Chapter 1857 — A Fall into the Pit, a Gain in Your Wit
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
However, Yu Huoxing was too far away to make out the details; he merely recounted what had happened according to his own understanding.
"What! One move?" A look of shock appeared at once on the old master Zhao's face; he seemed to think his ears were playing tricks on him. "That Wei Zhao—did he not suffer qi deviation? How could he wipe out three Earth-rank experts in a single move? And Zhao Guang'er was a late Earth-rank expert..."
"How would I know?" Yu Huoxing said with a bitter smile. "Old Ancestor Zhao, Wei Zhao is a master of playing the pig to eat the tiger, of fighting above his level—that is no secret anymore. In the past he often feigned injury to lure his enemies in and then take his revenge, and every time they came away badly battered. From what I observed, Wei Zhao must have learned some formidable martial technique, or... his strength has already reached the peak of late Earth-rank..."
The old master Zhao stared wide-eyed, feeling his mind could no longer keep up. He looked at Zhao Qibing and Kang Jingming. "You two were nearby as well? Is everything Yu Huoxing says the truth?"
The question was unbearably rude, but the old master Zhao was now a Heaven-rank expert, so even if Yu Huoxing was displeased, he did not dare voice it.
"Grandfather, your grandson was not far off at the time. Every word Mr. Yu Huoxing spoke is true—it really was a single move, and Wei Zhao wiped out the three Earth-rank experts..." Here a flicker of terror passed through Zhao Qibing's eyes; clearly the scene had left a deep impression on him and sent a chill down his spine. "If Grandfather does not believe it, the dashcam in the business van recorded the whole thing from a distance..."
Hearing Zhao Qibing's confirmation, the old master Zhao knew there was no room left for illusion—Wei Zhao really had killed three Earth-rank experts! The old master's heart bled. He did not care about the others, but Zhao Guang'er had been a late Earth-rank expert, a pillar of the Zhao family—and now he was dead, just like that?
In the old master's eyes, the future Heaven-rank experts of the Zhao family had included, besides Elder Bi and Zhao Guangyin, a place for Zhao Guang'er. But now... had he known Wei Zhao was this formidable, why would he ever have offended him?
"Grandfather, I said as much at the time—Wei Zhao's greatest skill is playing the pig to eat the tiger... but..." Zhao Qilei felt a secret glee. That Wei Zhao was unharmed and had displayed such might delighted him most of all. True, the Zhao family had lost an expert, but no matter—so long as he rose to power and took control of the Zhao family, with Wei Zhao as his backing, the Zhao family could still stand among the foremost of the hidden families.
The old master Zhao glanced at Zhao Qilei, a sharp light flashing in his eyes, which made Zhao Qilei's heart turn cold; still, he put on an air of perfect righteousness and did not flinch in the least.
After a long while, the old master Zhao nodded and said, "Qitan speaks the truth. Among us all, only Qitan dealt with Wei Zhao during the trials at the Ice Palace and knows his methods well. Had we listened to Qitan sooner, we would not have suffered such grievous losses!"
Zhao Qibing was somewhat dejected. He had hoped to borrow the Zhao family's strength for revenge, but now it seemed Wei Zhao had quietly become the foremost expert below Heaven-rank. To annihilate three Earth-rank experts in one move—one of them a late Earth-rank expert at that—was something even an expert at the peak of late Earth-rank would not dare claim he could do, yet Wei Zhao had done it. If that did not make him the foremost below Heaven-rank, what did?
As things stood, unless Grandfather acted himself, who could shake Wei Zhao? Yet although the Hidden Family Arbitration Association now existed in name only and could no longer bind the hidden families, above the hidden families there were still the ancient sects!