Chapter 2964 — Tian Chan's Reason

"Let's go!" the black-clad elder ground his teeth and hauled Zhao Qibing away with him, departing that place of heartbreak. What did it mean to lose the lady and the troops besides? This was the textbook case. Had the black-clad elder not been so insatiably greedy—had he simply taken the Zhao family's Great Restoration Pill and returned to the Dark Night Palace with Zhao Qibing—none of this trouble would ever have arisen.

The two of them were both earth-tier experts; leaving was the work of a moment.

Only once the pair had vanished completely into the distance did Wei Zhao speak in gratitude: "Many thanks to Young Master Tian for upholding justice!"

"Mm. If there's nothing else, I'll be going." Tian Die'er nodded, turned, and drifted away—slipping off quietly, taking not a wisp of cloud with her... just as quietly as he had come.

"Chief, do you have some connection with Young Master Tian?" Han Xiaohu asked, somewhat puzzled.

"No. First time we've met." Wei Zhao shook his head. If anyone had a connection, it was Zhao Qilei—back at the Xuandan Sect inn, the Silkworm Mutation had come looking for Zhao Qilei.

But news of the Zhao family's Zhao Qilei and his feigned defection had not yet been made public. So if the Silkworm Mutation was showing favor, it ought to favor Zhao Qibing—a member of the Zhao family—not Wei Zhao. Could the Silkworm Mutation truly have come to uphold justice?

"Then that's odd. Young Master Tian was clearly partial to us—otherwise he wouldn't have handed us the Great Restoration Pill in the end..." Pi Zhifeng was equally perplexed by the Silkworm Mutation's conduct.

"Never mind. The minds of these exalted figures from the ancient sects are not ours to fathom. Since the trouble is over, that's all for the best." Old Master Pi waved a hand and said to Wu Chengtian, "Push Mr. Lin back inside. The wind is strong out here!"

"Yes!" Wu Chengtian nodded and wheeled Wei Zhao back.

After Tian Die'er left, she naturally went to report back to Tian Chan. The black-clad elder, meanwhile, returned to the Dark Night Palace with Zhao Qibing—only to stew in gloom until the Grand Elder flew into a rage! That rage, of course, was not aimed at them, but at the Xuandan Sect!

"The Silkworm Mutation goes too far! So Wan'er didn't marry your father back then—is that any reason to suppress our Dark Night Palace like this?" The Grand Elder laid every one of the Silkworm Mutation's bizarre actions today squarely at Wan'er's feet! She glanced at Ye Rou'er, who sat to one side in silence, and said, "Ye Rou'er, it was your mistake back then that reduced our Dark Night Palace to a third-rate sect. And look at this—the Silkworm Mutation is actually helping that little bitch and her lot to suppress us!"

Zhao Qibing, however, was utterly thunderstruck—for here he had actually laid eyes on a grown-up version of Gu Mengyao! And the Grand Elder kept saying "little bitch"—could that mean Gu Mengyao? There had to be a hidden story behind all this!

Having stumbled upon this secret, Zhao Qibing felt as though his whole body had been injected with stimulant, brimming with power! This was a major discovery. It seemed the Grand Elder was deeply displeased with Wei Zhao and Gu Mengyao. So once he became a disciple of the Dark Night Palace, as long as he curried favor with the Grand Elder, couldn't he scheme against Wei Zhao and Gu Mengyao and their crowd?

At that thought, Zhao Qibing sneered inwardly. Wei Zhao, oh Wei Zhao, bet you didn't see this coming—I, Zhao Qibing, have found myself allies here! Next time, it'll be you on your knees begging for mercy, not me!

As for Ye Rou'er, though Zhao Qibing guessed she must have some deep connection to Gu Mengyao, what of it? He had already seen the truth clearly: in the Dark Night Palace, the Grand Elder's word was law, and Ye Rou'er, the palace master, was nothing but a puppet with not a shred of real power.

"Grand Elder, I will cultivate diligently and strive to complete the inheritance as soon as possible..." Ye Rou'er said, a little despondently.

"So long as you know to work hard, that's enough! When the heaven-tier assembly comes, I don't want our Dark Night Palace struck from the rolls because of you!" said the Grand Elder.

Word that the Silkworm Mutation had thrown its weight behind Wei Zhao soon reached the hidden Zhao family, and old Master Zhao, who had been beside himself with joy, felt as though he had been plunged into an ice cellar—his elation snuffed out in an instant.

The hidden Yu family backing Wei Zhao was understandable enough. But the Silkworm Mutation backing Wei Zhao? How could that be? Didn't Wei Zhao have a grudge against the Xuandan Sect?

The hidden You family, too, received the news at the first opportunity—yet they were even more baffled than the hidden Zhao family. Hadn't their poison come from Elder Kang Jingming, who answered to the Xuandan Sect? So why was the Silkworm Mutation stepping forward on Wei Zhao's behalf?

At that, even the Qianshan Sect and the Jinzhong Sect, which had been lying in wait to move against Wei Zhao, snuffed out their designs. However formidable they might be, they dared not set themselves against an ancient sect—least of all one of the mightiest of the ancient sects!

Not long after Tian Die'er returned to the Xuandan Sect and reported to Tian Chan, Tian Chan received a summons from Patriarch Xuanchen! For Kang Jingming had also been questioned by the hidden You family, which meant Patriarch Xuanchen had gotten wind of it.

Tian Chan was not worried. She had long since prepared her explanation, and went straight to Patriarch Xuanchen's chambers! The only thing that nettled her was that Kang Jingming was there as well.

"The Silkworm Mutation pays respects to Uncle-Master Xuanchen!" Tian Chan greeted him respectfully.

"Mm. Sit, Silkworm Mutation." Patriarch Xuanchen nodded, gesturing for the Silkworm Mutation to take a seat and talk.

The Silkworm Mutation did not decline; she sat directly opposite Patriarch Xuanchen—a courtesy not even Kang Jingming was afforded. After all, the Silkworm Mutation's station was that of the Xuandan Sect's young master.

"Uncle-Master, you wished to see me. Is something the matter?" Though the Silkworm Mutation had a fair guess at what this was about, she still asked as though ignorant.

"Silkworm Mutation, I hear you paid a visit to East Sea City?" Patriarch Xuanchen asked evenly. "Went to help Wei Zhao and resolve the conflict with the Dark Night Palace?"

"Yes, Uncle-Master. I've only just returned." The Silkworm Mutation nodded and answered readily.

"Oh? Do you not know that Wei Zhao and I are at odds? Why go and help him?" Patriarch Xuanchen's tone was mild, but it carried a note of reproach.

"I know. But compared with Wei Zhao, I dislike the Dark Night Palace even more," Tian Chan replied. "The Dark Night Palace and the Xuandan Sect have been enemies for many years. And this time, I wasn't helping Wei Zhao—I was acting for the fairness and justice of the Xuandan Sect's trial!"

"Oh? How so?" Patriarch Xuanchen was slightly taken aback, though Tian Chan's answer rather satisfied him. The feud between the Xuandan Sect and the Dark Night Palace was a legacy of the previous generation—stemming, of course, from the two ruthless figures who had intervened back then and stopped Ye Rou'er from aborting her child and following the Xuandan Sect's young master of the day, Tian Jixing, as his concubine. Had they not, the Dark Night Palace and the Xuandan Sect would have been in-laws, and things would never have come to such bitter blows!

So the reason Tian Chan gave for stepping in seemed to him perfectly sound. (To be continued)