Chapter 3372 — The Attitude of the Yu Family

And when he himself returned, would Shen Yushu be leaving? Would he still have time to tell her of his adventures in the Haku Namata Desert—tales that could hardly be told in a word or two?

Yet these were things Wei Zhao could not bring himself to say to Shen Yushu. She was a girl who carried heavy matters in her heart, and Wei Zhao wanted her final days at home to be happy ones. He did not want the oppression of impending departure and the worry over the future to intrude upon her life.

These might well be little Shu's last days at the villa. Some things Wei Zhao could prevent; some things he could not, and must not. Gu Mengyao and the others had already set foot on this road; for Shen Yushu to set foot on it as well was the best choice...

"Xiao Ke, Da Ke, come with me," Wei Zhao said to them.

"Yes, Mr. Lin," Yu Dake said indifferently. Having now broken away from the hidden You family, he naturally went wherever Wei Zhao bid him. As for Yu Xiaoke, now that she knew Wei Zhao was the Phantom Thief, she wished all the more to be at his side every moment of every day.

Once in the car, Wei Zhao sighed with a hint of helplessness. Yu Dake seemed to sense his low spirits, and said, "Mr. Lin, is there something bad about this visit to the hidden Yu family?"

"Perhaps," Wei Zhao said, unable to be certain—but it was an intuition, and nine times out of ten such intuitions proved right.

As he got into the car, Wei Zhao stowed all the energy stones from the back of the vehicle into his jade pendant's space. Combined with the stones he already had, there was enough for Han Jingyi to produce first- and second-grade automatic medicinal cauldrons and keep them circulating for sale; these stones would serve as replacements, so there was no urgent need to deliver them to Han Jingyi.

It would be fine to give them to Han Jingyi after Wei Zhao returned.

Yu Dake had spent a long period as a disciple of the hidden You family and was thoroughly familiar with matters of the hidden plane. He knew the location of the hidden Yu family, so without Wei Zhao saying a word, Yu Dake drove swiftly in that direction.

They arrived before the mountain gate of the hidden Yu family. Some patrolling Yu disciples had meant to bar their way, but the moment they caught sight of Wei Zhao in the passenger seat, they immediately withdrew.

Clearly, the Yu disciples knew Wei Zhao, and had already received a hint from the Yu family's patriarch, Yu Tianxing. So it was only when Wei Zhao had driven into the inner courtyard of the hidden Yu family's estate that a disciple came forward—and to Wei Zhao's surprise, the man was none other than Yu Yi, whom he had met once before.

Yu Yi stood before Wei Zhao's car and called out respectfully, "Young Hero Lin, please step out of the car. The old master has been waiting for some time."

Wei Zhao signaled Yu Dake to stop the car, then got out. As for Yu Yi, Wei Zhao could not quite put a name to what he felt. Last time Yu Yi had done him a service—perhaps for Shen Yushu's sake, but a service nonetheless—so Wei Zhao remained courteous. "Mr. Yu Yi, please have someone see to my friends. I will go with you to meet Old Master Yu."

"Rest assured, Young Hero Lin. I will see to your friends properly, and a banquet shall be set to welcome them shortly," Yu Yi said with a smile.

Wei Zhao nodded. "Good. Then let us dispense with the courtesies and go straight to Old Master Yu."

"Very well, Young Hero Lin. Please follow me," Yu Yi said with a nod.

This was Wei Zhao's second visit to the hidden Yu family. The first had been as an uninvited guest; the second, as an invited one. The attitude differed accordingly—the first time had been wary apprehension; the second, utter deference.

Yu Tianxing's dwelling stood at the summit of the rear mountain. Yu Yi led the way, Wei Zhao following behind. It was Wei Zhao's first time on this mountain; on his previous visit, though the Yu family had been deeply in awe of him, they had not invited him to so secluded a place.

"The spiritual energy of heaven and earth here is decent, though not especially abundant," Wei Zhao remarked, trailing Yu Yi without the slightest effort—which made Yu Yi sigh inwardly at how times had changed. Yu Yi had first seen Wei Zhao when the latter arrived in Songshan City, but at that time Wei Zhao was merely a yellow-rank fighter, beneath Yu Yi's notice. To his eyes, Wei Zhao was nothing more than a bodyguard Gu Pengzhan had hired from the secular world, not even reaching the heights of a secular clan—how could Yu Yi, grand steward of a hidden clan, possibly pay him any mind?

But now Wei Zhao's achievements had utterly surpassed the hidden Yu family. It could be said that within the hidden Yu family, not a single person could challenge Wei Zhao; even the powers backing the hidden Yu family were unlikely to produce anyone who could stand against him...

"Heh, Young Hero Lin is widely traveled and knowledgeable. But within the hidden plane, the Yu family's spiritual energy is already the most abundant—though of course it cannot compare to the ancient plane," Yu Yi said with a smile, as though he had never once plotted Wei Zhao's murder.

At Wei Zhao's present level, he could not be bothered to stoop to Yu Yi's level. After all, the Yu family was, in the end, Yu Ning's home, and Wei Zhao did not wish for relations to grow too strained; besides, it was he who had first wiped out the secular Yu family, and in such tangled debts of grievance and gratitude, who was right and who wrong was hard to say.

"I am merely a lone cultivator," Wei Zhao said with a faint smile.

As they spoke, the two had reached the summit of the rear mountain, before a cave. Yu Yi led Wei Zhao there and opened the mechanism before the cave, making no attempt to conceal it from him—though of course, had Wei Zhao wished to force his way in, the mechanism could not have stopped him in the least.

In Yu Yi's view, Wei Zhao's strength already stood at the pinnacle beneath the Heavenly Dao; in some matters, it was better to be open than to guard against him.

"Yu Yi, you have come?" Old Master Yu's voice came from within the cave. "Has Young Hero Lin arrived?"

"Old Master, Young Hero Lin is here as well," Yu Yi said.

Hardly had Yu Yi's words faded when the sound of footsteps came from the cave, and Yu Tianxing strode out quickly, his face wreathed in smiles. "Young Hero Lin, you have come! You do this old man far too much honor..."

"Old Master Yu, you are Yu Ning's grandfather. Such words are mere pretense. If there is a matter, just speak it plainly—no need for empty formalities. You know my character," Wei Zhao said, shaking his head and speaking bluntly.

"Very well. Young Hero Lin, please come in!" Yu Tianxing gestured invitingly, motioning Wei Zhao into the cave.

The luxury and spaciousness within this cave surpassed even the Xuanyuan Cave Residence on West Star Mountain...