Chapter 1637 — Lies: Only at the New Year of the second year are outer-court disciples permitted to return to the clan to visit their families; during this time they may not contact the clan at will.

Only after Yu Bing entered the outer court of the Ice Palace did he learn of this rule. He had wanted to write a letter home explaining the matter of the Qi-Gathering Pill, but now that was impossible too. He did not know that Wei Zhao had already reached a certain agreement with the Ice Palace, nor that Wei Zhao's woman had become the Ice Palace's next Palace Master; and so Yu Bing still regarded himself as an ordinary member, and had never once dared to make any excessive demand.

As for Feng Xiaoxiao becoming the Palace Master's junior sister, that was something known only within the inner court. The outer-court disciples knew only that the Palace Master had taken a disciple on her master's behalf, and none of them had ever laid eyes on Feng Xiaoxiao.

And Yu Shan, once an outstanding disciple of the Hidden Yu family, in no way inferior to Yu Bing, was now a cripple. To restore his cultivation would take far more than one or two Meridian-Unblocking Pills; every meridian in his body had been severed, and the pills could do nothing for him.

The Meridian-Unblocking Pill works thus: if the damage to the meridians is not extensive, they can be restored; but if more than half the meridians in the body are ruined, the pill is useless, and only a higher-grade elixir can repair them. And if ninety percent of the body's meridians are destroyed, then perhaps only a legendary first-grade Mystic-rank pill could save the man.

But if one hundred percent of the meridians in the body are destroyed, then presumably... only Wei Zhao could repair them.

"I have already reported the matter to the Old Master through Yu Yi. Everything must wait until the Old Master comes out of seclusion before a decision is made!" Yu Xiaochen said coldly. The affair involved his own son and his nephew, and the nephew had been reduced to a cripple besides; this was not something he could handle. However he handled it, he would be suspected of favoritism, so it was better to let Old Master Yu be the judge.

"Fine. I would like to see how you, the patriarch, my elder brother, intend to handle this matter!" the second son of the Yu family said furiously.

The Yu family's Old Ancestor had for many years been in seclusion on the mountain and had not come down, but this time, with such a great affair in the family, he had no choice but to descend the mountain and enter the conference room. He cast a faint glance at the ruined Yu Shan, his face expressionless, as though Yu Shan were not his own grandson at all, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

"Father!"

"Grandfather!"

"Old Ancestor!"

Everyone in the Yu family conference room rose to greet the Old Ancestor, but he waved a hand, motioning them to sit, then glanced at Yu Shan and asked directly: "Yu Shan, you say Yu Bing colluded with outsiders to wound you?"

"Yes, Grandfather!" Yu Shan said, his eyes brimming with hatred.

His heart was full of grievance. Why—why! Why should Yu Bing become an outer-court disciple of the Ice Palace while he could not? He had such a powerful backer, and yet he had still not bested Yu Bing. He could not accept it!

So he decided that, before Yu Bing returned, he would weave a lie and make the Yu family believe that Yu Bing had framed him. Then the Old Ancestor would pity him, feel he owed him, and give him a miraculous medicine to heal his wounds, so that his meridians might be restored and he could cultivate again.

He did not yet know that his injuries were essentially beyond recovery; he was still lost in his beautiful dream. And the reason Yu Shan dared to lie so boldly was that he had made careful inquiries: Yu Bing had not contacted the family for so long, and the family had received only a single notice from the Ice Palace. Presumably Yu Bing was temporarily unable to contact the family—so he felt free to spout lies and slander Yu Bing.

"Who did he collude with?" the Old Ancestor asked with a nod.

"Wei Zhao!" Yu Shan said. "That Wei Zhao—his alias is Ling Yi, but his real name is Wei Zhao. I have already investigated him. He is a late Mystic-rank expert..."

"Wei Zhao?" The Old Ancestor frowned slightly at the name, then asked: "Oh. Then who did you collude with, that you could not beat them?"

"I colluded with..." Yu Shan instinctively wanted to say "Zhao Qitan" and "Feng Nitian," but he sensed something was wrong and hastily corrected himself: "I did not collude with anyone. I merely formed a small team with a few others; it is normal for teams to fight over spoils. But Yu Bing incited Wei Zhao to beat me into serious injury..."

At this point Yu Shan deliberately omitted Feng Nitian. If he brought Feng Nitian into it, he would lose every advantage; to have been in league with a scion of an ancient family and still fail to beat Wei Zhao and Yu Bing would be utterly humiliating.

"Oh, so that is how it is. Who was on your team? Who can bear witness for you?" From beginning to end, apart from a flicker of expression at the name Wei Zhao, the Old Ancestor's face remained blank. "Yu Bing is now cultivating in the Ice Palace and cannot contact the family. Surely I cannot judge on your word alone?"

"My injuries are the best proof, Grandfather!" Yu Shan said hurriedly. "I was in a team with Zhao Qitan of the Hidden Zhao family. If you do not believe me, you may ask Zhao Qitan!"

"Neither you nor Zhao Qitan could beat Wei Zhao? Is this Wei Zhao so formidable?" The Old Ancestor frowned again.

This was not the first time he had heard the name Wei Zhao—he had heard it several times. The first time was because of Xiaoning: it was said that Xiaoning had fallen for a man named Wei Zhao, and at the time the Old Ancestor had taken some interest in him.

Whatever sort of person Wei Zhao might be, he was the first man his most beloved granddaughter had ever loved, so naturally the Old Ancestor would pay him some attention. But once he had investigated Wei Zhao's strength, he had decisively had Yu Xiaochen tell Yu Ning to give up the idea.

Ridiculous—an early Yellow-rank expert wanting to marry the Yu family's princess was simply absurd.

Still, the Old Ancestor had retained some impression of the name; yet that name had become a taboo in the Hidden Yu family, not to be spoken aloud.

The second time he heard Wei Zhao's name was because of the secular Yu family: word came that Wei Zhao had killed several members of the secular Yu family and had already become a Mystic-rank expert.

Of course, what astonished the Old Ancestor was not that Wei Zhao had become a Mystic-rank expert—a Mystic-rank expert was nothing in his eyes. What astonished him was that Wei Zhao had such nerve, daring to oppose the secular Yu family, and not only opposing them but killing several of their people.

Even so, the Old Ancestor had no intention of standing up for the secular Yu family. If anyone was to step forward, it would be Yu Huoxing; a man as profit-minded as he was would never trouble himself with such matters.

And now, hearing the name Wei Zhao once more, the Old Ancestor was greatly shocked. Late Mystic rank already? His rate of advancement was fast indeed! And this time, for the first time, the Old Ancestor entertained the thought of dealing with Wei Zhao.

: