Chapter 1395 — The Pi Family's Plan

"So can we get out or not?" Elder Rain finally grew impatient. "Why not just give it a try? You lot, assemble the puzzle on the Life Gate now!"

"That..." Old Black was taken aback, then broke into a rueful smile. "Elder Rain, this puzzle carries real dangers; we can't act rashly, or the consequences will be severe!"

"Severe?" Elder Rain frowned. He did not fly into a rage this time, but merely asked, "Then what should we do?"

"We can only proceed cautiously... but who will go first to test it?" Old Black did not say it outright, yet his gaze drifted toward Elder Rain. Among them, Elder Rain possessed the greatest strength, and naturally the dangerous tasks ought to fall to him. But Elder Rain was, after all, a coward at heart, so even though Old Black thought so, he did not dare say it directly.

Elder Rain naturally saw through Old Black's meaning, yet he seemed utterly shameless about it. He merely coughed twice, then looked at Wei Zhao. "Male Thief, you have already reaped so many benefits. How can you not lift a finger? How about this: hand that alchemist's notes to me, and I will go give it a try?"

"Fine, go ahead and try. Once we are out, I will lend you a copy to transcribe," Wei Zhao said after a moment's thought.

Give it to Elder Rain? Wei Zhao absolutely would not. How could he part with something already in his hands? Moreover, by Elder Rain's own account, the profession of alchemist carried countless benefits; how could Wei Zhao casually hand those away? Besides, Zhang Liju's medical notes had also mentioned that the alchemist was a formidable profession, and Wei Zhao naturally could not afford to give it up.

But lending Elder Rain a copy to transcribe was another matter. It just so happened that if Elder Rain wanted the alchemist's notes copied, he would first have to let Wei Zhao copy Zhang Liju's medical notes. The arrangement was mutual; if Elder Rain went back on his word, he would get nothing at all.

"I let you transcribe mine, and on what grounds do you refuse to let me transcribe yours? You want me to go test it - do you take me for a fool?" After pondering a moment, Elder Rain said, "Boy Male Thief, stop playing your little tricks. Hurry up and open the door!"

"On what grounds should I let you transcribe?" Wei Zhao replied coolly. "It was agreed beforehand that you would let me transcribe yours - but it was never said that I must let you transcribe mine. Since you are unwilling to transcribe, then I will go try it myself."

Elder Rain snorted coldly to himself: Ignorant boy, if you will not let me transcribe, I will simply snatch it when the time comes. I will anger you to death then - and see you try to put on airs before me!

Wei Zhao walked up to the pair of doors and reached out to touch one of the puzzle pieces set into the Life Gate, intending to shift it. After waiting a moment, the jade pendant at his chest emitted no warning signal whatsoever. It seemed this was exactly as Old Black and Yu Xiaoke had analyzed: the Life Gate held no danger, and the pieces could be moved in any order. So long as the final pattern matched the one that opened the mechanism, it would work.

"Looks like there is no problem." Wei Zhao casually flicked a few puzzle pieces on the Life Gate this way and that. Nothing unusual appeared, and no danger arose.

"Phew..." Seeing Wei Zhao complete all this so effortlessly, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Old Black felt a measure of gratitude toward Wei Zhao. In the tomb, had it not been for Wei Zhao, he would have been abandoned several times over. Reaching this final step was no easy feat.

So Old Black did not stint on his praise: "Male Thief is still the best - extraordinary courage and nerve!"

"Hurry up and assemble it." Wei Zhao said nothing more. He turned and stepped away from the stone door. Puzzles were not his strong suit either; since Yu Xiaoke and Old Black had handled it before, he would leave it to them once again.

Though a completed example of the pattern already lay on the ground, reproducing the same design on the stone door was no easy task! The pieces numbered close to a hundred in all; otherwise Yu Xiaoke and Old Black could never have wasted so much time on it earlier.

In the hidden Pi family's stronghold, Pi Jiake and his son Pi Zhishan sat together in a secret chamber, conferring on something.

"So you heard it all - that Er Goudan is no skilled fighter at all, but merely boosted his strength through some special secret method, and once that strength is spent, he is no different from an ordinary man?" Pi Jiake asked, his expression grave.

"Yes, Father!" Pi Zhishan nodded. "Moreover, from my observation, after Er Goudan exhausted his strength, he turned out to be even weaker than an ordinary person. He was injured besides, lying bedridden and unable to move." Pi Zhishan went on, "This man poses no danger whatsoever now."

"So what do you suggest?" Pi Jiake nodded and asked.

"Father, I believe our Pi family has lost three fine fighters to Wei Zhao and his underlings in succession. We cannot simply swallow this insult, or the other great families will think our Pi family too weak and incompetent!" Having learned that Er Goudan was no true fighter, Pi Zhishan had already begun to harbor thoughts of revenge.

"Naturally we cannot swallow this insult. But as for what others think - what does that have to do with our Pi family?" Pi Jiake waved his hand. "Zhishan, you are still too young and hot-blooded. Though your conduct and dealings are decent enough, you still cannot escape those four words: young and hot-blooded. Do not be so concerned with others' opinions. So what if they laugh at our Pi family? Our Pi family will not lose a thing over it!"

"Yes, Father - your lesson is well taken!" Pi Zhishan's heart lurched, and he hurriedly admitted his fault. "Father, I have learned my lesson. I was too concerned with saving face!"

"Good. Remember, if a hidden family wishes to stand firm - or rise even higher - it must learn the ways of thick and black: a thick enough face and a black enough heart. We must not concern ourselves with how others see us; what matters is how we deal with them." Pi Jiake continued, "Although, as you said, Er Goudan may be nothing more than an ordinary man who used a secret method to boost his strength, the fact that he could beat Jin Wudi to death demands our attention. Had we been rash back then and gone to avenge our two fallen fighters, it would have been members of the Pi family who died instead! And the same applies now. We assume Er Goudan is finished - but what if we go after him and he has recovered his power? And behind him stands Wei Zhao; who knows what his true origins are? Such people we may regard as enemies, but we must not provoke them with our own hands. Are there not plenty of hot-headed folk about? Let them avenge us instead."

"That makes sense... Father, you mean to leak this information, let others probe that Er Goudan, and we sit back and watch the dragon and tiger fight?" Pi Zhishan nodded and asked.

For the fastest updates, please read without pop-ups.