Chapter 15: Someone Poisoned the Food

"Going back on my word?" Tang Susu rebuked him. "Is that how you speak to an elder of your sect?"

Song Yanqing could barely suppress his anger. He shook his head. "This disciple simply cannot understand!" With that, he dropped to his knees with a thud, kowtowed, and pleaded, "This disciple truly likes Senior Sister Tang. If there is the slightest falsehood in my heart, may Heaven strike me dead! Elder, I beg you to grant my wish!"

Tang Susu let him kowtow several times before looking down at him. "Granting your wish isn't impossible. Are you willing to become Sect Leader of the Shangqing Sect? If you agree to take the position, then Niu Youdao need not even be considered. I will have Tang Yi marry you immediately. What do you say?"

"This..." Song Yanqing raised his head, the corner of his mouth twitching.

It was not as though he had never entertained the idea. But his father in the capital had already warned him that the Shangqing Sect's ties to Prince Ning, Shang Jianbo, were too tangled to explain away and could easily provoke the emperor's suspicion. The Song clan occupied high office and could not touch that position.

Song Yanqing was not so foolish that he could not distinguish what mattered more. Besides, with his family background, he had no need to borrow glory from the office of Sect Leader. Why take on endless work merely to invite trouble upon himself?

"This disciple's abilities are limited. I cannot shoulder such a heavy responsibility," he answered weakly, lowering his head.

Tang Susu said calmly, "In that case, you might try persuading your father. If your father is willing to assume the position of Sect Leader of the Shangqing Sect, I will still give Tang Yi to you in marriage."

"How can a son make decisions for his father?" Song Yanqing replied guiltily.

If he himself could not touch this position, his father had even less reason to. How could he fail to understand something so obvious?

Tang Susu's eyes flickered. "Very well. No one will force either father or son into such a matter. Let me ask you something else. Do you want Tang Yi to become Sect Leader?"

Song Yanqing abruptly raised his head, eyes full of hope. "Of course! This disciple naturally hopes Senior Sister can become Sect Leader. If she does, I would be ten thousand times delighted."

Tang Susu cursed him for a fool in her heart. If neither father nor son was willing to touch the position themselves, how could the Song clan possibly allow him to marry the Sect Leader of the Shangqing Sect? From the moment they decided Tang Yi would inherit the leadership, he and Tang Yi had already been destined to have no future together.

Still, she patiently asked, "Before Sect Leader Tang Mu passed away, the successor he designated was Dong Guo Haoran. Now Dong Guo Haoran has also met with disaster. According to the sect rules, who should inherit the position next?"

"This..." Song Yanqing hesitated for a long time before reluctantly forcing out a name. "Niu Youdao!" Then he immediately argued with renewed force, "But Niu Youdao already gave up the position of his own accord!"

Tang Susu said, "How he gave it up hardly needs explaining. Everyone knows perfectly well what happened. No one objected because they knew he was unsuitable to lead the Shangqing Sect. But once that was done, who else in the sect had the standing to take command? Everyone thought highly of your father and son's background and hoped one of you might step forward to lead the Shangqing Sect back to prosperity. For certain reasons, neither of you was willing. The three of us old fellows do have the standing, but the Shangqing Sect has rules specifically meant to restrain people like us. Once someone has withdrawn into the position of Elder, they may not return to take the Sect Leadership. Originally, Wei Duo would have been the most suitable. Unfortunately, he stutters. Making him Sect Leader would only make people laugh that the Shangqing Sect had no one else. Besides, Wei Duo is stubborn to the point of absurdity. He clings to Sect Leader Tang's final command and keeps shouting that once the rules are broken, disaster begins. He would not stop spouting that nonsense, so we had no choice but to punish him by sending him to the rear mountain to face the wall and reflect on his mistakes. As for everyone else, after Niu Youdao was made to withdraw under circumstances like those, who would willingly step forward and shoulder the infamy? Every one of them is protecting himself and staying out of trouble."

Even Tang Susu could not help sighing inwardly as she spoke. Ultimately, the Shangqing Sect had fallen too far. It was already battered by wind and rain, its future full of danger. Being the one at the front was no easy task. If this were still the sect's prosperous era, there would probably be a crowd of people willing to step forward and fight over the position.

Song Yanqing said, "That is exactly why this disciple believes Senior Sister is the most suitable person to take charge!"

Tang Susu gave a faint sound of acknowledgment. "Tang Yi is the daughter of the previous Sect Leader. At a moment like this, if she does not step forward and shoulder the burden, who will? But everyone among the inner disciples knows exactly how this position is being obtained. How is she supposed to command their obedience? And how can she prove that Tang Yi is not acting out of selfish ambition? If she wants to bear this responsibility, she must pay a price. Do you think she actually wants to marry Niu Youdao? If she intends to sit in that position, she must give Niu Youdao an accounting. She is sacrificing herself to provide an explanation to everyone inside and outside the Shangqing Sect. Do you understand?"

As she spoke, Tang Susu took a letter from her sleeve and tossed it down before Song Yanqing's knees. "This is a letter your father just sent from the capital. Read it yourself."

Song Shu might be her disciple, but there were some Shangqing Sect matters she still had no choice but to discuss with him and seek his opinion on. The degree of support the Song clan gave the Shangqing Sect was at stake. Song Shu's reply also approved of Tang Yi taking over as Sect Leader.

Song Yanqing picked up the letter and opened it. His face immediately filled with misery. His father, Song Shu, sternly warned him not to entertain improper thoughts and ordered him to submit to Tang Susu's discipline, or else face severe punishment. After reading the letter, Song Yanqing collapsed onto the floor. His expression dimmed, his heart seeming to bleed...

After sending Song Yanqing away, Tang Susu went to the rear courtyard and found Luo Yuangong and Su Po waiting for her in a pavilion over a game of chess.

At her arrival, both men stopped. Luo Yuangong looked at her and asked, "Have matters with the Song clan been settled?"

Tang Susu glanced at the position on the chessboard and said, "I just sent Song Yanqing away. As long as Song Shu has no objections, that represents the Song clan's position, and everything else is manageable. The problem now is that Song Yanqing is extremely upset. He will never swallow the loss he has taken because of Niu Youdao. That spoiled young master may not dare do anything openly, but who knows what he might try against Niu Youdao in secret? In any case, the arrangement is almost settled. Nothing can happen to Niu Youdao at this point. If some accident really does befall him, none of us will be able to explain it to the disciples above and below. Even if Tang Yi had a hundred mouths after taking the position, she still couldn't explain herself. Everyone would suspect she had done it. The consequences would be endless. Senior Brother Su, I need you to arrange trustworthy people and take special care over this matter. Peach Blossom Spring can no longer be left under Song Yanqing's control."

"Mm." Luo Yuangong also nodded toward Su Po in agreement.

Su Po said nothing. He simply rose and left. Tang Susu watched him go, her gaze calm and resolute. To clear every obstacle from Tang Yi's path to the position, she had exhausted herself in planning. Her husband had died for the Shangqing Sect. Her son had died for the Shangqing Sect. Now even her nephew had died for the Shangqing Sect. Her family had sacrificed far too much for it.

She had long since come to guard the Shangqing Sect as though it were her own family estate...

"I am Tu Han. From today onward, I will be responsible for your food and daily needs."

At Peach Blossom Spring, Chen Guishuo and Xu Yitian had both disappeared. In their place stood a broad, one-eyed man leaning on a crutch. His voice was hoarse and muffled, as though his throat too had been damaged. A closer look revealed a scar across his neck, apparently from a blade. His vocal cords had likely been injured.

Niu Youdao could not help studying this lame man with the crutch. His skin was dark, and a bristling beard covered his cheeks and jaw. Perhaps because a blade scar crossed one eye, his face looked particularly fierce, the sort of face that could make a child cry merely by appearing in front of one.

"Much obliged, much obliged!" Niu Youdao said politely as he accepted the food box from him.

Tu Han asked, "Anything else?"

Niu Youdao tried probing him. "Why did they change the people watching me?"

He was already worried that Song Yanqing might make a move against him. For the guards to be replaced at this exact time—was this Song Yanqing's doing, or someone else's? At the question, Tu Han said nothing at all. He turned and walked away on his crutch. Niu Youdao was speechless.

Apparently he had encountered another person who had no interest in talking to him.

Several days later, Peach Blossom Spring began filling with festive lanterns and colored silk. A group of Shangqing Sect disciples busied themselves inside and outside the residence, preparing for the auspicious date two days away. From another cliff, Song Yanqing watched from a distance, jealousy burning inside him.

He had remained in this wilderness for Tang Yi's sake for all these years. The meat had practically reached his mouth, only for someone to suddenly thrust himself between them and snatch it away. If the rival had been the disciple of some famous sect, Song Yanqing might have swallowed it. But this was a country bumpkin from some village. How was he supposed to endure the humiliation?

And now he was expected to stand there and watch the two of them bow before Heaven and Earth and become husband and wife? The more he thought about it, the more impossible it became to swallow. At last, he turned and descended the mountain. The food boxes for Peach Blossom Spring were delivered on a regular schedule.

One disciple carrying a food box had just crossed a wooden bridge when Xu Yitian and Chen Guishuo stepped out and blocked his way.

"Senior Brothers, orders came down from above that you two no longer need to trouble yourselves with meal delivery," the disciple said politely.

Because the pair had alternated in bringing food to Peach Blossom Spring for so long, he misunderstood why they had stopped him.

Song Yanqing emerged from behind a nearby boulder and walked over. He held out a hand. "Give it here. I'll inspect it."

"This..." The disciple looked troubled.

Song Yanqing simply snatched the food box from him and carried it behind the boulder.

"Senior Brother Song..." The disciple anxiously tried to follow, but Xu Yitian and Chen Guishuo both shifted across his path.

He opened his mouth, then stopped. He did not dare offend Song Yanqing. Who in the Shangqing Sect did not know the man's background? Even the Elders were wary of him. How could an ordinary disciple dare provoke him? Fortunately, Song Yanqing seemed merely to give the food a casual inspection. Before long, he came back out from behind the rock and handed the box over.

"I've checked it. There's no problem. Go deliver it."

He waved the disciple away. The disciple left meekly with the box. Even so, he remained a little uneasy. After walking some distance, he found a secluded place, opened the box, and inspected it. Everything inside looked untouched. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. He continued to the mountainside below Peach Blossom Spring, where there was a stone cave. Tu Han was staying there temporarily.

After handing the food box to Tu Han, the disciple headed back. Tu Han opened the box and took out a silver hairpin. He dipped it into white powder from a porcelain vial, then inserted it into the dishes one by one to test them. The moment he withdrew it from the first dish, the spot where the food had been pierced immediately turned black.

Someone had poisoned the food!

Tu Han's face changed sharply. His features were fierce to begin with; now they looked even more terrifying. In a flash, he was outside the cave. Without hesitation, he turned over the edge of the nearly twenty-zhang cliff and floated down. He intercepted the descending mountain path just in time to block the disciple who had delivered the meal.

Tu Han seized him by the front of his robes and asked in a deep voice, "Did anything happen while you were carrying that food box here?"

The disciple jumped in fright, completely unaware what had happened. After Tu Han repeatedly shoved him and pressed him for an answer, the disciple had no choice but to explain how he had encountered Song Yanqing on the way.

"Come with me!"

Tu Han grabbed him and dragged him away.

[End of Chapter 15]