"Martial-Uncle Ancestor misunderstands us. That was merely our arrangement for ordinary disciples—special talents receive special treatment. I doubt Martial-Uncle Ancestor would feel at ease handing them over to anyone else, would he?" Chen Dongcheng said.

"Very well. But they will still need an introductory master to teach them the most basic fundamentals." Wei Zhao nodded. He only wanted Qiu Lingshan and the others to receive the systematic divine-sense training of the Ancient Little Jianghu; as for everything else, he truly had no need of others. Across the whole of the Ancient Little Jianghu, one would be hard pressed to find a master more capable than himself, a cultivator of the Profound Ascension stage—let alone in the Northern Island Cangwu Sect.

And for safety's sake, Wei Zhao was not about to rashly entrust Qiu Lingshan and the others to anyone else. Until he had thoroughly grasped the situation here, it was more prudent for them to stay by his side.

"No problem. Whatever Martial-Uncle Ancestor commands, we will do our utmost and never disappoint you," Chen Dongcheng said, agreeable to every request. He went on at once: "Martial-Uncle Ancestor, we have already prepared your residence. Everyone, please follow me."

"Oh? We need not go pay our respects to the Sect Master? Or to your Grand Elder?" Wei Zhao asked offhandedly. Though Chen Dongcheng, the Vice Sect Master, had come out with a whole retinue of senior sect figures to receive them—faultless in point of courtesy, since he was, after all, merely a cheap Martial-Uncle Ancestor who had popped up out of nowhere, not one whose pedigree could be verified as genuine—

—even so, by both sentiment and propriety, Wei Zhao had to meet the current Sect Master and that Grand Elder whose word carried still greater weight. Only thus could the identity and standing of Martial-Uncle Ancestor be truly settled. Without the two of them acknowledging him to his face, there would remain no small hidden peril.

At any moment, either of them could rise and raise the call, and Wei Zhao the Martial-Uncle Ancestor might in an instant be dashed to the dust, branded an out-and-out charlatan of the jianghu.

"Sect Master Hong happens to be away on business, and as for the Grand Elder, he is in seclusion and must not be disturbed. So we beg Martial-Uncle Ancestor's forgiveness—your meeting with the two of them will have to be postponed for some time. This period will serve nicely for you to acquaint yourself with the present Northern Island Cangwu Sect. Times change and things pass; there are always many matters that are no longer as they were. I trust there is no problem?" Chen Dongcheng said in a tone of utter sincerity.

"So be it, then." Wei Zhao nodded. He had already understood the other's meaning. It seemed the Northern Island Cangwu Sect still did not quite trust this cheap Martial-Uncle Ancestor of theirs, and so had deliberately held something back in this matter.

The Grand Elder and the Sect Master—once either of them met Wei Zhao, unless they fell out with him on the spot, it would amount to a public acknowledgment of his identity as Martial-Uncle Ancestor. And after that, turning against him would be difficult: it would be slapping their own faces. At best they would lose all face; at worst the whole Northern Island Cangwu Sect would become the laughingstock of the Ancient Little Jianghu, and the sect might even split asunder.

But now, with neither of them appearing, the problem was neatly sidestepped—they had kept for themselves ample room to advance or retreat.

Passing through the main hall, Wei Zhao and the others, led by Chen Dongcheng, arrived at a place where the mountain terrain was steep and hazardous. The sight before them made every one of them light up with admiration.

Beneath a strangely shaped Eagle-Beak Peak, a cluster of rustic cottages stood hard against the cliff, their flying eaves and sheer rock faces rising tier upon tier. The scene could be described in eight words only: an overlord's canopy upon the crown, a sky-lantern hung upside down.

By now the other senior sect figures and disciples had all halted. Only two had accompanied Wei Zhao's party all the way here: one was Vice Sect Master Chen Dongcheng, the other Xin Yi'an.

"This is the residence we have prepared for you and your distinguished disciples. In all the Northern Island, this spot has the finest scenery. What does Martial-Uncle Ancestor think?" Chen Dongcheng said with an ingratiating smile.

Wei Zhao looked at the four great red characters carved into the cliff at the entrance, and the corner of his mouth curled with meaning: "One Step to Heaven?"

"Indeed. We call this place Heaven-Ascending Cliff. None but those of honored station may enter, so ordinarily no disciples come to disturb it—it is quiet, and the view is superb. We discussed it back and forth, and across all of Qingyun Mountain we could find no more suitable dwelling. We hope it will satisfy Martial-Uncle Ancestor," Chen Dongcheng said with a smile.

"I am well satisfied." Wei Zhao smiled, and at the same time stole an unobtrusive glance at Xin Yi'an beside him. From the moment they had arrived, this fellow's expression had been off—as though he had something to say but dared not say it.

"Then good. We shall not disturb Martial-Uncle Ancestor's rest. Tomorrow morning I will come again to pay my respects. Farewell," Chen Dongcheng said, bowing.

"Take care." Wei Zhao nodded.

Chen Dongcheng turned at once to go, but before leaving he called Xin Yi'an over: "Elder Xin, come with me. The council of elders is still waiting for your summary report on this mortal-realm training and the Ancient Trial. Do not keep everyone waiting."

"Yes." Xin Yi'an answered hastily, then turned to Wei Zhao, hesitating, words on the tip of his tongue: "Martial-Uncle Ancestor, this disciple takes his leave first. You... you take good care."

With that, Xin Yi'an hurried off after Chen Dongcheng, leaving only Wei Zhao's party on Heaven-Ascending Cliff. Wu Chengtian stroked his chin and said: "Boss, did you get the feeling Xin Yi'an was acting a bit strange just now?"

"Not just him. I think everyone here is strange," Ying Ziyu said with a curl of the lip.

"And I think this place seems strange too," Qiu Lingshan added.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't tell me you're all being oversensitive—strange here, strange there..." Zhao Qilei and Zhao Qiwu looked at each other.

Wei Zhao glanced at them all, and finally nodded: "Your instincts are right. This place is indeed not right."

"How is it not right?" The others exchanged looks and pressed him at once. They had only felt a vague intuition that something was odd; as to what exactly was wrong, they could not put their finger on it.

"We are under house arrest." Wei Zhao's one sentence gave them all a great start. Ying Ziyu hurried to crane his neck and look outside—not a single guard in sight, the place empty and open, plainly free for them to walk out of. How could they be under house arrest?

"Uh... Boss, we have no old grudges or recent enmities with them, and this time we came precisely to join the Northern Island Cangwu Sect. Why on earth would they put us under house arrest for no reason?" Wu Chengtian asked, puzzled.

The rest were equally baffled. Unless one were a madman, no normal person would go out of his way to offend others for no reason. There was either vengeance to be sought or profit to be had—and by the look of it, they fit neither category.