Jin Wudi gave a scornful laugh, patted his chest, and planted himself in the middle of the villa courtyard. "Go ahead and hit me. I'll let you hit me. Let's see if you can beat me to death! Ignorant boy, have you ever heard of the Golden Bell Shield?"

"No." Er Goudan answered quite honestly. "I don't know what you're talking about, but it sounds pretty powerful. Still, I think I could beat you to death all the same."

Er Goudan's words at once drew a burst of laughter from everyone present!

Zhen Yingjun and Zhao Qibing laughed the loudest and merriest of all. Zhen Yingjun was not a man of the aristocratic families and cared nothing for their rules, while Zhao Qibing came from a hidden family and cared even less. The Xiao brothers, on the other hand, with Pi Zhishan and Zhao Qibing both looking on, did not dare laugh too wildly.

Pi Zhishan, however, was a reserved man. Though he had come this time to lend Jin Wudi his support, he was not the sort to wear his feelings on his face! Besides, he was a man in the know. The two Pi family men could not be called top masters, but for them to be killed so easily by Wei Zhao's men proved one thing. Pi Bo's death back then had been no accident. Even if Gou Huli had not driven her car into him, he likely would not have lived much longer.

Since Wei Zhao and Er Goudan were so formidable, where on earth had they come from? Could they truly have come from some ancient sect or ancient family? With Pi Zhishan's standing, he had never even heard of these two men. They could not have sprung out of thin air, could they?

So before he had that point settled, Pi Zhishan would betray no attitude at all.

If even Jin Wudi proved no match for them, then he would have to endure it for now and return to the Pi family to make long-term plans. If those two really had come down from the ancient level, then for the Pi family to make enemies of them would be to poke a hole clean through the sky!

In the eyes of the ancient sects and ancient families, the hidden families truly counted for nothing. After all, those people had masters at the peak of the late Heaven Rank!

"Fine, then this old man will let you strike. If you cannot beat this old man to death, this old man will wipe out your whole family!" Jin Wudi looked at Er Goudan with mockery. Truly, ignorance made a man fearless. He had never even heard of the Golden Bell Shield, yet he dared to lay hands on him!

Not far from the Gu family villa, a black shadow was anxiously speaking into a phone.

"Elder Li, this is Shadow Thirteen. Jin Wudi has come down the mountain, but I have watched here for days and seen no trace of Wei Zhao. He seems to have gone away on a long journey, leaving only one of his underlings here to protect the little miss. Now Jin Wudi has come knocking, and he is threatening to carry the little miss away!" The shadow's voice was hurried.

"What! How is Jin Wudi so fast?" Elder Li on the other end of the phone was plainly startled. He had never expected Jin Wudi to come down the mountain and come knocking in only a single day! He had meant to warn Wei Zhao through the Shadow Group so he could prepare or lie low for a while, but the other side had given him no time at all.

"What do we do now? Shadow requests support!" Shadow Thirteen said. "Both sides are at daggers drawn, but from what Jin Wudi says, the little miss will be safe for the moment. He means to seize her for Zhen Yingjun to sport with, so if help comes in time, she can still be saved!"

Elder Li was burning with anxiety at this moment, yet he was utterly helpless. Over these years, his grip on the Dark Night Palace had grown weaker and weaker, with all power concentrated in the hands of the Supreme Elder. He could control only the Shadow Group, and the Shadow Group cultivated a light-footed art meant for hiding and gathering news, not for attack.

Yet apart from the Shadow Group, Elder Li could mobilize no other men at all.

"I will report this to the Supreme Elder at once..." Elder Li said. "Keep watching every move. The moment there is news, report to me at once!"

"Yes!" Shadow Thirteen answered.

Hanging up the phone, Elder Li rushed toward the Supreme Elder's residence in a fever of haste.

"Elder Li, what is the matter?" The Supreme Elder glanced at Elder Li as he came rushing in, frowned slightly, and asked faintly. "A man of your age, yet still so flustered over every little thing?"

"Supreme Elder, the little miss is in danger. I beg you to send men to her aid!" Elder Li was an elder of the Dark Night Palace and was naturally allowed to enter and leave the Supreme Elder's residence at will, but the Supreme Elder was truly growing impatient with him. Every time he came, it was about Gu Mengyao.

"In danger? What has that to do with you? What has that to do with our Dark Night Palace?" The Supreme Elder retorted.

"Supreme Elder, she is after all the blood of our young lady. Within her body, there may yet remain the blood of the Dark Phoenix clan. She could be the next palace master of our Dark Night Palace..." Elder Li said. "One who carries the blood of the Dark Phoenix clan is also the most likely to break through the Heaven Rank. Back then, the old mistress..."

"Enough! You have said those words a hundred times. How could a little bastard born of Wan'er and a mortal carry the Dark Phoenix blood? Even if there were any, it would all be impurities, and she could achieve little on the martial path! Would you have me waste a Marrow-Cleansing Bone-Forging Pill on her?" The Supreme Elder waved a hand impatiently. "If you can get me a Marrow-Cleansing Bone-Forging Pill, then I will agree to bring that little bastard back!"

At the Supreme Elder's words, Elder Li could only smile bitterly. What a domineering wonder drug was the Marrow-Cleansing Bone-Forging Pill? In the treasure vault of the Profound Pill Sect there was but a single one. How could it ever be given to him, Elder Li? Not to mention that the Profound Pill Sect and the Dark Night Palace were enemies. Even without that feud, even if the young sect master of the Profound Pill Sect had truly married Wan'er back then, there was no chance the pill would be used on a small child!

For all knew, the true use of the Marrow-Cleansing Bone-Forging Pill came after the Heaven Rank, when seeking a still higher realm. To call it priceless would be to understate it.

And by speaking so, the Supreme Elder had in fact completely blocked whatever Elder Li had meant to say next, for the condition the Supreme Elder set could never possibly be met!

"But still, having some hope is better than having none..." Elder Li said carefully.

"Whether there is any or not, I probed her back then. If she truly had talent, would I need you to tell me?" The Supreme Elder said faintly. "Enough, no more of this. You may withdraw!"

"Supreme Elder, please think thrice!" Elder Li seemed unwilling to give up. "Supreme Elder, would you truly stand by and watch the little miss be defiled by villains..."

"Defiled is not dead. A mere mortal. Why should I concern myself with so much about her." The Supreme Elder was growing impatient. "I am about to cultivate."

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