Chapter 3100 — The One She Cared for Most

"But, Mom could have just said, 'Threaten me again and I won't go—kill me and I still won't go!'" Gu Mengyao's temperament was utterly unlike Ye Rou'er's; this young lady was not so easy to push around!

"If your mother had a temperament like yours, then even if we never met, you two would probably be on the phone with each other all the time!" Gu Pengzhan said with a bitter smile.

"Right—Mom is in the Dark Night Palace now, so surely she failed to receive the inheritance, and that is why the Grand Elder came to me. Since Mom is in the Dark Night Palace, I can absolutely demand that she be allowed to come back and keep you company, Dad, and I will go to the Dark Night Palace instead—that way you won't be lonely." Gu Mengyao did not care whether her mother Ye Rou'er was an elder, or whether the Grand Elder still wanted to keep her in the Dark Night Palace; now that the thought had crossed her mind, she was determined to see it through.

In truth, the reason the Grand Elder had not used Gu Mengyao's mother as leverage before was simply that she did not want to let Ye Rou'er leave! Ye Rou'er was, after all, a skilled fighter of the early Heaven-rank, and for the Dark Night Palace, whose strength leaned toward the weaker side, that was a considerable asset!

Although Ye Rou'er had previously fallen out with her over her desire to kill Gu Pengzhan and Gu Mengyao, and had grown somewhat disheartened, so long as Gu Mengyao did not die and did go to the Dark Night Palace, the Grand Elder believed Ye Rou'er would be perfectly willing to go on serving the Dark Night Palace!

As for Wei Zhao, the Grand Elder did not dare kill him, for she had discovered that Gu Mengyao's temperament was completely different from Ye Rou'er's—at the slightest displeasure, she would threaten that she would rather die than go to the Dark Night Palace, which left the Grand Elder quite helpless.

Moreover, the Grand Elder valued Gu Mengyao far more than she valued Ye Rou'er. Whether Ye Rou'er could receive the inheritance depended entirely on luck, but Gu Mengyao—the purity of the Dark Phoenix bloodline within her body was enough to make one gasp. So long as Gu Mengyao went to the Dark Night Palace, she could receive the inheritance with absolute certainty—beyond any doubt!

So the Grand Elder had already decided that, to keep Gu Mengyao happy, upon returning to the Dark Night Palace she could restore Ye Rou'er's status as palace mistress, and then make Gu Mengyao the vice palace mistress. Of course, if Gu Mengyao truly did receive the inheritance smoothly, then making her the Grand Elder herself would be fine too!

That was the kind of person the Grand Elder was—for the sake of the sect, she would do anything at all, with no regard left for face or dignity.

As for Elder Li, he too could be given a share of power. So long as Gu Mengyao went willingly to receive the inheritance, anything was acceptable—even handing over all the power in the hands of the black-robed elder would be fine. The one precondition was that Gu Mengyao had to go receive the inheritance of her own free will.

Hearing Gu Mengyao's words, Gu Pengzhan was suddenly overcome with emotion. Could it be? Could Ye Rou'er really come back? For all these years, Gu Pengzhan had not passed a single moment without hoping that one day Ye Rou'er might return to his side—he dreamed of it constantly!

So at this very moment, Gu Pengzhan simply could not suppress his feelings; he sprang up from the sofa once more. "Yaoyao… your mother can come back?"

"Mm, I think if I use this as leverage, the Grand Elder should agree!" Though Gu Mengyao was not especially certain, at the very least it could serve as a bargaining chip; whether the Grand Elder released her or not would depend on her attitude and her mood.

"But… Yaoyao, this is trading your own sacrifice for your mother's return. That… I would rather you did not go…" Once the excitement passed, Gu Pengzhan calmed down; he knew this was being bought with Gu Mengyao's inheritance!

"Even if Mom doesn't come back, I'm afraid I still have to go!" Gu Mengyao smiled. "Dad, since I have to go anyway, why shouldn't I bargain for a little more in return?"

If the Grand Elder had heard Gu Mengyao's words, she likely would have spat blood. She had gone to such lengths to hide the matter of Ye Rou'er precisely because she feared Gu Mengyao would demand a swap—and Ye Rou'er was a skilled fighter of the early Heaven-rank, a real source of strength for the Dark Night Palace, and now she was to be let go just like that…

"Uncle Chu, Yaoyao is right. Even if Auntie Ye doesn't come back, Yaoyao still has to go, so rather than that, it is better to ask for more in return," Wei Zhao nodded and said reassuringly.

"All right, since that is how it is, then Daddy thanks you!" Gu Pengzhan was overcome with emotion. "Yaoyao, I never imagined that in the end it would be you leaving and your mother coming back. When will our family truly be reunited?"

"That will depend on Arrow Shield Bro! Once Arrow Shield Bro becomes a peak late Heaven-rank grand-master fighter and sweeps across the entire ancient stratum, then we will be the number one family under heaven!" Shen Yushu said. "By then, the Grand Elder will probably come crawling to lick Arrow Shield Bro's leather shoes…"

"Xiaoshu, that is an awful thing to say!" Gu Mengyao glared at Shen Yushu. "Don't say things like that—what if the Grand Elder hears it and starts thinking about killing Wei Zhao again!"

"Oh, Xiaoshu knows—I'm only saying it secretly at home, aren't I?" Shen Yushu nodded and said indifferently.

"Xiaoshu, after I leave, there will be no one to keep you in line. You have to listen to Wei Zhao, understand? Don't keep making trouble for him!" Gu Mengyao glanced at Xiaoshu; though she was scolding her, a deep reluctance flickered in her eyes—after all, she and Xiaoshu had lived together for so many years, and now they were to be parted.

"Mm, don't worry, Yaoyao-jie, I'm Obedient Shu." Shen Yushu nodded solemnly, the playful look from before gone from her face—though that last phrase, "Obedient Shu," made Gu Mengyao unable to hold back a smile.

Looking at Gu Mengyao as she was now, Wei Zhao's heart was filled with boundless sorrow as well. Originally, Wei Zhao had thought that the ones who could stay by his side forever would surely be the young lady and Xiaoshu. Even a few days ago, when he learned that Xiaoshu would eventually have to leave, Wei Zhao had still believed that the young lady, no matter what, could not leave—that he would go on living with her, always.

Though neither had ever hinted or promised anything to the other, both understood clearly that although they were friends, their feelings had long since surpassed those of ordinary friends. What was that, then?

Every time Wei Zhao returned from a trip, the young lady was like a little wife waiting for her husband to come home—a word of greeting, a glance, plain and simple, yet it had already become a habit.

Did he like the young lady? He probably did—otherwise, Wei Zhao could not have gone on living with her all this time.

Perhaps, deep in the depths of Wei Zhao's heart, the one he cared for most was the young lady! RS