If the matter were merely a question of letting Bing Wushuang come up, from Wei Zhao's standpoint there was nothing remotely enticing about it. But this was a negotiation, and he could hardly lay all his cards on the table the moment he sat down—that would have been far too foolish.

"If that is the extent of your terms, with not even the barest show of sincerity, then there is no point in talking further. Elder Lu, you may as well go back the way you came." Xin Yi'an stood to one side, adding his voice to the push.

"Patience, please. Before I came here, the Grand Elder said that once Bing Wushuang has been sent away, he would come in person to speak with you face to face, and by then he would surely give the Martial-Uncle a satisfactory answer. How does that sound?" Lu Ping'an hastened to add.

For Wei Zhao, having Chen Jiu appear in person was a far more advantageous condition than summoning Bing Wushuang up the mountain, for only thus could his identity as the Grand-Uncle of the Taigu line be openly and squarely confirmed—unless Chen Jiu chose to tear off the mask to his face.

Of course, on the other hand, Wei Zhao did not set much store by any of this; it was all nothing but wishful thinking on the part of Chen Jiu and Lu Ping'an.

"Bare words carry no proof," Wei Zhao said mildly.

"Does the Martial-Uncle mean to have the Grand Elder write you a formal pledge?" Lu Ping'an frowned.

"Heh. Rather than trust a written pledge, I would sooner trust a ghost. Here is how it will be: first let Bing Wushuang come up to see me, and we shall discuss the rest afterward." So Wei Zhao decided.

"This..." Lu Ping'an hesitated a moment, then nodded and agreed: "Very well. To show our sincerity, we shall take the first step back. But for the next step, we shall be waiting on the Martial-Uncle's response."

The meaning was plain enough: if Wei Zhao duly sent Bing Wushuang packing, then the negotiation could proceed to the next stage; if not, it would amount to a complete rupture, and there would be nothing left to discuss.

"So be it." Wei Zhao nodded. Though he was for the moment trapped within the One Step to Heaven Formation and could not leave, he truly had no intention of keeping Bing Wushuang here as a helper. Compared with this side of things, it was Leng Leng, back in the Snow Sword Sect on Middle Island, who had greater need of Bing Wushuang's protection as a Nascent Soul expert—after all, that was where the enormous hidden threat of Xue Jianming still lurked.

Beyond that, he had another consideration: he feared that Bing Wushuang, in a fit of impulse, might truly come to blows with Chen Jiu. Though Bing Wushuang was already a Nascent Soul expert, he had only just broken through, and his foundation was unstable. Should it come to a fight, it would not only mean a complete falling-out with the Northern Island Cangwu Sect; the one who truly stood to lose would inevitably be Bing Wushuang himself, with no advantage to be gained whatsoever.

Lu Ping'an was highly efficient in handling matters and soon brought Bing Wushuang up. Naturally, Bing Wushuang had no identity token, so he could only stand outside the One Step to Heaven Formation and converse with Wei Zhao—otherwise, were he to enter, it was by no means certain he would be able to come out again.

"Chief Wei Zhao, I am relieved to see you unharmed." Bing Wushuang finally let out a breath when he saw that Wei Zhao was safe and sound. He had known well enough that with Wei Zhao's methods, Chen Jiu would not bring him down so easily, yet having gone so long without seeing Wei Zhao, his heart had remained suspended all the same; now at last it had settled.

"Heh, what trouble could I possibly be in?" Wei Zhao laughed. He had noted the other's form of address; plainly it had been learned from the likes of Wu Chengtian. It seemed this proud and overbearing ancient genius had come to recognize his own position, and their relationship was no longer one of mere coercion and exploitation—he had turned in earnest to being Wei Zhao's subordinate.

"Then what do you need me to do now—help you break the formation, or go deal with Chen Jiu directly?" Bing Wushuang had no habit of exchanging pleasantries. Even in pledging his loyalty, he was simple and direct, coming straight to the point.

"Nothing at all. First go back to the Snow Sword Sect and keep watch over Leng Leng for me; for the time being, hold your troops in place and do nothing," Wei Zhao said.

"What about Xue Jianming?" Bing Wushuang could not quite gauge Wei Zhao's intent. Things were different now; having come to the Northern Island, he had openly and squarely betrayed the Center, and there was naturally no need to keep up any pretense of compliance. Had he not feared disrupting Wei Zhao's arrangements, he would probably have simply wiped out Xue Jianming already rather than leave him alive.

"If he does not move, neither do you. Whatever response he and the Center may make, your first duty is to ensure the safety of Leng Leng and yourself; everything else can be set aside for now," Wei Zhao instructed.

"Good, understood." Bing Wushuang grasped it at once. Though Wei Zhao had divulged no more, he had already grasped his intent: to remain still for now meant that a major move against the Center was bound to come later—only the time was not yet ripe.

"By the way, it is not often you come to the Northern Island; I cannot let you leave empty-handed." So saying, Wei Zhao called over Xin Yi'an, who was waiting nearby, and gave him two pills to pass on to Bing Wushuang.

"Thank you, Chief!" Bing Wushuang's eyes blazed bright at once—top-grade Golden Core Nurturing Pills. Strictly speaking, this was the chief purpose of his visit to the Northern Island. Though it sounded rather too calculating, even base, to say so aloud, it could not be denied that such was the fact. A man of his kind, put kindly, was supremely rational; put unkindly, he was simply out for profit—only he was not so short-sighted as ordinary men.

Wei Zhao knew this perfectly well but did not mind. Having taken the man on as his subordinate, he must needs have the corresponding magnanimity and capacity. So long as Bing Wushuang served him well, he would never choke off his supply of pills; after all, so long as he could keep the man under control, the stronger Bing Wushuang became, the better it was for him.

Putting away the two top-grade Golden Core Nurturing Pills, Bing Wushuang offered no wordy torrent of thanks; he simply bowed solemnly to Wei Zhao, turned, and left. Since Wei Zhao had told him to hold his troops and look after Leng Leng, then he had only to do so. The troubles on the Northern Island plainly required no meddling from him; from the very beginning he had judged that a mere Chen Jiu could never trouble Wei Zhao.

With two top-grade Golden Core Nurturing Pills, given his extraordinary talent, he might, if all went smoothly, rise two levels in quick succession and become a mid-stage Nascent Soul expert. Bing Wushuang found himself looking forward to his own future more and more.

Bing Wushuang left, and left briskly. Descending from the Ascension Cliff, he greeted no one, but simply drove his snow eagle into the sky and vanished beyond the horizon.

"Well then, having dragged things out this long, it is time to get down to proper business." Wei Zhao stretched lazily.

"Huh?" Xin Yi'an was still dazed even at this moment. There was no other reason: the two pills that had just passed through his hands were simply too astonishing, and he remained steeped in shock even now.

Those were the legendary top-grade Golden Core Nurturing Pills!