"What?!" Zhao Guangyin was instantly startled. "Old Sixth Pu was a late Earth-rank peak expert who had mastered both internal and external arts, and Pu Huotai was a naturally gifted fighter as well. Neither of them managed to stop Wei Zhao?"

"It seems they really didn't..." Zhu Lingtou asked, "Young Family Head, what should we do about Chen Xi?"

"Stay with Wei Zhao and bring Chen Xi back first. Your identity hasn't been exposed, so it doesn't matter." Though Zhao Guangyin was seething with frustration and anger, he had no choice but to say, "When you return, we'll discuss this at length. Tell Father and me exactly what happened!"

"Yes!" Zhu Lingtou hurriedly answered.

Thus, the moment Wei Zhao stepped out of the villa, he saw Zhu Lingtou standing at the entrance. Zhu Lingtou, for his part, pretended to have just arrived. "Gasping for breath" and drenched in sweat, he said, "Wei Zhao... Is Little Xi with you...? I asked around everywhere and finally found out where you lived... This place was really hard to find..."

Zhu Lingtou truly was a convincing actor. Of course, he had been putting on an act in front of Chen Xi all along.

"Grandpa Zhu, you're all right! That's wonderful!" Chen Xi was clearly delighted to see him.

"Little Xi, Grandpa Zhu is fine. It's just that you were suddenly knocked unconscious and carried away by several people. Alas, Grandpa Zhu was useless and couldn't protect you..." Zhu Lingtou spoke with a helpless air.

"It's all right. Brother Wei Zhao rescued me." Chen Xi did not suspect his words in the slightest.

"Little Xi, go back inside the villa first. I have a few words to discuss with your Grandpa Zhu." Since Wei Zhao had found Zhu Lingtou, naturally he would not let him leave so easily.

"Huh?" Chen Xi was momentarily taken aback, but because she trusted Wei Zhao, she still nodded. More importantly, she practically obeyed his every word. "Then... I'll go back inside the villa first..."

Chen Xi did not know why Wei Zhao wanted to speak with Grandpa Zhu, but she did not ask any questions. She simply turned around and went back inside.

"Mr. Wei Zhao, I really have you to thank..." Zhu Lingtou said, putting on an affected show of gratitude.

"All right, Old Zhu, stop pretending. Get in the car and let's talk." Wei Zhao pointed toward his vehicle.

"Huh? What do you mean, Mr. Wei Zhao?" Zhu Lingtou's heart tightened, but he still pretended not to understand.

"You know perfectly well what I mean. I killed those people from the reclusive Zhao family. Don't you want to know how they died?" Wei Zhao spoke in an indifferent tone.

"The reclusive Zhao family...? I don't know what you're talking about." Zhu Lingtou's heart gave a leap, but he continued to ask with a bewildered expression.

"Heh. If you don't want to die, get in the car, Earth-rank early-phase cultivator." Wei Zhao did not bother saying anything more. Instead, he exposed Zhu Lingtou's cultivation level in a single sentence.

Zhu Lingtou's expression changed. He had never expected Wei Zhao to see through his cultivation level as well. It seemed Wei Zhao truly knew something; otherwise, he could not have spoken with such certainty. And the fact that Zhu Lingtou himself was a cultivator was suspicious enough...

"Fine." Zhu Lingtou's expression shifted several times before he nodded and got into the car with Wei Zhao.

"What is your relationship with Uncle Zhu, the man at Zhao Qibing's side? Is he your elder brother?" Since Wei Zhao had already guessed that Zhu Lingtou was connected to the reclusive Zhao family, and since he was also surnamed Zhu, it was only natural that Wei Zhao would think of Uncle Zhu.

"That's right. He's my younger brother!" Zhu Lingtou gritted his teeth as he answered. He knew that hiding anything from Wei Zhao now was pointless. Wei Zhao had already uncovered his identity.

"Why did you go to Chen Xi and stay by her side? What exactly happened today? What is the reclusive Zhao family planning?" Wei Zhao asked.

"This... We each serve our own master. There are some things I cannot say." Zhu Lingtou refused him. "You can expose my identity to Chen Xi, but when it comes to the Zhao family, I still cannot tell you anything."

"Expose you?" Wei Zhao regarded Zhu Lingtou with an amused look. "Do you think that if you refuse to talk, everything will be fine?"

"Then... what do you intend to do?" Zhu Lingtou's expression stiffened slightly.

"I even dared to cripple Elder Bi. What do you think you are in my eyes?" Wei Zhao looked at Zhu Lingtou with utter contempt. "I asked you into the car to ask you a few questions. Don't imagine that means I'm begging you for anything. If I want to kill you, it will take me no more than a few minutes. Do you believe that after your death, not a single person in the reclusive Zhao family would dare stand up for you?"

"I..." Cold sweat instantly broke out across Zhu Lingtou's body. Wei Zhao was right. Elder Bi had nearly been beaten into a vegetative state by Wei Zhao, yet the reclusive Zhao family had not even dared make a peep. If they had dared confront Wei Zhao directly, they would not have gone to such lengths to use someone else as a weapon.

"There's nothing wrong with serving one's master. But your master is a little too spineless." Wei Zhao glanced at Zhu Lingtou. "Perhaps you'd have a brighter future if you followed Zhao Qitan instead? And your younger brother, Uncle Zhu, might not have to remain crippled forever..."

"You... What do you mean?!" Zhu Lingtou raised his brows slightly and stared at Wei Zhao with wide eyes, unable to determine what he was really getting at.

"Nothing. I was just speaking offhand." Wei Zhao's tone remained indifferent. "Wu Chengtian was crippled by someone, yet he has now recovered and become an early-phase Earth-rank expert. And that Medicine King Zhao in your Pi Zhihai family's circle was said to be beyond saving, but isn't he perfectly fine now?"

Since Zhu Lingtou had managed to find his way here, Wei Zhao believed that he must also have seen the people from the reclusive Pi family coming out of the gambling house.

By this point, if Zhu Lingtou still did not understand what Wei Zhao meant, he would have had to be a complete fool. The hint could not have been clearer: following Zhao Qibing offered no future, while following Zhao Qitan did. And not only did Zhao Qitan offer him a future, he might even be able to restore his younger brother's injuries.

Zhu Bo's injuries were severe, but in Zhu Lingtou's eyes, Wu Chengtian and Pi Zhihai had been hurt even more badly. Since both of them were fine now, then in Wei Zhao's eyes, Zhu Bo's injuries probably amounted to nothing at all. Treating them properly likely would not be difficult.

"I... May I think it over? This is far too重大..." Zhu Lingtou fell silent for a moment before asking.

After all, asking him to betray the Zhao family was somewhat impossible. He had served the Zhao family for so many years that Zhu Lingtou could never bring himself to join Wei Zhao in destroying them. But changing masters and serving Zhao Qitan was something he could accept.

After all, Zhao Qitan was also a member of the Zhao family. If Zhao Qitan became the family head, Zhu Lingtou could live with that. It was simply that he could not change his way of thinking overnight and needed time to consider it carefully. (To be continued...)

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