"Haven't we already torn off all pretense?" Chen Jiu shot him a glance.

"True, but not entirely. Vice Sect Master Chen's condition is deeply worrying, but he is not dead—is he?" Lu Ping'an's tone was scrupulously respectful.

"You mean he left himself a way out?" Chen Jiu nodded slightly. His head had been clouded by rage a moment ago, but now that he had cooled down and thought it through, it really did make sense. If Wei Zhao had the means to reduce Chen Dongcheng to this half-dead state, then killing him outright would surely have been even easier—yet he had not done so. The implication spoke for itself.

"Indeed. If this disciple has not guessed wrongly, he did it to send you a message, Master," Lu Ping'an said.

"What message?" Chen Jiu asked.

"That he wishes to talk with you," Lu Ping'an said respectfully. A moment ago he had not yet grasped the precise situation, but now that his wits had returned, he saw it all quite clearly.

Plainly, Wei Zhao was using Chen Dongcheng as bait to force the Supreme Elder Chen Jiu to appear in person. If the talks went well, Chen Dongcheng might yet be saved; if there were no talks, or they broke down, then naturally Chen Dongcheng was beyond saving.

"Interesting. Then do you think your master should go and talk with him?" Chen Jiu regarded Lu Ping'an with a meaningful look.

"That…" Lu Ping'an hesitated briefly, then said with resolve, "In this disciple's view—he should not."

"Not talk? Then is Dongcheng not beyond saving?" Chen Jiu's gaze sharpened in an instant, piercing so keenly that Lu Ping'an nearly lost his composure. He was suspecting the other's motives!

True, Lu Ping'an was one of the few personal disciples he had, but in his heart the man's standing could not remotely compare with Chen Dongcheng's. Even a personal disciple was still an outsider by blood, whereas Chen Dongcheng bore upon his shoulders nearly all the hopes of the Chen family of North Island. How could they be compared?

With Chen Dongcheng present, disciples like Lu Ping'an—however strong or outstanding—were doomed to play second fiddle. But if Chen Dongcheng died, everything would be utterly different for them.

Within the Chen family of North Island, no second Chen Dongcheng could be found. In his despondency, Chen Jiu might well turn to selecting a worthy successor from among the disciples under his command—and the most promising of them was none other than Lu Ping'an.

In the Ancient Small Jianghu, the concept of clan outweighed that of master and disciple—this differed from Cloud Terrace Island and was closer to the notions of the mundane world.

"Master, calm your anger. This disciple's wholehearted loyalty to you, Elder, and to Vice Sect Master Chen is plain as heaven and earth. It is only out of concern for the larger picture that this disciple says you truly must not appear in person, for that would only play into Wei Zhao's hands," Lu Ping'an said hurriedly.

Chen Jiu fell silent for a moment, watching Lu Ping'an through narrowed eyes. To show he harbored no disloyalty, Lu Ping'an had no choice but to steel himself and meet that gaze, though cold sweat streamed down his back—he dared not shift his eyes a fraction.

At last, Chen Jiu's gaze softened. "Get up and speak."

"Yes." Lu Ping'an breathed a sigh of relief at last. The other Golden Core higher-ups who had come up with him rose as well, only to be silenced by a single glare from Chen Jiu—one word, "Out," and he dismissed them all.

"Tell me what you have in mind," Chen Jiu said blandly.

"In this disciple's view, the moment you appear in person, Master, there will be no room left for maneuver. If you and Wei Zhao fail to reach an agreement and tear off all pretense face to face, the first to suffer will be Vice Sect Master Chen. And if you do not break with him face to face, then word will inevitably spread that you have personally confirmed his identity as junior grand-uncle—and when that happens, you will have no just cause to move against him," Lu Ping'an analyzed.

"But if I do not appear, will it not still be Dongcheng who suffers?" Chen Jiu frowned. Whatever happened, he must protect Chen Dongcheng from harm.

"That is why this disciple's view is that we may talk with him—but you, Master, must not appear in person. Send someone else to negotiate instead. That way, whatever the outcome, there remains room to advance or retreat, and it will not be too late to decide once we have sounded out his attitude," Lu Ping'an proposed.

Chen Jiu pondered for a moment, then made his decision. "Very well. Then I shall send you to talk with him. Find a way to sound out his bottom line. And remember—on no account may Dongcheng's life be endangered!"

"This disciple obeys!" Lu Ping'an rejoiced inwardly. He had risked stepping forward with this proposal precisely to seize this grand opportunity to distinguish himself. Whatever the outcome, so long as he performed well he would surely secure a more important place in Chen Jiu's estimation—and if Chen Dongcheng truly proved beyond saving in the end, then his own chance to spread his wings would have come.

Watching Lu Ping'an's receding figure as he descended the mountain, Chen Jiu gave a faint sigh. He looked at Chen Dongcheng lying senseless on the ground and murmured, "A pity he is an outsider by blood…"

Arriving at the Heaven Ascending Cliff, Wei Zhao had already sent Xin Yi'an off to win over hearts and minds; within the One Step to Heaven formation there were only himself, Qiu Lingshan, and a few others. Catching sight of Lu Ping'an's figure, Ying Ziyu's eyes went wide at once. "Brother Wei Zhao, you really are a marvelous prognosticator!"

"What sort of prognostication is that? So long as that Supreme Elder is not a fool, he would surely send someone to talk with me—the only question is whom. Enough. All of you go back and cultivate; pay no mind to this wretched mess," Wei Zhao said with a smile, waving them all away.

"This disciple Lu Ping'an pays his respects to the junior grand-uncle," Lu Ping'an said, bowing with great solemnity.

"Oh? So you acknowledge me as junior grand-uncle again?" Wei Zhao could not help but laugh.

"The junior grand-uncle jests. Whether your identity is true or false cannot yet be settled—but from this disciple's standpoint, so long as there is even one chance in ten thousand that it is true, this disciple must treat you as the genuine junior grand-uncle and dare not show the slightest disrespect," Lu Ping'an said, neither servile nor overbearing.

"Heh. You do have a way with words." Wei Zhao sized him up, then asked, "What brings you to me?"

"This disciple has come on behalf of Vice Sect Master Chen…" Lu Ping'an said cautiously. (To be continued.)