Chapter 1465 — Feigning a Chance Encounter
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Zhao Qiwu hastily paid with his card, then he and Zhao Qilei took their room keys and hurried upstairs.
The room rate here was not high, but the deposit required for the Trial was staggeringly expensive. Clearly, both the rent and the deposit were merely a cover, meant for ordinary tourists who understood nothing of the true game behind it.
By then, Wei Zhao had stepped out of his room and was standing at the doorway, quietly listening to the conversation between Zhao Qilei and the innkeeper downstairs.
Curious about the identities of Zhao Qilei and the others, Wei Zhao had come to his door to see what he could learn. The hotel was completely empty at the moment, so although Zhao Qilei and his companion spoke in low voices, not a single word escaped Wei Zhao's ears.
"The Trial of the Ice Palace"? What was that? Wei Zhao listened, utterly bewildered. It sounded like some sort of event organized by a martial sect. And what was this about Zhao Qilei and Zhao Qiwu having an invitation? Yet the innkeeper had not even deigned to look at it, as if everyone who came here was supposed to have one.
So that was why the innkeeper had not been the least surprised when Wei Zhao arrived, and had turned a blind eye to his doings — the man had taken him for another person who had received an invitation and come to participate in the Trial of the Ice Palace. It suddenly dawned on Wei Zhao that this was also why the hotel was so large; it served that very purpose, and the old-fashioned name had been chosen for the same reason. Sects and the like always loved to call themselves by antiquated names.
But what exactly did this Trial of the Ice Palace entail? He had stumbled into this inn by pure accident and was now staying here — was that fortune or misfortune?
Zhao Qilei, Zhao Qiwu — the Hidden Zhao Family? The names of these two seemed quite similar to Zhao Qibing's. Could they be from the same hidden clan as Zhao Qibing? At that thought, Wei Zhao immediately placed both men on his list of people to keep a wary eye on.
His feud with the Hidden Zhao Family was now virtually beyond reconciliation. Zhao Qibing, Zhu Bo, the Medicine King — one after another, they had been hurt because of him, and Wei Zhao had no intention of making peace with Zhao Qibing. After all, the enmity between Wei Zhao and Zhao Qibing was not like that between Wei Zhao and Wu Chengtian.
Between Wei Zhao and Wu Chengtian, it had all been mostly a matter of mischief; most of it was about playing tricks on Wu Chengtian and had never escalated into real fighting. With Zhao Qibing, however, the situation was entirely different. Zhao Qibing had repeatedly come looking for trouble, and unless the Zhao Family was willing to discard Zhao Qibing and offer Wei Zhao a formal apology, reconciliation was virtually out of the question.
Of course, even though these two had been marked down for caution, that did not stop Wei Zhao from making contact with them and drawing useful information out of their mouths. He had to first find out exactly what the Trial of the Ice Palace was all about.
Still, his name should hardly be a secret within the Hidden Zhao Family. At that thought, Wei Zhao counted himself lucky. This time, his identity had been arranged for him by Feng Tianlong; he went by the name Ling Yi, not Wei Zhao. Ling Yi was the name he had used during missions for the Mysterious Investigation Bureau, and a complete file on it was kept with Feng Tianlong, so there was no need to create anything new for this trip.
Using the Mysterious Investigation Bureau identity was also a safeguard against trouble on the road — after all, there was an ice coffin being towed behind his car.
Wei Zhao, Ling Yi — although the names sounded somewhat similar, they were entirely different as far as anyone could tell. The two members of the Hidden Zhao Family should not suspect him; and even if they grew suspicious later, he would already have obtained what he wanted.