Chapter 2691 — Yu Ning's Loss

"Of course. This was always Young Master Lin's by right!" the Yu family's Old Ancestor said with a smile.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way. It seems Old Master Yu doesn't intend to keep me for a midnight meal." With that, Wei Zhao headed for the door, and Old Master Yu did not stop him. The relationship between the two amounted to no more than mutual courtesy.

Wei Zhao walked out of the reception hall and mounted the Wind-Thunder Violet Lightning Beast. He took one last look at the castle of the Hidden Yu family, drew a deep breath, and said inwardly: this place—I will most certainly return!

Then he patted the Wind-Thunder Violet Lightning Beast on the shoulder and said, "Little Feng, let's go. Home!"

Man and beast vanished in a cloud of dust. The Yu family's Old Ancestor knitted his brows tightly. Whether today's events would prove blessing or calamity, he could not say. Mending relations with Wei Zhao had at least freed Old Master Yu from his constant anxiety; these past days, hearing reports of Wei Zhao's explosive growth in strength, he had rather feared the Hidden Yu family might end up crossing swords with him.

But now that Wei Zhao had taken the colored steel, the two sides would not easily come to blows again. What worried Old Master Yu instead was the matter of Yu Ning. Upon hearing of the ancient sect's betrothal, Wei Zhao had departed—for the moment—but Old Master Yu could see plainly that Wei Zhao would never give up so easily. He was merely biding his time.

So the Yu family's Old Ancestor was uneasy: would there be trouble in the future? He had laid out the stakes clearly to Wei Zhao, but once Wei Zhao gained sufficient strength, the situation would slip beyond the Old Ancestor's control.

At this thought, the Yu family's Old Ancestor could not help but sigh. He turned to Yu Yi and said, "Gather the family members for a midnight meal. I have something to say!"

"Ah... yes, of course!" Yu Yi was taken aback. The Yu family's Old Ancestor never summoned the family for a midnight meal; even in his absence, the Hidden Yu family never sat down together with such solemnity—whoever was hungry simply went to the dining hall. But today clearly something important was afoot, so Yu Yi hurried off to notify each family member to come to the dining hall.

Yu Ning was the happiest of all. After she returned to her room, Yu Xiaochen merely asked briefly how things had gone and said little else. As for Yu Ning's praise and adoration of Wei Zhao, he showed neither displeasure nor any particular reaction.

And now Old Master Yu was summoning the whole family to a midnight meal—clearly something important. In Yu Ning's mind, it might well be a meal arranged especially on Wei Zhao's account; otherwise there would be no need to hold a whole-family midnight feast so late at night.

Joyfully, Yu Ning carried her little spirit beast to the midnight banquet. Wei Zhao seemed to know a great deal about spirit beasts, so Yu Ning planned to ask him to take a look—what exactly was wrong with her spirit beast, why had it been injured, and whether he might have a way to help.

Yu Shan, too, was brought to the banquet hall this time, under Yu Ba's guard. Though the Hidden Yu family had been in an uproar of late, and Wei Zhao had paid a visit riding his spirit beast, Yu Shan knew none of it—he had been shut away in his room, unable to get the slightest news.

Now, suddenly summoned to a midnight feast, he found it strange. Fortune or misfortune? But when he saw Yu Ning appear in the banquet hall, unharmed, carrying her spirit beast, his heart sank. If Yu Ning was fine, did that not mean something had gone wrong with Zhao Qibing?

At the thought that Zhao Qibing had very likely failed, Yu Shan was filled with hatred. Useless wretch! He had the girl carried off and still could not have his way—was the man a eunuch? And Yu Shan had guessed right: Zhao Qibing was now, in fact, a eunuch!

Meanwhile, Yu Xiaochen received word from the Hidden Zhao family and flew into a fury. There was, to be sure, some excuse-making on Zhao Qibing's behalf in it, but if the Hidden Zhao family's account was true, then Yu Xiaochen's rage at Yu Shan only burned hotter.

He had harbored some suspicion of Yu Shan before, and now it seemed that without an inside man, Zhao Qibing could scarcely have carried out such a plan. Yet Yu Xiaochen did not vent his anger outright. He sat in his seat with a dark expression, waiting for the Yu family's Old Ancestor to arrive.

Yu Shan's face was ashen too. His father, Yu Xiaozhong, sensed something amiss and wanted to question him, but dared not speak rashly; he could only wait anxiously for the banquet to begin.

Before long, the Yu family's Old Ancestor, Yu Tianxing, entered the banquet hall and took the seat of honor. He had also received word from Yu Yi: Yu Shan was indeed a traitor!

"Grandfather, where is Wei Zhao?" Yu Ning, sensing nothing amiss in the atmosphere, was still steeped in the joy of her reunion with Wei Zhao. Seeing her grandfather come alone, with no Wei Zhao, she was puzzled.

"Wei Zhao has gone," the Yu family's Old Ancestor said flatly. "Put him out of your mind from now on. You and he belong to two different worlds. I have spoken with him—he has a woman of his own, and he regards you only as an ordinary friend. Do not let your thoughts run away with you!"

"What? That... that's impossible!" Yu Ning was startled by her grandfather's words. Back in the hotel room, she had clearly felt Wei Zhao's feelings for her; when they held hands, she could feel his affection—how could it be that she was only an ordinary friend?

Grandfather must disapprove, and so he was making things up! Yu Ning felt angry and wronged. Why, even now, would Grandfather not consent to what was between her and Wei Zhao? He clearly respected Wei Zhao a great deal already—what exactly was wrong here?

"There is no impossible about it." The Yu family's Old Ancestor waved a hand. "Xiao Ning, I will speak with you alone about you and Wei Zhao after the meal. For now, we have other matters to discuss!"

"Oh... all right." Yu Ning nodded and sat there glumly, holding her spirit beast, her appetite gone.

Though the Hidden Yu family's midnight feast was lavishly prepared, at this moment no one had the appetite to eat—least of all Yu Xiaozhong and Yu Shan, sweat beading on both their brows.

"Yu Shan, you've done well for yourself, haven't you? Biting the hand that feeds you, colluding with Zhao Qibing, abducting your own sister? Are you even a member of the Yu family?" The Yu family's Old Ancestor changed tack abruptly, fixed his gaze on Yu Shan, and demanded sharply.

"Ah... I..." Hearing the Old Ancestor's question, Yu Shan knew his deeds were exposed. Any attempt at denial now would be futile; Zhao Qibing had likely already confessed, and concealment was pointless. His mental defenses had crumbled—he knew disaster was at hand.