Chapter 2739 — Kang Jinglong Seeks Help

Yet the moment he began his examination, Wei Zhao gave a startled "Huh?"

For Wang Xinyan's condition today seemed rather good. She was still weak compared to an ordinary person, granted, but she was at least much better than yesterday—and if things went on like this, that was a promising sign.

"What is it? Wei Zhao?" His exclamation gave Wang Xinyan a start. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing much. You're a little better than yesterday," Wei Zhao said. "Have your breakfast."

"Oh, all right." Hearing that her condition had improved considerably, Wang Xinyan was delighted as well, and sat down at the dining table.

"By the way, what exactly happened between you and Kang Jinglong yesterday?" Wei Zhao had not yet asked her about the previous day's affair.

"Yesterday..." Wang Xinyan looked somewhat embarrassed, unsure how to begin.

"Xiaoshu, you tell him," Gu Mengyao said to Shen Yushu, seeing that Wang Xinyan was too shy to speak. She had already heard the whole story that morning, so Xiaoshu need only recount it.

"Oh, well, it was that idiot Kang Jinglong. He saw Sister Xinyan go into the villa and started suspecting she wasn't a virgin. He made a scene at the Xiao house and insisted on taking her to the hospital for an examination, so Sister Xinyan was both ashamed and furious, and she fainted from the anger," Shen Yushu said.

"..." Wei Zhao was speechless. What Kang Jinglong had done left him at a loss for words—though on reflection, Wang Xinyan was his fiancée, and such a demand was not entirely without excuse. "I knocked him out too, so I suppose we're even."

"What?" Wang Xinyan was startled. She had not known that Kang Jinglong had been knocked unconscious by Wei Zhao. How had Wei Zhao come into direct conflict with Kang Jinglong?

She had assumed that after she fainted yesterday, her mother had brought her back. She had never imagined that Wei Zhao had knocked Kang Jinglong out—that he had carried her off by force?

"It's fine, don't worry. Even if the Xuandan Sect is an ancient sect, it cannot possibly come after Kang Jingming over such a trifle," Wei Zhao said, smiling to reassure her when he saw her worry.

"Oh..." Wang Xinyan nodded and began eating her breakfast, though in truth she was still somewhat uneasy; she feared Wei Zhao was only comforting her.

In fact, Wei Zhao was not worried in the least. In his eyes, Kang Jinglong did not even measure up to Zhong Yongliang of before. So long as he did not kill the man, the Xuandan Sect would never intervene on his behalf over such a matter; at most, Kang Jingming would bring a Heaven-rank expert along. And when that happened, Wei Zhao would watch for his chance to strike from the shadows—and if all else failed, he still had the net that spanned heaven and earth.

A while later, Han Jingyi arrived as well, and the others let the topic drop.

After they finished eating, they left the villa and headed for school. To Wei Zhao's surprise, Kang Jinglong did not come to school today! Those two slaps yesterday had not been heavy, after all, and could not possibly have done him any great harm, so his absence from school was certainly not because of the beating.

In truth, the reason Kang Jinglong had not come today was simply that he felt humiliated. After waking, he had not even greeted Xiao Ji, Xiao Ben, or Xiao Qinlin; instead he had stormed out of the ward in a fury and gone straight back to the Kang house.

He was going to make a phone call—to Kang Jingming, to beg for his support! Kang Jinglong felt he had lost face badly this time, and he had to find some way to recover it!

"Brother, why are you calling me in broad daylight? Aren't you at school?" Kang Jingming was rather surprised to receive Kang Jinglong's call. He no longer guarded against his cousin as he once had; the two of them had formerly contended for the position of young heir of the Kang family, but Kang Jingming's present standing had long since made that post beneath his notice, and so their relationship had returned to harmony.

"Zhaoming, your brother has lost face badly this time. You have to help me!" With that, Kang Jinglong recounted in detail everything that had happened the day before.

Hearing him out, Kang Jingming fell silent for a moment. He was furious as well, but he knew that at a time like this, for him to leave the Xuandan Sect and go make trouble for Wei Zhao was hardly realistic.

He was a Heaven-rank expert, true, but he was only an alchemist, with no real fighting strength. He did not believe he could do anything to Wei Zhao, and as for bringing a Heaven-rank expert along with him, Kang Jingming privately admitted he had not yet established himself firmly enough in the Xuandan Sect to enjoy such a privilege.

Outwardly he presented a strong and formidable front, but that was only outward. Within the Xuandan Sect, though he had already become the Eighth Elder, he had no personal followers of his own; he was an elder with no retinue—respected, yes, but in no position to order others about.

"Brother, what do you expect me to do about this? I'm so far away from you, there's no way I can help you," Kang Jingming said after a moment's hesitation. "I'm still a newcomer in the Xuandan Sect. Elder though I am, I can't leave at will—and even if I did leave, could I really teach Wei Zhao a lesson for you?"

"But..." Kang Jinglong's hot temper cooled the moment he heard this, though he was still unwilling to give up. "Then can't you at least bring a Heaven-rank expert over to put the fear of God into Wei Zhao? Not a late-stage peak Heaven-rank—a mid-stage one would do..."

"Brother, do you think Heaven-rank experts can be summoned so easily? Elder though I am, I have no personal followers, and besides, Heaven-rank experts generally answer only to the Ancestor, the Sect Master, the Young Sect Master, and the Grand Elders. The other elders can only command Earth-rank disciples; we have no authority to deploy Heaven-rank experts..." Kang Jingming explained with a bitter smile. "Don't you see, brother? Right now you can borrow our name, you can trade on the Xuandan Sect's banner, but to expect any substantive support from me is premature. I simply don't have that kind of power!"

"I understand..." Kang Jinglong was crestfallen. So that was it—no wonder Wei Zhao was not afraid of him. Perhaps Wei Zhao had long since anticipated this. Then again, it was hardly surprising: Wei Zhao's little wife was the Ice Palace's Vice Palace Mistress, and the rules within the ancient sects were probably much the same, so it was no wonder Wei Zhao knew them.

"Wait a while. Once I've established a firm footing in the Xuandan Sect, I'll deal with Wei Zhao. In the meantime, I'll do my best to cultivate good relations with the Young Sect Master of the Xuandan Sect!" Kang Jingming already had a plan in mind: he meant to lick the Heavenly Silkworm Transformation's boots, to serve as its running dog and hanger-on, in exchange for its support!