Chapter 1396 — Uncle Zhu's Elder Brother

"Yes, Father, I will go and spread the word at once..." Pi Zhishan nodded, deeply instructed. As the heir the Pi family had groomed with care, he was no slouch at scheming and calculation; only at times he was a little rash. Clearly, that flaw of rashness would have to be corrected.

The Pi family had channels enough for spreading word, so in less time than it took to stretch one's limbs, every clan that bore a grudge against Wei Zhao had gotten wind of this bit of gossip — Zhao Qibing among them, who learned of it at the very first moment.

"Uncle Zhu, Medicine King, what do you make of this news?" Zhao Qibing had been frightened witless by Ergoudan not long before and still had not recovered his spirits these past days; hearing such news so suddenly, he had no way to tell true from false.

"That is hard to say. Word like this is half true and half false — who can know, without going to see for himself?" The Medicine King waved a hand. "Still, analyzing such things is not my strength. I am only talking."

"This news, I think, is not necessarily false — eight parts in ten it is true," Uncle Zhu said. "It names no source, true enough, but it was let out through the Pi family's channels. Any clear-eyed man knows it was the Pi family who put it out. If it were false, the Pi family would hardly fare well either — spreading false word to deceive people is a grave taboo among the hidden clans, strictly forbidden by the Arbitration Council!"

Uncle Zhu understood a good deal about the inner workings of the hidden clans, and so he pondered a moment and spoke as he did.

"But even if the news is true, it is only conjecture. Whether Ergoudan truly lost his strength is impossible to say, since the Pi family's information is not so reliable either!" Li Cihua said. "This time I reckon the Pi family means to borrow a blade to kill — the news is real, but even they do not quite believe it, so they let other clans go and probe for them. A textbook trick for landing others in the pit..."

"Mm, indeed! We must not be the bird that pokes its head out first. We have no fine fighters on hand to pit against him, so for now we leave it alone!" Zhao Qibing nodded, wholly convinced.

As the several of them were talking, Su Jiaonang knocked and came in, saying, "Young Master Bing, an old man has come to our bar. He says he is Uncle Zhu's elder brother and wishes to see Uncle Zhu. What do you say..."

"Uncle Zhu's elder brother?" Zhao Qibing was struck dumb for a moment, unable to fathom how Uncle Zhu had produced an elder brother.

"Yes, the man calls himself Uncle Zhu's elder brother..." Su Jiaonang nodded.

Meanwhile, upon hearing Su Jiaonang's words, Uncle Zhu grew exceedingly agitated: "My elder brother? Is it truly my elder brother who has come?"

"Let him in. Whether he is or not, Uncle Zhu will know at a glance," Zhao Qibing ordered Su Jiaonang.

If the man came with ill intent, blocking him would be useless — he would force his way in all the same. And if he truly was Uncle Zhu's elder brother, then there was no need to block him. Better to let him through and be done.

Uncle Zhu's expression was agitated, his eyes fixed tight upon the doorway. Before long, Su Jiaonang led an old man in, and at the sight of him Uncle Zhu grew more stirred still, his face showing a mingling of nostalgia and excitement: "Elder brother, is it you?"

"Little brother... it is I. After all these years, I can finally see you!" The newcomer was excited as well. "Long ago, the clan head sent me out on a mission; I could not meet you in private. But your elder brother has missed you sorely!"

"Then you now..." Hearing that it was the clan head who had forbidden his elder brother to see him, Uncle Zhu's expression changed at once. Zhao Qibing was right there in the room, after all — if the clan head had not permitted him to come and he had come of his own will, the consequences, should the clan head learn of it, would be grave.

"Haha, little brother, you do not know! Yesterday, by the rarest chance, your elder brother grasped the heavenly mysteries and broke through in one stroke to become an Earth Rank expert! I am now an early-stage Earth Rank expert!" the newcomer said. "The clan head said that the day I broke through to Earth Rank, I might return to the clan and see you as well. But the task on my end admits no last-minute substitute, so I only asked the clan head's leave to come and look in on you. Otherwise, how would I have known you were here?"

Only then did Uncle Zhu set his heart at ease. Indeed, had his elder brother not gotten word from the Zhao family, how could he have known of his whereabouts here? Yet even as Uncle Zhu rejoiced for his brother, sorrow stirred in his own heart: his strength had fallen greatly, and what remained to him was likely no more than Yellow Rank.

"Little brother, how is your strength now? Have you made any progress?" the newcomer asked cheerfully.

"I... do not speak of it..." Uncle Zhu sighed, his face turning somewhat ashen. "It is a long tale. First, let me introduce you — this is Master Zhao Qibing, son of the young patriarch. I serve him at present!"

"Master Zhao, my respects!" Hearing that this was a Zhao family scion, the newcomer at once cupped his fists in greeting. He had heard of this bastard son Zhao Qibing, but a son of the Zhao family was a son of the Zhao family nonetheless; the Zhaos set great store by their male offspring, unlike the girls, who were all used as pawns for marriage alliances...

"Leader Zhu, you are too kind. Congratulations on becoming an Earth Rank expert!" Zhao Qibing was in truth delighted. If this Zhu family leader was an Earth Rank expert, did that not mean an Earth Rank expert had come to stand at his side? He was Uncle Zhu's brother; surely he would not leave Uncle Zhu's affairs alone. And since Uncle Zhu had been wounded on account of Wei Zhao, then perhaps there was a chance...

"You are kind... By the way, little brother, you were saying — what exactly happened to your strength?" Leader Zhu suddenly recalled that his brother's face had looked off earlier, and asked quickly.

"Earlier I fought someone and took grave wounds. I have just recovered now, but my strength has fallen a great way. At present I am only a mid-stage Yellow Rank expert..." Uncle Zhu said with a sigh.

"Were you not at early Mystic Rank before? How..." Leader Zhu's expression changed. "What happened? Who did this? Tell your elder brother, and your elder brother will take revenge for you!"

"Never mind... it was Wei Zhao. This ***, you have likely heard of him too; lately his underling has been riding high, having just beaten Jin Wudi to death..." Uncle Zhu would not let his elder brother go risk himself. Wei Zhao was hateful, and Uncle Zhu loathed him to the bone, but the underling's strength spoke for itself, and he had no wish to send his brother into danger.

"Wei Zhao?" Leader Zhu was taken aback, and at once his teeth ground with itch. How could he not have heard of Wei Zhao?

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