Chapter 1107 — Er Goudan Is Here

"The hidden Pi family?" Wei Zhao started slightly. "Is it an entity like the hidden Yu family or the hidden Zhao family?" Not being clear on how the hidden aristocratic families were arranged, Wei Zhao asked.

"Yes. The hidden Pi family's overall strength is a shade stronger than the hidden Zhao family's. I've heard that the Pi family's ancestor is supposedly a peak late-stage Earth Rank expert, only a step from the Heaven Rank — though that is mere rumor, since it has never been verified. And everything the Pi family practices is external-school martial art, which still falls short of the internal school." In a few brief words, Uncle Qing told Wei Zhao what he knew.

"Only a step from the Heaven Rank?" Wei Zhao frowned. He had not expected the hidden Pi family to be so formidable. One had to know that once external-school training reached the late stage, advancing even one step was harder than hard! The external school differed from the internal: the internal school raised its strength through true qi and treasures born of heaven and earth, while the external school raised its through the unceasing tempering of the body!

Put another way, the internal school could be cultivated by oneself alone, but the external school, once it reached a certain level, demanded a partner to drill and spar with — only then could one improve and seize the chance of a breakthrough! To put it bluntly, external skill was much like boxing or sanshou: to get better you needed a sparring partner. Alone, it could not be done!

And since the Pi family's ancestor stood only a step from the Heaven Rank, then by the same reasoning the Pi family, besides this ancestor, must also possess an expert of comparable strength to drill with him. That being so, the Pi family's power was not to be scoffed at!

"Yes. But as things stand, the Pi family and the Xiao family are partners and nothing more; for the time being the Xiao family will not use the Pi family's people to take their revenge on us," Uncle Qing said.

"By the way, what strength are the experts the Pi family sent to the Xiao family?" Wei Zhao asked.

"One is at the peak of the late Profound Rank, the other at the early Profound Rank. Both are external-school experts," Uncle Qing said.

"An early Profound Rank is hardly a threat. A peak late Profound Rank... hmm... that is rather troublesome." Wei Zhao's brows drew tightly together. He himself was an internal-school expert at the mid Profound Rank: against an external expert at the peak of the mid Profound Rank or in the late Profound Rank he still had a certain measure of confidence, but against a peak late Profound Rank opponent he had none whatsoever. Unless he deployed an ultimate finishing move such as an energy bomb — yet a gambit that slew a thousand of the enemy at the cost of eight hundred of his own was not something Wei Zhao would resort to unless there were no alternative. The consequences it wrought were far too perilous, and he had to weigh the matter carefully.

"Ah... if only I could recover the strength of my former peak." Uncle Qing sighed, speaking with helpless regret. "If I were to break through to the Profound Rank now — even the early Profound Rank — I could be of use. With the two of us combining our strength, we would not necessarily have to fear that peak late Profound Rank expert. But as it stands, though I am only a step from the Profound Rank, that step still represents an entire tier..."

Hearing this, Wei Zhao could not help nodding. It was true: he could fight above his own level against stronger opponents, but Uncle Qing could not. He owed that to the purity of the true qi he absorbed and to the superiority of his cultivation method!

If only he could hand the true qi stored in the jade pendant over for Uncle Qing's use — but that was easier said than done. Energy was not like other things; Wei Zhao even wondered whether he could bottle it up and take it out when needed. But that was pure fantasy!

"Send generals against their soldiers, raise earth against their flood. If they turn up, I won't necessarily fear them." Inwardly Wei Zhao had no confidence at all, but to give Uncle Qing heart he could say nothing else.

"I will keep a constant watch on their movements. As long as they don't come looking for trouble, we will let them be," Uncle Qing replied.

In truth, Xiao Ji and Xiao Ben did very much want to make trouble for the Gu family and Wei Zhao — they had their eyes on the Gu family's estate. Their little scheme had been worked out beautifully: the Pi family would certainly avenge Uncle Pi, and when that came to pass they would quite naturally go after the Gu family themselves. But now it appeared the Pi family could not have cared less whether Uncle Pi lived or died; neither Pi Zhishan nor Pi Zhihai, nor the two experts who came afterward, had shown the slightest intention of visiting him in the hospital!

So though Xiao Ji and Xiao Ben harbored such thoughts, with the Pi family remaining silent they did not dare presume to act on their own. After all, Pi Zhishan had spoken plainly enough back then: the Pi family's experts would lend a hand only when the Xiao family ran into trouble — they were not the Xiao family's hired fists. Thus Xiao Ji and Xiao Ben dared not order the Pi family's people to do anything.

"Second brother, why don't we discuss it with Master Pi and Brother Pi — go and make some trouble for the Gu family? It would at least bring in a tidy lump of capital!" Only once he had settled the two Pi family experts in did Xiao Ji join Xiao Ben in the study, where the two of them laid plans over the Xiao family's future.

"We can't. The two Pi family experts are nothing like Uncle Pi was. Young Master Pi was perfectly clear: they act only when our Xiao family meets trouble and obstruction — and it would not do for us to be ordering people about, would it?" Xiao Ben said.

"But when we go to the Gu family for money, it is to do business for the Pi family too! The Pi family's interests and ours are bound together now!" Xiao Ji said.

"That much is true. But we are not yet familiar with the two Pi family experts; we haven't got the measure of their tempers. Even if we mean to act, we should wait a while — wait until we know them, and then we can talk. By then, things will be far easier to arrange!" Xiao Ben said. "Right now our Xiao family has no shortage of start-up capital whatsoever. Whoever comes to partner with us will supply the funds!"

"Fair enough — once we know them, talking comes easy!" Xiao Ji nodded. "It is you who has the sharper eye, little brother!"

This was the first time Er Goudan had left home. On the train, he kept Grandpa Lin's words firmly in mind: he spoke not a word, and simply went about his own business.

A few swindlers on the train had their eye on Er Goudan, but seeing that he ignored every last person under the sun, they one and all gave up. There was nothing for it: to men like them, a country bumpkin such as Er Goudan was the hardest mark of all to work. He would not talk, would not sleep — there was simply no opening to exploit.

Thus the journey passed without incident, and he arrived safe and sound at Songshan City railway station.

Yu Xiaoke had been thoroughly wretched these past few days, so much so that she had very nearly turned from Yu Xiaoke into Gloomy Ke. The city police bureau had launched a special drive against theft, and Yu Xiaoke had expected it to be over in a few days; but half a month had passed and the drive was still going, with no sign whatever of stopping!

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