"Yes." Lu Ping'an's heart gave a jolt. He had already disappointed Chen Jiu time and again; if he could not even manage a trifle like this, then there would truly be nothing left to say for himself.

Yet facts proved that keeping Xin Yi'an and Bing Wushuang apart was no trifle—and above all, no easy matter.

To be precise, keeping Xin Yi'an from approaching Bing Wushuang was not difficult. The crux lay elsewhere: what if Bing Wushuang went to Xin Yi'an of his own accord?

That possibility had not occurred to Bing Wushuang before, but after hearing those rumors, even an outsider could see that Xin Yi'an stood on Wei Zhao's side. In the present circumstances, if he wished to make contact with Wei Zhao, then apart from forcing his way into the Ascending Heaven Cliff, the best route was through Xin Yi'an.

Lu Ping'an simply could not stop him. He dared not, and he had no way to; he could only watch helplessly as Bing Wushuang and Xin Yi'an spoke, able to do nothing at all.

And upon hearing the news, Chen Jiu, that Grand Elder, could at last no longer sit still. His brows knitted as he said, "What exactly is this Bing Wushuang's relationship with Wei Zhao? Just to see Wei Zhao once, he flies a thousand li from the Middle Island to the Northern Island, and when we put him off once, twice, he simply refuses to be put off—now he has planted himself here and won't leave. Will this never end?"

As for the precise nature of Bing Wushuang's relationship with Wei Zhao, both he and Lu Ping'an had made attempts to probe it in their two previous meetings. Unfortunately, Bing Wushuang's mouth was sealed tight; he had let slip not the slightest hint of the truth.

"Master, this cannot go on. Letting such an unstable element remain here is far too dangerous—we must find some pretext and persuade him to leave as soon as possible," Lu Ping'an said with a bitter expression. Facing an existence of Bing Wushuang's Nascent Soul caliber, he was truly at his wit's end, wholly led around by the nose, and sooner or later something would go wrong.

"A plague sent to try us. And you think he can simply be invited to leave?" Chen Jiu wished no less than anyone to be rid of Bing Wushuang early. But given the attitude Bing Wushuang had displayed, if he were not allowed to see Wei Zhao, how could he possibly go?

"He will not rest until he achieves his aim. If we do not let him see Wei Zhao, then getting him to simply leave is indeed unrealistic. Master, why not just let him go to the Ascending Heaven Cliff?" Lu Ping'an suggested.

"Hmph, you are far too naive! You think letting him see Wei Zhao will make him leave obediently? As things stand now, if he and Wei Zhao truly are close friends, will he not stay to lend Wei Zhao his aid, saddling us with a formidable enemy for good?" Chen Jiu scoffed at the proposal.

Let Bing Wushuang go see Wei Zhao? Only if his brains had turned to water would he do something so foolish. The outcome would be one and only one: not Bing Wushuang withdrawing obediently, but Wei Zhao gaining wings upon a tiger.

One Wei Zhao alone had already left him with no way to cope. If a Nascent Soul cultivator like Bing Wushuang were truly added to the mix, how could they possibly manage?

"Master, as it happens, I think it is not unworkable," Lu Ping'an said with a meaningful look.

"Hm?" Chen Jiu frowned, but seeing his expression to be quite assured, he motioned for him to continue.

"Master, setting Bing Wushuang aside, our negotiations with Wei Zhao have in fact already reached a deadlock, and Deputy Sect Master Chen's condition worsens by the day. We truly cannot drag this out indefinitely. We must find a breakthrough point as soon as possible—and this Bing Wushuang is precisely a breakthrough point delivered to our door," Lu Ping'an said.

"Be more specific," Chen Jiu said, his interest at once piqued.

"Yes. Since it is a negotiation, there will always be concessions and compromises. This disciple believes we can concede—we can let Bing Wushuang go see Wei Zhao, but on the condition that Wei Zhao cure Deputy Sect Master Chen," Lu Ping'an said.

"You think Wei Zhao will agree?" Chen Jiu said thoughtfully.

"That depends on what intentions he truly harbors. Everyone knows, Master, that you are the anchor stone of our Northern Island Cangwu Sect. Without your nod, no one could ever gain a firm footing here. So if Wei Zhao wishes to establish himself properly within our Northern Island Cangwu Sect, he must in the end reach a reconciliation with you. In that case, so long as we offer him a suitable way down, he will certainly choose to concede," Lu Ping'an analyzed.

"But what if he harbors a different intention?" Chen Jiu frowned.

"If he is set on smashing the pot and letting the shards fly, then there is nothing more to say. Either way, we can at least sound out the other side's attitude. To break the deadlock, we must be the first to place a stone—what does Master think?" Lu Ping'an ventured cautiously.

They were already on the back foot, and now with Bing Wushuang added to the board, it went without saying that things were worse still. Since being the first to place a stone was a choice forced upon them, they might as well be decisive about it—and use it precisely to probe the other side's stance.

Chen Jiu pondered for a moment. Chen Dongcheng's condition truly could not bear further delay, and in the end he could only nod. "Then let it be so. You go and negotiate with them. But remember one thing: our aim is not merely to probe. The chief priority is to think of a way to be rid of Bing Wushuang, and quickly. Once he is gone, everything else becomes our internal affair—we may negotiate however we please. It would not even be out of the question for this old man to go see Wei Zhao in person."

The implication was plain: once the enormous external threat that was Bing Wushuang had been fobbed off, then before him, the Grand Elder—an old monster of the Nascent Soul stage—Wei Zhao, however capable, could never turn his handiwork beyond the reach of his palm.

"Understood." Lu Ping'an took his orders and departed at once.

Faced with this concession from Lu Ping'an, Xin Yi'an was somewhat surprised and taken aback, though on reflection it was only reasonable. After all, a fine Nascent Soul cultivator like Bing Wushuang had come a thousand li to lend his support; if Chen Jiu and his people kept stubbornly refusing to relent, they would be the ones to suffer in the end.

This time, of course, Xin Yi'an did not fob him off as before. Instead, he brought Lu Ping'an before Wei Zhao and had him speak with Wei Zhao face to face.

"The Grand Elder wants me to cure Chen Dongcheng?" Wei Zhao raised an eyebrow after hearing Lu Ping'an out.

"Yes. You know as well as anyone that Sect Master Hong is absent, and now Deputy Sect Master Chen is in this state—there is not a soul in the whole Northern Island Cangwu Sect capable of overseeing its affairs. Whatever differences exist between you and the Grand Elder, in the end we must all consider the interests of the Northern Island Cangwu Sect, must we not? A sect this great cannot possibly lack even a proper person to receive guests from the outside world," Lu Ping'an said with the pained earnestness of one pleading a cause.

"And the terms?" Wei Zhao said offhandedly.

"The Grand Elder says that so long as you can cure Deputy Sect Master Chen, he is willing to take a step back and let Bing Wushuang come up here to see you," Lu Ping'an said with a smile.

"That is all?" Wei Zhao gave him a glance that was half smile, half something else.

"..." The terms Lu Ping'an had obtained from Chen Jiu were, of course, far more than that!

ps. On 5/15, "Qidian" is raining red envelopes! Starting at noon, one round every hour—a huge wave of 515 red envelopes, all a matter of luck. Go grab them, all of you, and spend the Qidian coins you snatch on subscribing to my chapters! (To be continued.)