Chapter 2564 — The Zhuang Family's Invitation
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
The Han family had no Heaven-rank expert now, yet they could still hold their own against the hidden Zhao family, who did. Why? Was it not all because of Wei Zhao?
"Chen Xi… she's all right?" Wei Zhao nodded. Zhu Birdgun had not lied, and his attitude was decent enough, so Wei Zhao did not strike out at him at once.
"She's fine. I am sorry, Master Ling—this business was our fault!" Zhu Birdgun said. "Please, Master Ling, do us the honor of visiting the hidden Zhuang family. We will surely show our sincerity and leave you satisfied!"
"Go to your house?" Wei Zhao frowned. Zhu Birdgun had turned his attitude around far too quickly; Wei Zhao could not quite get used to it.
"Yes, to my house!" Zhu Birdgun nodded. "Master Ling, I know you are angry, but the martial world is simply like this—the weak are meat and the strong eat. This time Chen Xi had you at her back, so we of the hidden Zhuang family admit defeat and only hope to earn your forgiveness. But put it another way: if the one we had taken were someone with no connection to you, would you still have bothered?"
"Hmm…" Wei Zhao had to admit Zhu Birdgun was right. If the person they had seized were a stranger to him, he naturally would not have interfered; so it could not be said that what Zhu Birdgun had done was wrong—just as Wei Zhao, knowing the Tagan family possessed the secret manual for refining essence-yuan necklaces, had wanted to steal it for himself.
Had Wei Zhao been weaker than Tagan Long, he would certainly have failed and lost those two spirit-beast inner cores into the bargain. But Wei Zhao was stronger than Tagan Long, and so the outcome was entirely different.
"Master Ling, rest assured—we will never scheme against Chen Xi again. Not only will we not scheme against her, we will protect her. After all, Songshan City and Lin City are so close. If you but give the nod, Master Ling, we will send men into Songshan City, and neither Li Cihua nor the hidden Zhao family will dare breathe a word," Zhu Birdgun said.
"Oh?" Wei Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly, regarding Zhu Birdgun with some surprise. If the earlier words had been meant to flatter him and win forgiveness, that was only natural—but what came after sounded faintly like an offer to serve him.
Moreover, in aiming at the hidden Zhao family and Li Cihua, was Zhu Birdgun's underlying implication that he wanted Wei Zhao to back him from behind the scenes? Was this Zhu Birdgun merely talking idly, or did he have some other design?
Seeing Wei Zhao pondering, Zhu Birdgun did not dare disturb him, and stood respectfully to one side awaiting his answer.
"Master Ling, though our hidden Zhuang family cannot compare with the hidden Pi family in having a Heaven-rank expert, we are still a cut above the hidden Han family—in such esoteric arts as the strange gates and hidden armor, the crooked paths and side doors, for instance…" Seeing Wei Zhao hesitate, Zhu Birdcannon spoke up at once. He and his second brother Zhu Birdgun had for years practiced the joint-strike heart method together, so their minds were in accord; in an instant he understood his brother's intent—to draw close to Wei Zhao. And that had in fact been his own thought as well. The chance had been missed back then; now that such a good opportunity had finally come, to fail to cherish it would be a regret beyond remedy.
"Indeed. Look at Chen Xi—no one else could tell she was a first-rate cauldron, and you, Master Ling, are so formidable that you can slay Heaven-rank experts across ranks, yet in these side-door arts you are still not our match, are you?" Zhu Birdgun added. "If no one had told you Chen Xi was a cauldron, could you have guessed it?"
"Hmm, that much is true." Wei Zhao nodded. "So it seems your hidden Zhuang family does have some use after all. But how did you come to know about the Pi family's affairs?"