"The young lady's husband ought to be able to find someone to protect her..." By the time Elder Li said this, even he no longer sounded certain.

"What are we to do? Uncle Li, is there any way? Is there anyone under your command you can use?" the Palace Master asked in urgent haste.

"Young lady, this old servant is powerless as well... Ever since the old master passed away, the Grand Elder feared the young lady's heart was not yet dead, and she pared away much of this old servant's influence. Now, though this old servant is the chief elder, the only people I can still move are the Shadow Group, which I built with my own two hands..." Elder Li sighed, and there was helplessness in his voice. "The Grand Elder has drawn all power into her own grasp. Now, within the Night Palace, to mobilize our finest fighters without the Grand Elder's nod is simply impossible..."

"But... will she be in danger?" A frown of unease creased the Palace Master's brow, and her heart would not settle.

Elder Li had just opened his mouth to speak when a cold, severe laugh cut him off.

"Hmph. Such fluster and haste, what sort of conduct is that? To look at you now, is there the slightest trace of a palace master about you?"

An old woman who appeared to be in her sixties suddenly appeared at the edge of the pavilion, her gaze stern as she looked upon Elder Li and the Palace Master.

"Grand Elder, why have you come..." The Palace Master was startled by the sudden voice.

"Li pays his respects to the Grand Elder..." Elder Li cupped his hands and bowed to her, bending at the waist.

"Forgive me, Palace Master... the Grand Elder insisted on coming up, and I dared not stand in her way..." Xiaoqing shrank back, frightened.

The Palace Master shook her head. How could she possibly blame Xiaoqing at a moment like this? Xiaoqing was only her personal maid, and who was she to dare block the Grand Elder?

"Wan'er, you are the master of a palace, and you must carry yourself as one! Do not imagine I am unaware that you spend your days using Elder Li's Shadow Group to pry into that little affair of the mundane world. I have merely been turning a blind eye!" The Grand Elder regarded the Palace Master coldly. "After all these years, you still cannot let it go?"

"Grand Elder, she is my daughter after all, and the blood of our Dark Phoenix clan runs in her veins..." The Palace Master was like a child caught in a fault, not daring to meet the Grand Elder's eyes.

"Hmph, daughter? Nothing but a little bastard. Blood as impure as that is nothing but a disgrace to cultivators of the ancient martial arts such as us!" The Grand Elder gave a cold sniff. "After a scandal that great, you still have the gall to bring it up? Would you have our Night Palace take that bastard back? And let the Xuandan Sect laugh at us?"

The Palace Master, whose name was Wan'er, said nothing, and lowered her head, aggrieved.

"Hmph. If you had married the Xuandan Sect's second young master back then, how would our Night Palace have come to such an awkward pass, mocked by every sect?" Here the Grand Elder seemed to touch on an old and painful memory. She gave a cold snort and said to the Palace Master, "From now on, you had best quiet your heart and calm your mind, and devote yourself to cultivation. Break through from the Earth rank to the Heaven rank within ten years. Otherwise, do not blame me for killing that adulterer and his little bastard!"

That said, the Grand Elder drifted away, leaving behind only Palace Master Wan'er, her face full of grievance.

"Young lady, this old servant truly has no way. Forgive me!" Elder Li sighed. "The Grand Elder does it all for the Night Palace as well. Snobbish and extreme as she is, she never married her whole life long, and gave every last ounce of her strength to the Night Palace! She was one of the Old Madam's people, as close to her as a sister, and this old servant is a generation beneath her..."

"I know... I know... but I truly cannot let it go..." Despite herself, a trail of clear tears slid down Palace Master Wan'er's face.

"Young lady, there is something this old servant does not know whether he ought to say..." Elder Li hesitated.

"Uncle Li, if you have something to say, say it. What could there be that cannot be said?" Palace Master Wan'er looked at him, puzzled.

"Young lady, in truth the Grand Elder is only angry that you will not live up to your worth. If within ten years you truly break through to the Heaven rank, then our Night Palace will have two Heaven-rank experts, and at the Heaven-rank Grand Gathering the Night Palace will claim a place of its own. Then, when you acknowledge the little miss again, who would dare laugh at our Night Palace? Who would dare? I fear even the Grand Elder would have nothing more to say," Elder Li said after a moment's hesitation.

"But breaking through to the Heaven rank is easy to speak of, and how hard to accomplish?" Palace Master Wan'er nodded, then gave a faint sigh.

"The young lady is gifted and wise, and carries the blood of the Dark Phoenix clan besides; I think the Heaven rank is only a matter of time!" said Elder Li.

"Uncle Li, keep watching over her affairs for me..." Palace Master Wan'er said.

"Rest assured, young lady. Looking after the little miss is this old servant's duty as well!" Elder Li nodded in assent.

...

After seeing Tang Yun off, Wei Zhao drove back to the villa district.

On the way, he thought of calling Gu Pengzhan. There was something important he needed to settle with him. But before he could place the call, Gu Pengzhan's call came in first.

"Hello, Uncle Chu!" Wei Zhao answered the phone.

"Mm... Little Yi, where are you? Yaoyao says you went on a date with Tang Yun?" Gu Pengzhan asked, testing the waters.

"I'm on my way back to the villa. What is it?" Wei Zhao did not catch the undertone at all. He was in a hurry to tell Gu Pengzhan about his strength being exposed, and so gave no thought to what lay behind the words.

"Nothing much. Then we will talk when you get back. Have a proper talk, shall we?" Hearing that Wei Zhao was already on his way, Gu Pengzhan said no more.

"All right! I have been wanting to talk with you as well." Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback, then nodded in agreement. He did not know what Gu Pengzhan wanted with him, though he supposed it must have to do with the loss of his strength.

Wei Zhao parked the car in the villa's courtyard and pushed the door open. The moment he stepped inside, he saw the eldest young lady and Little Shu sitting on the living room sofa watching television. The program, however, was the housewife training show they normally most detested...

And at this moment, the two of them were watching it with positive relish...

Wei Zhao found these two girls' tastes hard to fathom. They jumped around a bit too much.

The sound of the door drew Gu Pengzhan's attention. He came out of Wei Zhao's room and nodded to him. "Little Yi, you're back?"

"Yes, Uncle Chu. Shall we talk in my room?" There were things Wei Zhao did not want Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu to know, lest it give them cause for worry. Little did he expect that Gu Pengzhan had been thinking the very same thing!

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