Chapter 2353 — Zhao Qilei's Conversation
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
Looking into his grandson's eyes, Old Master Zhao felt an inexplicable pang in his heart. Though Zhao Qibing contributed most to the family, and was Zhao Guangyin's son, Zhao Qilei was his grandson too, after all! Though Zhao Qilei's father had died young, and Zhao Qilei's standing in the Zhao family was destined never to be high.
Though his strength had always been in the lead, and he had taken part in the Ice Palace trials, it was precisely for that reason that he had become a stumbling block in the way of Zhao Qibing's rise!
To say Zhao Qilei had no ambition would be false—a soldier who does not want to be a general is no good soldier, and Zhao Qilei dreamed of becoming the young heir of the Hidden Zhao family! Before Zhao Qibing appeared, his standing in the family had not been high, but by virtue of his outstanding strength he had still caught Old Master Zhao's eye. And most important of all, Old Bi, one of the family's core figures, had never declared support for any of the third-generation scions!
Old Master Zhao's youngest son by Zhao Guangyin was utterly unruly, and Old Master Zhao did not care for him; Old Bi made no secret of his loathing for the boy. Had he not been the son of Yu Xiaojin of the Hidden Yu family, and had Old Master Zhao not always had his misgivings, he would never have been considered a successor.
So Zhao Qilei still had a chance.
But Zhao Qibing's arrival had upset that balance. A cowardly bastard son who ran riot abroad, inexplicably gaining the support of Old Master Zhao and Old Bi—how could Zhao Qilei swallow such a thing?
By what right? To lose out to Zhao Guangyin's youngest son, he could accept. But to lose to Zhao Qibing—that he would not accept!
"Alas!" Old Master Zhao sighed. In truth, over this period he had come to some understanding of Zhao Qibing's ability to handle affairs, and had begun to be disappointed. But Zhao Qibing was the Zhao family's great benefactor, and words once spoken could not be taken back!
And Zhao Qilei, though he had the makings of something, had no backing within the family. Old Master Zhao believed that unless Zhao Qilei possessed strength like his own or Old Bi's, even if he became the young heir of the Zhao family he could not hold the household together, and the family would splinter, with an even worse outcome.
"Grandfather, I know that in contacting Wei Zhao I violated a great taboo of the Zhao family. Wei Zhao is the Zhao family's enemy, and by rights I should have been hostile to him..." Zhao Qilei gave a bitter smile and went on: "But Grandfather, I am not reconciled to it. Zhao Qibing—by what right? A man whose legs Wei Zhao has broken countless times—how can he be the heir to the Zhao family?"
"Qitan, there are things you do not know." Old Master Zhao sighed. "The reason I was able to break through to Heaven rank was the Qi-Gathering Pill Qibing brought back. You could say Qibing is our Zhao family's great achievement! My advancement to Heaven rank has infinitely extended my lifespan, and for the Zhao family that means a great deal. So I must support Zhao Qibing! Even if his strength is weak, I must do so—I cannot chill the hearts of the children who have given their strength to the Zhao family!"
"What!" Zhao Qilei's eyes went wide with disbelief. "Zhao Qibing? He brought back a Qi-Gathering Pill?"
That Zhao Qibing had brought back a Qi-Gathering Pill was long since no secret; it was only that Zhao Qilei had been kept under house arrest all this time, and so had not known.