"Besides, my grandfather is the head of the family—how could he possibly enter this trial? And my father is the young master of the family, so naturally he couldn't go in person either!" Seeing that Han Xiaopo looked unconvinced, Zhao Qibing began to spin his tale: "Originally, we intended to send Old Bi together with Zhao Qitan, but unfortunately, Old Bi was injured by Wei Zhao and his men, and so missed out on the Xuandan Sect trial. It truly cost the hidden Zhao family dearly!"

"I see." This time, Han Xiaopo actually believed Zhao Qibing's words. If Old Bi had been going as well, that would have made sense; he did not believe the hidden Zhao family would let slip a chance to obtain a third-grade pill!

Otherwise, the hidden Zhao family would never have turned against the hidden Yu family, their in-laws, over a single third-grade Qi Gathering Pill.

"Yes, that's about all I know—none of it was in the summons," Zhao Qibing said. "As for the rest, I'm not clear either. After all, digging up even this much was no easy feat."

"All right, Young Master Bing. Thank you!" Han Xiaopo had gotten the answers he wanted and no longer had the heart to sit there drinking coffee with him. He needed to report back to Wei Zhao.

"Don't mention it." Zhao Qibing waved a hand, then asked, "By the way, is Leader Wei Zhao going to enter the Xuandan Sect trial?"

"He should be." Han Xiaopo did not deny it.

"Oh? In that case, if Leader Wei Zhao could look after Zhao Qitan for us during the trial on behalf of the hidden Zhao family, we would be endlessly grateful!" Zhao Qibing said, a new thought turning over in his mind.

His motives were thoroughly vicious. Zhao Qitan was weak—only at the Mystic rank, not even Earth rank. If Wei Zhao brought Zhao Qitan along as dead weight during the trial, it would surely increase the danger. Even if Wei Zhao had a chance to finish, he would likely be dragged to his death by that burden, Zhao Qitan.

"I'll pass that along to the leader, but whether he agrees is not for me to decide." Naturally, Han Xiaopo could not agree on Wei Zhao's behalf.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Young Master Po!" Zhao Qibing was secretly delighted. Go on, keep pretending, he thought. Given Wei Zhao's character, he would never abandon one of his own men—especially once he learned that this subordinate had been placed under house arrest because of him, and sent into the Xuandan Sect trial because of him. Wei Zhao would certainly not give up on helping Zhao Qitan!

"I've finished my coffee, so I'll be on my way." Han Xiaopo nodded, set down his empty cup, and said to Zhao Qibing, "As for mentoring Zhao Qitan, I'll speak to the leader about it. But if the hidden Zhao family wants help, you'd best offer something in return—the leader won't do this favor for nothing!"

Han Xiaopo knew Wei Zhao was very good at extorting people, so he did not mind seizing the chance to do a little extorting himself! Although Wei Zhao would certainly help Zhao Qitan, as far as Han Xiaopo knew, the Zhao family had no idea that Zhao Qitan was Wei Zhao's man.

Zhao Qibing was stunned for a moment. Damn it, he thought—you're helping your own subordinate, and you still want favors from the hidden Zhao family? We'd be thrilled if Zhao Qitan just dropped dead! But he could not show his displeasure at this moment. He feared letting Han Xiaopo learn that the Zhao family already knew about the relationship between Zhao Qitan and Wei Zhao—what if Wei Zhao simply came to demand the man back? Wouldn't the whole plan fall apart then?

At that thought, Zhao Qibing could only say, with immense frustration bottled up inside him, "But of course. I'll explain this matter to my grandfather."

After meeting Han Xiaopo, Zhao Qibing returned to the hidden Zhao family at the first opportunity and recounted his conversation with Han Xiaopo to his grandfather, Old Master Zhao, word for word.

"Hmm... Qibing, you've done well—a borrowed knife to kill with!" Old Master Zhao nodded, but his brows were slightly furrowed. He thought about far more than Zhao Qibing, and far more deeply! And so he also saw the flaw in this affair: "However..."

"Oh? Grandfather, what is it—is there some drawback to this plan?" Zhao Qibing was slightly taken aback.

"Guangyin, what do you say?" Old Master Zhao turned to look at Zhao Guangyin and asked.

"Father, I see nothing wrong with it. Qibing reacted shrewdly—one move of borrowing a knife to kill, and he's pushed both Wei Zhao and Zhao Qitan onto the road to death." Zhao Guangyin saw no problem with Zhao Qibing's plan either. In one stroke, both unstable elements for the hidden Zhao family would be eliminated—two birds with one stone.

"Alas!" Old Master Zhao sighed, looking at Zhao Guangyin and Zhao Qibing, a certain regret in his heart. The hidden Zhao family had truly declined from Zhao Guangyin's generation onward. The scheme itself was not greatly flawed, and from an ordinary perspective it was even a good thing—but viewed from another angle, it was an unstable factor!

Seeing the father and son look somewhat baffled, Old Master Zhao had to speak plainly himself: "Wei Zhao going to the Xuandan Sect trial may indeed mean accompanying Zhao Qitan to his death—but look at it from another angle. Is it not possible that Wei Zhao enters the Xuandan Sect trial and not only survives, but even protects Zhao Qitan? It is not impossible, because Wei Zhao's strength speaks for itself!"

"Gah!" Zhao Guangyin and Zhao Qibing were both struck dumb, finally understanding what Old Master Zhao was worried about. Indeed, neither of them had considered this possibility! They had both analyzed the current situation according to how past Xuandan Sect trials had gone!

After all, in every Xuandan Sect trial, most participants went and never returned; only a very few passed and won rewards. There were even precedents of an entire cohort being wiped out. So in their eyes, with Wei Zhao and Zhao Qitan going, plus the drag of Zhao Qitan, Wei Zhao was certain to die.

But they had overlooked one crucial point—Wei Zhao's strength! Wei Zhao was a mid-Earth-rank expert, but not an ordinary mid-Earth-rank expert. He was a mid-Earth-rank expert capable of killing a peak late-Earth-rank powerhouse across ranks in a single blow!

Old Bi, who stood at the half-step to Heaven rank, had been crippled by a single move from Wei Zhao without the slightest ability to fight back—what kind of strength was that?

"Exactly. Qibing, your grandfather is right. We both overlooked the most important point—this year's trial, unlike previous ones, has no rank restriction. Any participant at Mystic rank or above may enter. So Wei Zhao, as a mid-Earth-rank expert, has a very good chance of completing the trial—and given the relationship between Zhao Qitan and Wei Zhao, it is quite possible that Wei Zhao will shield him through it as well!" Zhao Guangyin nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

"Ah!" Zhao Qibing realized he had overlooked this too, and was immediately annoyed and dejected. "Then... what do we do now?"

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