Chapter 2869 — A Growing Distance

"Now that's what a real peak late Earth-rank expert can do!" Wei Zhao could not help but exclaim. For all that he could cut down this one and that one in a single blow, when it came to a true contest of strength, the gap was still enormous.

"So you know your place." Tianchan felt rather pleased with herself.

"Zhang Naipao—where are we supposed to find him?" Once out of the cliff face, Wei Zhao found himself somewhat at a loss. Never mind that the Five Baleful Wastes were vast; with the spirit beasts in open rampage as they were, locating a single person under such conditions would be next to impossible.

"Isn't there the Thunder Pig?" Tianchan pointed at the Thunder Pig. "The Thunder Pig can not only seek treasure but track people as well. Its range for people is limited, of course, and it isn't as keen as it is with treasure, but the advantage is that it's a spirit beast—it can move freely through the Five Baleful Wastes. Once it finds Zhang Naipao, we can head over with a clear destination. No harm in waiting."

Wei Zhao was surprised. He hadn't expected Tianchan to be so clever; the plan was actually a good one. He turned to the Thunder Pig. "Thunder Pig, we're counting on you for this!"

"Oink oink!" The Thunder Pig nodded. It had been of no help at all when Wei Zhao fell into the ravine earlier, so now that he was asking for its aid, it was eager to show what it could do.

The Thunder Pig set off to find Zhang Naipao, while Wei Zhao and Tianchan made camp for the time being at the foot of the Five Baleful Mountains. No spirit beasts passed through here; it was a place safer than even the safe zones.

"So you have a five-attribute constitution too..." With time on her hands, Tianchan brought up Wei Zhao's constitution with some surprise.

"So do you, don't you?" Wei Zhao shrugged.

"Then why didn't you tell me earlier, when I was talking about my own?" Tianchan asked.

"Back then... we weren't exactly close, were we..." Wei Zhao gave a bitter smile.

"Not close, and yet you touched me... touched me there?" Tianchan gave a cold snort and glared at Wei Zhao.

"I..." Wei Zhao was rather helpless, but he also knew that there were times when there was no reasoning with a girl. "Fine, my fault. I kept it from you."

"Hmph, that's more like it." Seeing Wei Zhao admit his fault, Tianchan suddenly felt very happy, and her earlier resentment vanished. Instead, she grew a little worried. "About your constitution—only you know, right?"

"There are... a few people close to me who know too..." Wei Zhao didn't quite follow her meaning. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. It's best you don't let it get out, or else... never mind, just keep it to yourself." Tianchan, once a hidden agent herself, had borne too much pressure from the Five Luminaries Sect, and she did not want Wei Zhao to walk the same old road she had. If Wei Zhao really was chosen by the Five Luminaries Sect, then he too would be sent to carry out that extremely dangerous task—and that was not something Tianchan wished to see.

"Naturally. If the two of us hadn't reached this point, I wouldn't have told you either," Wei Zhao said with a nod.

"Mm..." Tianchan nodded as well.

"Right, let me ask you something. That martial technique you used on the cliff face—was it the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Palm?" Wei Zhao hesitated, but asked all the same.

"Yes. You know this technique?" Tianchan's heart stirred slightly.

"Could you teach me?" Wei Zhao nodded and asked.

"That..." Tianchan fell silent. She wanted to teach Wei Zhao, yet did not dare. If she passed the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Palm to him and the Five Luminaries Sect found out, the consequences would bring misfortune not only on her but on Wei Zhao as well, and the Xuandan Sect would suffer along with them. So for everyone's sake, Tianchan dared not take that risk.

When Wei Zhao had asked earlier, she had actually already guessed it. Since Wei Zhao had a five-element constitution, it was only natural that he would want to learn the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Palm.

"Ha ha, I was only asking offhand. Actually, I already know it." Wei Zhao shrugged. He did not want to put Tianchan on the spot; he could tell she had reasons she could not speak of. Wei Zhao did not believe that the Tianchan of now would hide it from him if she were free to teach him the technique.

After all, Tianchan had given him even her sachet, and she had returned to the Five Baleful Wastes to rescue him. Wei Zhao knew that affection full well. Her silence now surely had its reasons.

"You know it?" Tianchan was startled.

"Yes. Don't forget how Zhang Naipao went mad—what I'm best at is mimicking other people's martial techniques. It's not identical, but it's about fifty percent similar!" Wei Zhao smiled. "The Five Elements Eight Trigrams Palm—I learned it from someone else..."

"Tagan Long?" Tianchan knew that since Wei Zhao had recognized the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Palm, he must have guessed her identity and her connection to the Five Luminaries Sect. Though neither had said it aloud, both understood perfectly.

"That's the one. Is he well these days?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Not dead, but not awake either," Tianchan said with a shake of her head.

"Mm..." Wei Zhao nodded and did not pursue the subject, which had grown awkward for them both.

"Hey, why does it feel like we've grown so distant?" Seeing Wei Zhao fall silent, Tianchan felt somewhat stifled. She wondered if she had been too bored and insisted on exposing the truth about Wei Zhao receiving the inheritance—leaving them both uncomfortable.

"Actually, I was just thinking—why didn't you get hurt again earlier..." Wei Zhao flashed a toothy grin. He too sensed the awkwardness, so he made a joke of it.

"You're impossible!" How could Tianchan miss his meaning? She shot him a glare. "How can you be so filthy? Can't you be serious for once?"

"A moment ago I was serious and you said we'd grown distant; now I'm not serious and you call me filthy. I'm truly wronged!" Wei Zhao shrugged and smiled bitterly.

"I didn't tell you to act like a rogue either!" Tianchan rolled her eyes. "Hey, tell me about you and your childhood sweetheart."

"You mean her?" Wei Zhao pointed at Yang Qiqi. He hesitated, then nodded—but he chose his words carefully. Some things could be told, and those Wei Zhao naturally told; others could not, and those he left out...

The story was plain, one might even say dull and dry to the extreme—every day was nothing but training and more training—yet Tianchan listened with keen relish...

When Wei Zhao finished, Tianchan was somewhat puzzled and surprised. "So by that account, you should be an external-school cultivator. You never trained in internal-school mental methods at all growing up?"

"No. I started training in the internal school at eight," Wei Zhao said.