Chapter 4944 — A Seat at the Head Table

"Very well. We shall meet again tonight," Wei Zhao said, rising to see his guests out.

But before the two of them had even stepped out of the reception hall, Zhuang Yifan suddenly halted in his tracks and said, with a certain weight of meaning: "Every year, after the Road of Giants concludes, there is a celebration banquet, and every academy sends representatives. It occurs to me that there is no time like the present—why not simply fold it into this evening's dinner? What does Master Lin think?"

"That is a matter for the Academy Alliance. Chairman Zhuang may arrange it as he sees fit; I have no objections." Wei Zhao glanced at him with some surprise. Was this really the sort of thing one needed to consult an outsider about?

"Then it is settled. When the time comes, Master Lin may bring Master Libation Li along—tell him Zhuang has reserved him a seat at the head table." Zhuang Yifan smiled a smile laden with meaning, then took his leave.

"Heh. That Zhuang Yifan certainly knows how to play the game." Wei Zhao watched the man's receding back and smiled. Zhuang Yifan's reason for saying that deliberately was plain enough: he intended to do Morning Star Academy a favor for Wei Zhao's sake. Otherwise, with so many Yellow-rank academies about, Morning Star's strength would hardly have earned it a place at the head table. This was a rare chance to show one's face.

No sooner had Zhuang Yifan taken his leave than Huo Yudie, Wang Xinyan, and Huang Xiaotao came bustling in, with Liu Ziqi and Li Ren following behind.

"Well? What did that Chairman Zhuang say?" Huo Yudie asked, unable to contain herself. Though she had already heard the whole story from Wang Xinyan and the others, she had still been sweating on Wei Zhao's behalf. He had only bluffed Zhuang Yifan for the moment by borrowing the name of a Xuan-rank first-grade alchemist—but if the man ever came to his senses, the consequences hardly bore thinking about.

"Nothing much. He asked me to refine a pill for him, and I agreed. Simple as that." Wei Zhao shrugged as though it were nothing at all.

"You agreed? He must want a Xuan-rank pill refined. Can you really do it?" Huo Yudie was startled. Liu Ziqi and Li Ren wore expressions of astonishment and doubt as well; only Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao looked relatively calm, being long accustomed to such things.

"Whether I can or not—won't we find out by trying?" Wei Zhao smiled slightly, a trace of mischief at the corner of his mouth. "Even a Xuan-rank first-grade alchemist cannot guarantee success every time. If I fail this once, that is only normal, is it not?"

"So that is it!" The others understood at once. This was the secret of how Wei Zhao dared to lie to a man of Zhuang Yifan's stature.

A simple lie would have found it nearly impossible to fool Zhuang Yifan; even if it worked at first, the truth would inevitably show through. The brilliance of Wei Zhao's lie lay precisely in the possibility that it was not a lie at all—it could very well become truth, and even if it did not, there was a perfectly reasonable explanation. Half true and half false, it could not be toppled.

"By the way, Zhuang Yifan said he is holding a celebration banquet tonight. Master Libation Li, he also said he has reserved you a seat at the head table," Wei Zhao relayed.

"What? By custom, the celebration banquet is held at the Thunderclap City headquarters after all the trials have concluded. Why would it suddenly be moved up to now?" Li Ren did not quite follow, and after a moment of blankness he stammered: "The head table... and there is a place for me?"

"Indeed. That is exactly what he said. So make your preparations and come along tonight," Wei Zhao said with a nod.

"This is truly an enormous surprise!" Li Ren drew a deep breath and bowed solemnly to Wei Zhao. "Master Lin, on behalf of Morning Star Academy, I thank you for your great kindness!"

"Heh, Master Libation Li exaggerates. I have trespassed upon Morning Star Academy's hospitality for so long; this little matter is the least I could do. Besides, if thanks are truly owed, they are owed to Zhuang Yifan—this was his own proposal." Wei Zhao shook his head with a smile.

"No—had we not basked in your light, why would Chairman Zhuang show Morning Star Academy such favor?" Li Ren waved his hands again and again, then explained: "Master Lin, you may not know this, but every year the celebration banquet is nominally held to celebrate the Road of Giants trials; in truth, it concerns the re-ranking of all Yellow-rank academies. The closer an academy sits to the head table, the more the Alliance will favor it in days to come, and the more cultivation resources it will receive! And those who occupy a seat at the head table have always been only a scant few of the very finest Yellow-rank academies—Thunderclap Academy, Dingcheng Academy, and the like. Our Morning Star Academy has never once been granted such an honor!"

The more Li Ren spoke, the more excited he became, until his face was glowing red. If he could represent Morning Star Academy in occupying a seat at the head table this time—though it was entirely Wei Zhao's doing—then he, the presiding master of libations, would be reckoned to have won a great merit himself. Upon returning to the academy he would surely be richly rewarded, promoted three ranks at a stroke, and rise straight to the clouds!

"So that is how it is. Then Zhuang Yifan really has sent a weighty gift," Wei Zhao said in sudden understanding.

He had thought it was no more than a meal and a chance to show one's face, never imagining such deeper meaning. Zhuang Yifan was indirectly making clear that he had every ability to lift Morning Star Academy up—provided, of course, that Wei Zhao refined the pill for him. Otherwise, crushing Morning Star Academy underfoot would be a trifling matter for him.

"Since Chairman Zhuang took charge of the Yellow-rank Academy Alliance, he has always balanced the scales and rarely promoted any single academy so actively. For your academy to win his favor means it is only a matter of time before you stand shoulder to shoulder with the top academies. Truly a cause for congratulations," Liu Ziqi said with a smile, though her expression was inevitably somewhat complicated.

This was a fine thing, bringing both fame and profit—a great joy for Morning Star Academy, but not so for her own Morning Proud Academy. For a sworn enemy to suddenly soar aloft, no one standing in Morning Proud Academy's shoes could bring herself to smile.

"The same to you, the same to you." Li Ren was still immersed in his delight, and only after the words left his mouth did he realize what he had said. His expression turned deeply awkward at once. The other was vice dean of Morning Proud Academy—the same to her, indeed!

For a moment the atmosphere in the reception hall turned rather strange. Liu Ziqi, the guest, was filled with a tangle of feelings; Li Ren, the host, looked sheepish and knew not what to say. The scene lapsed into an impasse.

It was then that Wei Zhao suddenly spoke up: "Dean Liu, Master Libation Li, I have an idea—would the two of you be willing to hear it?"