Chapter 40: Not Mere Boasting

Hearing the implication in those words, Shang Shuqing seemed worried that her brother might suffer a loss and agree too hastily. She hurriedly asked, "One small grievance? Master Dao, could you explain what you mean?"

Lan Ruoting nodded as well. He had the same concern.

Niu Youdao said calmly, "It hardly counts as a grievance. Your Highness simply has very few resources I can use. To achieve my objective on this trip, I may have to resort to methods that are less than scrupulous. When the time comes, I hope Your Highness will cooperate rather than blame me."

Shang Shuqing said, "As the saying goes, all warfare is based on deception. Naturally we can understand Master Dao using certain methods on this trip. But if those methods become too unconscionable, they could drag my brother into—"

Niu Youdao raised a hand and interrupted her. "Commandery Princess, rest easy. Your Highness can rest easy as well. I give you my word here: I will not leave Your Highness carrying a reputation for acts that outrage Heaven and violate reason, nor will I create consequences Your Highness cannot bear. In short, nothing I do on this trip will harm Your Highness. If I break that promise, Your Highness may simply deny having any connection to me at all."

That reassurance eased them somewhat, though they still found the idea impossible to believe.

How could Feng Lingbo possibly lend troops?

After a period of thought, Lan Ruoting said, "Master Dao, lingering too long in Guangyi Commandery may not be suitable. We don't know how the court will react. Then there is the Song clan. Master Dao killed Song Yanqing. If you remain in Guangyi Commandery, your whereabouts will be too obvious. The Song clan may act against you."

"The court is easy enough to handle. More than thirty personal guards died here. Your Highness can grieve properly, mourn them, hold rites, and be unwilling to depart. Lingering for several extra days would be perfectly reasonable." Niu Youdao showed no guilt whatsoever over the deaths of those guards. "As for the Song clan, dealing with that is one of the reasons for this trip. I have my own way to handle them."

Shang Chaozong nodded. "Then we'll proceed as Master Dao suggests. When do you plan to leave, and what preparations do you need?"

Niu Youdao answered, "There is no time to lose. I'll leave tonight for the commandery seat. Also, please assign twenty quick-witted personal guards to accompany me. Finally, I need some valuables. Ten thousand gold coins."

"Ten thousand gold coins..."

Difficulty appeared on both Shang Chaozong's and Shang Shuqing's faces. That was no small amount. The several hundred men currently under them could live on that sum for years. Brother and sister could not understand what he wanted so much money for.

Did he plan to use it to buy troops?

Ten thousand gold coins was substantial, but nowhere near enough to purchase a force large enough to hold Canglu County securely. Feng Lingbo would never agree to such a bargain anyway. He was hardly so poor that ten thousand gold coins would persuade him to hand over soldiers.

Lan Ruoting smiled bitterly. "To tell Master Dao the truth, once we reach Canglu County, we could probably scrape together ten thousand gold coins. At present, however, all the money we have combined does not even amount to one thousand. We simply cannot produce ten thousand."

Niu Youdao swept one hand outward. "Forget it, then. Money is a minor matter. I'll think of another way once I reach the commandery seat. For now, give me one hundred gold coins as traveling expenses and emergency funds."

The others exchanged looks. Even for people of their backgrounds, ten thousand gold coins was no trifling sum. None could imagine how Niu Youdao planned to obtain that much after reaching the seat of Guangyi Commandery.

Was he preparing to rely on his skills and rob someone?

Anyone capable of producing ten thousand gold coins in Guangyi Commandery would certainly not be an ordinary commoner. If he caused trouble and angered Feng Lingbo, things could become disastrous. It was true that they did not have ten thousand gold coins. Even so, Lan Ruoting had briefly wondered whether Niu Youdao might be planning to take the money and disappear. The moment Niu Youdao reduced his request to one hundred coins—a hundredfold drop—Lan Ruoting immediately realized he had been measuring a gentleman's heart by a petty man's standard. With Niu Youdao's abilities, there was no need to put on such a performance for the sake of one hundred gold coins.

After glancing at Shang Chaozong for confirmation, Lan Ruoting nodded. "Master Dao, please wait. I'll fetch the money and arrange the men at the same time."

Niu Youdao immediately added, "Remember: avoid Qu Wu and his party. Do not let them notice. I need some time and room to maneuver."

"Understood!" Lan Ruoting cupped his hands and hurried away to make arrangements.

Shang Chaozong and Shang Shuqing remained intensely curious about how Niu Youdao intended to borrow troops. In the end, Shang Shuqing could not resist asking, "Master Dao, can you truly not reveal anything?"

Niu Youdao chuckled. "There's nothing definite to reveal yet. The exact approach will depend on circumstances. I'll adapt when I get there."

Again with this unreliable look, as if there were not a single dependable sentence in him. Shang Chaozong could not help worrying. Still, after seeing Niu Youdao deduce their secret escape route with only a few words, he no longer dared underestimate the man's insight.

Yuan Gang, who had remained silent nearby, suddenly spoke. "Master Dao, the two men from the Shangqing Sect confessed that Abbot Yuan Fang is a bear demon."

"Uh..." Niu Youdao turned in surprise. "A demon? A real demon?"

Shang Chaozong answered for him. "That's right. My men questioned them. The real Abbot Yuan Fang died some time ago. The present Yuan Fang is a bear cub the monks of Nanshan Temple found in the mountains and raised two hundred years ago. It later acquired some cultivation and transformed into Yuan Fang's appearance. Nanshan Temple itself has no connection to the Shangqing Sect. Song Yanqing simply came here earlier, fought the bear demon, and forced him to submit."

Niu Youdao's eyes flickered repeatedly.

A demon?

And a bear demon at that?

His interest immediately became genuine. He already knew demons existed in this world, but this was the first one he had ever personally encountered. Naturally, he wanted to see what such a creature was really like. Yuan Gang's reminder clearly came from the same curiosity. Unfortunately, Niu Youdao now had more urgent matters to handle and no time to study a demon slowly.

He could only instruct, "Your Highness, don't release this demon. Keep him here. When I return, I want to have a proper talk with him."

Shang Chaozong laughed. "Very well. We'll keep him for Master Dao."

Before long, Lan Ruoting returned and presented a money pouch. The twenty accompanying riders had also been selected. The two sides discussed the plan in private once more. Afterward, Shang Chaozong and the others deliberately made a conspicuous show of leaving Nanshan Temple, drawing attention to themselves. The display was intended not only to occupy Qu Wu and his party, but also, following Niu Youdao's instructions, to attract any court spies who might be watching from the shadows. Everything was meant to cover Niu Youdao's departure. Under the concealment of night, Niu Youdao quietly descended the mountain with Yuan Gang and twenty riders. Outside Nanshan Temple, several braziers burned brightly.

Shang Chaozong and the others appeared to be burning paper offerings for the personal guards who had died.

Partway through the rites, a personal guard approached Shang Chaozong and reported softly, "Your Highness, they've left safely."

"Mm." Shang Chaozong nodded slightly and continued feeding spirit money into the brazier. Then he looked toward Lan Ruoting. "I don't know whether anything he said was true, much less whether he can actually succeed. Ask him questions and you never get a clear answer. There isn't one straightforward sentence in him. It leaves a man with no sense of certainty."

Lan Ruoting hesitated. "The way he handles matters is very seasoned. His depth of calculation truly doesn't resemble someone his age. It is as though he never wants anyone to see the bottom of him. And somehow he does not feel like a man of the orthodox path. I truly don't know why, with Mr. Dong Guo's eye for people, he would accept a disciple like this. The Commandery Princess, on the other hand, seems to trust him quite a bit."

Shang Shuqing said, "Looking at everything together, if he had some hidden problem, he would not have killed Song Yanqing. Brother, Mr. Lan, we no longer have many choices. Letting him try costs us little."

Shang Chaozong tossed another stack of spirit money into the brazier and watched the ashes rise.

"We'll wait and see."

Inside a walled city, scattered lamplight still glowed. A lone figure walked down the street and stopped before a restaurant. He looked up at the sign. It was Chen Guishuo.

A waiter hurried forward enthusiastically. "Honored guest, how many in your party?"

Chen Guishuo ignored him. He shoved the waiter aside, went straight to the counter, and stared at the old shopkeeper behind it. The shopkeeper looked up, froze for a moment, then jerked his head slightly at the waiter who had followed to argue. The waiter could only withdraw. It was already late and the restaurant was nearly closed. Only one table of guests remained upstairs. The old shopkeeper glanced around, made a discreet inviting gesture, and led Chen Guishuo into a secluded room in the rear. Once the door was closed, the old man looked him over.

"What happened?"

Chen Guishuo did not actually know who the old shopkeeper was. He did not even know the man's name. But on the journey here with Song Yanqing, they had stopped at this restaurant to make contact and replenish supplies. From that, Chen Guishuo had roughly guessed that the place was probably one of the Song clan's local posts or intelligence points. For a powerful clan like the Songs, such arrangements were hardly surprising. Although Chen Guishuo and Xu Yitian were disciples of the Shangqing Sect, the Song clan had gradually recruited them as informants as well, promising them future prospects. Even if the Shangqing Sect collapsed one day, they would have nothing to fear. Now Song Yanqing had been killed.

There was no possibility of Chen Guishuo failing to report something this serious to the Song clan.

"Something happened." Chen Guishuo sank heavily into a chair and sighed.

The old shopkeeper frowned. "What happened?"

Chen Guishuo shook his head heavily. "My senior brother Song Yanqing is dead."

"Ah!" The old shopkeeper paled. "What happened?"

"We went to Nanshan Temple..."

Chen Guishuo described the entire incident in detail. After answering a series of questions from the old shopkeeper, he said, "Find a way to send the news back to the capital. I still need to hurry back to the Shangqing Sect and report. Arrange a horse for me. Better yet, get me some kind of identity that will let me change mounts at relay stations along the road."

The old shopkeeper handled the entire sequence of requests with remarkable efficiency. After sending Chen Guishuo away, he went into a hidden room inside the restaurant and rapidly wrote a secret report. From a cage nearby, he caught a fierce bird with a black body and bright golden wings. He inserted the secret message into a tiny hollow tube attached to the bird's leg. This bird was called a Goldenwing. Its speed and endurance in flight were both extraordinary. Most remarkable of all, no matter where a Goldenwing was taken, it could find the egg it had laid. However great the distance, it could identify the correct direction and fly back to it. For that reason, domesticated female Goldenwings were used to carry messages and were extremely expensive.

The males possessed no such ability. They were useful only for breeding and were worth little. Once the message was secured, the old shopkeeper covered the Goldenwing in his hand with a dark cloth and hurried from the hidden room. He entered an unlit chamber, opened the window, pulled away the cloth, and tossed the Goldenwing into the night. The bird beat its wings rapidly and vanished into the darkness.

At dawn the next day, Shang Chaozong and the others left Nanshan Temple and returned to the graves of the fallen personal guards to pay respects once more, their expressions mournful. This was precisely the delay Niu Youdao had advised. They intended to remain here for several days. Just as the golden light of sunrise broke through the mountain forest, a personal guard came to report. Niu Youdao was stationing the twenty riders accompanying him at intervals along the road, creating a temporary communication line between the seat of Guangyi Commandery and Shang Chaozong's position so that messages could pass efficiently between the two sides. The reasoning was simple.

A single horse could not sustain a long-distance gallop indefinitely. Relaying messages through fresh mounts was the only way to maintain speed. Niu Youdao had plainly planned that detail in advance. After hearing the report, Lan Ruoting gave a slight nod.

"Not mere boasting. This man truly isn't simple."

[End of Chapter 40]