Chapter 3357 — Wei Zhao's Rampage

Of course, Wei Zhao's guess was right. Earlier, both Tuo'ertu and Tuo'er Riyue had intended exactly that—only after Tuo'er Riyue made contact with Kang Jingming did he change his original plan and begin investigating Wei Zhao instead. But how easy could it be for a foreign clansman to pry into the affairs of the Central Plains? Clearly it was all but impossible.

So before long, Wei Zhao decisively led Yu Dake and Yu Xiaoke onward, probing their way forward. At first Yu Xiaoke had her doubts—after all, the words at the entrance had been terrifying, practically four chances of death to one of life. Not quite as dreadful as nine deaths to one, perhaps, but one wrong step and there would be no turning back!

Yet Wei Zhao strode forward with utter certainty, and her brother Yu Dake followed just as firmly. Yu Xiaoke had no choice—she could hardly stay behind alone—so she gritted her teeth and followed.

But after they had walked a ways, Yu Xiaoke grew rather puzzled. The passage they were traveling was no straight road; every so often it split into five forks, each marked with the same warning of four deaths to one life. Yet Wei Zhao seemed to have no time at all for stopping to judge—he merely strolled once around the mouth of each fork and then stepped into one of them!

Yu Xiaoke could not make sense of it. One stroll around and you know which path to take? Obviously that was impossible! Did he think himself a prophet? Even those masters of ancient tomb mechanisms would have to ponder for ages!

What was more, all five paths looked exactly alike, with no pattern to be found. How was Wei Zhao choosing? And to call it luck did not quite fit either, for Wei Zhao did not always take the same position at each fork—sometimes he went right, sometimes left, and sometimes straight down the middle.

"Wait a moment!" When they reached the next fork, Yu Xiaoke finally could not hold back. "Wei Zhao, are you just walking at random? Can you really tell which path is the right one?"

Wei Zhao stopped. He knew his methods looked suspicious—after all, he was relying on the jade pendant's sense of danger. A single circle past the five passages told him which held peril and which did not. But such things he could hardly explain to Yu Dake and Yu Xiaoke.

At any other time, Wei Zhao might have put on a show of examining the place, but today he truly had no such inclination. Their provisions were gone, and they had only set out for the Palan clan after reckoning they were close enough—they were traveling merchants from afar, and the Palan clan ought at the very least to provide food and lodging.

Now, however, something unforeseen had happened: they had no rations left. Wei Zhao did not much care, but Yu Dake and Yu Xiaoke could not go without. Though they could cultivate, within this underground prison of mechanisms the true qi they absorbed in cultivation fell far short of replenishing the physical stamina and true qi they expended.

"That's right." Wei Zhao nodded. His peculiar abilities were hardly limited to this one, after all—those that helped others advance their strength and heal their wounds were far more formidable. Compared with them, sensing danger was nothing remarkable at all.

"Are you just walking blindly? Is there really danger here, or is it all a scare?" Yu Xiaoke found Wei Zhao hard to stomach; she assumed he was showing off before her, that knowing she came from a family of tomb raiders, he deliberately meant to outdo her in her own field and make her admire him.

It must be said that Yu Xiaoke's imagination was running rather far.

"Walking blindly?" Wei Zhao's brows knitted slightly. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I could walk this too. Don't think that just because you go strutting about playing the mystic, I'll admire you!" Yu Xiaoke gave a cold sniff. "That's impossible. I know you've sensed something, but you're only putting on an act, showing off. The man I like is far more capable than you—in a genuinely dangerous ancient tomb he can still make sound judgments. You're no match for him."

Wei Zhao was left momentarily speechless. Of all times, what was Yu Xiaoke thinking about? "Yu Xiaoke, what is it you're actually trying to say?"

"Nothing much. Come with me—I can walk it too!" With that, Yu Xiaoke stepped into one of the passage mouths ahead.

"Xiaoke, don't be rash!" Yu Dake cried in alarm, but his words came a step too late. The instant Yu Xiaoke stepped into that passage, volleys of sharp arrows came flying at her!

Wei Zhao was beside himself with fury. Of all times—so you fancy a male tomb raider, but must you risk your own life just to belittle him, Wei Zhao?

Thank heavens Wei Zhao's current strength was what it was—a mid Heaven-rank expert, his movements exceedingly swift. With a single reach he hauled Yu Xiaoke bodily back out of the passage mouth. Yet to keep her from being struck by the arrows, he dared not dodge this way or that, and one arrow still punched clean through his arm.

Though the headlights no longer shone here, a night-luminous pearl stood at the entrance of every mechanism, casting a faint glow. Wei Zhao examined his wound—thankfully, the blood was a normal color; the arrows were most likely not poisoned.

"Yu Xiaoke! Have you quite finished with this madness?" Wei Zhao had indulged her before because he liked her and was moved by her devotion to the orphanage. But now he had never imagined Yu Xiaoke would act so recklessly on a whim.

Yu Xiaoke was frightened witless as well. She had assumed every one of these passages was safe, that it made no difference which way Wei Zhao went, and that his circling about at each passage mouth was mere pretense. Now at last she understood what a fool she had been!

"I…" Yu Xiaoke's heart was still pounding. If not for Wei Zhao, she would truly have been shot dead by those arrows! Looking at the arrows scattered across the ground near the passage mouth, a cold dread came over her.

"You 'I' nothing!" Wei Zhao was genuinely angry. He was normally a very level-headed man, but too many unreasonable things had happened in a single day. Even if the Palan clan had not wished to trade with him, surely they need not have thrown him into a dungeon of mechanisms? And then to show the face of an enemy and try to cut him down! So Wei Zhao's temper had frayed a little: "Yu Xiaoke, how many times have I told you? With those paltry skills of yours, you still dare come out and make a spectacle of yourself? You said that in the ancient tomb, for a bit of gold and silver, you nearly got yourself crushed to death. I saved you once—but that was for the sake of the orphanage children, so I let it go. Now tell me, what exactly did you do today?" (To be continued)