Chapter 3096 — Making the Decision

A divine weapon whose power fell short of a martial technique's—to any other Heaven-Rank expert, that was unthinkable, and yet in Wei Zhao's case it was the simple truth. The reason was that the Fuxi Nine Needles could not be used above one's current tier. While Wei Zhao stood at the early Heaven-Rank, he naturally could not unleash the might the Needles would possess at the mid Heaven-Rank; the Frenzied Fire Eight Trigrams Palm, however, had no such constraint.

For Wei Zhao, then, the Fuxi Nine Needles were somewhat of a white elephant. Unless he could find a way to wield them beyond his tier, they would serve only against early Heaven-Rank experts of strength close to his own.

It was for this reason, too, that Wei Zhao yearned all the more for the forging of a Heaven-Rank divine weapon, and why he practiced condensing and refining the forging flame day after day without pause—neglecting Xu Shilan entirely in the process.

Xu Shilan had not come looking for Wei Zhao, and so Wei Zhao had not taken the initiative to ask after her. In the end, the truth was that Xu Shilan had simply been afraid of disturbing him.

"How about this—tomorrow I'll go out with you," Wei Zhao said with a wry smile, suddenly a little embarrassed.

"No need, it's really all right. I've already had Sister Wang go and buy the things for me." Xu Shilan smiled. "If there's nothing important, I just have Sister Wang bring the work over to the villa. As long as it doesn't bother you. I'll probably be practicing songs at home these next few days."

"Of course it won't bother me—that's wonderful, actually. Yaoyao and Xiaoshu will get to be the first listeners to your new songs," Wei Zhao said with a laugh.

At any other time, Gu Mengyao would certainly have been overjoyed. Her idol, a great star, singing new songs in her own home, and she herself the very first fan to hear Xu Shilan's new work—what could be more thrilling?

But now, Gu Mengyao's mind was wholly occupied with the matter of the Night Palace. To go, or not to go? She could not decide.

"Hm? Yaoyao, Xiaoshu, you two seem to have something on your minds?" Xu Shilan had noticed it too—Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu seemed low-spirited today, and spoke little. "Is it because I'm staying in the villa? Have I disrupted your normal life?"

"No, it's not that." Gu Mengyao shook her head. "Sister Shihan, actually... it wouldn't hurt to tell you about this. Today, an ancient sect came to find me. They want me to become the sect's successor and palace master, but... I don't know whether I should go or not..."

Xu Shilan was briefly taken aback. She knew about Feng Xiaoxiao's matter—not in great detail, but enough to understand that once one became a successor, one had to remain within that sect and could no longer see Wei Zhao and Shen Yushu often.

What surprised Xu Shilan was this: Feng Xiaoxiao was a successor, Tang Zhi was a successor, and now Gu Mengyao too? How many successors were there in all? Why had they all gathered around Wei Zhao? Was it coincidence, or the will of heaven?

In truth, what Xu Shilan did not know was that all of this had been glimpsed and foreseen by a certain person more than a decade ago, and that Wei Zhao's original mission had carried a deeper meaning—only Wei Zhao himself was unaware of it.

"Ah?" Xu Shilan was startled for a moment, but on a matter like this she could hardly offer any advice. After all, she did not understand such things; what she knew of cultivators she had learned from Wei Zhao. Though Xu Shilan was herself the illegitimate daughter of an ancient sect, she had never had any contact with that world. "Yaoyao, I really can't help with this. I have no way to advise you—but what does Wei Zhao say?"

"Yaoyao, don't hold it against me for speaking plainly. This business of ancient sects seeking successors was set in motion by Ancestor Xuanchen of the Five Luminaries Sect. Never mind me—even Teacher Bai has no way to stop it. And once a sect discovers a successor who fits its tradition, it's like a starving wolf catching sight of mutton—worse, even. So refusing this is likely impossible," Wei Zhao said. "The way I see it, whether you go is merely a question of timing and benefit."

"If the Night Palace can offer Yaoyao sufficient benefit, then going is no bad thing. If it can't... frankly, against an expert at the peak of the late Heaven-Rank, I'm truly helpless..." Wei Zhao smiled bitterly. Their adversaries were growing ever stronger, and though Wei Zhao was himself a Heaven-Rank expert, the gap between him and such people remained vast.

Especially after reaching Heaven-Rank, the advantage of Wei Zhao's Frenzied Fire Eight Trigrams Palm had grown less pronounced. His true qi could not keep up, so that even with the power at his command, he could not bring it forth. That was why he longed to cultivate the third layer of the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art, to recover stamina and true qi more swiftly—and why he longed for a Heaven-Rank divine weapon.

And so Wei Zhao spent every day studying these things, forgetting food and sleep, and naturally had no time for Xu Shilan. But now, at the thought that he was supposed to be Xu Shilan's close guard, his face burned with shame. As a guard, he had truly been derelict in his duty.

"I know..." Gu Mengyao nodded and gave a faint sigh. "Wei Zhao, even if you hadn't said it, I understand. Their Grand Elder—an expert at the peak of the late Heaven-Rank—has already taken the field, and I must go with her... Today I was able to put on a show of defiance only because she is so eager for talent. But if she truly loses patience, I'm afraid the consequences would be grave..."

Of course, for someone of the Grand Elder's temperament, resorting to threats and bribes was hardly unusual. In Wei Zhao's eyes, the Night Palace's people were utterly shameless—there had been trouble during the Xuandan Sect trial, and now they came to settle scores after the fact!

"So what you're saying is..." Wei Zhao asked.

"I... I don't really want to go. But when I think that once I leave, I can grow stronger, that I won't be a burden you have to worry about every time you go out on business, then I want to go again..." Gu Mengyao sighed softly. For the first time, the young miss opened her heart. "But I also don't know what my fate will be once I go. Will it be like Xiaoxiao—sent to do something dangerous?"

"That... perhaps," Wei Zhao said after a moment's thought, and nodded. He did not want to deceive the young miss. After all, by any normal reckoning, if Feng Xiaoxiao had been sent on a dangerous errand, and Xiaojiu too, and Shen Yushu as well, then there was no reason Gu Mengyao would be exempt. That was why he said so.

"Mm, it's not that I'm afraid of such things. If Xiaoxiao isn't afraid, what have I to fear?" In her heart, though, Gu Mengyao was thinking: Tang Zhi wasn't afraid either, and she made such a sacrifice for your sake, while I can do nothing at all. This time, going to the Night Palace, I bring you no benefit whatsoever...