Chapter 3117 — The Domineering Young Lady: Leaving the Eastern Family to Pin Eastern Jian's Death on the Tomorrow Upon Tomorrow Sect

"Mr. Ling, this Eastern Ding is no simple character. His methods are extraordinary—even with the two of us joining forces, we couldn't hold him, and he got away. I'm afraid our plans have already been exposed!" Vice President Ouyang said with no small amount of worry.

"I'm fine, at least. He thinks I'm one of the Tomorrow Upon Tomorrow Sect. It's your side that worries me," Wei Zhao said.

"Hah, Mr. Ling, don't worry about me. He only came this once, and once he's back, he'll figure it out—I was merely forced by the pressure of the Tomorrow Upon Tomorrow Sect and didn't tell the truth. The Eastern Family wouldn't dare to clash with our Cultivators' Guild; it's not as if I have no backers behind me," Vice President Ouyang said indifferently.

"That's good to hear." Wei Zhao nodded. "Then I'll take my leave. I have preparations to make as well."

"Very well, Mr. Ling. Do be careful." Vice President Ouyang and Wei Zhao had, in the midst of battle, built up a certain friendship; the two were now on the same side. At first, Vice President Ouyang had feared Wei Zhao, but now it was more like the concern between friends.

"Many thanks!" Wei Zhao nodded gratefully, thinking to himself that this Vice President Ouyang was a decent man, and that given the chance in the future, he could work with him.

Without saying much more, Wei Zhao soon left Vice President Ouyang's office and prepared to return to the villa. Eastern Ding's arrival had given Wei Zhao a sense of crisis. If the man did not use heaven-tier divine weapons, Wei Zhao's chances of victory were great—but once the other side wielded a heaven-tier divine weapon, Wei Zhao's advantage would vanish completely.

Wei Zhao swore to become an artificer as soon as possible. He believed that only by successfully forging divine weapons to match the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art could he once again regain his former advantage.

Only, the Xuandan Sect had cut off Wei Zhao's source of income from pills, which left him thoroughly displeased. This Kang Jingming truly was a ghost that would not leave him be—he could pop up to stir up trouble at any time!

At that thought, Wei Zhao dialed Kang Jingming's number directly.

"Oh? Isn't this Wei Zhao? What made you think to call me?" Kang Jingming asked, feigning surprise. In truth, he knew full well that once Wei Zhao learned the Cultivators' Guild would no longer purchase his pills, he would certainly call to confront him.

"Kang Jingming, are you so bored your balls ache? If you have time, why don't you refine my Qi-Gathering Pills? Running off to refine first- and second-grade pills—seems your energy is overflowing, is it?" Wei Zhao asked coldly. "When are you giving me my Qi-Gathering Pills?"

"This... you mean the matter with the Cultivators' Guild. I didn't refine those; it was a business adjustment by our Xuandan Sect, restructured into what it is now. I'm merely the spokesman," Kang Jingming said. "Our aim in doing this was to cultivate a batch of alchemists. The first- and second-grade pills they refine can't just be thrown away, can they? So we sought cooperation with the Cultivators' Guild. Since our supply price was relatively low, we demanded to be the exclusive supplier. You can't blame me for this—market competition is just like that. It's the same as back when our Kang Divine Physician Pharmaceutical Company was squeezed into bankruptcy by your Doctor Guan's Medicine. We had no choice either, didn't we?"

Wei Zhao was somewhat speechless at Kang Jingming's explanation. It was plainly sophistry, yet Wei Zhao could not do anything to Kang Jingming over this matter. After all, this sort of thing was normal competition. If Wei Zhao wanted to turn the tables, he could only use similar methods. At the very least, on the surface, Wei Zhao could not oppose the Xuandan Sect—after all, the Xuandan Sect's young sect master, Tian Canbian, had once stepped forward to help him. Wei Zhao could not be ungrateful, could he?

Even Wei Zhao was puzzled: what exactly was his relationship with the Xuandan Sect's young sect master? Why would he suddenly step forward to help him?

But no matter what, Wei Zhao could only earn money through other means now; the path of selling pills was a dead end. Wei Zhao returned home with the pills. Xu Shilan was practicing singing in the living room, while Shen Yushu sat on the sofa, dazed, lacking her usual cheerfulness.

"Little Shu, what are you doing?" Wei Zhao walked into the living room and asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Oh, Arrow-Brand Brother, you're back. I'm worried—Sister Yaoyao went to the Dark Night Palace, and I don't know how she's doing, and she hasn't called home..." Shen Yushu sighed and said gloomily.

"She should be fine. If she hasn't called, it's probably because the handover or something isn't finished yet. Let's wait a bit," Wei Zhao consoled her, though in truth he was very worried himself.

"All right." Shen Yushu nodded. "Sister Shihan and I are recording songs for Sister Yaoyao. Sister Shihan specially sang a whole album for Sister Yaoyao, and we're planning to send it to her."

"Mm, then you two carry on. I'm going back to cultivate." Wei Zhao's physical strength and true qi had just recovered, and he still needed to think of countermeasures. A single Eastern Ding had already caught him off guard; if a few more formidable experts of the Eastern Family appeared, Wei Zhao truly would not know what to do.

Just as Wei Zhao had guessed, Gu Mengyao had arrived at the Dark Night Palace today. But having just arrived, there were many things she needed to do. However, when the Grand Elder asked Gu Mengyao when the palace master's inauguration ceremony would be held, the young lady answered with a question of her own: "Where's my mother?"

"Uh... this..." The Grand Elder had not expected Gu Mengyao to ask this the moment she arrived at the Dark Night Palace, but he still answered, "Palace Master Wan'er is currently in the rear-mountain villa—that is, the place where you, Palace Master Yaoyao, will reside from now on."

"Then why aren't you taking me there? If this young lady gets unhappy in a bit, I'll just turn around and go home," Gu Mengyao said.

"This... please..." The Grand Elder had no choice but to take Gu Mengyao to see Ye Rou'er first. As for the welcome for the inheritor and the palace master's inauguration ceremony that he had already arranged for her return, he could only send the black-robed elder ahead to spread the word and postpone them!

As for Gu Mengyao, the Grand Elder had seen clearly enough along the way: she was simply a young lady with a temper. When something displeased her, she would not argue with you—she would just stop talking, leaving the Grand Elder with no choice but to compromise. He regretted it deeply. If only they had brought Gu Mengyao back when she was small, none of this would have happened. Now Gu Mengyao's spoiled-young-lady temper had already taken shape—could you still expect her to serve the Dark Night Palace without complaint or regret? Clearly, the odds were slim!

Gu Mengyao and the Grand Elder arrived together at the rear mountain of the Dark Night Mountains, where Ye Rou'er had once cultivated—but to the Grand Elder's surprise, there was no one there! (To be continued)