Chapter 3858 — Rejected

Though Wei Zhao's golden finger was bound by the laws of the heavenly dao and thus somewhat limited, he could still make out the cultivation grade of any cultivator weaker than himself.

Setting aside Meng Jueming and that long-suffering senior brother of his—the two stewards—and Wei Zhao himself, who had hidden his true strength, this woman could look down on the whole hall with ease. With power like that, why come to the Newcomer Pavilion at all? She could walk straight into the Triplex Pavilion!

But the long-suffering senior brother's answer made Wei Zhao freeze mid-thought: "Junior Brother Lin, you've guessed wrong this time. This woman's name is Murong Zhen, and she isn't here to play. Starting today, she's one of our own—a new member of the Azure Cloud Pavilion."

"Huh?" Wei Zhao was struck dumb. Of all the possibilities, this was the one that should have been least likely—and yet it had come true. What sort of game was this? More than two months had already passed, and now a disciple was being slotted in halfway through—a female disciple, no less, and one at the very peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage?

"I don't know why they suddenly shoved a female disciple in like this either—special case, special handling, the higher-ups all waved it through without a word," the long-suffering senior brother said. He paused, then leaned in and whispered to Wei Zhao and the others with an air of mystery: "Word is this woman has serious connections. She's a distant relative—a junior of the Murong Elder of the Skyward Pavilion. She's been back in her hometown all this time, and because her strength is decent, they only recently brought her over!"

Far from clearing things up, the long-suffering senior brother's explanation only left Wei Zhao more perplexed.

If she was a junior of the Murong Elder of the Skyward Pavilion—even a distant one—then she counted as true cultivation royalty, second or third generation. With her current strength, if she wanted to join the Triplex Pavilion, there was no need for this pointless detour through the Newcomer Pavilion. And even if she really did want to go through the motions somewhere, she ought to have gone to the Skyward Pavilion. So why on earth had she turned up at the Azure Cloud Pavilion?

There had to be something strange and unknown hidden in all this.

Just as Wei Zhao and the long-suffering senior brother and the others were discussing it, the other Azure Cloud Pavilion newcomers suddenly fell silent. Then the crowd parted to either side, and the woman who was the center of everyone's attention came pacing toward Wei Zhao with a graceful, alluring sway.

"You must be the Wei Zhao they all talk about? Allow me to introduce myself—my name is Murong Zhen. If you don't mind, you may call me Zhenzhen." Murong Zhen's pretty eyes brimmed with spring warmth as she extended a slender, delicate hand to Wei Zhao.

"Gulp!" The people around them could not help swallowing hard. Every heart was consumed with envy at the good fortune of this poseur Wei Zhao—to shake hands with Murong Zhen was a blessing one could not earn in several lifetimes!

Murong Zhen was not only a beauty but also a female cultivator of exceptional strength; and according to those in the know, her family background was unfathomably deep—she was cultivation royalty in the truest sense, third generation.

With those three halos combined, it was impossible for Murong Zhen not to be the center of attention. And if one could win her favor, then not only would one carry off the beauty—one might also become her honored husband and rise to the heavens in a single step, sparing oneself who knew how many years of struggle!

Before Wei Zhao arrived, plenty of people—Meng Zhou included—had tried every trick to strike up a conversation and catch her eye. Yet Murong Zhen would not even grant them a proper glance, let alone offer a handshake of her own accord.

Yet the moment Wei Zhao appeared, Murong Zhen came over on her own to introduce herself—even extending her fair hand. Such treatment, as different as heaven from earth, shattered the hearts of Meng Zhou and his lot!

Everyone assumed that since Murong Zhen was being so forward, Wei Zhao would waste no time climbing the pole she held out—would seize her slender hand and savor this sudden stroke of romantic fortune.

But what made every jaw in the hall drop was that Wei Zhao was utterly unmoved!

"Hello. I'm Wei Zhao." Wei Zhao folded his arms and gave a slight nod, showing not the slightest intention of shaking her hand, and answered blandly.

Damn! Was this poseur's brain defective? Wasn't this fellow supposed to be a starving ghost in heat? So how come now that the romantic fortune had delivered itself to his door, he shut it out instead? Had he gotten addicted to putting on airs?

Meng Zhou and the others erupted in an uproar at once. Beyond their astonishment, every face was written with gloating schadenfreude—thank goodness this Wei Zhao fellow was sick in the head. Otherwise, if he had really used the chance to hook up with the great beauty Murong Zhen, their hearts would have shattered!

Murong Zhen clearly had not expected such a reaction from Wei Zhao either. She froze for a moment, gave a faint, embarrassed laugh, and drew back the hand she had extended.

Because women were so scarce, ever since she had come to the Triplex Pavilion she had been the undisputed center of attention wherever she went. Even in the second-generation circles of the Skyward Pavilion, she could attract the notice of any number of young lords without the slightest effort—among them even Xu Lingchong, a young master of considerable pedigree.

Everything had been wonderful—just as Murong Zhen thought it would go on being wonderful forever, a single gathering at Huayang Residence, a few words spoken in a moment of indignation, and the situation had turned sharply against her.

Not only had she lost the attention of the many young lords, she had become the target of universal attack, nearly ostracized by every young master in the Skyward Pavilion. And that was not all—now, with a single sentence, she had been inexplicably banished to the Newcomer Pavilion, and to a godforsaken hole like the Azure Cloud Pavilion at that. How was a person supposed to bear such humiliation!

At the mere thought of it, Murong Zhen ground her teeth in hatred.

Back then at Huayang Residence, had this beauty done anything more than state a simple fact—that pets were not allowed? Did you second- and third-generation lords have to kick a person when she was down, just to curry favor with that little chit Shangguan Lan'er? Did you have to go to such unscrupulous lengths?

Shangguan Lan'er—so she was born with a good grandfather. So what!

Even if her family background could not compare, when it came to bearing, to looks, to strength, in which of these could that callow little chit possibly compare with this beauty?

Shangguan Lan'er, and all you young lords with your eyes gone blind—just you wait. I will have this grievance back a hundredfold, a thousandfold, and when that day comes, not one of you will escape!

Women have always been the creatures one must never cross—and especially a woman as calculating and deep as Murong Zhen. Once provoked, the consequences were beyond imagining!

Yet even after being collectively ostracized by the young lords of the Skyward Pavilion for offending Shangguan Lan'er, Murong Zhen had never once imagined that when she came to this Newcomer Pavilion to face these Azure Cloud Pavilion newcomers—these ants—she would be met with a cold shoulder!

In fact, from Meng Jueming on high down to the lowest newcomer, everyone had shown the greatest fervor toward this beauty of theirs, fawning and flattering in a hundred ways, and she had quickly regained the feeling of being the center of attention.