Chapter 1465 — Feigning a Chance Encounter

Zhao Qijiu hastily paid with his card, then he and Zhao Qitan took their room keys and hurried upstairs.

The room rate here was not high, but the deposit required for the Trial was staggeringly expensive. Clearly, both the rent and the deposit were merely a cover, meant for ordinary tourists who understood nothing of the true game behind it.

By then, Wei Zhao had stepped out of his room and was standing at the doorway, quietly listening to the conversation between Zhao Qitan and the innkeeper downstairs.

Curious about the identities of Zhao Qitan and the others, Wei Zhao had come to his door to see what he could learn. The hotel was completely empty at the moment, so although Zhao Qitan and his companion spoke in low voices, not a single word escaped Wei Zhao's ears.

"The Trial of the Ice Palace"? What was that? Wei Zhao listened, utterly bewildered. It sounded like some sort of event organized by a martial sect. And what was this about Zhao Qitan and Zhao Qijiu having an invitation? Yet the innkeeper had not even deigned to look at it, as if everyone who came here was supposed to have one.

So that was why the innkeeper had not been the least surprised when Wei Zhao arrived, and had turned a blind eye to his doings — the man had taken him for another person who had received an invitation and come to participate in the Trial of the Ice Palace. It suddenly dawned on Wei Zhao that this was also why the hotel was so large; it served that very purpose, and the old-fashioned name had been chosen for the same reason. Sects and the like always loved to call themselves by antiquated names.

But what exactly did this Trial of the Ice Palace entail? He had stumbled into this inn by pure accident and was now staying here — was that fortune or misfortune?

Zhao Qitan, Zhao Qijiu — the Hidden Zhao Family? The names of these two seemed quite similar to Zhao Qibing's. Could they be from the same hidden clan as Zhao Qibing? At that thought, Wei Zhao immediately placed both men on his list of people to keep a wary eye on.

His feud with the Hidden Zhao Family was now virtually beyond reconciliation. Zhao Qibing, Zhu Bo, the Medicine King — one after another, they had been hurt because of him, and Wei Zhao had no intention of making peace with Zhao Qibing. After all, the enmity between Wei Zhao and Zhao Qibing was not like that between Wei Zhao and Wu Chengtian.

Between Wei Zhao and Wu Chengtian, it had all been mostly a matter of mischief; most of it was about playing tricks on Wu Chengtian and had never escalated into real fighting. With Zhao Qibing, however, the situation was entirely different. Zhao Qibing had repeatedly come looking for trouble, and unless the Zhao Family was willing to discard Zhao Qibing and offer Wei Zhao a formal apology, reconciliation was virtually out of the question.

Of course, even though these two had been marked down for caution, that did not stop Wei Zhao from making contact with them and drawing useful information out of their mouths. He had to first find out exactly what the Trial of the Ice Palace was all about.

Still, his name should hardly be a secret within the Hidden Zhao Family. At that thought, Wei Zhao counted himself lucky. This time, his identity had been arranged for him by Feng Tianlong; he went by the name Ling Yi, not Wei Zhao. Ling Yi was the name he had used during missions for the Mysterious Investigation Bureau, and a complete file on it was kept with Feng Tianlong, so there was no need to create anything new for this trip.

Using the Mysterious Investigation Bureau identity was also a safeguard against trouble on the road — after all, there was an ice coffin being towed behind his car.

Wei Zhao, Ling Yi — although the names sounded somewhat similar, they were entirely different as far as anyone could tell. The two members of the Hidden Zhao Family should not suspect him; and even if they grew suspicious later, he would already have obtained what he wanted.

Still, it had to be said that An Jianwen, that fellow, had hit the mark by pure accident when he gave Wei Zhao's double the name "Zero One"!

Of course, Wei Zhao was in no hurry to approach Zhao Qitan and the others. He simply stayed in his room, sitting like a fisherman waiting by a tree stump for the hare to run into it. When Zhao Qitan had been parking the car, Wei Zhao had read his lips and understood his plan — he had come this early precisely to contact other people. So Wei Zhao waited for them to come to him; that way, it would not seem out of place.

The reason Zhao Qitan and Zhao Qijiu had arrived so early was actually because Old Master Zhao was in seclusion. Before the other scions of the hidden families left, they would have long talks with their patriarchs and be told the precautions of the Trial. But since the old master of the Zhao Family was in seclusion, Zhao Qitan and Zhao Qijiu had no choice but to set out ahead of time, hoping to look for information here and see whether they could win some allies.

"Grandfather really picked the worst time to go into seclusion — the Trial of the Ice Palace just had to begin right now..." After entering his room and getting settled, Zhao Qitan said with some frustration to Zhao Qijiu: "Before... I always looked forward to the Trial of the Ice Palace starting. Every time I asked Grandfather, he said he would only tell me those things when the Trial was truly about to take place, and that knowing too early would not benefit my cultivation mindset... But now, at this very critical moment, Grandfather goes into seclusion..."

Since Zhao Qijiu was Zhao Qitan's closest confidant, he spoke without any restraint, saying whatever came to mind. Within the Hidden Zhao Family, Zhao Qijiu was a loyal supporter of Zhao Qitan, and the one who most wanted Zhao Qitan to ascend to the position of heir to the family head.

"Young Master Tan, the old master had his own worries before. But the fact that we could come this time is already a stroke of luck. If the Trial of the Ice Palace had been held a few years later, the ones coming here might not have been you and me!" Zhao Qijiu sighed and said: "Right now, the situation within our Hidden Zhao Family is rather unclear."

"You mean... Zhao Qibing?" Zhao Qitan asked with a frown.

"Yes. That Zhao Qibing — I heard the old master never used to think much of him. But this time, for heaven knows what reason, he was suddenly allowed back into the Zhao Family and even became a disciple of Elder Bi... What exactly happened that we don't know about?" Zhao Qijiu nodded and said.

"That is what I have been wondering about all along. But Grandfather is in seclusion, and the only one who knows the truth, Elder Bi, is someone nobody can order around. Apart from Grandfather, no one can make him say anything..." Zhao Qitan said with a worried look. "I think... do you suppose Zhao Qibing's appearance could have something to do with Grandfather's seclusion this time?"

"Seclusion? Young Master Tan, you mean the old master went into seclusion because of Zhao Qibing?" Zhao Qijiu was taken aback. "That can't be! Zhao Qibing is nothing but a good-for-nothing pleasure-seeker, not even a cultivator. How could he be connected to the old master's seclusion?"

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