"Heh..." Wei Zhao smiled. "All right, let us be on our way. Zhao Qitan, will you come with us, or travel on your own?"

"Naturally I will come with you, Brother Ling. With a guardian spirit like you around, I need not fear being robbed!" Zhao Qitan said. "Rest assured, Brother Ling, I won't touch your heavenly treasures! I came this time chiefly to make friends!"

Zhao Qitan had changed his mind the day before. He had decided to leave Zhao Qijiu behind in the Ice Palace to cultivate as an outer disciple, while he himself would return to the Hidden Zhao family. He believed that with an ally like Wei Zhao at his side, he still had a very good chance of contending for the seat of family head. Before this, alone and with no one to lean on, he had been willing to stake everything on five years of cultivation in the Ice Palace before going back to the Zhao family—but that was far too risky. Who could say what might happen within five years? What if Zhao Qibing climbed to the top first?

As for Zhao Guangyin's legitimate son, Zhao Qiji, he was not worried about him in the least. Zhao Qiji was nothing more than a spoiled fop, lording it over the Hidden Zhao family on the strength of being the legitimate son of the legitimate line. A man like that was destined for no great accomplishment.

But the very moment Zhao Qibing returned to the Zhao family, he won the favor of both Elder Bi and Grandfather at once, and that put no small pressure on Zhao Qitan.

Now, with Wei Zhao as an ally and with the chip of Zhao Qijiu remaining in the Ice Palace to cultivate, he was confident he would hold a certain standing in the Zhao family as well. So long as he could stand against Zhao Qibing, the matter of the young family head would not be settled so soon, and he would still have his chance!

"We've nearly enough heavenly treasures on hand. If we find more, we'll give them to you." Wei Zhao and Yu Bing had gathered quite a few on their own, and had plundered a great heap more from Zhang Naipao and Feng Nitian. Setting aside the Snow Lingzhi that had been returned to Yang Qiqi, plenty still remained; passing the trial should pose no difficulty at all.

"Then thank you indeed, Brother Ling!" Zhao Qitan said excitedly. "Brother Ling is truly a man of honor! This little brother is moved to tears with gratitude. Brother Ling, if you do not disdain me, let me take you as my leader—may I? I beg you!"

Zhao Qitan's shamelessness left Yu Bing gaping, and Yang Qiqi felt positively sick. She could not resist needling him: "I have never seen anyone as shameless as you!"

"This is sincere feeling rising from the heart—what has it to do with shamelessness?" Zhao Qitan asked, feigning ignorance.

"I cannot be bothered to talk with you! You are disgusting!" Yang Qiqi said.

"As for taking you as a follower—that can wait," Wei Zhao said. For the moment he had no wish to take Zhao Qitan on as a lackey. The fellow might seem to be at odds with Zhao Qibing, but he was, after all, a man of the Hidden Zhao family—who knew how he would behave once he learned Wei Zhao's true identity?

"Don't say wait. How about this: take me on as an apprentice follower, and when I've proven myself, promote me to full standing. How does that sound?" Zhao Qitan was a man who had never cared a whit for face, and so a refusal from Wei Zhao was hardly going to make him give up.

"Fine, then. We'll put you on probation for a while." There was truly no help for it—the fellow was simply too shameless. Wei Zhao could only agree vaguely to put him off. A temporary arrangement, though, was no problem; the tie could be severed at any time.

"Leader! From today on, I shall call you Leader!" Zhao Qitan said happily. "So, Leader, shall we be on our way?"

"Mm. Since you insist on making me your leader, there are certain matters I ought to tell you first. When I have finished, you may decide whether you still wish to make me your leader." Wei Zhao pondered a moment, then resolved to tell Zhao Qitan his identity.

Whether Zhao Qitan chose to keep following him was, of course, Zhao Qitan's own affair. At any rate, the man did not dare raise a hand against him now—Wei Zhao could snuff him out at any moment. So Wei Zhao had no fear that Zhao Qitan would do anything foolish.

"Oh? What matter is that?" Zhao Qitan was taken aback. "What matter could possibly stand in the way of my making you my leader?"

"My name is not truly Ling Yi. It is Wei Zhao," Wei Zhao said.

"Wei Zhao? I think I have heard that name..." Zhao Qitan found the name somehow familiar, as though he had heard it somewhere before.

"I am an enemy of your Hidden Zhao family. I was the one who broke Zhao Qibing's legs, and I was the one who wounded Uncle Zhu and the Medicine King." Wei Zhao said. "And now—do you still want me as your leader?"

"Gah!" At Wei Zhao's words, Zhao Qitan was so startled he nearly leapt into the air. "No wonder it sounded so familiar—so you are that legendary Wei Zhao everyone speaks of, the one who is said to be so formidable!"

"The very one you have heard of," Wei Zhao nodded.

"Then why would I not? Hwahaha—if that is how it is, then I want you as my leader all the more!" Zhao Qitan was overjoyed. Wei Zhao and Zhao Qibing were enemies! He had been fretting over how to persuade Wei Zhao to help him deal with Zhao Qibing, and now he need not even raise the subject, for they were enemies to begin with. This was simply the best news in the world!

"You seem rather pleased. Is Zhao Qibing not your brother?" Wei Zhao narrowed his eyes at Zhao Qitan. His guess had been right after all—this fellow Zhao Qitan was indeed at odds with Zhao Qibing.

"Yu Shan was Yu Bing's younger brother, and you crippled him—yet Brother Yu Bing here seemed quite pleased about it, did he not?" Zhao Qitan said, with pointed meaning. "We are all sensible men here. As for Zhao Qibing and me... heh heh!"

"In that case, there is no problem. Let us be on our way." Seeing that Zhao Qitan's expression held no pretense, Wei Zhao set his mind at ease.

"Leader, you were truly magnificent! That Zhao Qibing really does not know when he is beaten—daring to provoke even you. Crippling him was letting him off lightly. Leader, why did you not simply finish him off?" Zhao Qitan said with some regret.

Yu Bing's mouth twitched twice. This fellow was far more ruthless than he was; it seemed the struggles among the other great families were fierce indeed. Those outstanding sons of theirs, not one of them was content to be overlooked. He himself had been too merciful! Had he not heard that Yu Shan meant to finish him, he would never have resolved to let Wei Zhao act.

"Do I need you to teach me what to do?" Wei Zhao glanced at Zhao Qitan and asked mildly.

"Uh... no, of course not. I only spoke off the top of my head!" Zhao Qitan said, startled, and hurriedly added: "Do not be angry, Leader. I merely meant that Zhao Qibing has now taken a master and gained himself a patron, which will make dealing with him rather harder!"

"A patron? He has taken a master?" Wei Zhao was startled in turn.

"Leader, you did not know of this?" Zhao Qitan was startled too, and then it came to him—how could Wei Zhao possibly know the affairs of the Zhao family? So he hastily recounted to Wei Zhao the matter of Zhao Qibing taking Elder Bi as his master.

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