Chapter 2957 — The Pills Are Gone

"My underlings are from the ancient Feng family and the Hall of Divine Fists, and there's another one called Ge Xian—he comes and goes without a trace. If you can find them, go and ask them for it." Wei Zhao thought for a moment, then said to the man in black.

"Wei Zhao, you little wretch, spare me your nonsense. Don't think I don't know—you have a third-grade Great Return Pill in your possession, and that underling of yours from the hidden Zhao family has one too. Those are the two I want. Don't go dragging the ancient Feng family and the Hall of Divine Fists into this!" The man in black was no fool; he had already learned all about Wei Zhao and his people from the Dark Night Palace's A and B disciples.

The Dark Night Palace dared to come demanding pills from Wei Zhao and Zhao Qilei, but they did not dare demand pills from the Hall of Divine Fists or the ancient Feng family—wouldn't that be courting death? As for Ge Xian, he too was a figure of the ancient stratum, and a lone cultivator who made his living selling information besides. The Dark Night Palace would never dare provoke such a lone cultivator—one crooked word from that mouth of his, and everything the Dark Night Palace had done would be known throughout the ancient stratum. That would be utterly humiliating!

"Zhao Qilei is no longer my underling. These injuries of mine were dealt by the hidden Zhao family. If you want to find him, go to the hidden Zhao family—there's nothing I can do!" Wei Zhao said mildly.

"What?" The man in black was taken aback. "Is that true? You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"Why would I pull your leg!" Wei Zhao shook his head. "As for my third-grade Great Return Pill, I've already taken it—but it seems to have had no effect, because my dantian is shattered."

"What? You've already taken it? And your dantian is shattered too?" The man in black felt a little dizzy. He had not expected his errand for the Great Return Pill to go so badly. He had thought a few threats would be enough to make Wei Zhao hand it over!

"It's no secret. If you ask around, you'll learn the truth about how I was injured by the hidden Zhao family. I'm injured—why would I keep a Great Return Pill instead of taking it?" Wei Zhao countered.

"Your dantian is shattered, and you still took a Great Return Pill? Isn't that a waste?" the man in black said bitterly. "What a sheer waste of a treasure!"

"Think what you like. If you want a Great Return Pill, I've already told you—go ask Feng Shihua, Li Ciba, and Ge Xian. I don't have any left," Wei Zhao said.

"You... you... you just wait. I'll report to the Supreme Elder first and see how she punishes you! You've infuriated me!" Hearing Wei Zhao say this, the man in black said no more. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and left.

"He's just leaving?" Wu Chengtian was taken aback, thinking to himself that this man in black was truly easy to fool—Wei Zhao says a few words and off he goes?

"I'm afraid he'll be back..." Wei Zhao sighed. "For now we've put him off, but from the looks of it, the Dark Night Palace won't let this rest."

After the Dark Night Palace's black-robed elder left, he returned to the hotel where he was staying and dialed the Supreme Elder's number.

"Elder Black Robe, how did it go? That junior Wei Zhao has returned the pill to us, hasn't he?" In the Supreme Elder's view, this was an extremely simple matter. Upon hearing the name of an ancient sect, wouldn't Wei Zhao hurry to hand back the pill of his own accord? After all, this was different from the trial—here it was backing and influence that carried the weight, not personal strength.

"No, Supreme Elder. There's been a slight complication!" said Elder Black Robe.

"What? That brat Wei Zhao refused you?" The Supreme Elder's tone shifted at once, and she grew irate.

"It's not that he refused—it's like this..." Elder Black Robe hurriedly explained to the Supreme Elder how Wei Zhao had fallen out with the hidden Zhao family and been injured.

The Supreme Elder was astonished. "Is this true? Is everything he said the truth?"

"It should be genuine—after all, it's the sort of thing one learns just by asking around," Elder Black Robe said somewhat helplessly. "Now that Wei Zhao doesn't have the Great Return Pill, what am I to do? I can't very well kill him, can I?"

"Killing him is out of the question. He's nothing but an ant of a lone cultivator, but we are an ancient sect—killing at random without cause would only give others a handle against us. You can threaten him. Take that girl named Gu Mengyao at his side as a hostage and make him get the pill back from Ge Xian! If he refuses, cripple that Gu Mengyao and see whether he hands it over! If he still refuses, go and cripple her father, Gu Pengzhan—I refuse to believe Wei Zhao won't give in! As for Zhao Qilei, he's nothing but a hidden family. Go there yourself; they won't dare refuse!" The Supreme Elder thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Yes! I'll go find Wei Zhao tomorrow!" Elder Black Robe's mouth twitched twice. He had a vague idea of who Gu Mengyao was—it was no secret in the Dark Night Palace; anyone with a bit of standing knew of it. But since the Supreme Elder insisted, Elder Black Robe could only agree.

He was not Elder Li, after all; he had no feelings for Gu Mengyao, and even less for Gu Pengzhan.

After hanging up, Elder Black Robe decided to pay the hidden Zhao family another visit, to demand the Great Return Pill back and, while he was at it, verify whether Wei Zhao's words were true or false.

The hidden Zhao family was also in Donghai City. Though it was not close to Wei Zhao's villa, for a skilled hand like Elder Black Robe, at the peak of the late Earth rank, a run there would not take much time. In a short while, he arrived at the entrance of the path leading to the hidden Zhao family's manor.

"Who goes there? This is private property. If you have no business here, please turn back." The guard disciple spoke tactfully enough—after all, ordinary people often wandered in here by mistake, and they could hardly treat them rudely.

"Is this the hidden Zhao family?" Elder Black Robe glanced at the guard disciple and asked.

"Oh? You know of the hidden Zhao family? Who are you? What business do you have here?" The guard disciple's expression tensed, and he questioned him at once.

"Bring out whoever's in charge and tell him a distinguished guest has arrived!" Elder Black Robe said arrogantly.

"A distinguished guest?" The guard disciple's expression changed. "Are you here to make trouble? If you want to see someone, say who it is. Don't go looking for trouble—this is no place for you to throw your weight around!"

"What? You won't announce me?" As he spoke, Elder Black Robe unleashed the aura of his peak late Earth-rank cultivation.

"An expert at the peak of the late Earth rank?" The guard disciple was startled. Though the family had one expert at the early Heaven rank, a peak late Earth-rank expert was still a rare and precious asset. He dared not be negligent, and said hurriedly, "Then please wait a moment..."

"Hmph. If I hadn't shown a bit of my hand, you'd have gone on thinking yourself somebody!" Elder Black Robe sneered, watching RS