Chapter 42
Chapter 42: Waiting for Zhao Ling’er to Provide a Reason to Strike
“Ling’er, you’d better hurry over. Zhou Yan has already started taking over the Zhou family head’s authority and now controls about thirty percent of the Zhou family’s power. If you’re not here, I alone probably won’t be able to stop that dog Zhou Yan. With both of us here, using our status, we might be able to hold him off—at least until Wan’er’s poison takes effect, which shouldn’t be a problem.”
“I refuse to believe that dog Zhou Yan would still have designs on a dead person.”
On the other end of the call, Sheng Minglan, after explaining the situation, urged Zhao Ling’er to come quickly.
“Minglan, I’m afraid I can’t leave right now. But don’t worry, I won’t let Wan’er die from the poison. I have a way to save her.”
Zhao Ling’er responded solemnly to Sheng Minglan’s words.
“Ling’er, what do you mean?”
“You know Wan’er’s poison is incurable. What could you possibly use to save her? And more importantly, Wan’er doesn’t have much time left. What could be keeping you? I know you went back to Tianhai because your grandfather was critically ill, but didn’t you say he’s already recovered? If your grandfather is fine, what could possibly be holding you in Tianhai?”
Hearing Zhao Ling’er’s words, Sheng Minglan assumed she was unwilling to come, and her tone turned cold.
“Minglan, I really do have medicine to save Wan’er. Fine, I’ll see if I can find a way to make a quick trip to your side. If I can’t, I’ll have someone deliver the medicine. Once you give it to Wan’er, she’ll recover. After she’s better, bring her to Tianhai. Once she’s here, I’m confident I can protect her.” Zhao Ling’er explained to Sheng Minglan.
“Ling’er, do you really have a way to save Wan’er? And a way to convince your grandfather to protect her? I spoke to my grandfather before, and he said if it were me in this situation, the Sheng family, even if weaker than the Zhou family, would never let Zhou Yan touch me. But Wan’er is an outsider. He wouldn’t use too much of the family’s power to protect her. If Zhou Yan uses enough force to cause significant losses to the Sheng family, he’d hand Wan’er over immediately.
“That’s why I didn’t bring Wan’er to the Sheng family. Otherwise, it’d be like sending a sheep into a tiger’s den. With Zhou Yan’s obsession with Wan’er, he’d definitely use substantial resources to pressure my grandfather into handing her over. If my grandfather agrees, Wan’er would face pressure from both the Sheng and Zhou families, and I wouldn’t be able to stop it.
“If you really have medicine to save Wan’er, it’s best not to bring her to the Zhao family. I’m worried your grandfather might hand her over too. The best option is, after Wan’er recovers, I’ll find a way to send her abroad. The Zhou family has influence overseas, but the situation there is complex, and it’s vast. As long as Wan’er hides well, Zhou Yan will never find her.”
Hearing Zhao Ling’er’s words, which didn’t sound like a lie, Sheng Minglan half-believed her claim about saving Luo Wan’er. But when Zhao Ling’er mentioned bringing Wan’er to Tianhai for protection, Sheng Minglan immediately pointed out the risks, urging her to abandon the idea.
“Minglan, don’t worry. I’m confident I can mobilize the full strength of the Zhao family to protect Wan’er, and my grandfather will support me. I can’t explain the details, but you just need to know I can protect Wan’er.” Zhao Ling’er said confidently.
“Alright, if you’re so sure, I’ll trust you. Come quickly, or send the medicine. Wan’er can’t hold on much longer.” Sheng Minglan replied.
“Mm.” Zhao Ling’er nodded and hung up the phone. “Mr. Ye is in seclusion right now, and he said not to disturb him unless it’s urgent. But if I leave without permission, that would be a grave mistake. Wan’er’s situation is urgent to me, but to Mr. Ye, it’s probably insignificant. I can’t disturb him over this. It seems I’ll have to find a way to send the Rejuvenation Pill first.”
After hanging up, Zhao Ling’er murmured to herself in her room, caught in a dilemma.
Hearing Zhao Ling’er’s conflicted words through his divine sense, Ye Yang immediately decided to pause his cultivation and go out to allow Zhao Ling’er to travel to where Luo Wan’er was.
Although his top-tier cultivation talent meant pausing for even a moment was a significant loss, this loss was negligible compared to the opportunity to have Zhao Ling’er bring back two individuals with top-tier special physiques.
Ye Yang had previously pondered how to get Zhao Ling’er or Zhao Qingzhi to encounter Sheng Minglan and Luo Wan’er, recognize their top-tier special physiques, and bring them to him in a reasonable way. Now, an opportunity had presented itself.
If Zhao Ling’er went, she could directly sense the top-tier special physiques of Sheng Minglan and Luo Wan’er, which might spark the idea of recommending them to join Kunlun. At the same time, it would provide a natural opportunity for Zhao Ling’er to use Kunlun’s power to deal with Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan, this reckless fool who dared to covet Luo Wan’er and even forced her to take poison, was already a dead man in Ye Yang’s eyes. However, as the master of Kunlun, Ye Yang couldn’t act against Zhou Yan without a valid reason. He needed a justification.
The justification Ye Yang needed was the same one Zhao Ling’er required. Neither Sheng Minglan nor Zhao Ling’er had considered confronting Zhou Yan directly; their focus was solely on protecting Luo Wan’er. The primary reason was Zhou Yan’s status.
Even Zhao Ling’er, now a transcendent member of Kunlun, didn’t dare to directly oppose him. Through his soul-reading technique, Ye Yang sensed that Zhao Ling’er’s hesitation stemmed from fear of displeasing him.
The Zhou family, like the Yao family, was a top-tier prominent family. Zhao Ling’er worried that the Zhou family might also have individuals with aptitude who could join Kunlun. If she acted against Zhou Yan, it could provoke retaliation from the Zhou family.
With the power the Zhao family gained from Kunlun, dealing with the Zhou family would be easy. But if the Zhou family had individuals with aptitude and the Zhao family destroyed them, and Ye Yang found out, he might think the Zhao family was suppressing others with aptitude to secure their position in Kunlun.
Thus, Zhao Ling’er hadn’t considered confronting Zhou Yan, only focusing on using the Zhao family’s current power to protect Luo Wan’er and make Zhou Yan back off.
To this, Ye Yang could only say Zhao Ling’er was overthinking. A dog like Zhou Yan, who dared to covet his woman, could die a million times, and Ye Yang wouldn’t care. Even wiping out the entire Zhou family behind him was inconsequential. Earth had plenty of top-tier forces; one less Zhou family wouldn’t make a difference, nor would one more.
By going out to see Zhao Ling’er now and allowing her to meet Luo Wan’er and Sheng Minglan, Ye Yang was giving her the reason to deal with Zhou Yan. As long as Zhao Ling’er recommended Luo Wan’er and Sheng Minglan to him, he would have a legitimate reason to ask Luo Wan’er if she had any unresolved matters.
Given Luo Wan’er’s unyielding character—choosing to break rather than bend—she would surely reveal Zhou Yan’s actions against her. At that point, Ye Yang could naturally instruct the Zhao and Yao families, already part of Kunlun, to deal with the Zhou family.
This would set off a chain reaction. The Zhao and Yao families had already begun using Kunlun’s power to visit major prominent families, collecting elixirs and searching for those with aptitude. Once Ye Yang gave the order to target the Zhou family, they would leverage these forces, rallying the families they’d contacted to join in the attack. With so many forces united, the Zhou family would be insignificant, and Zhou Yan, a mere individual, would be utterly doomed.