Chapter 36: All Ties Severed

The moment that secret came out, Niu Youdao was genuinely stunned.

Sect Leader?

Not even in his dreams had he imagined that simply because Dong Guo Haoran had accepted him as a disciple in that ruined temple, he had somehow become the rightful Sect Leader of the Shangqing Sect. It took him quite a while to digest the revelation. Even then, he still found it difficult to believe. At this moment, countless things that had never made sense finally fell into place. Doubts that had lingered for years cleared as though clouds had parted to reveal the sun. At last he understood why Tang Susu had tried to kill him the instant she saw him, without even giving him a chance to explain himself. At last he understood why they had confined him to Peach Blossom Spring and refused to let him have any contact with the outside world.

They had not wanted him to learn about the situation inside the Shangqing Sect. They had not wanted him to know the sect rules. Because once he knew and stepped forward, the sect rules themselves would stand behind him, making him difficult to suppress. At last he understood why one day they had suddenly summoned him to Shangqing Palace and, in front of everyone, asked whether he wanted to become Sect Leader. It had been a trap from beginning to end, designed to make him reject the position himself. At last he understood why they had abruptly forced him and Tang Yi to bow through the wedding rites. Put plainly, it had been an explanation to everyone in the Shangqing Sect, proof that they had not mistreated Niu Youdao.

It had also made Tang Yi's succession appear far more legitimate. The Sect Leader had become his wife.

What better explanation could there be?

At last he understood why the Shangqing Sect had refused to give him so much as a scrap of cultivation resources. They had feared that if he rose too quickly, certain matters would no longer stay hidden. At last he understood why they had wanted to kill him outside the Shangqing Sect rather than within it. Too many people inside the sect were watching. Niu Youdao had committed no wrong. Who would dare openly kill the man who, by the sect's own rules, should originally have been Sect Leader? So they pushed him onto Shang Chaozong's side instead. Given Shang Chaozong's circumstances, an accident happening to Niu Youdao would have been perfectly normal. Niu Youdao also understood why Tang Susu had insisted on killing him.

Just as Song Yanqing had said, many people in the Shangqing Sect knew Tang Yi had not obtained the Sect Leadership in an entirely honorable way. Who could guarantee that someday circumstances would not change and someone would stand up and use Niu Youdao to reopen the matter? Once Tang Yi's position had stabilized, Niu Youdao had become a hidden danger. Even if only for the sake of preserving unity within the Shangqing Sect, he had to be removed.

"Heh... pathetic. Ridiculous..."

Niu Youdao shook his head and laughed softly. There was bitterness in that smile. All that scheming and deception had actually produced a result like this. After all the circling around, it turned out he was the one who should have been Sect Leader of the Shangqing Sect. The bronze mirror Dong Guo Haoran gave him had never needed to be handed to Tang Mu. Nor had it needed to be handed to the Shangqing Sect. He could have kept it himself all along. If the Shangqing Sect had acted openly and honorably, allowed him to become Sect Leader, and supported his cultivation with all its resources, Niu Youdao believed he would have cultivated there in peace. He would have regarded the Shangqing Sect as his home in this world and done everything in his power to repay it.

What a fine outcome that could have been.

Why had things needed to become like this?

Yuan Gang remained silent. He had heard some of the background from Master Dao before, but even he had never imagined such a secret lay beneath it all. Beneath her hanging veil, Shang Shuqing's bright eyes were full of sympathy as she looked at Niu Youdao. When she first met him at Peach Blossom Spring, she had thought he was living there carefree and at ease. She had never imagined he had been under house arrest for years, forbidden even to take a single step down the mountain. Shang Chaozong had not expected that the man before him should originally have been Sect Leader of the Shangqing Sect either. His position had been forcibly stripped from him without his knowledge, and now they had even tried to kill him halfway down the road.

The treachery involved was dangerous indeed. Lan Ruoting sighed softly.

"I know something of the Shangqing Sect's rules. There is indeed such a provision. To prevent excessive internal strife over succession, each Sect Leader is designated by the previous Sect Leader. And to prevent senior figures from seizing power, Elders and similar positions are likewise restrained by sect rules. Once someone is promoted to Elder, he loses the right to compete for the Sect Leadership. Unfortunately, there is no perfectly safe system beneath Heaven. In the end, someone still found a way around the rules."

Whatever else might be said, the three of them had now confirmed one thing. Niu Youdao truly was the genuine disciple personally accepted by Dong Guo Haoran.

"Junior Brother, it wasn't my doing. It really had nothing to do with me. I was only obeying orders. Junior Brother, save me..."

Song Yanqing lay on the ground barely clinging to life, still desperately shifting blame away from himself. His external wounds were severe, but his internal injuries were serious as well. He had lost too much blood, leaving his face pale and completely drained of color. He whimpered for mercy. Everyone looked toward Niu Youdao to see how he would handle the matter. No matter what happened now, today's events had unquestionably created a blood feud with the Song clan. Two legs and one arm were gone. Song Yanqing had effectively been crippled.

How could the Song clan possibly let the matter rest?

And Niu Youdao hardly possessed anything he could offer that might persuade them to do so. Niu Youdao ignored Song Yanqing's pleas. Leaning on his sword, he slowly turned around until his back faced him. Yuan Gang stepped forward. He crouched and reached down to help Song Yanqing. Song Yanqing looked as though he had just received a pardon from Heaven. He thought Yuan Gang was going to save him. Before he could even speak a word of thanks, Yuan Gang suddenly drew the dagger strapped to his thigh. Cold light flashed. A line of blood opened across Song Yanqing's throat. Yuan Gang's hands followed through immediately.

Crack!

With one hard twist, he snapped Song Yanqing's neck. The head turned unnaturally until the face pointed backward. Song Yanqing's eyes remained wide, carrying the look of a man who had died unwillingly. Shang Chaozong and the others were speechless. They had really killed a member of the Song clan outright. Did these two truly not understand how serious the consequences would be? Even taking Song Yanqing hostage would have been better than this. By now, the three could tell that Niu Youdao and Yuan Gang were clearly not doing this sort of thing for the first time. Their coordination was far too practiced. Niu Youdao had not needed to speak or make the slightest gesture. Yuan Gang had known exactly what to do.

After killing Song Yanqing cleanly, Yuan Gang wiped the blood from his dagger on the dead man's clothes, then slid the blade back into the sheath on his thigh. Still facing away, Niu Youdao gave another quiet instruction.

"Question the other two."

Yuan Gang nodded silently. He turned and strode back into the temple to deal with Xu Yitian and Chen Guishuo.

"The tree wishes for stillness, but the wind will not cease."

Niu Youdao spoke with a trace of melancholy. Leaning on his sword, he walked to the edge of the mountain and looked across the rolling ridgelines. His expression had grown grave. Behind him, Shang Chaozong, Shang Shuqing, and Lan Ruoting exchanged looks. Perhaps it was only an illusion, but they felt once again that the mature side of Niu Youdao did not fit his age at all. Beneath that carefree exterior lay a ruthless edge. And there was no need even to mention how he had used one of Shang Chaozong's personal guards as a substitute. None of the three was foolish. What had just happened made one thing obvious. The Shangqing Sect itself probably did not know Niu Youdao's true strength. Otherwise, it would never have sent Song Yanqing and the other two merely to die.

They had kept Niu Youdao confined for years without ever learning how deep his abilities ran. That fact alone said plenty. Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting eventually returned inside the temple as well. Dozens of their brothers had died. There were matters that had to be handled, and they could not simply ignore them. As for Niu Youdao, the man whose actions had indirectly caused those deaths, now that they had confirmed he truly was Dong Guo Haoran's disciple, it would be difficult to pursue the matter further out of respect for Mr. Dong Guo. They had also seen what Niu Youdao could do. Even if they chose to pursue him, they might not be capable of doing anything about it. For the moment, the matter could only be set aside. The evening sun washed the mountains in gold.

A gentle breeze stirred the hanging veil around Shang Shuqing's hat as she walked gracefully to the mountain's edge and stopped beside Niu Youdao.

She tried asking, "Cultivator, do you intend to return to the Shangqing Sect and reclaim what should belong to you?"

Niu Youdao knew what she meant. Nothing other than the position of Sect Leader. He rested both hands on the sword planted before him and smiled faintly.

"There's no need. It's all in the past. I have no intention of returning to the Shangqing Sect."

Shang Shuqing was surprised. "You won't go back? You're simply giving up the Sect Leadership? Is it because of Tang Yi?"

Niu Youdao shrugged. "It has nothing to do with Tang Yi. This was all a coincidence of circumstance from the beginning. What virtue or ability do I possess that would qualify me to sit in the Sect Leader's position? Besides, the facts are obvious. Some things could never have been accomplished by Tang Susu alone. With the sect rules above everyone, how could Tang Susu cover the sky with one hand? The others plainly gave their tacit approval. If the entire Shangqing Sect doesn't want me as Sect Leader, if none of them welcome me, why should I go back merely to look at their faces? Why make things difficult for them and for myself?"

Perhaps it was only her imagination, but Shang Shuqing thought she heard bitterness beneath those carefree words.

"The cultivator is broad-minded. But what about Tang Yi? She is, after all, the wife with whom you bowed through the wedding rites."

"Does it matter?" A faintly self-mocking smile touched Niu Youdao's lips. "Neither of us wants to see the other again. It's already over."

Shang Shuqing looked as though she wanted to say something more. She had been about to ask whether he intended to leave their party now as well. But in the end, the words reached her lips and stopped. She did not break through that thin paper window between them. Before long, Yuan Gang returned. He glanced at Shang Shuqing, then stood beside Niu Youdao without saying anything. Shang Shuqing understood immediately that the two men had something private to discuss. She tactfully found an excuse and left. Only after she was gone did Yuan Gang lower his voice.

"Master Dao, those two have more backbone than Song Yanqing. Their mouths are tighter. They confessed plenty of other miscellaneous things, but when it comes to the Shangqing Sect, they refuse to say a single word. If you want me to pry their mouths open, it'll take some time."

Niu Youdao casually waved a hand.

"Forget it. Let them go. Send them back."

Yuan Gang reminded him, "Song Yanqing's background is significant. Better to silence these two as well."

That was precisely the point he had not wanted to raise in front of Shang Shuqing. Niu Youdao understood what he meant. If the two men returned alive, they would certainly report that Song Yanqing had fallen into Niu Youdao's hands. The Song clan would come seeking revenge. Niu Youdao shook his head slightly.

"Too many people saw what happened. To silence witnesses, we'd have to kill everyone here. And the Shangqing Sect already knows perfectly well what those three came here to do. First we settle the trouble with the Shangqing Sect. Hopefully, the Song clan doesn't know the details of this matter and Tang Susu can somehow fool them afterward. Bring those two over. I have a message for them to take back."

Seeing that Niu Youdao had made his decision, Yuan Gang said nothing further. He returned to the temple and soon pushed Xu Yitian and Chen Guishuo out, both bound tightly from head to toe. The moment they saw Song Yanqing's corpse outside, chill entered both men's hearts. Fear and unease appeared plainly on their faces. Niu Youdao turned to face them and spoke directly.

"I'll trouble the two of you to carry a message back to the Shangqing Sect. The Shangqing Sect has gone this far, so I have nothing more to say. Out of respect for the kindness my master showed me, I won't hold a grudge. But from this day forward, the Shangqing Sect and I sever all ties of gratitude and obligation. We have nothing more to do with each other. Tell them not to worry. I have no interest in the Sect Leader's position, and I will not return to the Shangqing Sect. I hope the Shangqing Sect likewise stops troubling me. Do not force me again. Otherwise, I will expose every rotten thing the Shangqing Sect has done and let all beneath Heaven judge who is right and who is wrong."

He waved one hand.

"Let them go!"

[End of Chapter 36]