Chapter 2650 — News of Zhao Qiwu

"Hello? Who is this?" Zhao Qibing answered the phone with some impatience. He had been on the verge of studying his martial arts, and naturally was in no pleasant mood to be interrupted.

"Zhao Qibing, isn't it? This is Yushan." A somewhat deep male voice came from the other end.

"Yushan?" Zhao Qibing paused. There were not many people he knew with the surname Yu, and Yushan seemed to be... So he asked uncertainly, "You are... Yushan of the Hidden Yu Family?"

"That's right." Yushan replied. "We met a while ago."

"Hahaha, so it's Big Brother Yushan!" Although Zhao Qibing looked down on the cripple Yushan in his heart, Yushan was still a member of the Hidden Yu Family. His Thousand-Leg Martial Art came from that family, so naturally he would not offend one of its people. "Big Brother Yushan, what made you think of calling me all of a sudden?"

"Heh heh. In that case, I'll call you little brother Qibing." Yushan chuckled, then changed his tone and said mildly, "There's some bad news I wanted to tell you, little brother Qibing."

"What news?" Zhao Qibing was slightly taken aback. "Bad news?"

"That's right. You know Zhao Qiwu, the one who went to the Ice Palace, don't you?" Yushan said. "He's the one from your Hidden Zhao Family who was accepted as an outer disciple of the Ice Palace together with my elder brother Yubing."

"Of course I know him. But what happened to him?" Zhao Qibing's heart tightened, though he still asked in an impassive voice.

"During the outer disciple trials, he obtained a ten-thousand-year-old heavenly treasure. The Ice Palace Master rewarded him with several pills, including a few whose effects lie somewhere between the Small Qi Gathering Pill and the Qi Gathering Pill, though the formula for them has long been lost. I don't even know their exact names. What I do know is that they can raise the cultivation of Earth Rank and higher practitioners, without the side effects of Qi Gathering Pills. Every one of these lost pills consumed is one less remaining, so the fact that Zhao Qiwu was given any shows just how extraordinary his luck has been!" As Yushan spoke, waves of fury rose in his heart. Wei Zhaolong, Yubing, if it weren't for you, perhaps I would be the one staying in the Ice Palace now. Perhaps I would be the one who found that ten-thousand-year-old heavenly treasure!

It had to be said that after Yushan was injured and reduced to a cripple, his mind had become somewhat twisted. He had never reflected on why he had been crippled, nor on the wicked things he had once intended to do. All he could think of was hatred: a deep, bitter hatred for Wei Zhaolong and Yubing.

He knew that his life was over. He would never possess strength or status again, and so he wanted revenge. He wanted Wei Zhaolong and Yubing to regret everything for the rest of their lives. But there was no way he could accomplish that by relying on his own strength. He could only borrow the power of others.

Just when Yushan had spent a long time racking his brains without finding a solution, Zhao Qibing came to visit the Yu Family. His sudden interest in Yu Ning made Yushan see a glimmer of hope and inspired him with an excellent plan.

"What? Then what level is he at now?" Zhao Qibing was instantly alarmed. Originally, he had relied on the large number of pills the Hidden Zhao Family had purchased at the Practitioners' Market auction to advance to the Earth Rank. Naturally, he no longer regarded Zhao Qilei, Zhao Qiwu, and the others as worthy opponents. Moreover, he was about to learn the Thousand-Leg Martial Art, and once he did, he would certainly become even more formidable.

As his strength increased, he had gradually stopped taking Zhao Qiwu, who had gone to the Ice Palace, seriously. He had never expected Yushan to bring him news like this.

"According to Yubing, after taking the pills, Zhao Qiwu's strength surged from the peak of the late Profound Rank all the way to the peak of the late Earth Rank. At this very moment, he's in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Heaven Rank..." Yushan exaggerated somewhat. Zhao Qiwu had indeed found a ten-thousand-year-old heavenly treasure, and the Ice Palace Master had indeed rewarded him with some pills. After taking them, his strength could indeed rise to the peak of the late Earth Rank.

But the claim that he was in seclusion to break through to the Heaven Rank was something Yushan had invented. Even if those pills produced their best possible effect and made Zhao Qiwu a practitioner at the peak of the late Earth Rank, how could someone who had only just reached that level immediately break through to the Heaven Rank?

Zhao Qibing, however, was too anxious to think clearly. He also had no idea how powerful those lost pills truly were, and the moment he heard this, his face went pale. "What? He's trying to break through to the Heaven Rank? Wouldn't that make him stronger than my grandfather..."

Zhao Qibing was frightened. Old Master Zhao was only an early Heaven Rank practitioner. If Zhao Qiwu also reached the early Heaven Rank, and continued to support Zhao Qilei, how could there possibly be any place left for Zhao Qibing?

"Exactly. That's why I told you the moment I received the news!" Yushan said. "Little brother Qibing, I felt an extraordinary affinity with you that day. And I would very much like to see you rise to power. I don't want that Zhao Qiwu or Zhao Qilei gaining the upper hand."

"But... what should I do? Big Brother Yushan, you must have some way to counter this, or you wouldn't have told me, would you?" Zhao Qibing asked hurriedly.

"I don't actually have a solution." Yushan shook his head. "Unless you raise your own strength as well, there truly isn't anything you can do. I told you only so you could prepare in advance and avoid being caught off guard when the time comes."

"What?" Zhao Qibing was dumbfounded. He had been brimming with confidence before this, but who could have imagined that Zhao Qiwu would become so formidable?

"Little brother Qibing, actually, I feel that if our Hidden Yu Family supports you, then even if Zhao Qiwu reaches the Heaven Rank, he won't be anything to fear." Only now did Yushan finally voice what he had intended to say, disguising it as a spontaneous observation. "Our Hidden Yu Family has two Heaven Rank practitioners, one of whom is even at the peak of the early Heaven Rank. Add Old Master Zhao, and that makes three Heaven Rank practitioners. Three against one. Surely we could defeat Zhao Qiwu?"

"That is true. But why would the Hidden Yu Family support me?" Zhao Qibing frowned slightly. "Unless Yu Ning marries me, your grandfather and the others would never involve themselves in the affairs of our Zhao Family..."

"As for Yu Ning, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. You'll have to rely on yourself." Yushan gave a "bitter smile."

"By the way, Big Brother Yushan, you and Yu Ning are brother and sister. Don't you have any good ideas for helping me win her over?" Zhao Qibing's heart stirred, and he quickly asked the question.

"An idea? What idea could I have..." Yushan spoke with feigned "helplessness." "You know that before I became a cripple, I was also a strong contender to inherit the position of Family Head of the Yu Family. Any woman I took a fancy to either threw herself at me or was taken by force. I never had to pursue anyone..."