Chapter 2851 — Familiar Words

This was also the second time Wei Zhao had truly looked at someone after facing Yuning—this time, the Ninth Princess.

"I told you, you are a member of my squad, and I will never abandon any member of my squad," Wei Zhao said.

"Ah..." Yang Qiqi suddenly felt those words sounded familiar, though for the moment she could not place them. She simply felt a quiet gratitude toward Wei Zhao in her heart, and secretly resolved that if they managed to leave this place alive, she would do everything in her power to help him gather the things he needed over in Europe.

"Don't be too anxious. There's always a way. Let's eat something first—you must be hungry?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Mm... a little..." Yang Qiqi touched her flat belly. Earlier she had been too worried about not being able to leave to notice, but now that Wei Zhao had mentioned it, she really was hungry.

"Then wait here for me. I'll go catch some fish in the lake over there." With that, Wei Zhao stood up and walked toward the lake where the Heavenly Thunder Pig had guided him before.

Watching Wei Zhao's departing back, Yang Qiqi's heart was a tangle of complicated emotions, and she felt deeply ashamed. A long road tests a horse's strength, and time reveals a person's heart. She had treated Wei Zhao terribly, repaying kindness with ingratitude, yet he bore no grudge and had helped her at every moment of greatest peril. Yang Qiqi was not made of stone—how could she not be moved?

Wei Zhao, of course, had no idea that Yang Qiqi's opinion of him had begun to change. He caught four or five fish in the lake, then quickly returned to where they had been. After cleaning and gutting them with practiced speed, he laid them on a clean spot, summoned his alchemical fire, and began to roast them.

"All right, eat up." Wei Zhao handed most of the roasted fish to Yang Qiqi and took only one for himself.

"You... why are you only eating one?" Yang Qiqi felt awkward eating alone, so she asked.

"I'm an internal-school cultivator. A little meditation and I'll be fine. You're an external-school cultivator—your physical stamina recovers more slowly," Wei Zhao said.

"Then... I won't stand on ceremony..." Yang Qiqi nodded. The essential difference between internal-school and external-school cultivators lay in this: internal-school cultivators could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and convert it into their own physical strength and true qi for their use, whereas external-school cultivators could only achieve the goal of cultivation and body-tempering by ceaselessly forging their physiques.

It was true that an external-school expert, after mastering martial techniques, could also draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in his vicinity when unleashing those techniques, but when it came to the speed of physical recovery, he was ultimately still a notch below internal-school cultivators.

External-school cultivators depleted their stamina slowly, because their martial techniques drew on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around them rather than consuming their own physical strength and true qi. Each school had its advantages and drawbacks.

However, if an external-school expert did not unleash a martial technique, then Zhang Naipao's Bramble Divine Art would lose its effect. Zhang Naipao's Bramble Divine Art could reflect eighty percent of incoming true qi back as two hundred forty percent. If an external-school expert did not unleash a martial technique and simply struck Zhang Naipao with the raw force of his formidable body, no reflection would occur.

Still, quite apart from the fact that the experts of the Divine Fist Hall had not known this beforehand, even if they had, striking Zhang Naipao with nothing but physical strength would not have inflicted much damage—after all, external-school experts relied on martial techniques to win.

This was also why external-school experts were no match for internal-school experts at low levels, yet at high levels were generally stronger than internal-school experts of the same grade. It was because the true qi an external-school expert commanded when unleashing a martial technique came from his surroundings, unlike an internal-school expert's, which issued from within himself. And the higher an external-school expert's level, the more spiritual energy of heaven and earth he could command—and thus the more formidable he became.

Having eaten her fill of roast fish, Yang Qiqi sat on the ground somewhat dazedly, gazing at the sheer cliffs. The sky was growing late, yet she felt no drowsiness. Trapped here as she was, she had no idea when she might get out.

"Wei Zhao, tell me—if the time comes and we still haven't found a way out, will the energy of the Five Balefuls invade our bodies and make us deviate into madness?" Yang Qiqi asked, a little worried.

"It shouldn't come to that. Tomorrow I'll look around again and see if there's a way out," Wei Zhao said.

"Mm..." Yang Qiqi nodded. For some reason, after all they had been through together, she found herself trusting him more and more; his words set her heart at ease.

Since Tian Chan had been able to prepare here to receive the inheritance, she must have known the Five Baleful Mountains far better than he did. So when Wei Zhao failed to find a way out, he gave up and turned back toward the lake to catch more fish.

After catching several fish, Wei Zhao returned to the spot where he and Yang Qiqi had made camp and set about roasting them again.

Seeing him return, Yang Qiqi felt awkward about sitting back and enjoying the fruits of his labor, so she asked, "Is there anything I can do to help? How about I clean these fish?"

"It's fine, I'm used to it. Just wait," Wei Zhao said with a shake of his head, then deftly set to cleaning the fish...

Yanjing City.

Liu Tianli had quickly gone through a whole carton of cigarettes. He had tried his best to cut down on his smoking, but even so the last empty pack was soon all that remained.

He picked up his phone, about to call President Lang, but before he could, the phone rang in his hand. To his delight, it was President Lang calling.

"President Lang! I was just about to call you!" Liu Tianli answered with a smile.

"President Liu, getting anxious, are we? Handed over the money and afraid I'll skip town?" Xiao Chunjie asked with a hearty laugh.

"Haha, how could I? President Lang and I are in a full-spectrum strategic partnership. Our medicinal-herb business runs to several hundred million a year—would President Lang really care about a mere thirty million?" Liu Tianli truly had never imagined President Lang would cheat him. Partly it was the hypnotist's doing; partly it was that after the two companies signed, their yearly dealings ran to hundreds of millions, and President Lang would hardly stoop to covet such small change.

"I'm just joking, President Liu. I'm calling with good news!" Xiao Chunjie changed tack.

"Oh? What good news? Don't tell me the cigarettes are in?" Liu Tianli asked eagerly, startled.

"The cigarettes are in, all right—but the moment the shipment arrived, it was all booked up. President Liu, I think you'd better hold out a little on your personal supply. Let's keep our eyes on the money, eh?" Xiao Chunjie said.