Chapter 3802 — The Only Way
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
When all was said and done, raising Meng Zhou's strength was for the sake of dealing with Wei Zhao—and though Meng Zhou was not someone Young Master Xu regarded highly, he was, at any rate, still the underling of an underling beneath him. To find a way to lift Meng Zhou's strength would, for Young Master Xu, kill two birds with one stone.
Having silently settled on this resolve, Meng Jueming's heart felt a little steadier. Yet when he looked toward Wei Zhao and the others, the look in his eyes had, without his quite noticing it, grown a shade darker and more venomous than before.
Let you strut about a while longer. Once I have won Young Master Xu over, I will come and deal with you!
Sensing Meng Jueming's cold, sinister gaze, Wei Zhao knit his brows slightly and said, "That creature Meng Jueming—could he be hatching some crooked scheme again?"
Since the long-suffering senior brother had already escorted Qiao Hongcai back to the cave dwelling ahead of them to rest and heal his wounds, only Xiao Che remained at Wei Zhao's side at that moment.
After all, given the formidable strength Qiao Hongcai had displayed, and with Xiao Che at his back to shield and escort him, recruits like Zha Wu would never dare stroke his whiskers. So even though he had not yet been challenged this round, one could be certain no one would come seeking a challenge against him; he might as well go back to the cave dwelling and tend his injuries first.
Of course, if Meng Zhou somehow recovered in short order, he might well challenge Qiao Hongcai directly in a bid for revenge—only that was an impossibility. Given his current injuries, even taking a fourth-grade Great Return Pill, he would need a full day before he could possibly recover completely.
Hearing Wei Zhao's suspicion, Xiao Che could not help laughing. "Leader, you worry too much. In the present situation we have three early Foundation Establishment cultivators, while he has only Meng Zhou. The gap is too wide; no matter how he works his abacus, it is useless now!"
That was the truth of it. With Meng Jueming's own strength he could certainly handle Wei Zhao and the others, but he could never take the field himself, and his only powerful piece was Meng Zhou—nowhere near enough to deal with the three of them. After all, even a clever housewife cannot cook a meal without rice.
"Let us hope the creature keeps to his place," Wei Zhao nodded. If Meng Jueming could see reality and beat the retreat, then all these messy troubles would cease, and in the days to come he could focus on cultivation and raising his strength.
Pausing, Wei Zhao changed tack and asked, "What are your plans? This round, do you mean to coast through a round, or challenge upward directly for points?"
Xiao Che had all along been keeping to the rear, deliberately holding the cave dwelling's ranking behind Meng Zhou's. This was to guarantee a double insurance: that way, even if Qiao Hongcai could not handle Meng Zhou, he could step in naturally, shielding Qiao Hongcai—who held the higher cave-dwelling rank—while at the same time putting effective checks on Meng Zhou.
But two successive rounds of mutual ruin had already proven that Qiao Hongcai fully possessed the strength and the confidence to stand against Meng Zhou head-on. That being so, Xiao Che's double insurance now seemed a needless flourish, with no particular necessity.
Rather than lingering here and wearing himself down against a piece of trash like Meng Zhou, it would be more reliable to challenge upward directly and take the points.
As the cave-dwelling rankings now stood, Meng Zhou was Cave Dwelling Thirteen at the foot of the mountain, and Xiao Che was Cave Dwelling Fourteen at the foot of the mountain—precisely behind Meng Zhou. Given the enmity between them, even an honest, decent sort like Xiao Che could not possibly let such an opportunity served up on a platter go to waste.