Chapter 3094 — The Key Lies with Wei Zhao

"Ah, Wei Zhao, you're here..." Gu Mengyao noticed Wei Zhao now too and brightened at once. "Wei Zhao, these people are from the Night Palace. They weren't the ones who kidnapped me and Xiaoshu, but they're no good either. Let's go, let's not waste our time on them!"

Now that she was fully awake, Gu Mengyao had come to understand what the Grand Elder meant. As a successor, she could attain peak late Heaven-rank strength. Truth be told, Gu Mengyao was genuinely tempted. But the Night Palace was Wei Zhao's enemy, and without Wei Zhao's consent, Gu Mengyao would never, under any circumstances, join the Night Palace!

The reason she wanted strength at all was for Wei Zhao, so that she would not fall too far behind him, so that she would not become a burden to Wei Zhao whenever he went out. So how could Gu Mengyao ever put the cart before the horse and make Wei Zhao unhappy just to gain power?

So after a single glance, Gu Mengyao deliberately said what she said, and in her view, the Grand Elder was the one asking a favor of her and certainly would not dare strike at her for it.

"You... you dare refuse me?" The Grand Elder stared at Gu Mengyao in disbelief, as though she had just heard the most absurd joke in the world. Impossible—had she misheard?

"Wei Zhao, Shen Yushu is still in the car. Let's go back," Gu Mengyao said, paying the Grand Elder no further mind and simply speaking her own thoughts.

"You..." The Grand Elder was furious. She looked at Gu Mengyao and said with a sinister edge, "Go on, then, if you dare. If you leave, fine by me—I'll just kill Wei Zhao!"

"If you kill Wei Zhao, I will never go with you to any Night Palace, and even if you drag me there, I will never cultivate your mind techniques or chant your oral formulas, and you will regret it for the rest of your life!" Gu Mengyao could make threats too. It was not that she truly had no desire to go to the Night Palace, but if she was going to go, she needed adequate leverage first!

"You..." The Grand Elder had not expected Gu Mengyao to say such a thing. Ye Rou'er's meek submission had led her to believe that every successor of the Night Palace would obey her, that her word would be law. But Gu Mengyao had shattered that impression entirely!

The Grand Elder wanted to curse her as a little wretch, but the words reached her lips and she swallowed them back down. She did not dare offend Gu Mengyao lightly now. The look of resolve on Gu Mengyao's face suggested she would truly do exactly as she said.

If Gu Mengyao meant every word, how could the Grand Elder dare scold her?

"Me what? It's you who came begging to me—have you even figured out the situation?" The young lady looked at the Grand Elder coldly. "Who even wants your lousy Night Palace? What kind of attitude is this? Wei Zhao, let's go. Don't waste our time on this old woman!"

"All right." Wei Zhao nodded, lifted Xiaoshu down from the car, and then discovered—to his surprise—that Xiaoshu had woken up on her own! This little girl had been quiet in the car the whole time; turns out she had been eavesdropping all along! "Xiaoshu, you woke up and didn't get out of the car—you had us worried sick!"

"Oh, Arrow-Brand Bro, Xiaoshu just thinks this old bag is way too annoying—she comes asking for help and still acts all high and mighty. Isn't she stupid?" Shen Yushu glanced at the Grand Elder and said with contempt.

"You... you people... what did you call me? Old woman? Old bag?" The Grand Elder's chest heaved, her breath coming in ragged gasps—clearly she was beside herself with rage. After all, when had the Grand Elder ever suffered such insult? In her mind, Ye Rou'er's obedience was the proper way of things. Yet now that it came to Gu Mengyao, why would she not obey?

Not only did she refuse to obey, she dared to talk back and threaten her! Today the Grand Elder had been called an old bag twice. The first time, she struck out and finished off the one who said it. The second time, she did not dare.

Gu Mengyao's words were plain enough: the girl had no interest in any Night Palace to begin with, and if the Grand Elder wanted to use force, then fine—even if she dragged the girl back, the girl would not cultivate as she wished. Let her see what she could do about that!

But this time, Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu did not even bother with her. They turned and made ready to leave with Wei Zhao.

Now the Grand Elder finally grew anxious and cried out, "Wait!"

"Is there something else?" Wei Zhao found it rather amusing. This Grand Elder truly thought too highly of herself. Well, look where that got her—she had offended Gu Mengyao, and the young lady was nothing if not vindictive!

"Um... Gu Mengyao, what would it take for you to join our Night Palace?" The Grand Elder felt a profound sense of defeat, but fortunately for her, she had no shame to speak of. Face was nothing but a passing cloud to her.

Since force did not work, she would try persuasion instead. Anything that benefited the Night Palace, she was willing to swallow her pride and do.

"I'll think about it and get back to you. But right now, I don't want to go!" Gu Mengyao said without even turning her head. The Night Palace? Gu Mengyao might desire power, but she would never act rashly. What the Grand Elder had said today had struck her far too hard. She needed to go home and digest it properly.

"That... fine!" Though the Grand Elder was unwilling, she nodded in agreement all the same. There was no help for it. Gu Mengyao and Ye Rou'er were utterly different people. Ye Rou'er submitted meekly; Gu Mengyao resisted. The Grand Elder would have to readjust her thinking.

"Elder Heiyi, what do you think we should do now?" Watching the three of them—Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu, and Wei Zhao—walk away, the Grand Elder's face was terribly grim. Given her old temperament, she would simply have seized Gu Mengyao and carried her off. But now, she feared that seizing her would do no good. Gu Mengyao's tone had been firm and unmistakable: drag me away, and I won't cultivate—see what you can do about it.

The Grand Elder could, of course, use torture to force Gu Mengyao to cultivate, but she dared not gamble. What if Gu Mengyao could not endure the torture and died? Would the Night Palace not be finished then?

After all, Gu Mengyao was the Night Palace's only remaining hope. If anything happened to her, the Night Palace would likely be struck from the ancient world's rolls altogether.

"This Gu Mengyao won't yield to either force or persuasion—she's nothing like Ye Rou'er!" Elder Heiyi frowned as well. "Truly, you become like those you keep company with—her temperament is just like Wei Zhao's!"

"I didn't ask about that, I asked what to do!" The Grand Elder gave a cold snort. "I know all that useless talk without you saying it. What I want to know is how to get Gu Mengyao to come back to the Night Palace with us!"

"That... I have no solution for the moment. But I think the crux of the problem is Wei Zhao. From what I can see, if Wei Zhao agrees, Gu Mengyao will certainly agree!" Elder Heiyi said. "We can try both threats and inducements—we must not simply keep pressuring her. We should also tempt her with favorable terms. That is the way."