Chapter 3450 — The Rainy Day's Promise

In the past, Wei Zhao had always assumed that the inheritors' departure was still a good while off, that it would not come so soon—but all at once he realized it was already upon him!

Cloud Terrace Island... was it about to open?

He did not even know what awaited on Cloud Terrace Island. Would he meet Zhang Lifeng there? Would that place be thick with masters? And would he himself be able to reach Cloud Terrace Island safely?

Or rather—could Cloud Terrace Island even be opened successfully? All of it was unknown. Thinking on such things left Wei Zhao somewhat bewildered, yet for Yu Xiaoke's sake, for the Pangolin's sake, and for the sake of those inheritors, he had to keep walking on, no matter how hard the road ahead.

Wei Zhao had a vague premonition, as though Cloud Terrace Island were the true beginning of his life. After all, he had climbed from the very bottom of the cultivator's path to the heights he now stood at, and looking over the whole world of cultivation as it was now, he felt the scale of it all was still far too small.

Not a single one of those legendary figures had Wei Zhao encountered!

Rank-four alchemists, artifact-forgers, artifact-menders, and the like—and those formidable divine weapons besides—none of these had Wei Zhao come across. True, there were heaven-rank masters who wielded heaven-rank divine weapons even now, but in Wei Zhao's present view, they mostly infused them with true qi and combined them with martial technique to achieve a heightened effect.

But were heaven-rank divine weapons truly nothing more than vessels for a weapon's function? Wei Zhao felt that the divine weapons of today were still somewhat lacking—and the Shennong Cauldron, that was a divine weapon of the highest order, only it was broken, and for the moment he did not know how to repair it.

On the road back, deprived of Shen Yushu's laughter and chatter, Wei Zhao and Yu Yi scarcely spoke a word—and Yu Yi truly did not know what she ought to say to Wei Zhao.

It was not until they were nearly at the Hidden Yu Family that Yu Yi asked, "Young Master Lin, do you mean to come with me to the Hidden Yu Family?"

"Let me go see Little Ning. She's leaving, after all," Wei Zhao said, a note of sorrow in his voice.

"Yes, Young Master Lin!" Yu Yi nodded hurriedly.

The car drove all the way into the Hidden Yu Family. With Yu Yi sitting inside, it met no obstruction whatsoever but passed through unimpeded, and at last came to a stop in the Yu Family's parking lot.

Yu Tianxing, who had long since been informed and come hurrying over, was already waiting there in the lot.

This time Wei Zhao's visit was different from the last. On the previous occasion, Yu Tianxing had shown Wei Zhao respect, yes, but he had also been anxious and afraid of the Five Luminaries Sect behind him, and had not dared to grow too close to Wei Zhao.

But now, Yu Tianxing had already received word of the Five Luminaries Sect's dead. Wei Zhao had actually killed so many of the Five Luminaries Sect's disciples, and Patriarch Xuanchen had swallowed it—what that signified was plain at a glance!

And as for this trip to Fireflame Mountain, Yu Yi had reported it faithfully to Yu Tianxing as well. Yu Tianxing knew that without Wei Zhao, Yu Yi could never have completed the mission so smoothly.

"Young Master Lin, welcome back to the Hidden Yu Family as our guest!" Yu Tianxing strode forward to meet him and opened the car door for Wei Zhao with his own hand.

"Old Master Yu, there's no need for such formalities. Given our relationship, you're practically a grandfather to me—all this ceremony rather embarrasses me," Wei Zhao said, hastily stopping Yu Tianxing's hand. "Little Ning, Little Shu, and I are all of the same generation. Just treat me as one of the family's youngsters."

"Haha, very well then, I won't stand on ceremony—but you mustn't either, Young Master Lin. Treat this place as your own home." Here Yu Tianxing paused abruptly. "I hear, Mr. Lin, that you've founded a Cultivators' Association Alliance. Might our Hidden Yu Family be permitted to sign up and join?"

"Oh?" Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback, then understood at once: this was Yu Tianxing's gesture of goodwill! No doubt Yu Tianxing had glimpsed something of the situation by now—at present, in the world of cultivation, there were few left who could shake Wei Zhao. That being so, the Hidden Yu Family need not worry overmuch about the Five Luminaries Sect; so long as Wei Zhao stood behind the Hidden Yu Family, Patriarch Xuanchen would not dare act rashly—unless he wished his disciples utterly wiped out! "You can register with Qiu Lingshan of the Mysterious Investigation Bureau. From now on, just follow the Bureau's assignment and management. As it happens, she is the vice-chair of my association, and also serves as deputy director of the Mysterious Investigation Bureau."

"Good, I'll remember that. In due course I'll speak with the heads of the other hidden families and sects, and we'll all join together under Young Master Lin's protection!" Yu Tianxing said.

"Very well, then I'll trouble Old Master Yu with it!" Wei Zhao naturally wished for the other hidden families and ordinary sects to join the Cultivators' Association Alliance as well, but given his present identity, it would not do for him to ask them outright; now Old Master Yu was conveniently seeing to the matter.

"Leave it to me, then." Old Master Yu nodded, then said, "By the way, Little Ning hasn't been in the best of spirits these past two days. Young Master Lin, might I ask you to go and have a word with her?"

"Of course. That is precisely why I came," Wei Zhao replied.

Led by Yu Tianxing and Yu Yi, Wei Zhao came to Yu Ning's boudoir. Yu Ning sat quietly before the window, lost in some unknown thought; hearing footsteps, she did not turn around, only said softly, "I'm ready. We can set out for the Endless Western Sea tomorrow..."

"Little Ning, I'm here." Wei Zhao stepped quickly inside, his heart giving a faint pang. She, like Little Shu, bore such an important mission on her shoulders! Though from childhood she had been the little princess of the Yu Family and seemed stronger than Shen Yushu, in truth Shen Yushu had not been wrong—Shen Yushu was freer and happier than she.

Yu Ning was a bird in a cage, unable to fly out from the Hidden Yu Family's grasp and confinement. She had no friends; she could not do the things she loved; every day was passed in loneliness.

In the past, Wei Zhao had pitied Little Shu. In this moment, he felt that Yu Ning was the most pitiable of all.

"Ah, Wei Zhao, you came?" Yu Ning turned back, somewhat surprised, a flash of delight passing through her eyes. She had not expected Wei Zhao to come again before her departure!

"Yes. I've just seen Little Shu off, and came to see you." Wei Zhao nodded. "Actually, you needn't be so sad. Once the business of Cloud Terrace Island is done, we can come back, and then we'll do as we please, and no one will be able to dictate to us."

In truth, with Wei Zhao's present status and strength, even if he forcibly obstructed the Cloud Terrace Island plan, no one would dare say a word against it—but Wei Zhao himself looked forward to that plan, because he meant to go and find Zhang Lifeng!