Chapter 3331 — Carrying Another Person on His Back

The familiar little town. In the blink of an eye, the events of more than half a year ago were still vivid before his eyes, as though they had happened only yesterday.

Back then, Wei Zhao had been merely an adept of the Mystic rank, not even Earth rank. But now, Wei Zhao was already an expert of the mid Heaven rank!

The Ice Spirit Inn. Without the slightest attempt at concealment, Wei Zhao walked straight into the inn's main hall, carrying Wang Xinyan on his back with the Wind-Thunder Violet Lightning Beast at his side!

Except when the Ice Palace trials were being held, the Ice Spirit Inn was ordinarily all but deserted. Manager Li was there every day, but his duties consisted largely of receiving letters—letters from the secular world.

When footsteps suddenly sounded, he knew someone had entered the inn, and he raised his head in some puzzlement, curious to see who the visitor might be.

"Manager Li, it's been a long time. Do you still remember me?" Wei Zhao, no longer the cautious, trembling figure of before, regarded the inn's Manager Li with perfect composure and asked with a smile.

"You... you're Wei Zhao!" Manager Li gave a start, never expecting Wei Zhao to turn up at the Ice Palace so suddenly! That Wei Zhao was not named Ling Yi—Manager Li had long since learned that. Nor was that all: he also knew what had happened at the Night Palace not long ago. Wei Zhao, single-handedly, had slain an expert at the peak of the late Heaven rank and wounded two others of the same caliber—what a battle record was that?!

True, the affair still awaited confirmation, and there were those who doubted it. But the fearsome reputation Wei Zhao had already carved out for himself was enough to make Elder Li look up to him in awe! Quite apart from anything else, Wei Zhao's present strength at the mid Heaven rank was something Elder Li could never hope to match!

The world of cultivation revered strength above all. Manager Li no longer wore the arrogant manner he had shown when first meeting Wei Zhao; instead he hurriedly rose from his seat and went to welcome him!

"Ha ha, it's me! It seems Manager Li's memory is still quite good." Wei Zhao laughed.

"Young Hero Lin, if I may ask—what business brings you to our Ice Palace this time?" Manager Li inquired cautiously.

"Nothing much. It's been over half a year since we parted, and I truly missed the people here, so I came to take a look. Is your Ice Palace's little Rock Candy girl in?" Wei Zhao asked.

Ice... little Rock Candy girl? Manager Li's face instantly fell into a tangle of black lines. What kind of way was that to address someone? Only Wei Zhao would dare say such a thing. Anyone else would have died a hundred deaths for it long ago! Yet Elder Li did not dare say a word more; he could only venture cautiously, "The Ice Palace Mistress is within the Ice Palace, Young Hero Lin. Shall I notify her to come and welcome you?"

He had no choice but to humble himself. Wei Zhao's strength was plain for all to see, and for Bingtang to come out and welcome him was entirely proper!

Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback. He had only been joking casually—why would Manager Li have Bingtang come out to welcome him? For a moment Wei Zhao felt a stir of emotion. More than half a year ago, Bingtang had looked down on him, not even deigning to grant him a single meeting—and now she would actually come to welcome him?

At that thought, Wei Zhao's mischievous streak surged, and he said mildly to Manager Li, "Very well. Have her come and welcome me!"

"Yes..." Manager Li nodded, seeing nothing improper in it. After all, Wei Zhao had the strength; even an ordinary Heaven-rank expert visiting the Ice Palace would be entitled to an audience with the Mistress.

What surprised Wei Zhao, however, was that this time Manager Li did not use a carrier pigeon, but instead produced a satellite phone! Wei Zhao was astonished. "Your Ice Palace no longer uses homing pigeons? Since when did you switch to telephones?"

"Ahem... well... it's actually because the Ice Palace Mistress, under Deputy Mistress Feng's influence, has taken a liking to these high-tech gadgets..." Manager Li explained. He knew of Wei Zhao's relationship with Feng Xiaoxiao, and so saw no need to hide it.

"Oh." Wei Zhao nodded.

The call on Manager Li's end connected just then, and Bingtang's voice came through: "Manager Li, what is it?"

"Mistress, Young Hero Lin Wei Zhao has arrived at our Ice Spirit Inn. He is on his way to the Ice Palace. Would you like to welcome him in person?" Manager Li asked cautiously.

"Who's come? Wei Zhao?" Bingtang was startled, never expecting Wei Zhao to actually come to the Ice Palace. But then a flare of embarrassment and indignation rose in her. Was Wei Zhao coming to show off in front of her? She thought of how she had once promised Wei Zhao that, once he possessed the strength of the peak of the late Heaven rank or above, or became a first-grade Mystic-rank alchemist, she would be his tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny wife.

But now Wei Zhao had come—did he mean to make her honor that promise? Bingtang naturally knew of what had happened at the Night Palace. He had instantly slain an expert of the peak of the late Heaven rank, so although Wei Zhao's rank was only mid Heaven rank at present, judging by the strength he had displayed, he already possessed power at or above the peak of the late Heaven rank—otherwise how could he have instantly killed an expert of that caliber?

And so Bingtang naturally assumed Wei Zhao had come to boast, and to make her go and welcome him? In his dreams! Hmph! Don't think I don't know who Gu Mengyao, the Mistress of the Night Palace, is. Getting her to spread a rumor for you—is that so hard?

The more Bingtang thought about it, the angrier she became: "Welcome him? Not just no welcome—I won't even see him!"

With that, Bingtang hung up, leaving Manager Li standing there all innocence and nerves. Was this the way to offend Wei Zhao? But... if you offend Wei Zhao, it's me who has to face him!

She's landed me in it but good, yet Manager Li did not dare complain. He could only look at Wei Zhao with a bitter smile. "Young Hero Lin, the Mistress is... otherwise occupied..."

"That's all right, I heard everything. Lead the way—take me to the Ice Palace." Wei Zhao waved a hand, entirely unbothered. Bingtang was an old acquaintance, after all. Her domineering manner and contempt back then had irked him somewhat, but she had helped him more than once, and their relationship was fairly close, so naturally he would not be angry over this.

"Very well..." Manager Li breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Wei Zhao was still quite easy to deal with.

Only, Manager Li found it rather odd. Last time Wei Zhao came, he had been carrying someone on his back—and that person was now the Ice Palace's Deputy Mistress. This time he had come carrying someone again. Had Wei Zhao developed a craving for carrying people? Every time he visited the Ice Palace he brought someone along? Or did he carry someone on his back whenever he went out? What sort of habit was that?

Be that as it may, Manager Li did not dare ask. He walked carefully ahead, leading Wei Zhao toward the Ice Palace.

This was not Wei Zhao's first visit to the Ice Palace, though last time, because of the strength of his party, they had not taken the shortest route.

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