Chapter 904 — Coming Clean with the Young Mistress

"How could it be that simple?" Wei Zhao did not know what to say in response to Old Man Wei. It seemed as if cultivating the external arts was the easiest thing in the world to him — something one could bring to the very pinnacle in the blink of an eye. But was that even possible?

"So what if it isn't? Should I have told you there was no hope and to go home and till the fields instead?" Old Man Wei rolled his eyes. "Look at your master — didn't he cultivate the external arts first and the internal arts later, becoming a master of both?"

"A master of both..." Wei Zhao broke out in a cold sweat at once. That old man's choice of words was certainly... bold!

"Anyway, I've said all I have to say. Think it over yourself," Old Man Wei said. "Look at Ergoudan — he's an external-arts master, isn't he? Doesn't he cut a pretty badass figure?"

"Him? Is he replicable? Do you still have any of that medicinal brew left?" Wei Zhao rolled his eyes in turn.

"No!" Old Man Wei said bluntly. "But I can try to brew up some more. Whether you drink yourself to death, though, is on your own head."

"..." Wei Zhao was left completely without a comeback by Old Man Wei, yet his mood had brightened considerably. "All right, old man. I'll pack things up and head back, then. Once I'm home, I'll think of another way!"

"Mm... it's good that you can see it that way. All roads lead to Rome!" Old Man Wei said. "If it really comes down to it, you can have Ergoudan go roaming the martial world with you as your personal bodyguard, while you play the part of some dissolute young wastrel — that'd be pretty badass too!"

"..." Wei Zhao hung up the phone on the spot.

Even so, Wei Zhao had made his decision: it was time to go home.

Though he had been in Songshan City for only a little over a month, he had come to know so many people here... This stretch of experience was precious enough to stay with Wei Zhao for the rest of his life.

There was Tang Yun, pure, beautiful, and strong of character; the young mistress, cold on the outside yet warm within, so considerate of others; lively, adorable, whimsical little Xiaoshu... and that silly girl Qiu Lingshan, who had once always worked against him but was now so obedient... And then there were Guan Xin, Feng Xiaoxiao, Wang Xinyan, Sun Jingyan...

Would all these people become nothing more than passersby in this chapter of his life?

And once he was gone, where would Kang **, Fatty Lai, Yang Huaijun, and Guan Xuemin be left to go?

No wonder the old man had once said that after completing this mission, he could retire to a comfortable life. Back then, Wei Zhao had thought the mission simple and easy; now he could see that it was nothing of the sort.

Sitting in the familiar villa, Wei Zhao felt a pang of sorrow. Perhaps by tomorrow, he would have to leave...

Wei Zhao thought of a poem: "Quietly I leave, just as quietly as I came; I wave my sleeve, taking not a single cloud with me."

Wei Zhao felt that it was time to lay his cards on the table with the young mistress. There were some things that simply had to be said! Before the enemy could catch wind of the fact that his strength was gone, Wei Zhao had to make his preparations as quickly as possible.

That evening, the young mistress, Shen Yushu, and Tang Yun all woke and came downstairs, only to see Wei Zhao lying on the sofa watching television, perfectly at ease. The lingering unease in the three women lifted at once, and their moods brightened considerably.

"Wei Zhao, you're all right?" Gu Mengyao and Tang Yun both said, glad.

"Mm, the wounds on my body are nothing to worry about..." Wei Zhao spoke only of his physical injuries, not mentioning his strength at all. That was something he needed to address separately with the young mistress and Tang Yun.

"That's good..." Tang Yun nodded. "Would you like something to eat? I can make you something?"

"Not for now — I had a cup of instant noodles earlier, so I'm not hungry." Wei Zhao rose and said, "Yunyun, why don't you go home and check in on your folks? You've been away three days now. Your parents must be worried about you, right?"

Tang Yun was taken aback at Wei Zhao's words, a little dejected. Was Wei Zhao trying to send her away? Besides, Wei Zhao rarely addressed her so intimately as "Yunyun" in front of other people. Tang Yun felt that something was off.

It was hardly surprising that Tang Yun should think so. Wei Zhao had just woken up, and she had wanted to get a little closer to him, to talk and catch up. Yet Wei Zhao was telling her to go home instead... Tang Yun felt both wronged and a little envious of the young mistress and Shen Yushu.

"All right..." But Tang Yun obediently nodded all the same.

"I'll ask you out for dinner a little later. Go home first and let your parents know you're safe, all right?" Wei Zhao could see Tang Yun's disappointment and knew she had misunderstood. But there were some things he could not explain in front of all three of them at once, so he could only say this much.

When Tang Yun heard that Wei Zhao would still invite her out later, she cheered up instantly and nodded. "Okay, then I'll wait for your call..."

Wei Zhao's strange behavior put even Gu Mengyao on her guard. After Tang Yun had left, the young mistress frowned and asked, "Why did you send Tang Yun away? I was thinking of taking you all out for something to eat, to celebrate your recovery from such a serious illness..."

Three days and nights spent in each other's company had fostered a subtle bond between the young mistress and Tang Yun as well.

"There's no hurry for dinner." Wei Zhao shook his head, and the look on his face suddenly turned exceedingly grave. "Yaoyao, Xiaoshu, there's something very important I need to tell the two of you!"

"What is it?" Gu Mengyao was taken aback; she had not expected Wei Zhao to address her in such a solemn tone. "If there's something, just say it..."

"Yeah! Brother Arrowhead, your expression is so scary!" Shen Yushu, too, was unaccustomed to Wei Zhao's manner.

"Heh..." Wei Zhao gave a bitter smile. "Then I'll tell you plainly. Although my injuries are healed, my strength is gone..."

"Your strength is gone? What do you mean?" Gu Mengyao was startled, not quite understanding the implication of Wei Zhao's words.

"To put it simply, I'm the same as any ordinary person now..." Wei Zhao forced a light tone. "Back when I was fighting Ma Zhu, that last big ultimate move I used wasn't any kind of ultimate move at all. I unleashed it meaning to die together with him. I survived in the end, but that move was one of jade and stone burning together — a technique that ruined both sides. I crippled Ma Zhu, but I didn't come off any better myself. My strength plummeted..."

"What! You've become an ordinary person?" Gu Mengyao was shocked, the color draining from her face. With Wei Zhao explaining it that way, she understood. "Then what would it take for you to recover?"

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