Once out of the room, Wei Zhao went straight to Tu Bawang's door and knocked.

"That you, Zuanxing? Door's unlocked, come right in!" Tu Bawang had just finished his call with Tu Qingsong and assumed it was Tu Zuanxing, so he spoke without thinking.

"It's me," Wei Zhao said, pushing the door open as he walked in.

"Ah! Leader Wei Zhao!" Tu Bawang leaped off the bed and rushed to the door to welcome him.

"What's all this blundering about?" Wei Zhao frowned. From their time together he had gathered that Tu Bawang harbored no scheming at all, but in the way he dealt with people he was a hotheaded fool—otherwise he would never have been wounded by Zhang Naipao back then.

Then again, which of these scions of the ancient sects was not brimming with pride? Each had been the finest of his own sect; once out in the wider world, it was only natural that they found this one insufferable and that one unbearable, and that clashes should follow.

"Heh heh... Leader Wei Zhao, what brings you to me? Is something the matter?" Tu Bawang was not the least bit put out. That was simply his nature; hearing himself described so, he did not care in the slightest.

"Let me ask you—my friend, now that she has received the inheritance, is she absolutely required to go off and do that infernal business of unsealing Cloud Terrace Island?" Wei Zhao asked bluntly. Since Xiao Jiu herself had raised no objection, he naturally wanted to secure a few more advantages for her.

"That... does she not wish to ascend to the Heavenly Dao?" Tu Bawang asked, somewhat puzzled. To his mind, nothing mattered more to a cultivator than setting foot upon the Heavenly Dao! Was that not the pursuit of every cultivator?

So it was with Tu Bawang, and so with those around him; so it had been with his grandfather in his day. Thus Tu Bawang took it as a matter of course that cultivators should seek the Heavenly Dao—it had been so since ancient times. The heir's task was indeed somewhat dangerous, but upon success it amounted to a guaranteed ticket of entry to Cloud Terrace Island!

One had to understand that Cloud Terrace Island's sealed passage stayed open only briefly, and the number of cultivators permitted entry was limited. Not just anyone could go in as he pleased; those places were allotted through the Grand Tournament of the Heavenly Ranks—to say people fought tooth and nail for them would not be an exaggeration in the least.

"Every man has his own ambitions. I only ask," Wei Zhao said, his expression unchanged. What mattered most was that he did not want those close to him entangled too deeply with the Five Luminaries Sect and the Mystic Elixir Sect.

"In truth, once your friend successfully comprehends the inheritance, that place will surely sense it. If she accepts the inheritance yet declines to take part in that plan, not only will our Yellow Earth High Sect suffer censure and reprisal from that place—your friend will not be spared either. They will certainly send men to drag her back before they let the matter rest," Tu Bawang said. "That is why I say that once your friend has accepted the inheritance, she must carry out that plan! Leader Wei Zhao, I don't deny that you are formidable, but the people who come out of that place are formidable beyond all expectation. Their ultimate techniques are true arts of the ancient gods—some even of the primordial gods. None of us can match them!"

Wei Zhao nodded. He had, of course, experienced the power of the Five Luminaries Sect for himself. Even the weakest of them, Tagan Long, had been formidable enough; Tian Chan, Little Eleven, Little One—each was a top-tier expert, to say nothing of the Mystic Dust Ancestor who had lurked in the shadows all along.

"I've crossed hands with the Five Luminaries Sect a few times, and I know how powerful they are," Wei Zhao said in agreement.

"What!?" Tu Bawang was thunderstruck at his words. "Leader, you've fought the Five Luminaries Sect? Several times? Then you... you're not dead?! Er... of course, I don't mean to look down on you, or to wish you dead—what I mean is... er..."

"Ha ha, no need to explain, I understand," Wei Zhao said with a faint smile. "Every time was perilous beyond words—I came within a hair of dying. That 'medium' of theirs—I'm the one who crippled it. They've been trying to kill me ever since, but for now we're in a delicate, balanced state, and they harbor some misgivings."

"My heavens, a leader is a leader indeed—utterly remarkable!" Tu Bawang exclaimed. "Even the Five Luminaries Sect doesn't dare move against you lightly?"

"It's not that they don't dare—it's that they harbor some misgivings," Wei Zhao said, not so conceited as to believe otherwise. "But it is only a delicate balance. Once my friend receives the inheritance, I fear it will be exactly as you say—the Five Luminaries Sect will not let her off easily..."

"Yes. So rather than let her leave and be captured by the Five Luminaries Sect, it would be better for her to remain with our Yellow Earth High Sect. We can keep her safe for this period," Tu Bawang said with a nod.

"In that case, let me think it over," Wei Zhao said, not agreeing at once. Although Xiao Jiu had already consented, Wei Zhao, feeling responsible for her, still wanted to weigh the pros and cons carefully on her behalf.

"Leader Wei Zhao, there is a matter I would like to ask you about, if I may be so bold..." Seeing that Wei Zhao had not agreed, Tu Bawang's heart tightened, and he could not help asking.

"Oh? What matter? Speak freely," Wei Zhao waved a hand. "I'm not one for beating around the bush. If there's something, say it straight."

"Very well. Your friend—how old is she this year? Might you tell me her name?" Tu Bawang asked cautiously.

"Oh? Why do you ask?" Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback.

"According to my uncle, the bloodline of the Yellow Earth High Sect exists only among us of the Yellow Earth High Sect. To this day no one else has been found to possess it, so... this friend of yours may well be the little sister I lost so many years ago..." Tu Bawang did not dare deceive Wei Zhao and spoke the plain truth.

"Pfft—cough, cough..." Wei Zhao promptly burst into coughing. How had Xiao Jiu suddenly become Tu Bawang's sister?

"Leader, don't laugh—I'm telling the truth, the honest truth!" Seeing Wei Zhao's expression, Tu Bawang gave a dry laugh. "I really do have a little sister, and we've been separated for many years..."

"You mean my friend might be your sister?" Seeing that Tu Bawang did not appear to be joking, Wei Zhao frowned at once. Xiao Jiu was indeed an orphan, the master's adopted daughter. Put that way—well, it had to be said, there really was such a possibility!

"Yes, so that's why I'm asking—your friend's name and age..." Tu Bawang nodded.

"My friend... her name is Xiao Jiu. I'm afraid that's only a codename within our organization; I don't know her real name either. She has been an orphan since childhood," Wei Zhao said, making no secret of it. If Tu Bawang truly was Xiao Jiu's kin, then all the more reason to be certain. "As for her age, she is seventeen this year—younger than I." (To be continued)

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