Chapter 2091 — I'm Afraid You'll Lose

"Stop right there!" A cold, arrogant voice rang out, and a figure stepped in front of Zhao Qibing!

"**Save me!" Zhao Qibing breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the figure before him.

"So you are Wei Zhao? I do not know why you have turned up here, but I warn you—do not try anything reckless!" Elder Bi said coldly. "I know you are formidable, and that any fighter below the Heaven rank is likely no match for you. But this manor has several Heaven-rank experts standing guard!"

"Elder Bi?" Wei Zhao studied the old man before him and matched the face to the name.

"The very same!" Elder Bi said mildly. "It is true that the ancient order, to keep the balance, forbids Heaven-rank experts of the hidden families from going out and stirring up trouble at will. But if you cause any trouble here in my Hidden Zhao Family, and above all if you disrupt our annual Hidden Family Summit, then do not blame us for striking back without mercy. Should the ancient order come asking, they will not do so without hearing our reasons!"

Elder Bi was right. The ancient order did restrain the Heaven-rank experts of the hidden families, but if Wei Zhao came to the Hidden Zhao Family looking for trouble and disrupted the Hidden Family Summit, then even if the ancient order investigated, they would have their pretext.

Of course, Elder Bi was also merely trying to frighten Wei Zhao. The man was peculiar, his strength unfathomable—who knew what trump cards he held behind him? The main objective now was to ensure the Hidden Family Summit proceeded smoothly. Everything else was secondary. If conflict could be avoided, so much the better.

"Oh, I am not here to cause trouble. I am here on behalf of the Hidden Han Family to attend the Hidden Family Summit. It is you who do not welcome us, you who shut us out. If that is how it is, can we not simply leave?" Wei Zhao said, neither servile nor overbearing.

Now that Elder Bi had arrived and had pointed out that Heaven-rank experts were standing guard here, Wei Zhao truly could not strike Zhao Qibing down. If they seized on that as a pretext and the Heaven-rank experts ganged up on him, Wei Zhao would not be able to cope.

"You are here on behalf of the Hidden Han Family to attend the Hidden Family Summit?" Elder Bi was taken aback by Wei Zhao's words.

"Indeed. Does the Hidden Family Summit stipulate that only members of the clan may compete?" Wei Zhao asked coldly.

"That... it does not." Elder Bi shook his head. The rules of the Hidden Family Summit had stood for many years, and naturally there was no rule forbidding fighters from outside the clan to compete. After all, a hidden family was no longer like an ordinary family, where all the core members were of the bloodline. Many members were outsiders by surname; only those of exceptional talent were granted the family surname—members like Zhao Guang'er and Zhao Qijiu.

So if one were to be strict about it, these people were not of the Hidden Zhao Family's bloodline either, and the Hidden Family Summit did allow such members to compete on the family's behalf. It was only that Elder Bi had not expected the Hidden Han Family, a declining clan, to be able to call upon Wei Zhao. What exactly was the relationship between them and Wei Zhao?

Elder Bi narrowed his eyes slightly, weighing the pros and cons in his mind. Wei Zhao was formidable, yes, but his participation would not much affect the overall course of the competition. After all, most of the events were fixed contests, and even with Wei Zhao joining the Hidden Han Family, he could not turn the tide.

Take the car race, for instance. The Hidden Zhao Family was certain to win. Even if Wei Zhao were a god of racing, it would be to no avail, because the Hidden Zhao Family held a trump card.

"Since there is no such rule, why all this pointless talk? If you welcome us, open the gate at once. If you do not, we will turn around and leave!" Wei Zhao said coldly.

"Wei Zhao, this gatekeeper is merely doing his duty. Do not cling to such trifles. Since I have already verified matters, you may naturally come in!" Elder Bi waved a hand, and the gatekeeping ** opened the manor's main gate.

Wei Zhao said nothing more and got straight into the Mercedes. He had come here to compete, not to make trouble.

The Mercedes rolled slowly into the manor. Once inside, members of the Zhao Family were on hand to receive them and arrange their lodging, while Elder Bi hurried back to the council hall to deliver the news. In any case, Wei Zhao's arrival was an unforeseen development, and he had to inform everyone in advance so they could respond.

"Elder Bi, how did it go? Those Hidden Han Family people got put in their place, didn't they?" Old Master Zhao laughed as he saw Elder Bi return.

"Old Master... this..." Elder Bi gave a bitter smile and recounted, point by point, everything that had happened outside the gate.

"What? You say that Wei Zhao is here on behalf of the Hidden Han Family to compete in the summit?" Old Master Zhao was startled.

And the other heads of the hidden families and masters of the various schools, upon hearing Wei Zhao's name, all frowned in unison.

Wei Zhao's name was known to every one of those present. This thorn in the side gave them all a headache.

"Yes, that is what Wei Zhao said!" Elder Bi reported. "But the Hidden Han Family brought only three people—Wei Zhao, Han Tianba, and a third-generation junior whose name I do not yet know."

"Only three people? What sort of game is this?" Old Master Zhao frowned. "Is Wei Zhao going to compete in every event alone?"

"That may not be so. Old Zhao, you overestimate Wei Zhao," said Old Master Tang mildly. "Wei Zhao has some trump cards, true enough, but in these contests that we have carefully arranged, he will not be able to achieve much, will he?"

"That is true enough!" Old Master Zhao nodded after hearing Old Master Tang's words. "Every one of our events has been set up in advance, each drawing on the strengths of our respective families. Take hidden-weapon evasion, for instance—even if a few of our families fought the Tang Family juniors fair and square, we would still be no match for them!"

"Exactly. And take the two-person arena match—however formidable Wei Zhao is alone, he is no match for the Zhuang brothers. Zhuang Niaoqiang and Zhuang Niaopao, the two brothers, work in perfect concert and have fought side by side more times than one can count. Even if the finest juniors of our Hidden Tang Family stepped up, they would have no chance of victory!" Old Master Tang smiled.

Yet Old Master You of the Hidden You Family wore a rather dark expression. The others might not fear Wei Zhao, but he had his worries. "You may not be afraid, but our Hidden You Family's alchemy contest is likely to be lost... That Wei Zhao is an alchemist!"

Old Master You grew furious at the very thought of Wei Zhao. He had already heard how You Panhu had been cheated out of two cauldrons by Wei Zhao, and now, hearing Wei Zhao's name, his anger surged from every quarter at once.

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