Chapter 2340 — Mental Preparation

"I have friends coming over in a bit to discuss some matters, so you'll have to figure out breakfast on your own," Wei Zhao said. "Grandma Sun has things to do as well!"

Since Grandma Sun would be involved in what was happening shortly, these people's meals were essentially left hanging.

"All right, no problem—we'll head out and grab something to eat. We've been in Donghai City so long and haven't properly looked around!" Old Master Pi, wise with age, naturally understood that Wei Zhao had something to keep from them. Even if they didn't eavesdrop, staying in the house would be awkward, so it was better to leave.

"I'll call you once things are settled here," Wei Zhao said. The implication was: I won't be calling, so don't come back yet.

"No problem!" Pi Zhifeng agreed readily.

So Wu Chengtian, Pi Zhifeng, and the others wasted no time and went straight out of the villa. Old Master Pi had come by car, but it was parked in the residential compound's public lot—there was no room here by the villa.

"Mr. Lin, what business could there be with me?" Grandma Sun asked, looking at Wei Zhao with some puzzlement after Wu Chengtian, Pi Zhifeng, and the others had left.

"Yes, there's something concerning you and Uncle Qing, but it involves some private matters, so it can only be discussed in private," Wei Zhao said. "I'll go to the back courtyard first to check on the Heavenly Thunder Pig and the Wind-Thunder Purple Lightning Beast. When Uncle Qing arrives, just come and call me."

"All right." Grandma Sun nodded. She didn't know what it was about, but if Wei Zhao put it that way, it must be something important.

Wei Zhao strolled to the villa's back courtyard. After the Heavenly Thunder Pig had returned yesterday, it had gone to find the Wind-Thunder Purple Lightning Beast and General Weiwu to recount all it had seen and heard on its journey. When Wei Zhao arrived, it was still chirping away excitedly, telling the Wind-Thunder Purple Lightning Beast and General Weiwu something or other...

Only when it saw Wei Zhao did the little creature fall silent, though Wei Zhao could guess it was probably about the Fire Lion clan and the Spider clan.

"Xiao Feng, while I was away, I've put you to trouble over Wang Xinyan's matter!" Wei Zhao walked over, stroked the Wind-Thunder Purple Lightning Beast's head, and spoke kindly.

"Roar!" The Wind-Thunder Purple Lightning Beast gave a bashful smile, seeming embarrassed by Wei Zhao's courtesy.

Wei Zhao nodded. The Wind-Thunder Purple Lightning Beast was his contracted spirit beast, and helping him was simply its duty—naturally it would not presume to take credit. So he said no more on that, but asked: "Xiao Feng, how did you manage to send your true qi into Pi Zhitao's body? Could I do the same?"

"Roar, roar..." The Wind-Thunder Purple Lightning Beast pointed at itself and nodded, then pointed at Wei Zhao and shook its head.

"What does that mean? You can, but I can't?" Wei Zhao roughly understood the Wind-Thunder Purple Lightning Beast's meaning.

"Chirp, chirp..." The Heavenly Thunder Pig was able to translate for Wei Zhao. On a patch of fine sand it began writing characters: "Xiao Feng says this is a special ability of certain spirit beasts. Because their true qi is not obtained by circulating a mental technique and mnemonic chant, it can be transmitted to others—but human practitioners cannot do this."

"Not even me?" Wei Zhao felt he should count as rather special.

"Roar..." The Wind-Thunder Purple Lightning Beast shook its head, then roared twice more at Wei Zhao in explanation.

"It says you can't either, and that this kind of attack isn't of much use anyway," the Heavenly Thunder Pig continued writing. "Most of the time, this sort of thing can't be sent into a practitioner's body. It only works when the practitioner is an external-school expert without true qi protecting the body. For internal-school experts with true qi guarding them, you can't force true qi in—unless you launch a secret sneak attack when they're unaware! But even then you can only sneak-attack experts of relatively low rank; those of high rank sense it before you even get close! And even among external-school practitioners, it doesn't work on all of them. For instance, those who practice the Golden Bell Cover or Iron Shirt—you can't force true qi into them either. Or experts who by some special method have altered the positions of their meridians and acupoints—that's ineffective too, because the true qi simply can't get in."

"So that's how it is!" Seeing the Heavenly Thunder Pig's translation, Wei Zhao's enthusiasm dropped considerably at once. Most of the practitioners Wei Zhao encountered were internal-school experts; external-school experts were few. This ability was thus rather useless—like a chicken rib.

"Roar, roar." The Wind-Thunder Purple Lightning Beast nodded, then roared a few more times.

"It says your true qi bombs can hit people too, so why must you learn this?" the Heavenly Thunder Pig translated.

"True qi bombs can only injure others, and they need to be compressed—rather troublesome. They're not like yours, where you just input a bit of pure heaven-and-earth spiritual energy and the enemy is writhing in agony and knocked unconscious," Wei Zhao said, shaking his head. Inwardly he was somewhat disappointed; he had been a bit too idealistic. But on reflection, it was only natural—if spirit beasts' true qi were that formidable, wouldn't they be invincible under heaven?

For the time being, Wei Zhao decided not to study the Wind-Thunder Purple Lightning Beast's ability. With this time, he might as well study that supplementary support martial skill—Spring Rain from Heaven.

"Xiao Yi!" Wei Zhao was just about to study that supplementary support martial skill when he heard Uncle Qing's voice from behind him.

"Uncle Qing, you're here?" Wei Zhao turned around and saw Uncle Qing and Grandma Sun standing at the villa's entrance gate.

"Yes. Last night I accompanied Mr. Gu to an event and couldn't come over. I hurried here first thing this morning. Mr. Gu has come too—he's upstairs talking with Miss Gu," Uncle Qing said. "I heard from Luo Yue that you were looking for me?"

"Yes, there's something that must be discussed with you and Grandma Sun together," Wei Zhao nodded and said. "Let's go to my room."

"All right..." Uncle Qing hadn't expected that what Wei Zhao wanted to discuss had to be kept from the others. Logically, since Gu Pengzhan had gone upstairs, they could have talked in the living room, but Wei Zhao said to go to his room—which meant it was confidential.

Wei Zhao went to his room with Uncle Qing and Grandma Sun. Wei Zhao sat on the bed, while Uncle Qing and Grandma Sun sat on the small sofa in his room. Wei Zhao handed each of them a bottle of water, then said: "When I tell you this, you must be mentally prepared."

"Mentally prepared?" Uncle Qing was slightly taken aback, not having expected Wei Zhao's opening to be that. "Xiao Yi, what exactly has happened?"

"Uncle Qing, is the place where your sect is located called the Wulonghaote Mountains?" Wei Zhao did not answer Uncle Qing's question, but asked one of his own.

"Oh?" Uncle Qing's eyes widened, and he looked at Wei Zhao in some disbelief. "Xiao Yi, how do you know that? I don't think I've ever mentioned this to you, have I?"