Chapter 5151 — Questions and Worries
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Hmph. Look at you—one mention of Aotian Zhou's name and your legs turn to jelly. With that little spine, how do you expect to ever amount to anything?" Zheng Dongyang sneered.
"But that's Aotian Zhou we're talking about..." Tong Yangxi said with a bitter face. Zheng Dongyang was at least a member of the Zheng family and had some standing to speak when facing Aotian Zhou, but he himself was nothing more than a dog of the Zheng family. To truly set himself against Aotian Zhou would be to guarantee his own death as cannon fodder.
"All right, all right, look at that cowardly look on your face. Did I ever say we'd clash head-on with Aotian Zhou?" Zheng Dongyang said with a curl of his lip.
"No head-on clash? Then how do we deal with the Heavenly Elixir Pavilion? Aotian Zhou and that Wei Zhao seem to be on very good terms—surely he won't just stand by and do nothing?" Tong Yangxi said, puzzled.
"Even if he has a mind to shield the Heavenly Elixir Pavilion, don't forget he's only the acting island lord. That identity may mean unparalleled power and status, but it also means every move he makes must follow the rules. Otherwise not only would his prestige be swept away, even the Central Island Council of Elders wouldn't let him off." A playful curve tugged at the corner of Zheng Dongyang's mouth.
Tong Yangxi's face was full of baffled admiration. It wasn't that he failed to understand the words—but trying to use the Island Lord's Pavilion's own rules to take down Aotian Zhou surely couldn't be that easy, could it?
"There's no need to wear that expression. It's true that pulling it off won't be easy, but with a proper plan it's not impossible. It's just that we have no great patron in official circles at the moment, so for now we must keep a low profile." Zheng Dongyang paused, then continued: "The Island Lord's Pavilion has always decided matters by vote. If we can engineer a voting result unfavorable to the Heavenly Elixir Pavilion, then even Aotian Zhou as island lord cannot override it. Understand?"
"Yes, yes. But our only reliable ally in the Island Lord's Pavilion right now is Wu Che. True, he's the standing vice island lord, but his say still can't compare with Aotian Zhou's, can it?" Tong Yangxi still felt uncertain.
"That's how it is now, but the situation will soon change. Wu Che has already pulled every string to work the higher-ups. He'll get Nantian Jiguang made acting vice island lord, and he'll get me made chief alchemist of the Island Lord's Pavilion. You should know that this position, like those of island lord and vice island lord, carries voting rights on many matters concerning Central Island. That way, the three of us banded together alone will be enough to contend with Aotian Zhou. And if we can find a way to win over one more vice island lord, then even Aotian Zhou won't be able to force his will through for the Heavenly Elixir Pavilion's sake. What do you say?" Zheng Dongyang said with the confidence of one who held all the cards.
"So that's it. Master Zheng is truly brilliant. If this plan succeeds, the day of the Heavenly Elixir Pavilion's utter ruin won't be far off!" Tong Yangxi's eyes lit up as he listened. These past days he had racked his brains over this, losing his appetite for food and drink, and now at last he could breathe easy.
"Heh, just sit tight and watch," Zheng Dongyang said smugly, stroking his beard.
At the Island Lord's Pavilion on Central Island, Tianchan and Wei Shenjin successfully obtained an audience with Aotian Zhou and laid out the situation concerning Wei Zhao.
"To be frank with you both, I've been thinking about this matter myself lately. It is indeed surprising that Young Hero Lin's primordial spirit has been projected for so long without returning. But I have no experience with such things myself, and know very little about them," Aotian Zhou said, shaking his head at the two women.
"Uh..." Tianchan and Wei Shenjin were at a loss for words.