Chapter 3312 — Arriving So Soon

"You're in trouble—how could I not come?" Wei Zhao said. "Don't worry about An Liwen. Leave him to me. This is no great matter."

"The Grand Elder is injured." Gu Mengyao sighed. "With her hurt as she is now, I'm afraid it will be a long time before she recovers, and she'll have no chance to reach the consummate peak of the late Heaven rank. It's a loss for the Dark Night Palace."

"Ha. Yao'er, say no more—I understand what you mean." Wei Zhao smiled. "The old woman had this coming. Let her be snobbish! Still, you're the Palace Master of the Dark Night Palace, so I'll help all the same."

"Mm, thank you." Gu Mengyao knew well that Wei Zhao held no high opinion of the Grand Elder, but she was the Palace Master now, and she could no longer weigh matters by her own feelings alone; she had to consider the whole picture. The rise and fall of the Dark Night Palace was a responsibility that rested on her as its master. "The Grand Elder may be somewhat snobbish, but no one can match her devotion to the Dark Night Palace."

"I know that. Otherwise I wouldn't lift a finger to help," Wei Zhao said. "Once this business is settled, I'll treat her injuries myself. Actually, I've also thought about raising your cultivation to the consummate peak of the late Earth rank—only I fear that if I boost your strength, it might hinder your own cultivation."

"Mm, no need for me. My own cultivation has been fast enough." Gu Mengyao did not seem much concerned. "But I wonder—will that lot come today? Wei Zhao, are you truly confident?"

"Rest easy." Wei Zhao smiled. "If I weren't confident, I'd have taken you all straight back to West Star Mountain Village and paid all this no mind."

"True enough!" Gu Mengyao could not help laughing at that.

"As for whether they'll come today—I'm certain they will," Wei Zhao said with conviction.

"Why? How do you know?" Gu Mengyao was slightly taken aback.

"There's a traitor in your Dark Night Palace," Wei Zhao said.

"A traitor?" Gu Mengyao's expression changed at once, though a moment later something seemed to occur to her. "Zhao Qibing?"

"The very same." Wei Zhao nodded. "It seems my Yao'er didn't get her position as Palace Master for nothing—you're quite formidable now."

At his words "my Yao'er," Gu Mengyao's cheeks flushed faintly, and she gave a little huff. "And here I thought I truly knew nothing at all!"

"Ha, of course. You can even keep me in line—running a Dark Night Palace is nothing to that," Wei Zhao said with a laugh.

A little embarrassed, Gu Mengyao ignored his teasing and turned the subject instead. "Zhao Qibing—that boy has some nerve. It seems the punishment I gave him was too light."

"Leave him be for now. Once this matter is finished, there'll be time enough to deal with him," Wei Zhao said with a wave of his hand.

"Mm, I'll do as you say." Gu Mengyao walked with Wei Zhao toward the Dark Night Palace's reception hall, and by this time the Grand Elder had also learned the news that Wei Zhao had come.

Though Gu Mengyao had full control of the Dark Night Palace, that did not mean these people had betrayed the Grand Elder. The moment Wei Zhao arrived, other elders had gone at once to inform her.

In the eyes of the ordinary disciples, the Grand Elder kept her doors shut to visitors—but the elders could still go to her.

"Elder Su, you mean to say Wei Zhao arrived swaggering, with no trace of helplessness or worry?" Hearing Elder Su's report, the Grand Elder found it strange. She had never thought much of Wei Zhao, and he had never shown himself before; yet this time, the moment Gu Mengyao called, he appeared. What did that mean?

Did he truly have confidence, or was he simply a hothead rushing to defend his woman, that swagger merely put on to intimidate the bandit gangs? In the Grand Elder's view, Wei Zhao likely had no great strength—for what other reason? If he truly had strength, would he have been hunted by those cultivators from overseas?

And besides, so much time had passed since that pursuit—why had Wei Zhao stayed hidden and never shown himself? If he were truly powerful, would there be any need to skulk about? So the Grand Elder concluded it must be the latter.

Wei Zhao was the sort who acted rashly for a woman's sake, which lowered him further in the Grand Elder's estimation. She gave a cold snort and shook her head. "Does he really think that putting on an act will intimidate those people? How naive! In the old days, when the killings by the Blood Garment Yellow Spring Sect were all blamed on you, you could still overawe others—but now, who would believe it! Ah, Yao'er, still too young, easily blinded by love—just like Ye Rou'er in her day!"

"Then, Grand Elder, what should we do now?" Elder Su smiled bitterly. If it were the old Ye Rou'er, he would have dared to gossip behind her back, but now that it was Gu Mengyao, Elder Su did not dare speak rashly, and could only ask awkwardly and cautiously.

"Never mind. When those people come again, I'll go out and talk with them myself. If it truly cannot be helped, we'll hand the Dark Night Palace over to them for now and I'll think of something else—while there is life, there is hope. I'll advise Yao'er: once she sees that Wei Zhao is unreliable, she'll surely be disappointed, and then I'll persuade her to marry into the Xuandan Sect. With the Xuandan Sect backing us, these people will have to retreat the same way they came!" The Grand Elder spoke with some helplessness.

"The Grand Elder has indeed thought it through thoroughly!" Elder Su said quickly.

The Grand Elder waved a hand. "Never mind. This may be a good thing in the end—it will make Yao'er understand that those loose cultivators are simply unreliable."

But just as the two were speaking, a gatekeeping disciple came running up, gasping for breath. This disciple was one of Elder Su's trusted followers, and so he had come here first rather than to Gu Mengyao.

Every elder had trusted disciples of his own—in truth, his personal disciples. On the surface these disciples answered to Gu Mengyao as master of the Dark Night Palace, but they obeyed her only in broad matters; strictly speaking, they remained closest to their own masters.

But there was no help for it—every sect was the same, and Gu Mengyao could not change that. So as long as these people caused no trouble, she left them alone. After all, such personal, direct-line disciples were few—only one or two beside each elder—and the rest were ordinary disciples.

"Grand Elder, Elder Su, something terrible has happened!" This gatekeeping disciple had just come on shift, relieving the night-watch disciple who had seen Wei Zhao earlier, and already trouble had found him. To his dismay, yesterday's crowd had returned! (To be continued.)