Chapter 3426 — Turning to Wei Zhao

And if she went with these people, her second granduncle Song Xianghua could likewise remain in the Song family. Even without her as a source of strength, the Song family was still a formidable clan, and so Song Lingwei could leave with an easy mind.

"Little Rui, let us think it over thoroughly together and see whether there is any way out of this!" Song Xianghua's expression was grave as well, but he did not immediately agree to Song Lingwei's proposal. He meant to consider the matter further; if there was any means at all, he would keep Song Lingwei here. If these people carried her off, what hope of survival could she possibly have?

As for all that talk about releasing Song Lingwei once they had "thought it over"—those were nothing but deceitful words. Song Xianghua understood the matter of Song Lingwei well enough. How could these people ever let her off lightly?

"Little Rui, this time you can tell your grandfather the whole truth—what exactly is going on?" Song Xiangwen drew a deep breath. "You are the backbone of our Song family now. If there is any way not to give you up, your grandfather will never give you up. Only when there is truly no other way will we make the worst preparations."

"Grandfather, the truth is... my strength as an externalist cultivator came from seizing another's inheritance..." Song Lingwei said. "During the Devil's Trial, by sheer chance, I obtained the inheritance of an ancient spirit beast's remains. But that inheritance belonged to another, rather powerful organization—the Firewolf Gang. The Firewolf Gang ought to have branches here in the country as well, and abroad too. I took the inheritance they had schemed and prepared for so long, so naturally they were unwilling to let me go. Only, abroad, the Overseas Cultivators Association and the mercenary organizations protected me, and they were unwilling to stir up a great disturbance, so in the end the matter simply faded away. That is also why I owe the Overseas Cultivators Association a favor. But just when I thought the matter had passed, I never expected them to turn up here. It seems they have been watching for their chance all along... What I never imagined was that the Firewolf Gang would have four such formidable experts. That is truly very rare. With strength like that, they could forcibly carry me off abroad just the same..."

"So that is how it was." Song Xiangwen nodded after hearing her out. When all was said and done, although Song Lingwei had acted unintentionally, she had taken another's inheritance regardless. It would have been strange indeed if they had let her off!

There was no denying it—when it came down to it, Song Lingwei was in the wrong. It was only from the Song family's standpoint that they viewed the matter otherwise, and naturally Song Xianghua did not wish anything to happen to Song Lingwei. After all, in his eyes she bore no real responsibility; she had merely happened to pick up a bargain.

But in the cultivation world, whoever had the bigger fist was the one in the right. So Song Xiangwen and Song Xianghua exchanged a glance, and each saw the helplessness in the other's eyes.

"Lingshan, is there really no way on your end?" Song Xiangwen had no recourse but to look to Qiu Lingshan again, hoping she might offer some counsel.

"I... I will try!" Qiu Lingshan sighed. She meant to ask Wei Zhao and see whether he had any plan, whether he could call in help from the ancient tier. "I will go back and make a phone call."

"Very well, go on!" Song Xiangwen nodded.

Qiu Lingshan returned to her room. After pondering for a moment, she dialed Wei Zhao's number.

"Lingshan, are things going smoothly on your end?" Wei Zhao picked up the phone and asked.

"Wei Zhao, I have run into a great deal of trouble here—at the Song family!" Qiu Lingshan said.

"Oh? What trouble? Let me hear it." Wei Zhao was not especially concerned. After all, in the cultivation world of today, there was very little that Wei Zhao could not settle. From a lone wandering cultivator, he had climbed step by step to the very summit of the cultivation world, and at last the day had come for him to reap the fruits of his labors.

"This is how it is." Qiu Lingshan concealed nothing, laying out the whole affair of Song Lingwei—including even that Song Lingwei had come to assassinate Wei Zhao, and that four experts of late Heaven-rank peak great-perfection strength had arrived at the Song family gate.

"What? You have a younger sister too? A guest elder of the Overseas Cultivators Association? And she was coming to assassinate me?" Wei Zhao felt his thoughts growing tangled. Qiu Lingshan's younger sister was actually so powerful—an externalist expert of late Heaven-rank peak great-perfection strength, all because she had obtained some spirit beast's inheritance!

As for the Overseas Cultivators Association wanting him dead, Wei Zhao understood well enough—that was only to be expected, since he and they were already locked in a fight to the death. But to send Song Lingwei after him... and then, when Song Lingwei ran into trouble, to have him go and help her? Was anything ever so wondrous?

Wondrous or not, since it was a request from that little fool Song Xiaosha, Wei Zhao would certainly find a way to help. Only, how? Four experts of late Heaven-rank peak great-perfection strength—Wei Zhao had not the slightest confidence in dealing with them.

If it were only one or two, Wei Zhao still had a chance, by releasing Little One and picking them off one by one... wait—Song Lingwei and Song Xianghua were both experts of late Heaven-rank peak great-perfection strength!

In that case, it was four against four. With the jade pendant's attack boost, he could instantly kill experts of late Heaven-rank peak strength, but against great-perfection experts he could only wound them, not slay them...

But if he wounded them and then let Little One or Song Lingwei finish them off, there would be no doubt left at all! Little One and Song Lingwei were both experts stronger than the ordinary great-perfection. One hailed from the Five Luminaries Sect and had been possessed by that ghostly thing besides—that made her formidably powerful indeed. The other was an externalist great-perfection expert, essentially the very pinnacle of the cultivation world; an ordinary internalist great-perfection would not truly be her match.

Having thought it through, Wei Zhao grew calm at heart and said, "There should be no problem. I have already thought of a plan. I will come to the Song family now and help you weather this crisis. But so that Song Lingwei can fight with a settled mind, do not tell her my identity—I fear she would then fret over gain and loss, which would be bad for the battle! The rest of the Song family must keep their mouths shut as well and not reveal who I am. For now, I am simply... your boyfriend, Ling Yi!"

"Understood! Thank you, Wei Zhao!" Qiu Lingshan knew as well that if Song Lingwei were told at this moment that Wei Zhao was coming to help her, she would surely feel a sense of defeat—the very person she meant to kill was coming to her aid instead, and anyone would feel the disparity. If she then failed to enter the fight in good form, that would be disastrous. So Wei Zhao had indeed considered the matter very thoroughly.

"Heh heh, no need for thanks." Wei Zhao smiled and hung up, then made ready to set out for Yanjing... (To be continued..)