Chapter 3317 — Old Grudges Laid to Rest

Wei Zhao gave the Grand Elder a cold glance. Truthfully, he had little patience for an attitude like hers—she was the very picture of someone who trimmed her sails to every wind. Still, he said nothing more, merely lifting his foot and striding out of the reception hall.

Cowed by that cold look, the Grand Elder dared not utter another word. Leaning on Elder Cui's arm, she followed cautiously behind him.

The disciple from earlier had already prepared a guest room, and Wei Zhao moved in to rest for the time being. His earlier exertion of his martial technique had drained every last drop of physical strength and true qi from his body, so he needed a while to recover.

Gu Mengyao did not disturb him either. Instead, she turned to deal with the affairs of the Dark Night Palace. She meant to convene a full assembly of the palace to reassure the disciples—the recent events had after all placed a great psychological burden on them.

The moment she turned, she caught sight of the Grand Elder trotting toward her, and could not help but stare. "Grand Elder, you are injured—why are you running?"

Though Gu Mengyao still disliked that weathervane temperament of hers, the Grand Elder had, after all, acknowledged Wei Zhao. From now on, dealing with Wei Zhao would no longer require watching the old woman's moods.

"Yao-yo, has Young Hero Lin retired to rest?" the Grand Elder asked cautiously.

"Yes. He traveled through the night to get here, and then had to face such a fierce battle—of course he is tired and needs to rest." Naturally, Gu Mengyao would not admit that Wei Zhao had simply exhausted his strength and true qi; she laid it all on the night-long journey.

"Oh..." The Grand Elder did not press further. She had only asked in passing; it was not her real purpose. "Yao-yo, tell me—when do you and Young Hero Lin plan to hold your engagement ceremony?"

"What? Hold what engagement ceremony? When did I ever say I was going to hold an engagement ceremony?" Gu Mengyao stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Yao-yo, I am not criticizing you—the Grand Elder has been around, you know. I have long felt that this Young Hero Lin is no ordinary man, but a cultivator of the highest caliber. A man like that will surely have many suitors. That Shen Yushu of your household, Xu Shilan, and the like—they must all be fond of Wei Zhao too. So you must seize the moment, win Young Hero Lin over first, and settle the relationship before anyone can snatch him away!"

"What on earth is this about!" Gu Mengyao was truly speechless at the Grand Elder's words. What did she mean, she had long felt Wei Zhao was no ordinary man? Had she not called him a mere wandering cultivator before? Had she not told her to cut all ties with him? And now she wanted an engagement? Did she have no shame at all?

"Yao-yo, do not think me a nuisance—everything I say is the truth!" The Grand Elder sighed. "You must be thinking that I am the sort who trims her sails to the wind, that I saw how formidable Wei Zhao was and now want to curry favor with him, no?"

Gu Mengyao did not answer, but silence was as good as an admission. Indeed, that was exactly what she thought: before, the Grand Elder had run Wei Zhao down at every turn; now that his strength was out in the open, she wanted Gu Mengyao to get engaged to him!

"Yao-yo, I am injured and can no longer push for the Great Perfection realm. The chances of this wound healing are not great either, so I doubt I have long to live. The Dark Night Palace will have to flourish in your hands hereafter!" The Grand Elder seemed utterly unconcerned, and went on: "All my life, I have wanted only for the Dark Night Palace to become a first-rate sect of the ancient tier. Face, vanity—those are all illusions. You may think me shameless, but what I want to say is: that is exactly the kind of person I am. So long as the Dark Night Palace prospers, you may insult me, even kill me—it makes no difference to me! So, Yao-yo, let this be my one request: you must secure Wei Zhao, Young Hero Lin. This is our Dark Night Palace's chance to soar..."

Listening to this heartfelt confession, Gu Mengyao was overcome with emotion. Yes, she had once looked down on the Grand Elder, thought her a weathervane who cursed Wei Zhao one moment and fawned on him the next—shameless to the extreme.

But after hearing the rest of her words, Gu Mengyao felt that the Grand Elder was in fact worthy of respect. She had devoted her entire life selflessly to the Dark Night Palace; so long as the palace prospered, she would give her very life.

Such a person was hard to judge. At least in this moment, Gu Mengyao no longer blamed her for having obstructed things between herself and Wei Zhao. She sighed and said, "Grand Elder, you need not worry yourself over the relationship between Wei Zhao and me. Neither Xiao Shu nor Sister Shihan could ever come between us. As for your injury, I will have Wei Zhao help treat you—you are not going to die."

"What? Wei Zhao can treat me? Truly?" The Grand Elder was stunned, then said excitedly, "Yao-yo, will Young Hero Lin really lend a hand?"

"I told you, the bond between Wei Zhao and me is not so simple. If I ask him, he will certainly help." Gu Mengyao smiled. In truth, she did not even need to ask—Wei Zhao had already agreed. Wei Zhao understood the young mistress very well, did he not?

"That is wonderful—so I still have a chance to reach the peak of the late Heaven tier, the Great Perfection?" the Grand Elder asked after a moment's hesitation.

"Indeed." Gu Mengyao nodded. "Grand Elder, this matter actually teaches you a lesson: sometimes you must not look at people through tinted glasses. Back then, you looked down on me—and what came of it? You looked down on Wei Zhao—and what came of that?"

"Heh... I understand now. Besides, with you and Young Hero Lin in the Dark Night Palace, I need not concern myself with so much anymore. I will just cultivate in peace and leave all these affairs alone!" At that moment, the Grand Elder was genuinely embarrassed. Even with a hide as thick as a city wall, Gu Mengyao's words still left her somewhat ill at ease.

What more could Gu Mengyao say? All the old grudges and grievances of the past dissolved into nothing at that moment. Though she had once resented the unfair treatment her mother had suffered in the Dark Night Palace, and had been indignant when the Grand Elder looked down on Wei Zhao, her devotion to the palace itself had never changed. (Home for the New Year, little time, but updates will not stop—only one chapter a day until after the holiday. Happy New Year to everyone!) RS