Chapter 3795 — What Objection Do You Have?
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
Qiao Hongcai's wounds were grave, but Wei Zhao remained absolutely certain he could restore him to full health in short order. Today's challenge tournament, after all, was not yet over; he and Xiao Che still had to stay and keep watch here.
Senior Brother Ku and the others were visibly taken aback. They knew only that Wei Zhao was an alchemist and had never heard that he could heal the injured as well. To refine pills and heal wounds both — was Wei Zhao not treading the path of Zhang Lifeng, the Divine Alchemist and Sage Physician?
Doubts filled their minds, but Senior Brother Ku and the others asked no further questions. In his view, it was eight or nine parts certain that Wei Zhao had on hand a top-grade fourth-rank Great Return Pill he had refined himself, or perhaps a supreme fifth-rank Great Return Pill. Senior Brother Ku nodded to Wei Zhao, then helped Qiao Hongcai away.
Wei Zhao and the others lodged no further protest. Thus the duel between Qiao Hongcai and Meng Zhou was settled once and for all. Both had been left badly wounded, yet under Hu Yun Feng's favoritism the advantage had gone to Meng Zhou, who had stripped four points of credit from Qiao Hongcai and also taken possession of Cave Dwelling No. 12 at the foot of the mountain.
"Leader, what do you say to me challenging Meng Zhou right now?" Xiao Che suddenly spoke up and proposed.
Meng Zhou was now insensible, and even if he could be brought around, he would be a mere ornament incapable of resistance. If Xiao Che truly issued a challenge at this moment, Meng Zhou's only choice would be to surrender at once; otherwise, to vent Qiao Hongcai's anger, even an honest man like Xiao Che would not in the least mind sending him on his way.
Moreover, Meng Zhou now held Cave Dwelling No. 12 at the foot of the mountain. In all the Azure Cloud Pavilion, those who could take the initiative to challenge him — setting aside the equally gravely wounded Qiao Hongcai — were only two: Zha Wu of Cave Dwelling No. 14 and Xiao Che of Cave Dwelling No. 15.
If Xiao Che proposed to challenge Meng Zhou of his own accord, it would be entirely fair and reasonable. Even if Meng Jue Ming and his lot dragged Pavilion Master Hu Yun Feng in, it would be useless; they could find no grounds whatsoever to stop Xiao Che.
Unexpectedly, Wei Zhao only smiled faintly and said, "This foul grievance — better to leave it for Hongcai to settle himself in the next round. You just follow the original plan and fight your way up one cave dwelling at a time. Not only will you avoid wasting any credit, but when the time comes, Meng Zhou may well find himself weeping tears he has none left to shed."
Xiao Che was instantly struck dumb. Gazing at Wei Zhao's profound and inscrutable smile, he thought for a moment, then could not help but smile in understanding. "Then I know what to do."
The reasoning was simple. If he challenged Meng Zhou now, it would indeed be kicking a man when he was down and would vent a measure of Qiao Hongcai's anger — but it carried one aftereffect: Meng Zhou would from then on fall back to Cave Dwelling No. 15 at the foot of the mountain.
In that case, Meng Zhou need only surrender of his own accord and hand over the four points of credit he had just gained to buy himself the excellent safe harbor of Cave Dwelling No. 15. So long as he did not issue a challenge himself, no one could interfere with him. Such an outcome was plainly not what Wei Zhao and the others wanted to see.
Before Meng Zhou had been made to pay a sufficiently bitter price, how could they let him off so lightly?
Such a thing — not to mention Qiao Hongcai would never agree to it, even Wei Zhao would not agree!
On the surface, Hu Yun Feng's ruling in Meng Zhou's favor did indeed let Meng Zhou reap a great advantage, but in a certain sense it was also, at the same time, shoving him into a pit of fire.