Chapter 3638 — The Only Latecomer

All the scheming he had done to trade for that little spirit jade with Wei Zhao had been for the sake of currying favor with Zhao Yu—and Zhao Yu was none other than the direct grandson of this Elder Zhao Hongbo. Now it seemed his efforts had not been wasted after all; to have his name lodged in the mind of a Fourth Elder like Zhao Hongbo would spare him decades of struggling in the years to come.

Having received the praise with relish, Meng Jueming turned and glared at Wei Zhao. "Junior Brother Wei Zhao, what are you still standing there for? Hurry and fetch Pavilion Master Lu—are you really trying to make the Fourth Elder angry?"

Wei Zhao glanced at him and was about to speak when Poor Bastard Senior Brother at his side gritted his teeth and stepped in to rescue him. "Fourth Elder, Senior Brother Meng—Junior Brother Lin here does not wish to avoid fetching Pavilion Master Lu. It is only that today's open instruction day is a rare opportunity indeed, and as a newcomer he truly cannot afford to miss it. I beg the Fourth Elder's understanding! Would it be acceptable for this disciple to go and call Pavilion Master Lu instead?"

Wei Zhao cast him a grateful look. To step forward and speak for him at a moment like this was to take a considerable risk—Zhao Hongbo might well vent his anger on him instead, and for a lowly steward like Poor Bastard, that was no joking matter.

"And who might you be?" Zhao Hongbo glanced at Poor Bastard Senior Brother. He had only ever heard Meng Jueming's name from his grandson Zhao Yu's mouth; under ordinary circumstances he would never pay the slightest attention to a petty steward of Welcoming Pavilion, much less know any of their names.

Poor Bastard Senior Brother drew a deep breath and said, "In reply to the Fourth Elder, this disciple is called Kuzhong Le, and I am likewise a steward senior brother in charge of the newcomers of Azure Cloud Pavilion."

"Kuzhong Le? Finding joy in bitterness? Ha, now there is an interesting name for you!" Zhao Hongbo gave a noncommittal laugh, then straightened his face and declared righteously, "Since you know you are a steward senior brother, you should understand that your task right now is to keep order among the newcomers. What sense is there in abandoning your post to go and fetch someone? Better to let this Wei Zhao go!"

Zhao Hongbo thought it over and decided that even having agreed to Xu Lingchong's request, simply stripping Wei Zhao of the right to ask questions would be hard to justify and would damage his own image as Fourth Elder of Azure Cloud Pavilion. So he added, "Rest assured, I will preserve your right to ask questions. Even if you come back late, I can make an exception and answer three questions for you alone."

Fair and magnanimous as these words sounded—much like the man's own name—one had to understand what the open instruction day meant to a newcomer. It was not merely about having one's own three questions answered; the key was that one could also hear the elders answer the questions of others. Only through comparison does one gain insight, and for a newcomer this was a profoundly important lesson—one that might even be worth ten years of solitary bitter cultivation.

And once Wei Zhao agreed, it would mean that although he could still ask his questions, he would no longer be able to hear the questions and answers of the other newcomers. Such a loss was, in a sense, even greater than the fifteen spirit jades Meng Jueming had lost earlier.

Poor Bastard Senior Brother wanted to keep pressing the point, but Wei Zhao reached out and held him back. For Wei Zhao, there was no longer any need; so long as the right to ask three questions was preserved, nothing else mattered.

"Thank you for your understanding, Fourth Elder. This disciple will set out at once." Wei Zhao cupped his hands toward Zhao Hongbo, turned, and walked out.

Heh heh. Off to the side, Meng Jueming, hearing this, tilted his chin up at Wei Zhao in triumph, the mockery in his eyes plain for all to see.

Even a prickly, unyielding character like Wei Zhao had no power to resist before a Fourth Elder such as Zhao Hongbo. Relying on the vast gulf in status and strength between them, the man could ruin you with a few casual words—and leave you with no room to talk back at all!

An hour later, Lu Bianren and Wei Zhao finally arrived back at Welcoming Pavilion, dusty and travel-worn. By then, the three elders had already finished instructing the newcomers of the Three-Tiered Pavilion, and had all gathered in the main hall to exchange thoughts on cultivation.

Lu Bianren and Wei Zhao exchanged a glance, and their hearts sank at once. This scene had plainly been deliberately arranged by someone!

Just imagine: if this were back at Songshan No. 1 Middle School, and Gu Pengzhan came to inspect the school, with all the administrators, teachers, and students in attendance, and then before the eyes of the entire crowd the lone latecomer of the whole school came drifting in—worse still, a person whom the vast majority of teachers and students had already unanimously rejected—what sort of feeling would that be?

For any normal person, the only thought at such a moment would probably be to find a crack in the floor and crawl into it!

But Lu Bianren did not. His expression all but unchanged, he walked head-high straight toward the three elders at the center.

Wei Zhao, following beside him, praised him inwardly. Though this Senior Brother Lu looked as meek as Poor Bastard Senior Brother—a dignified third pavilion master of Welcoming Pavilion reduced to a marginalized, invisible man—his bearing and courage were far beyond the ordinary.

The reason Lu Bianren appeared meek was that he was constantly giving ground. When one's own strength is insufficient, choosing to yield is far wiser than choosing to resist—and it requires far more courage.

But at a critical juncture like this, there could be no more retreating; for to retreat now would no longer be yielding, but cowering.

Lu Bianren knew full well that the slightest show of cowardice would bring down utter ruin upon him. Not only would he be unable to remain at Welcoming Pavilion—even if he returned to Azure Cloud Pavilion later, he would be equally unable to stay.

So even knowing that a violent storm lay ahead, he could only go forward—head high, stride firm, forward.

"This disciple Lu Bianren greets the three elders. I have come late to receive you; I beg the three elders' forgiveness." Lu Bianren bowed and saluted, saying not a word about the reason, offering no excuse at all—simply a sincere plea for punishment.

Clever! Wei Zhao could not help praising him inwardly. Had Lu Bianren launched into a lengthy explanation of why he was late, he would have fallen into a trap. To say nothing of the fact that Hu Yunfeng and the others would surely shift all blame off themselves—these three lofty elders had no interest whatsoever in why Lu Bianren might have been late.

In their eyes, to be absent on such an important day was simply Lu Bianren's own fault; and to quibble and make excuses on top of that would be to compound the error and double the offense!

But now Lu Bianren said nothing at all, simply admitting his fault in all sincerity and begging forgiveness. That way, even if the three elders were displeased, there was little they could say. After all, the man had been late only once; to seize upon such a trifle and refuse to let it go would only make them look petty and small-minded.

Xu Yuanzheng, at the very center, glanced at Zhao Hongbo and said nothing. Lu Bianren was, after all, one of Azure Cloud Pavilion's own, and it was better to let Zhao Hongbo, the elder of that pavilion, deal with him—a courtesy to the man's face, as it were.

"Enough. We will answer questions first; Lu Bianren's matter can wait until later!" Zhao Hongbo gave a cold snort and waved his hand. With so many outsiders present, he could hardly let himself be made a laughingstock.