Chapter 20: The Commandery Princess Is Very Ugly

From the implication in Tang Yi's words, and from the fact that this Commandery Princess had suddenly appeared here in person, Niu Youdao began muttering inwardly. It seemed Prince Ning and Dong Guo Haoran had been far closer than he had realized. Could Dong Guo Haoran once have served as one of Prince Ning's retainer cultivators?

Tang Yi gestured toward Niu Youdao and introduced him in turn. "Commandery Princess, this is Niu Youdao. After Martial Uncle Dong Guo met with disaster, Niu Youdao was the only disciple left under him."

Shang Shuqing inclined her head again. "Greetings, Cultivator Niu."

Niu Youdao returned the salute. "Commandery Princess, you're too courteous."

His eyes flicked toward Tang Yi. He still had no idea why this woman had brought the Commandery Princess here.

"Junior Brother, surely you don't intend to leave a guest standing at the gate the entire time?" Tang Yi said.

Junior Brother?

Niu Youdao's brow moved slightly. Damn woman, he cursed inwardly. She used to at least call me husband when she came to see me. Now, in front of an outsider, I'm suddenly Junior Brother? I'm young, handsome, and letting an old cow like you graze on tender grass, and you still think you're getting the short end of the deal?

He only dared say that in his heart.

Outwardly, he quickly extended a welcoming hand. "My apologies for neglecting my guests. Please."

The group entered the courtyard.

Tang Yi looked around as she explained, "Commandery Princess, this was Martial Uncle's place of secluded cultivation while he was alive. Now only Junior Brother remains of Martial Uncle's line. Alas."

"Quiet and elegant. A fine place," Shang Shuqing praised.

They went to the pavilion in the courtyard and sat down. Shang Shuqing removed a long case strapped across her back and placed it beside her. Tang Yi gave Tu Han a look. After pouring tea for everyone, he withdrew. The two women drank and chatted. Niu Youdao said almost nothing from the side.

He knew too little about the Shangqing Sect's circumstances and had no desire to speak too much and accidentally create trouble.

Then Tang Yi set down her teacup and said, "Junior Brother, the Commandery Princess came here to see you."

"Me?"

Niu Youdao pointed at his own nose. He looked from one woman to the other, thoroughly confused. Shang Shuqing lifted the wooden case onto the table and opened it. A long sword lay quietly inside. Niu Youdao still had no idea what it meant. He looked suspiciously at Tang Yi as though asking, Is that for me?

Tang Yi explained calmly, "Years ago, when the Shangqing Sect received Prince Ning's favor, Martial Uncle gave this sword to Prince Ning. He told him that if Prince Ning ever had a request, then so long as it lay within Martial Uncle's power, he would repay that kindness. Now the Commandery Princess has come carrying the sword. Martial Uncle is no longer here, so the debt of gratitude he left behind naturally falls to Junior Brother to repay."

"..."

Niu Youdao was speechless.

Could things really work that way?

Still, he knew perfectly well that this was not a place where anyone cared about his arguments.

He tried asking, "And how am I supposed to repay it?"

Tang Yi answered evenly, "The Commandery Princess is traveling with the young prince this time. They lack a retainer cultivator at their side."

It sounded simple enough. But Niu Youdao was no fool. Now there was a young prince involved too. Given the status of people like them in this world, how could they possibly travel without retainer cultivators? A Commandery Princess had personally come to the Shangqing Sect to invoke an old debt just to ask for an ordinary retainer cultivator?

No matter how he listened, something sounded wrong. He looked at Shang Shuqing. The veiled hat concealed any reaction she might have shown.

"This..." Niu Youdao said reluctantly. "I'm afraid I may not be suitable."

Tang Yi rose. "Junior Brother, come with me for a moment."

Niu Youdao could only follow, his stomach full of suspicion. They entered Peach Blossom Hall and went into an inner room.

Tang Yi abruptly turned and stared at him. "The Shangqing Sect is an upright and renowned sect. A promise from us is worth a thousand pieces of gold. There is no question of going back on our word. Martial Uncle gave his promise all those years ago. If we now break faith, wouldn't the Shangqing Sect become a laughingstock? Martial Uncle is gone. If you don't repay the debt of gratitude he left behind, who will?"

Niu Youdao sighed. "What they want is a retainer cultivator. What am I supposed to count as if I go? Do you honestly think I qualify as one?"

Tang Yi said, "What status do you think they have? Do you believe they're short one ordinary retainer? There are plenty of people in the sect who would gladly serve beside them as cultivators. But they came specifically because of Martial Uncle. What do you expect us to do?"

Niu Youdao looked directly into her eyes and asked quietly, "Do I have no choice but to go?"

Something in his gaze made Tang Yi turn her head away.

"If you refuse, you will disgrace the Shangqing Sect's reputation. Under the sect rules, that calls for severe punishment."

A faint trace of self-mockery touched the corner of Niu Youdao's mouth.

He smiled. "So I don't have a choice. Very well. Since this is a debt Master left behind, I'll repay it."

Once he agreed, Tang Yi said nothing further. She turned and left. When they returned to the courtyard, Niu Youdao accepted the sword. That amounted to formally agreeing. In front of the two women, he held the sword in one hand and drew several inches of blade with a ringing hiss.

Cold light spilled from the steel. Patterns ran along the blade, and a faint killing intent seemed to emanate from it with a chill of its own.

Niu Youdao could not help praising it. "A fine sword!"

Near the hilt were four engraved characters: Loyal Heart, Martyr's Blood. Whether the sword had truly belonged to Dong Guo Haoran, Niu Youdao did not know. But the inscription carried a distinctly tragic, heroic weight.

After Tang Yi said a few more words, Shang Shuqing cupped her hands toward Niu Youdao in thanks. "Thank you, Cultivator Niu."

The sword slid back into its scabbard with a crisp ring.

Niu Youdao looked at her. "Commandery Princess, from beginning to end you've declined to show your true face..."

He had only spoken half the sentence when Tang Yi suddenly snapped, "Junior Brother, don't be rude!"

"It's all right." Shang Shuqing was unexpectedly open about it.

As she spoke, she raised one hand and lifted the veil, revealing her face. Niu Youdao had been somewhat curious. But after one glance, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily. He nearly recoiled in fright. Judging by her voice and figure, he had expected that even if she were not beautiful, she ought at least to be reasonably attractive.

Her voice was so pleasant. Her figure was so graceful. Her bearing was so elegant. Instead, her face looked almost divided between yin and yang. A blue-black birthmark covered most of it, making her genuinely ugly enough to startle someone even in broad daylight. At last he understood why she had kept the gauze veil over her face.

Tang Yi showed no surprise. She had clearly seen Shang Shuqing's face before. She merely shot Niu Youdao a cold glance that seemed to say, Satisfied now?

"This woman's appearance is unsightly. I frightened you, Cultivator Niu." Shang Shuqing showed a faint line of pearly teeth in apology, then lowered the veil again.

Niu Youdao looked embarrassed. He cupped his hands. "I was the one who overstepped. Commandery Princess, please don't take offense."

"Enough." Tang Yi cut off the exchange of courtesies. "It's already late and inconvenient to travel. Pack tonight. Tomorrow morning, accompany the Commandery Princess down the mountain."

"Understood." Niu Youdao nodded.

Tang Yi extended a hand and invited Shang Shuqing to leave with her. Niu Youdao escorted them to the gate. He exchanged a glance with Tu Han, who had been waiting outside, before Tu Han followed the two women away. The brief burst of human activity disappeared with them. Peach Blossom Spring returned to its usual quiet.

The peach blossoms still smiled in the spring breeze. Niu Youdao returned beneath the peach tree and sat down. He drew the sword again and casually dragged its edge across the ground. A deep groove appeared with almost no effort. Extremely sharp. He clicked his tongue inwardly. First there had been the bronze mirror with its hidden mechanism. Now there was this sword.

The forging arts of this world truly did exceed anything he had imagined. His hands toyed with the sword as he admired it, but his thoughts were elsewhere. At last, he could escape this confinement and properly see the world outside. And yet he could not make himself happy. He had clearly sensed something strange about this trip. Whether the strangeness meant fortune or disaster, he knew nothing at all.

He truly had not expected to escape the Shangqing Sect's house arrest in this manner. The sun gradually sank westward. Niu Youdao lay beneath the peach tree blazing like rosy clouds, bathed in the afterglow. Beautiful though the scene was, he remained perfectly still.

No one knew what he was thinking...

Inside a cold, deserted hall, Tang Susu sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion.

Tang Yi entered gracefully, came to her side, and saluted. "Elder."

Tang Susu asked, "Sect Leader, has everything been arranged?"

"Mm." Tang Yi acknowledged it and said nothing more.

Tang Susu asked, "Does Sect Leader feel I've gone too far in handling matters this way?"

Tang Yi replied, "I only think that since it was the Shangqing Sect that received Prince Ning's favor back then, the Shangqing Sect should be the one to repay it. Why push the entire responsibility onto Martial Uncle Dong Guo?"

Tang Susu said, "Is he not a disciple of the Shangqing Sect? Besides, Dong Guo Haoran truly was the one who gave the sword and made that promise. Now Prince Ning's son and daughter have run into trouble. The master gave his word; the disciple repays it. That is perfectly natural. There is nothing improper about it."

Tang Yi lowered her gaze to the floor and sighed softly. "Those siblings aren't fools. Whether Niu Youdao has any real ability or not, they'll discover the truth sooner or later once he travels with them. At that point, they'll naturally understand that the Shangqing Sect was fobbing them off."

Tang Susu said, "So what? If they are truly intelligent, they should understand that this was no time to come asking the Shangqing Sect for help, forcing us into a difficult position. Since they came to our door, an upright sect like ours could hardly break its word. Naturally, we had to honor the promise. We gave them a man. What more do they want?"

"But what we're doing is no different from sending Niu Youdao to his death."

Tang Susu slowly rose and stared into her eyes. "Sect Leader, don't tell me you've genuinely developed feelings for him. There is something you must understand. You carry responsibility for the revival of the Shangqing Sect. We old people supported you into your position because we placed our hopes in you. You cannot forget the greater cause because of romantic sentiment."

Tang Yi shook her head. "Elder is thinking too much. He and I are husband and wife in name only. We've barely even met a few times. What romantic feeling could there possibly be? I merely think that what we're doing hardly resembles the conduct of an upright and renowned sect."

Tang Susu reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Her voice suddenly sharpened.

"Dong Guo Haoran brought all of this on himself! He knew perfectly well that Prince Ning's actions had already provoked the anger of cultivators throughout the realm and that sooner or later Prince Ning would come to a bad end, yet he still dared maintain ties with him. Years ago, Senior Brother wanted Dong Guo Haoran to inherit the position of Sect Leader, only for several of the sect elders to stop it. The facts proved them right. Look at Prince Ning's fate now! If the Shangqing Sect had truly been dragged into all of that, do you think those people would have let us go? And now, at a time like this, Prince Ning's children still come seeking the Shangqing Sect. What are they doing if not bringing trouble to our door? With the Shangqing Sect's present foundations, we genuinely cannot endure another upheaval. One wrong move could bring disaster that wipes out the entire sect. You are the Sect Leader. You should know what matters more!"

Tang Yi said calmly, "Elder seems to have forgotten something. He is my husband in name. If he goes forward on their behalf and news spreads, how is that any different from the Shangqing Sect becoming involved?"

Tang Susu seemed to realize she had lost her composure. Her emotions quickly settled.

"Girl, you don't need to concern yourself with that. I've already made arrangements. There won't be any chance for future entanglements. Your position is secure now. There is no need to leave behind any hidden trouble."

Tang Yi's expression changed sharply. She understood the deeper meaning in those words. Her pupils contracted as she stared fixedly at Tang Susu...

[End of Chapter 20]