Chapter 2564 — The Zhuang Family's Invitation

The Han family had no Heaven-rank expert now, yet they could still hold their own against the hidden Zhao family, who did. Why? Was it not all because of Wei Zhao?

"Chen Xi… she's all right?" Wei Zhao nodded. Zhu Birdgun had not lied, and his attitude was decent enough, so Wei Zhao did not strike out at him at once.

"She's fine. I am sorry, Master Ling—this business was our fault!" Zhu Birdgun said. "Please, Master Ling, do us the honor of visiting the hidden Zhuang family. We will surely show our sincerity and leave you satisfied!"

"Go to your house?" Wei Zhao frowned. Zhu Birdgun had turned his attitude around far too quickly; Wei Zhao could not quite get used to it.

"Yes, to my house!" Zhu Birdgun nodded. "Master Ling, I know you are angry, but the martial world is simply like this—the weak are meat and the strong eat. This time Chen Xi had you at her back, so we of the hidden Zhuang family admit defeat and only hope to earn your forgiveness. But put it another way: if the one we had taken were someone with no connection to you, would you still have bothered?"

"Hmm…" Wei Zhao had to admit Zhu Birdgun was right. If the person they had seized were a stranger to him, he naturally would not have interfered; so it could not be said that what Zhu Birdgun had done was wrong—just as Wei Zhao, knowing the Tagan family possessed the secret manual for refining essence-yuan necklaces, had wanted to steal it for himself.

Had Wei Zhao been weaker than Tagan Long, he would certainly have failed and lost those two spirit-beast inner cores into the bargain. But Wei Zhao was stronger than Tagan Long, and so the outcome was entirely different.

"Master Ling, rest assured—we will never scheme against Chen Xi again. Not only will we not scheme against her, we will protect her. After all, Songshan City and Lin City are so close. If you but give the nod, Master Ling, we will send men into Songshan City, and neither Li Cihua nor the hidden Zhao family will dare breathe a word," Zhu Birdgun said.

"Oh?" Wei Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly, regarding Zhu Birdgun with some surprise. If the earlier words had been meant to flatter him and win forgiveness, that was only natural—but what came after sounded faintly like an offer to serve him.

Moreover, in aiming at the hidden Zhao family and Li Cihua, was Zhu Birdgun's underlying implication that he wanted Wei Zhao to back him from behind the scenes? Was this Zhu Birdgun merely talking idly, or did he have some other design?

Seeing Wei Zhao pondering, Zhu Birdgun did not dare disturb him, and stood respectfully to one side awaiting his answer.

"Master Ling, though our hidden Zhuang family cannot compare with the hidden Pi family in having a Heaven-rank expert, we are still a cut above the hidden Han family—in such esoteric arts as the strange gates and hidden armor, the crooked paths and side doors, for instance…" Seeing Wei Zhao hesitate, Zhu Birdcannon spoke up at once. He and his second brother Zhu Birdgun had for years practiced the joint-strike heart method together, so their minds were in accord; in an instant he understood his brother's intent—to draw close to Wei Zhao. And that had in fact been his own thought as well. The chance had been missed back then; now that such a good opportunity had finally come, to fail to cherish it would be a regret beyond remedy.

"Indeed. Look at Chen Xi—no one else could tell she was a first-rate cauldron, and you, Master Ling, are so formidable that you can slay Heaven-rank experts across ranks, yet in these side-door arts you are still not our match, are you?" Zhu Birdgun added. "If no one had told you Chen Xi was a cauldron, could you have guessed it?"

"Hmm, that much is true." Wei Zhao nodded. "So it seems your hidden Zhuang family does have some use after all. But how did you come to know about the Pi family's affairs?"

Zhu Birdgun's heart lurched, but he still answered honestly: "Master Ling, to be frank with you, ever since the Hidden World Clan Summit ended, we have rather envied the hidden Han family, and so we paid some attention to your affairs. The more we watched, the more we regretted it—had we the choice again, back at the Ice Palace trial we would never have acknowledged Zhang Naipao as our leader; we would have acknowledged you!"

"That's right, Master Ling. These past days my brother and I have been looking for a chance to pledge our allegiance, but no fitting opportunity arose. Ha—who would have thought this time a bad turn would become a good one!" Zhu Birdcannon chimed in hastily.

"In that case, let us go take a look at your house," Wei Zhao said with a noncommittal nod, his tone casual. He promised nothing, yet refused nothing either.

That alone was enough to delight Zhu Birdgun and Zhu Birdcannon. That Wei Zhao did not press his attack further but chose instead to be a guest in their home showed that he already had a mind to accept them. So Zhu Birdgun said at once, "Birdcannon, you ride in Master Ling's car; I will lead the way ahead!"

"And Chen Xi?" Wei Zhao asked, gesturing toward Zhu Birdgun's car.

"Chen Xi? She is quite all right, Master Ling, rest assured!" Zhu Birdgun said. "She has only fainted. Normally she will wake within a few hours."

"Very well." Wei Zhao nodded. "But stop calling me Master Ling. You know my real name."

"Then we shall do as Han Xiaohu does and call you Leader!" Zhu Birdgun, seizing the chance to climb a rung higher, said with a smile.

Wei Zhao smiled faintly and did not refuse. As for the hidden Zhuang family, if they truly meant to submit, there was no reason for him to push them away. Besides, Wei Zhao was laying his plans even now. The great clans could be said to be essentially in his grasp; next came the hidden clans and the ordinary sects. Only when these hidden clans and ordinary sects were also in hand could Wei Zhao face what lay on the higher plane.

These hidden clans and ordinary sects, taken one by one, were nothing remarkable, but piled together their strength was terrifying—at the very least the equal of the weakest of the ancient sects. With such resources, Wei Zhao could hold his own in dialogue with the powers of the ancient plane, and would not be left in such a sorry state as before.

Of course, more importantly, only by settling these entanglements of the hidden plane could Wei Zhao concentrate wholly on assailing the ancient plane. Yet the ancient plane was not his ultimate goal; Wei Zhao's aim now was to stand higher still.

The two cars drove toward Lin City, one ahead and one behind. And just then, good news arrived from Foreman Zhu's side as well!

Ying Ziyu's constitution was better than Chen Xi's. Chen Xi had been trained as a cauldron since childhood, but that cultivated strength was not hers to command; whereas Ying Ziyu, who had once run the streets as a young hellion, brawling and slashing, naturally had a constitution far beyond the ordinary.