Chapter 3308 — Tipping Off

"Wei Zhao? Hah, Yao'er, don't be foolish. Wei Zhao is nothing but a lone cultivator—how could he possibly have a solution? His true strength has already been exposed. How could he stand against these people? You must know that among them there are at least three experts at the peak of the late Heaven Rank. In the Ancient Plane, apart from the Xuandan Sect, who could suppress them?" The Grand Elder spoke with utter disdain after hearing Gu Mengyao's words. As for Wei Zhao, she had never once thought him worthy of notice.

"No, Wei Zhao will definitely find a way!" Though Gu Mengyao said this, doubt was already stirring in her heart. She had spent more time at Wei Zhao's side than anyone, and she knew his strength all too clearly.

Wei Zhao could indeed slay experts of higher ranks in a single strike, but he also had his periods of weakness. And Gu Mengyao understood well enough how many high-ranking experts had died. Now three experts at the peak of the late Heaven Rank had arrived all at once—at least three. Could Wei Zhao truly handle them?

"Yao'er, this matter is settled. I will speak with the Xuandan Sect and have them come to propose marriage. If Wei Zhao comes and proves no match for them, our Dark Night Palace is truly finished!" the Grand Elder declared resolutely.

"Grand Elder, when I came to the Dark Night Palace, you said you would not interfere in my private affairs. If you insist on this decision, then I can only leave—otherwise I would sooner die than comply!" Gu Mengyao responded just as firmly.

"You..." The Grand Elder was somewhat stunned. She knew exactly what sort of person Gu Mengyao was. She was utterly different from Ye Rou'er—Ye Rou'er endured whatever came her way, but Gu Mengyao knew how to fight back. With her temperament, she might well resist to the death!

"But Yao'er, are you going to watch the Dark Night Palace be destroyed?" the Grand Elder asked with a sigh.

"It won't come to that. Wei Zhao will definitely find a way!" Gu Mengyao said with conviction.

"Alas!" The Grand Elder shook her head helplessly. "Yao'er, help me back to my room to rest... If you insist on this, then Heaven means to destroy my Dark Night Palace! But you are the inheritor—even if Kang Jingming is the son-in-law of the Five Luminaries Sect, they will not make things too difficult for you. Yao'er, promise me: one day, when you ascend the Cloud Terrace Island and set foot upon the Heavenly Dao, you must restore the Dark Night Palace..."

"Grand Elder..." Gu Mengyao had not expected the Grand Elder to say such things, and for a moment she fell rather silent. Yes, the Grand Elder might have her flaws, but her devotion to the Dark Night Palace would never change. Only... if only she could believe in Wei Zhao, how wonderful that would be.

"Enough, say no more. Go find Wei Zhao. When he arrives, you will understand just how weak a lone cultivator truly is!" The Grand Elder cut Gu Mengyao off, then slowly made her way into the Dark Night Palace, leaning on Gu Mengyao's arm.

The Grand Elder had been gravely injured. After returning, she went into seclusion to recover—or perhaps her spirit had simply withered, and she had lost all hope in Gu Mengyao, waiting in her room for the Dark Night Palace's final day to come.

And though Gu Mengyao said nothing, what had happened at the gates of the Dark Night Palace spread through the entire palace in an instant. Every disciple of the Dark Night Palace was plunged into panic.

This situation could not help but make Gu Mengyao frown. But she offered no explanation—there was no use in saying anything now. The Grand Elder had been wounded by an outsider; that was the reality. Everything had to wait for Wei Zhao to arrive. If Wei Zhao could settle the matter with a single move, it would be worth more than a hundred or a thousand words from Gu Mengyao.

"Go back to your duties. The sky is not going to fall." Gu Mengyao waved a hand, signaling those bewildered disciples to return to their own affairs.

Gu Mengyao's authority within the Dark Night Palace was second only to the Grand Elder's, so her words carried weight. In the blink of an eye, the crowd dispersed to busy themselves with their tasks.

Gu Mengyao returned to her room and immediately called Wei Zhao. The earlier scene had been so sudden, with so many disciples watching, that she had not noticed Zhao Qibing, the lavatory sweeper, quietly mingling among them at some point.

Though Gu Mengyao and the Grand Elder had not spoken loudly, Zhao Qibing had still caught fragments of their conversation. So while Gu Mengyao was calling Wei Zhao, he was also dialing Kang Jingming.

"Elder Kang, this is Xiaobing!" Zhao Qibing said.

"Oh, Qibing. What is it? Has there been news from the Dark Night Palace?" Kang Jingming asked.

"Yes. Earlier, weren't you pressing for the marriage? Well, today a group of robbers really did show up, and they wounded the Grand Elder. But Gu Mengyao and the Grand Elder had a dispute—the Grand Elder wants Gu Mengyao to marry into the Xuandan Sect, but Gu Mengyao refuses and insists on finding Wei Zhao. By now, she may already have called him!" Kang Jingming said in a low voice.

"Oh? Truly? That's wonderful!" Kang Jingming laughed heartily with delight. "I'm not afraid she'll look for him—I'm afraid she won't! Qibing, you've done well. Rest assured, after this is over, that steward's post is as good as yours. Not only that, if you win the appreciation of the Ancestor Xuanchen—my father-in-law—it will be no difficult matter to make you an expert equal to one at the peak of the late Heaven Rank!"

"What? Really?" Zhao Qibing was thrilled. He had never imagined such an opportunity would come his way.

"Indeed. You may not know it, but your father and Elder Mian are highly regarded here and are secretly receiving strength enhancements. In time, you may enjoy such benefits as well!" The benefit Kang Jingming spoke of was, of course, being transformed into a bio-cultivator. It was pure exploitation, yet on his lips it became a stroke of tremendous fortune!

But Zhao Qibing knew nothing of the inner workings. He assumed he was truly valued for his meritorious service, and said gratefully, "Don't worry, Elder Kang. What do you want me to do next?"

"Next, keep an eye on when Wei Zhao goes to your Dark Night Palace. The moment he arrives, you must call and inform me at once!" Kang Jingming instructed.

"Sure, no problem!" This was simplicity itself for Zhao Qibing, and he nodded eagerly in agreement.

This time, Wei Zhao returned to his villa in Donghai City very quietly. (To be continued...)