"True enough—but why is that?" Zhao Guangyin nodded, asking in some puzzlement.

"Heh. I'd say it's because, inside the trial, one's own strength can more or less be disregarded. The dangers they face aren't decided by whether one is strong or weak. For instance, before a legendary cultivator of the Heavenly Dao, those of the Mystic, Earth, or even Heaven ranks all look the same to them—no different from ants!" Old Master Zhao explained by analogy. "So I feel that within the trial, once you run into danger, no matter how strong you are, there's no escaping it. And those who do escape by luck don't escape because they're powerful, but because they're fortunate! That is my deduction!"

"That makes sense!" Zhao Guangyin nodded. "No wonder they previously restricted it to Mystic rank and above but below Earth rank. I'm afraid it's because trialists of even higher strength are of little use. And the lifting of the restriction this year is probably because the Xuandan Sect desperately needs this substance, so they had no choice but to increase the number of trial participants!"

"Right. So Wei Zhao and Zhao Qitan will quite likely perish together," Old Master Zhao said. "But one must guard against the worst. What if they come back? If Zhao Qitan obtains the third-grade elixir, I've promised he may become an elder of the family—that would threaten Qibing's standing. As long as I live, I can keep him in check, but I can't rule out that after my time, or that with Wei Zhao's help Zhao Qitan's strength might advance by leaps and bounds—and then Qibing would be in danger!"

"Then... then what are we to do?" Zhao Qibing's expression changed at once. He thought of how, if Zhao Qitan truly returned, his standing in the Zhao family would soar straight to the clouds, and his own position would surely be threatened.

"So, before that happens, we must take some action," Old Master Zhao said. "If we can slay Wei Zhao before the trial, then Zhao Qitan is certain to die."

"Before the trial? Slay Wei Zhao? How could that be? If our Zhao family had such strength, we'd have acted long ago—why wait until now?" Zhao Guangyin asked, rather perplexed.

"Could it be that Grandfather means to act himself?" Zhao Qibing was also taken aback.

"Heh, naturally I won't be the one to act," Old Master Zhao said, shaking his head.

"Then the hidden Yu family? Yes—is the hidden Yu family about to make its move?" Zhao Guangyin pondered briefly and hit upon the possibility.

"I did call Old Master Yu, but his attitude was ambiguous, neither yes nor no. I can't tell what he means, and counting on him to act—I'd say that's doubtful." Old Master Zhao waved a hand. "I mean someone else—and it, too, is a case of borrowing a knife to kill! In fact, this also comes from Qibing's inspiration. I'd received word of this matter earlier, but I hadn't thought deeply about it. Now, though, I've hit upon a fine plan."

"Oh? Who is so formidable as to be able to slay Wei Zhao?" Zhao Guangyin was startled; he hadn't expected such a powerful person to exist.

"The King of Gamblers of Southeast Asia—Pu Huotai!" Old Master Zhao said.

"The King of Gamblers of Southeast Asia? What connection does he have with Wei Zhao?" Zhao Guangyin did not see what use this man could be.

"Pu Huotai has been invited to Donghai City's largest casino to hold the fort against the King of Gamblers from Gangcheng, Zhu Qishou. Of course, though he is the King of Gamblers of Southeast Asia, he is also a person of strange gifts, with a very high combat index. Just how strong he is, no one knows—but what I do know is that at his side is a close guard at the peak of the late Earth rank, accomplished in both inner and outer cultivation. The two of them together ought to be able to defeat Wei Zhao!" A gleam of keen light flashed in Old Master Zhao's eyes as he spoke.

"Uh... but he and Wei Zhao have no dealings at all..." Zhao Guangyin said, still puzzled.

"If there are no dealings, dealings can be manufactured!" Old Master Zhao said. "From what I know, this Pu Huotai is a lecher. Every night he must sleep with a virgin, and she can't be too old, and must be beautiful—extremely exacting. Donghai City's houses of pleasure simply cannot meet his demands..."

"Then..." Zhao Guangyin still did not grasp Old Master Zhao's meaning.

But Old Master Zhao went on: "So in the days before the King of Gamblers of Gangcheng, Zhu Qishou, arrives, the casino's manager, Du Ge, has been scouring the city every day, paying high prices to find virgins to warm his bed. In the end there was no other way—he could only go abduct them off the streets. But the very first abduction attempt drew the police's notice: not only did it fail, but several of Du Ge's men were hauled into the station! You must know that the police have been cracking down hard on kidnapping cases lately. For those amateur thugs to defy the wind and push ahead was to ask for trouble!

After the forcible abduction failed, Pu Huotai could only gamble at the casino every day, forcing those opponents he'd ruined to stake their daughters against their debts, or simply pressing them to wager their daughters outright! Of course, the advantage of this is that these gamblers can only accept their fate and dare not call the police. But it is enough to show just how lecherous Pu Huotai is—that he would spurn the vast sums he'd won and trade them for a single night of spring!"

"Then... how can we make Pu Huotai an enemy of Wei Zhao?" Zhao Guangyin still did not quite understand his father's meaning.

"That illegitimate daughter of yours—it's time she served her purpose," Old Master Zhao said mildly.

"Illegitimate daughter? Mine?" Zhao Guangyin was instantly stunned. "She... wasn't she meant for another great use, to be given to..."

"I'm not telling you to give her to Pu Huotai. I'm telling you to use her as bait, to provoke a conflict between Wei Zhao and Pu Huotai!" Old Master Zhao waved a hand. "Find someone to pose as her father, take her to the casino, lose to Pu Huotai—and then notify Wei Zhao..."

"That way..." Zhao Guangyin nodded, then said, "But will Wei Zhao involve himself? He doesn't seem the sort to stick his nose into others' business, does he?"

"Others, Wei Zhao may leave alone—but people who have old ties with Wei Zhao, he has always looked after!" Old Master Zhao gave a cold smile. "He'll even look after Zhao Qitan—so how much more so Chen Xi! Given the private relationship between Wei Zhao and Chen Xi, he cannot possibly stay out of it!"

Chen Xi! So Chen Xi was in fact Zhao Guangyin's illegitimate daughter! Only, the hidden Zhao family valued sons over daughters, and Zhao Guangyin had never taken Chen Xi seriously at all—he had merely handed her over to Zhu Bo's elder brother, Chief Zhu, to be raised as a **cauldron vessel!

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