Chapter 1645 — A Loss of Face

"Of course I did!" Wei Zhao let Feng Xiaoxiao hold on to him, though inwardly he was rather startled: "You've actually become an early-stage Yellow-rank expert already?"

"Yes, only early-stage Yellow rank—still a long way from you!" Feng Xiaoxiao said, a little dejected. She had meant to come back only after reaching the Heaven rank, to show off a bit to Wei Zhao, but since the chance to visit her family had come up, she had returned first.

"Xiaoxiao!" Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu, and Tang Yun had heard the doorbell too; Wei Zhao had stepped out first, and they had followed right after. Seeing Feng Xiaoxiao draped over Wei Zhao, they were all astonished.

"No way, Xiaoxiao, you've become a Heaven-rank expert?" Shen Yushu stared wide-eyed at her former partner, then said with a bitter face: "I'm still an ordinary person, and you've turned into an expert—so the Prankster Duo is going to disband..."

"Haha! It can't disband!" Seeing that all the women had come out, Feng Xiaoxiao was too embarrassed to keep hanging on Wei Zhao. She jumped down from him and said to Shen Yushu with a grin: "Old partner, long time no see. Without me around, has it been boring for you?"

"It sure has, it sure has—I don't even know who to prank anymore. I can't exactly go pranking Brother Arrowbrand!" Shen Yushu nodded and said: "Now that you're back this time, are you staying? Going to college with us?"

"No, I can't—I only came back with Sister Bingtang to visit her family. Right now I'm only early-stage Yellow rank, so I have to go back!" Feng Xiaoxiao shook her head and said: "I have to reach the Heaven rank before I can fully bring out my yin-cold constitution, and stop being plagued by the yin-cold qi."

"I see..." Shen Yushu was rather disappointed.

"That girl Bingtang came too?" Wei Zhao was somewhat surprised: "Isn't she an orphan? What family does she have to visit? She has relatives in Songshan City?"

"Who are you calling a girl?" Before Feng Xiaoxiao could speak, a cold voice rang out—Bingtang had at some point appeared right in front of Wei Zhao.

"..." Wei Zhao started at her sudden appearance, thinking to himself that these Heaven-rank experts really were no different from ghosts, silent and soundless—he had not sensed a thing! But Wei Zhao was not afraid of her now either; he said calmly: "If you're not a girl, then are you a grown man?"

"Do you have a death wish?" Bingtang was furious at Wei Zhao's words, but because of Feng Xiaoxiao she could not strike! And it was not only Feng Xiaoxiao's sake now—there was Tang Yun as well. If she really laid a hand on Wei Zhao, she could forget about ever acknowledging her family. So Bingtang could only swallow it, glaring coldly at Wei Zhao without making a move.

Wei Zhao had only spoken offhandedly, and had not expected Bingtang to actually let it pass; he found it rather strange. Originally, Wei Zhao had intended to seize the moment when Bingtang flew into a rage to reveal his peak late-stage Yellow rank strength, and then Bingtang would surely wonder why his strength had fallen—that way Wei Zhao would have a reason to ask her how to deal with the Five-Step Qi-Dispersing Powder.

Even if Bingtang did not ask, Feng Xiaoxiao would, but Bingtang had not given Wei Zhao that chance.

And without a pretext, Wei Zhao could not very well ask Bingtang straight out. He and Bingtang were not actually very close, and asking directly would indeed be somewhat humiliating! Back then Wei Zhao had told Bingtang and Xiao Qing, very toughly, that heroes do not ask about origins, and that within two years he would certainly become a Yellow-rank alchemist!

But now he had not the slightest clue about alchemy, and his strength had even dropped—which left Wei Zhao feeling utterly humiliated, especially in front of this little girl of peak late-stage Heaven rank, Bingtang.

"I'm living quite well for the moment. Until I make good on my promise to you about alchemy, I can't die," Wei Zhao said.

"Hmph, hmph..." Hearing his words, Bingtang gave two cold laughs: "Deliberately revealing peak late-stage Yellow rank strength—for me to see?"

"Uh..." Wei Zhao had not expected his scheme to be seen through by Bingtang, and was suddenly a little embarrassed: "Uh, I was poisoned recently, so my strength has declined somewhat..."

"Poisoned?" Feng Xiaoxiao was startled: "Wei Zhao hubby, what poison did you take? Is it serious?"

"Five-Step Qi-Dispersing Powder..." Wei Zhao said with a bitter smile: "For now my strength can only be raised to peak late-stage Yellow rank; the moment I raise it to Profound rank, my strength drains away in an instant and I become an ordinary person..."

"Ah! So overbearing?" Feng Xiaoxiao was startled, and quickly turned to Bingtang: "Sister Bingtang, is there a way to cure the poison? Please help Wei Zhao hubby..."

Wei Zhao was secretly pleased; Feng Xiaoxiao had indeed brought it up on her own—so he would not lose face in front of this Heaven-rank girl.

If Bingtang had been an elder, Wei Zhao would naturally have humbly asked for advice, but the crux of the matter was that Bingtang was just a young girl about his own age; for him to brazenly ask her this and that did make Wei Zhao feel rather awkward!

"Five-Step Qi-Dispersing Powder? You can't even cure such a simple poison, and you still want to be an alchemist?" Bingtang looked at Wei Zhao mockingly.

"It can be cured, but there's one ingredient, spring-coming grass, that I don't have right now," Wei Zhao said, unwilling to show weakness.

Bingtang nodded. It seemed Wei Zhao was not entirely ignorant after all; since he knew about the spring-coming grass, he must know how to cure the poison.

"Sister Bingtang, do we have spring-coming grass in the Ice Palace?" Feng Xiaoxiao asked quickly.

"..." Bingtang patted her smooth forehead, feeling a little faint: "Xiaoxiao, spring-coming grass doesn't grow over in our Ice Palace... Besides, spring-coming grass only exists in spring; only the fresh ones are effective, and the ones now have already withered."

"So that's how it is!" By now Feng Xiaoxiao understood—no wonder Wei Zhao had not yet cured the poison; he lacked the ingredients to make the antidote! But she was not discouraged, and pressed on: "Sister Bingtang, then what should we do now?"

"Nothing to do but wait until next spring to cure it—or perhaps your Wei Zhao hubby has some even more miraculous solution!" Bingtang said blandly: "He's very miraculous, after all—even I, a Heaven-rank girl, am no match."

"There really is no other way. As soon as I break through to Earth rank in one bound, the poison will dissolve of itself. But breaking through from peak late-stage Yellow rank straight to Earth rank is rather difficult," Wei Zhao said with a bitter smile: "I've been trying all along, but without result."

Wei Zhao's words rather surprised Bingtang: to go from peak late-stage Yellow rank straight to Earth rank in one leap? Only an Inheritor could do that, no? By any other means, how could one break through so many levels at once?

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