Chapter 1657 — Hiring Someone to Do the Job
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Young Master Bing, I can't accept this. Yesterday I made a point of going to keep watch at Wei Zhao's villa. It happened that guests had come to his house, and when Wei Zhao came out to greet them, he didn't conceal his strength. From what I could judge with my own eyes, Wei Zhao is only at the peak of the late Yellow Rank!" said Chief Zhu. "It's true he can recover his strength, but at most he can only recover to the peak of the late Yellow Rank. If he tries to recover even a little beyond that, he'll lose his strength again and become an ordinary man!"
"Are you certain?" Zhao Qibing frowned, his heart stirring slightly. "Could Wei Zhao have spotted you and deliberately released his strength for you to see? Could he be trying to lure us into making a move?"
Wei Zhao had broken Zhao Qibing's legs several times, and Zhao Qibing had developed a certain psychological fear of him — which was why he had also fallen into the habit of being suspicious of everything.
"That's hardly likely. My disguise skills are formidable. In my younger days I obtained a secret manual on the art of wondrous armor, which lets me conceal my true qi. Even a Heaven Rank expert couldn't detect me once I'm hidden!" said Chief Zhu. "The manual on cultivating Chen Xi into a cauldron was derived from that very art!"
"So that's how it is! Then you mean... we act on our own?" Zhao Qibing felt some reluctance in his heart, but what he felt more was fear — because Elder Bi had already spoken. If he made some small move in private and Elder Bi found out, wouldn't that make Elder Bi disappointed in him?
"Young Master Bing, I could ambush Wei Zhao on the road. When the time comes, you can simply say you knew nothing about it — that I acted on my own initiative to avenge my brother..." Chief Zhu said after a moment's thought.
"Nonsense! Do you take my master for a fool?" Zhao Qibing waved his hand, dismissing Chief Zhu's idea outright. "You're my man now — everyone knows it. Do you think the Zhao Qibing Faction won't make an issue of this when the time comes?"
"That... this one was presumptuous!" Chief Zhu thought it over and realized he was right. He had been loyal to the Zhao family for so many years — how could he suddenly act on his own initiative? Wouldn't that obviously be the same as acting under Zhao Qibing's orders?
At this thought, cold sweat broke out on Chief Zhu's forehead at once. He said to himself that Young Master Bing had indeed thought it through thoroughly — otherwise a great disaster might well have been provoked!
"Forget it. This time it's truly galling — all that preparation for nothing. In the end it was like drawing water with a bamboo basket — all in vain!" Zhao Qibing said indignantly. "The Hidden Pi family and the like are far too timid. They don't even dare to make a move?"
"That..." Chief Zhu could only smile bitterly. If even the Hidden Zhao family wouldn't act, then the Hidden Pi family were no reckless fools either — naturally they wouldn't act rashly. Besides, the Hidden Pi family had no direct conflict with Wei Zhao; they had merely inherited some displaced grievances through the Xiao family. They weren't exactly burning with hatred for Wei Zhao.
"By the way, I've heard that in the martial world there are sects that specialize in assassination. As long as you pay them, they'll deal with someone for you — just like hired killers. Is that so?" Zhao Qibing was a cultivator now too, and as he advanced step by step toward the Zhao family's core, he learned more and more about the affairs of the martial world.
"There are indeed such people!" Chief Zhu nodded. "Does Young Master Bing mean to hire them?"
"Why not?" Zhao Qibing asked. "Money is no problem. I still have some on hand."