envy.

Hearing this, Zhong Yongliang grew all the more astonished. He could not imagine what Zhang Naipao had done to deserve it, but the man seemed to be doing rather well for himself—this fellow had already sung his praises several times over. If he were not truly formidable, a single flattering word would have sufficed; no one would keep it up this many times.

"Naipao is very powerful now?" Gao Xiaofu could not help asking.

"Powerful beyond measure! But his success has its reasons—his strength of will is something the rest of us can only admire. For the sake of his training... he could actually... never mind, I'd better not say. You'll understand once you see him!" the young man said admiringly.