Chapter 1464 — The Same Purpose

"Fine. One room, a deposit of ten thousand, and five hundred a day for rent," the innkeeper said flatly.

Zhao Qijiu hurriedly swiped a card to pay, then he and Zhao Qitan took the room cards and quickly went upstairs.

The room rates here were not high, but the deposit required to participate in the trial was frighteningly expensive. Clearly, the rent and the security deposit were merely a cover, put on display for ordinary tourists who knew nothing of what was really going on.

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

Curious about who Zhao Qitan and his companion were, Wei Zhao had gone to the doorway to see what was happening. The hotel was empty at the moment, so even though their voices were not loud, every word reached Wei Zhao's ears with perfect clarity.

The Ice Palace trial? What was that? Wei Zhao found it baffling. It sounded like some kind of event organized by a sect. And what was this about an invitation? Zhao Qitan and Zhao Qijiu seemed to have one, yet the innkeeper had disdained to even look at it, as if he assumed everyone who came here had one.

So no wonder the innkeeper had not been at all surprised when Wei Zhao arrived, and had simply turned a blind eye to his behavior. He must have taken him for someone else who had received an invitation and come to join the Ice Palace trial. It suddenly dawned on Wei Zhao why the hotel was so large: this was what it was for. And the old-fashioned name was for the same reason. Sects and the like always liked old-fashioned names.

But what exactly was the Ice Palace trial for? He had stumbled into this inn by pure accident and was now staying here—was that a blessing or a curse?

Zhao Qitan, Zhao Qijiu... Hidden Zhao Family? Their names sounded rather similar to Zhao Qibing's. Could they be from the hidden clan that Zhao Qibing belonged to? With that thought, Wei Zhao immediately added the two men to his list of people to guard against.

The enmity between himself and the Hidden Zhao Family was almost impossible to resolve. Zhao Qibing, Zhu Bo, the Medicine King—one after another, they had been hurt because of him, and Wei Zhao had no intention of reconciling with Zhao Qibing either. After all, the grievance between him and Zhao Qibing was not like the one with Wu Chentian.

Between Wei Zhao and Wu Chentian, it had all been in the nature of horseplay, mostly just pranks at Wu Chentian's expense, and it had never escalated into real fighting. With Zhao Qibing, it was different. Zhao Qibing had repeatedly made trouble for him. Unless the Zhao Family was willing to cast Zhao Qibing aside and apologize to Wei Zhao, there was practically no chance of reconciliation.

Of course, even though the two men had been placed on Wei Zhao's watch list, that did not stop him from making contact with them and worming useful information out of their mouths. Wei Zhao had to find out first what exactly the Ice Palace trial was.

But his name could hardly be a secret in the Hidden Zhao Family. At that thought, Wei Zhao counted himself lucky. This time out, his identity had been arranged for him by Feng Tianlong; his name was Ling Yi, not Wei Zhao. Ling Yi was the name he had used while carrying out missions for the Mysterious Investigation Bureau, and Feng Tianlong had complete files on it, so there was no need to fabricate a new one for this trip.

Using the Mysterious Investigation Bureau identity was also to keep Wei Zhao from running into trouble along the way, since after all, he was hauling an ice coffin behind the car.

Wei Zhao, Ling Yi—though the names sounded somewhat alike, they were two completely different people. He believed these two from the Hidden Zhao Family would not connect him to it. Even if they grew suspicious afterward, by then he would already have gotten what he wanted.

Still, it had to be said that An Jianwen had stumbled onto the right thing by pure luck, actually naming Wei Zhao's decoy "Zero One"!

Of course, Wei Zhao was in no hurry to contact Zhao Qitan and the others on his own initiative. He stayed in his room, waiting for the prey to come to him. When Zhao Qitan was parking, Wei Zhao had read his lips and knew what he planned. He had come here this early precisely to get in touch with other people, so Wei Zhao simply waited for them to contact him. That way, it would not seem abrupt.

The reason Zhao Qitan and Zhao Qijiu had come here so early was actually that Old Master Zhao was in seclusion. Before leaving, the other scions of the great clans would have long talks with their clan heads and be told the precautions for the trial. But the old master of the Zhao Family was in seclusion, so Zhao Qitan and Zhao Qijiu had no choice but to set off ahead of time, hoping to look around, find some information, and see whether they could win over a few allies here.

"Grandfather's seclusion really picked the worst time, of all times, for the Ice Palace trial to begin..." After entering the room and getting settled, Zhao Qitan said gloomily to Zhao Qijiu. "In the past... I always looked forward to the start of the Ice Palace trial. Every time I asked Grandfather, he said he would tell me the details when the trial was truly about to take place—that knowing too early would not be good for my cultivation mind... But now, at this critical moment, Grandfather has gone into seclusion..."

Because Zhao Qijiu was Zhao Qitan's trusted confidant, Zhao Qitan could speak without reserve and say whatever was on his mind. In the Hidden Zhao Family, Zhao Qijiu was Zhao Qitan's loyal supporter, and the one who most wanted to see Zhao Qitan become heir to the clan head.

"Young Master Tan, the old master had his own concerns all along. But the fact that we could come this time is a stroke of fortune. If the Ice Palace trial had been held a few years later, it would not necessarily have been you and me standing here!" Zhao Qijiu sighed and said, "Right now, the situation in our Hidden Zhao Family is rather unclear."

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

"Yes. That Zhao Qibing, from what I hear, used to be very much out of the old master's favor. But this time, for some reason, he was suddenly allowed to return to the Zhao Family and became a disciple of Elder Bi... What exactly happened in all that that we don't know about?" Zhao Qijiu nodded.

"That is what has been puzzling me all along. But Grandfather has gone into seclusion, and Elder Bi, the only one who knows, is someone no one can command. Except for Grandfather, no one can make him say anything..." Zhao Qitan said with a worried look. "What do you think? Could Zhao Qibing's appearance have something to do with Grandfather's seclusion this time?"

"Seclusion? You mean the old master went into seclusion because of Zhao Qibing?" Zhao Qijiu was taken aback. "That can't be, can it? Zhao Qibing is nothing but a wastrel, not even a cultivator. How could he have anything to do with the old master's seclusion?"

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