Chapter 4170 — Everyone's Hidden Cards

At the sight, Zhong Yongliang could not help but twitch an eyelid, muttering inwardly. Xu Lingchong had mentioned long ago that this fellow had taken a Midnight Heartbreak Pill. Could the pill truly be so terrifying as to twist a shallow, artless buffoon into something so warped and unnerving?

He was not the only one. Beside him, Kang Jingming and Murong Zhen exchanged looks as well. By now they could no longer gauge Meng Zhou's strength at all; they simply felt that the thing before them was unfathomable, and exceedingly dangerous.

"It's nothing much, really. You must have heard by now that Wei Zhao is going to challenge Su Zhaohe, haven't you?" Kang Jingming said, steadying himself.

"And what of it?" Meng Zhou's expression did not change in the slightest.

"The man is Su Zhaohe, don't you think Wei Zhao is good as dead this time?" Kang Jingming said eagerly. "We just got an inside tip—Su Zhaohe's strength is not the great perfection of Foundation Establishment everyone assumes, but early Golden Core. Wei Zhao would need ten lives this time and still not have enough. Wahaha!"

"Early Golden Core?" A faint shift passed through Meng Zhou's eyes, but it quickly returned to normal, leaving no clue as to what he was thinking.

"So you see, Wei Zhao is certain to die this time, and once that happens, the whole rabble under him will scatter the moment the tree falls. We need to prepare early and take over those weathervanes of his. Once we have people under us, we'll have a firmer footing in the future," Kang Jingming proposed, his eyes gleaming.

"Exactly, this is a perfect chance to win people over. Sure, they still have Kubi, Xiao Che, Qiao Hongcai and the rest, but Wei Zhao is their backbone. With him dead, morale will inevitably waver—a rare opportunity. If we wait until Kubi and the others steady them, it will be much harder to poach anyone," Murong Zhen agreed.

"If you want to poach, go yourselves. I'm not interested," Meng Zhou said, still expressionless. After all the setbacks and hardships he had endured—especially the torments of the Midnight Heartbreak Pill twice a day—he had already risen to a level Kang Jingming could no longer compare with.

Those weathervane newcomers—only someone like Kang Jingming would still fixate on them and treat them as tools for his own ambitions. The Meng Zhou of today did not so much as glance at them.

"Uh..." Kang Jingming was instantly stuck for words. The very reason he had gone out of his way to fetch Meng Zhou was precisely his influence among the Qingyun Pavilion newcomers. Even if he had been trampled under Wei Zhao's feet time and again, to ordinary Qingyun Pavilion newcomers he should still carry some intimidation—and yet this damn thing had said he wasn't interested?

In the old days, Kang Jingming would have already torn into him with a torrent of abuse. But the present Meng Zhou was someone he could not see through at all; even with his dissatisfaction, he had no choice but to swallow it for now.

"How about letting me give it a try?" At that moment, Zhong Yongliang instead volunteered. "I can try to win over Li Zhengming. If I can turn him, I imagine it would sway the other Qingyun Pavilion newcomers quite a bit!"

"That's true enough, but Li Zhengming is different from the ordinary newcomers. His resolve is firm, and he is not so easily swayed. My fair lady has approached him several times before with no effect," Murong Zhen said sulkily.

She had always been confident in her charms with the fair sex—yet they had failed on Wei Zhao, and failed on Li Zhengming too, a blow that left her badly shaken. If she had not lately attached herself to Si Haitao, she would have begun to suspect she had turned into a haggard old wife.

"That must be because his guard is up too high around you. Since Pinliang has volunteered, there is no harm in giving it a try—it might produce an unexpectedly good effect!" Kang Jingming nodded and instructed, "But you needn't be in a hurry to win him over in one go. This time, just get close to him and drop a hint—that will be enough. He is a clever man; once Wei Zhao is dead, I trust he will know what to do."

"I understand." Zhong Yongliang smiled to himself and promptly set out.

This so-called volunteering to turn Li Zhengming was of course merely a pretext. The real purpose was to pass word to Wei Zhao. Su Zhaohe was an early Golden Core expert—a top-tier hidden threat. If Wei Zhao went into battle oblivious to it, he would suffer badly.

At this juncture, Wei Zhao was the focus of the Welcome Pavilion and indeed of the entire Sandie Pavilion; his every move drew attention. If Zhong Yongliang wanted to send him word, this roundabout approach was the only way.

"What are you doing here?" Li Zhengming was rather surprised by Zhong Yongliang's uninvited visit. He did not yet know that the other man, like his former self, was also a plant of Wei Zhao's.

"Come now, Brother Li is a clever man. Can you truly not guess why I am here?" Zhong Yongliang said with a smile.

"There's no point in more talk. Please go back, sir." Li Zhengming's face immediately darkened. He did not mind becoming a mole again, but only if Wei Zhao gave the word; otherwise he had no wish whatsoever to have dealings with these people. Better to spend the time on proper cultivation than to waste it on them.

"Don't be in such a hurry. You are quite clear on the matter of Wei Zhao's challenge to Su Zhaohe, aren't you, Brother Li? If you fondly imagine your leader can win again this time, then let me divulge a top-secret piece of news, so you may give up hope early," Zhong Yongliang said with a mysterious air.

"What news?" Li Zhengming glanced at him.

"Su Zhaohe is not the great perfection of Foundation Establishment you take him for, but a bona fide early Golden Core expert. I wonder if this news is explosive enough?" Zhong Yongliang smiled profoundly, and without waiting for a reply, turned and left.

An early Golden Core expert?! Li Zhengming's heart gave a great jolt. His admiration for Wei Zhao was second to none, but Wei Zhao was, after all, still a newcomer; even against a Su Zhaohe at the great perfection of Foundation Establishment he would already be hard pressed. If the man was truly early Golden Core, how could he possibly fight?

Only—this Zhong Yongliang had never had any dealings with him. Why would he suddenly come to his door delivering such an explosive inside tip? Could it really be simply to persuade him to defect?

News like this should by rights be top secret. There was no reason to reveal it to him so casually—was the man really so simple-minded?

Doubts churned in his heart, yet Li Zhengming still went straight to Wei Zhao and passed the news on to him. (To be continued)