Meng Zhao smiled and nodded, signaling Zhou Wangqiao not to stand on ceremony and to sit before they spoke. He then asked,
"The news of Beitang Shu's assassination has already spread like wildfire. In Ji Prefecture, the powerful aristocratic families led by the Meng Family and the Lei Family have launched a purge against the Demonic Path, with considerable gains.
In this grand feast, my Meng Family also slew a Venerable grandmaster of the Hell Path, basking in boundless glory and stealing the limelight.
Now that we are truly on the same side, Senior Zhou will henceforth be an enshrined elder of my Lingwu Meng Family, with a status equal to mine.
In ordinary times, you need only focus on cultivation and protect Meng Family Manor. All cultivation resources will be supplied by my Meng Family.
As for the threat of the Pudu Cult and Monk Huikong, I, Meng Zhao, will naturally shield you from it. What does Senior Zhou think?"
This had been Zhou Wangqiao's purpose in seeking out Meng Zhao in the first place. However, Zhou had a history of backstabbing, and Meng Zhao could not fully trust him, so he gave him this trial as a token of allegiance.
The result was plain to see. Zhou Wangqiao had completed the task and returned safely, so Meng Zhao naturally took him in.
In a sense, the two were now grasshoppers tied to the same string: they would share glory and share ruin.
After all, Meng Zhao possessed information and even evidence that Zhou Wangqiao had assassinated Beitang Shu. And if driven into a corner, Zhou Wangqiao might well choose to let the fish die and the net split, spreading the truth that Meng Zhao was the mastermind behind it all and ruining his reputation.
Each had leverage over