Chapter 5171 — Xue Jianming's Scheme
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
Eager to outdo Bing Wushuang, he was now straining every nerve to achieve something, and had it not been for his dread of inviting trouble, he might well have recruited a whole string of subordinates by now.
"No rush. To be safe, you must never let greed for merit lead you into reckless advances," the Spectacled Doctor warned him gravely. Then, after a moment's thought, he said abruptly, "By the way, how much do you know about Wei Zhao?"
"Wei Zhao?" Xue Jianming started at the question, then scratched his head. "This subordinate doesn't know much, honestly. Only that he's the chairman of the Secular World Cultivators' Association, and also a martial-uncle of the Cangwu Sect on North Island. Beyond that, nothing."
"Is that so..." The Spectacled Doctor sank into brooding silence. All of that was merely what lay on the surface, the sort of thing anyone could dig up with a little effort. With only those two identities, Wei Zhao might bluff an ordinary cultivator, but to claim that the entire Center stood in dread of him was sheer nonsense.
"Could it be that you mean to move against Wei Zhao, sir?" Xue Jianming asked, studying his superior's expression, while his heart leapt with delight. His hatred for Wei Zhao ran to the bone; had the higher-ups not held him back, he would have struck long ago.
"No, no, no. Don't go reading too much into it. I'm purely curious about Wei Zhao's identity and background, that's all. The higher-ups have repeatedly and emphatically forbidden anyone to provoke Wei Zhao—don't go stirring up trouble on my account," the Spectacled Doctor said, shaking his head again and again.
"Then... shall this subordinate think of a way to probe into it?" Xue Jianming, desperate to prove himself, immediately volunteered.
"You? And what way could you possibly think of?" The Spectacled Doctor could not help but be skeptical. Wei Zhao was a man of the secular world—what could Xue Jianming, a creature spawned from the Ancient Alliance, possibly ferret out about him?
"There's always a way if a man puts his mind to it. A few more attempts, and we're bound to reap something. Wouldn't you agree, sir?" Xue Jianming said with a fawning smile.
"But Wei Zhao is not to be provoked," the Spectacled Doctor said, still uneasy.
"True, we won't provoke Wei Zhao—but surely no one ever said that every single person around him is untouchable as well?" Xue Jianming suggested, his eyes rolling craftily. If they themselves knew nothing of Wei Zhao's affairs, then Qiu Lingshan and the others at his side must at least know a few details. Find a way to seize them and pry their mouths open, and results would surely follow.
"You mean to strike at the people around him?" The Spectacled Doctor's interest was instantly roused. But he shook his head the next moment. "That's hardly practical either. Those people are all cultivating on the Cangwu Sect's territory on North Island now. Wei Zhao and Lin Dongfang never leave each other's side, and Xin Yi'an is there to look after them as well. Finding a breach in them won't be easy. What's more, any move against them would inevitably have to get past Wei Zhao—in the end it would still come to a head-on clash with him. It's no use."
"That's not necessarily so," Xue Jianming said with a cold smile, stroking his chin.
"How so?" The Spectacled Doctor frowned at him, unable to guess what trick he had hidden up his sleeve.
"Under normal circumstances, we'd indeed have a hard time finding an opening. But the Trial Tournament is coming up before long, and if handled properly, there may well be an opportunity to exploit," Xue Jianming said, feigning profundity.
"The Trial Tournament?" The Spectacled Doctor blinked.