Chapter 57: A Man of Loyalty and Righteousness

The interruption did not make Chen Guishuo shut his mouth.

He continued, "According to Senior Brother Song, before Niu Youdao went down the mountain, Elder Tang had someone give him a letter and ordered him to deliver it to the abbot of Nanshan Temple. We rushed without stopping all the way to Nanshan Temple and waited there. Sure enough, Niu Youdao eventually arrived. But he seemed to have been on guard from the start and didn't show himself directly. Instead, he sent a substitute to test us. After we captured the substitute, we forced Commandery Prince Yongping, Shang Chaozong, and his party to come out. Senior Brother Song then used an official token to suppress Shang Chaozong and force Niu Youdao to show himself. But once we exchanged blows with Niu Youdao, we discovered that his strength was unfathomable, far beyond anything we had imagined..."

"Unfathomable?"

Luo Yuangong interrupted in surprise. He frowned. "You're saying Niu Youdao's strength is unfathomable?"

It was not only him. Everyone present was startled and uncertain. Even Tang Susu could not help turning around, the disbelief on her face obvious.

Chen Guishuo nodded repeatedly. "This disciple speaks only the truth. Yes, Niu Youdao's strength truly is unfathomable! The three of us fought him one after another. Senior Brother Xu was struck by a single palm in the very first exchange and coughed blood, suffering serious injuries. I didn't fare much better. I fought him with a sword, yet Niu Youdao didn't even draw his own sword. One kick was enough to injure me. Senior Brother Song attacked from the air with his sword. Niu Youdao drew his sword and used only a single move to cripple both Senior Brother Song's legs and one of his arms! Of the three of us, not one could withstand even a single exchange against him."

The others were badly shaken.

Luo Yuangong could hardly believe it. "How is that possible?"

Seeing that even he did not believe him, Chen Guishuo became anxious for his own safety and hurried to defend himself.

"Elder Luo, this disciple has not spoken a single false word. At first, we were even guarding against the Transmission Protective Talismans on his body. But after the fighting began, the three of us were effectively attacking together, and even then we weren't qualified to probe the true depth of his strength!"

Tang Susu gave a derisive laugh. "Senior Brothers, whether he's babbling nonsense is obvious enough once you listen. Even if Niu Youdao spent these years secretly cultivating at Peach Blossom Spring, there is no possibility his cultivation could have advanced to such a degree. If this isn't someone coming here to sow discord, what is it?"

Chen Guishuo slapped both hands against his chest. "If this disciple has spoken nonsense, may Heaven strike me with thunder! That's right—judging from Niu Youdao's skills, what he uses doesn't seem like the Shangqing Sect's arts. Especially that sword technique. It was exceedingly refined. It definitely wasn't a sword art of our Shangqing Sect!"

Tang Susu sneered. "Are you patching the holes in your own story now?"

Luo Yuangong raised a hand, stopping her from continuing to accuse him.

He looked back at Chen Guishuo. "What happened afterward?"

Chen Guishuo said, "After defeating Senior Brother Xu and me, he crippled Senior Brother Song. Then he had us seized and taken away for separate interrogation. This disciple refused to say anything. When they later released me, I discovered Senior Brother Song was already dead. After that, they killed Senior Brother Xu right in front of me."

Luo Yuangong asked, "Didn't you say Niu Youdao had you bring a message back?"

Chen Guishuo nodded rapidly. "He summoned me and told me to carry his words back to the Shangqing Sect. He said the Shangqing Sect had gone too far and he had nothing more to say. Out of respect for Martial Uncle Dong Guo, he would neither resent us nor pursue the matter, but from this day forward, he and the Shangqing Sect would sever all ties of gratitude and obligation and have nothing further to do with one another. He also said he had no interest in the Sect Leader's position and would never return to the Shangqing Sect. He hoped the Shangqing Sect would likewise stop troubling him and stop forcing him. Otherwise, he would expose everything the Shangqing Sect had done to him and let all beneath Heaven judge the rights and wrongs... After he said that, I suspected Senior Brother Song must have said something he shouldn't have and let Niu Youdao learn certain things."

The people in the hall fell silent.

Tang Susu's expression twitched faintly.

Luo Yuangong's and Su Po's faces tightened. None had expected the secret to reach Niu Youdao after all. Now it had become leverage in his hands. Tang Yi lowered her head slightly, a hundred emotions churning inside her.

The feeling was like stealing someone else's possession only to be caught by the owner. It was deeply unpleasant, especially now that every underhanded scheme on their side had apparently been seen through. She did not know how Niu Youdao would view her. Had she lowered herself into marriage simply to seize the Sect Leader's position? Had she gone so far for that position that she was willing to murder her own husband? What sort of vicious woman would it take to do such things?

Anyone subjected to this would find it difficult to accept. That he was willing not to pursue the matter already counted as magnanimity beyond measure.

And now she could almost understand why Niu Youdao had said he would never return to the Shangqing Sect.

His heart had gone cold.

"Ah..."

Su Po suddenly gave a soft sigh. The others seemed to understand the feeling within it. Luo Yuangong looked coldly toward Tang Susu.

"Junior Sister, didn't you say Shang Shuqing came to the Shangqing Sect and specifically asked for Dong Guo Haoran's disciple? Was that truly what happened?"

A cold smile appeared on Tang Susu's face. "Senior Brother, you believe the lies of this rebellious disciple?"

Luo Yuangong and Su Po merely looked at her without speaking. Some things required no evidence. One hearing was enough to tell truth from falsehood. Otherwise, Tang Susu would not have been in such a hurry to kill Chen Guishuo and silence him. Everyone present also understood perfectly well why she had wanted Niu Youdao dead. But some matters could no longer be investigated cleanly.

From the moment they stripped Niu Youdao of the Sect Leader's position, Tang Susu had dragged everyone into the water with her. Whether it was the Sect Leader or the other two Elders, none could claim clean hands.

Luo Yuangong turned back toward Chen Guishuo. "Anything else?"

Chen Guishuo shook his head. "That's all."

Luo Yuangong closed his eyes and slowly breathed out.

"You may go. Go to the capital and inform your Martial Uncle Song of this terrible news. Go."

"Yes!"

Chen Guishuo scrambled to his feet, cupped his hands in salute, then quickly turned and left.

No one stopped him.

At this point, everyone present knew Chen Guishuo alone would never have possessed enough courage to behave this way. Someone was obviously supporting him from behind, and there was no need to guess who. Chen Guishuo had already chosen to side with the Song clan. He had become one of their people.

To move against him now would be to slap the Song clan in the face, especially after Song Yanqing's death, when the Songs clearly intended to use Chen Guishuo to stir things up.

If his heart no longer belonged to the Shangqing Sect, forcibly keeping him served no purpose. He would only remain as the Song clan's eyes and ears. That was why Luo Yuangong let him leave. He also understood that once Chen Guishuo reached the capital, the chances of him ever returning were slim. Yet just as Chen Guishuo reached the doorway, Su Po's voice suddenly rang out.

"Chen Guishuo, Heaven and Earth repay all deeds. You'd best remember that you are a disciple of the Shangqing Sect. Wherever you go, you'd best never do anything that betrays the Shangqing Sect!"

Chen Guishuo stopped and turned.

He bowed. "Yes. This disciple will keep it engraved in his heart and never dare forget!"

Then he quickly left.

Whether he truly took the words to heart, no one knew.

Silence returned to the hall.

Luo Yuangong opened his eyes and glared fiercely at Tang Susu.

"Have you gone mad?"

This time, Tang Susu admitted it openly.

"I did it for the good of the Shangqing Sect. As long as he lived, someone might use him one day and cause internal chaos within the sect. Some matters cannot be left dragging behind forever. Otherwise, they become future disasters!"

Luo Yuangong advanced on her step by step.

"For the good of the Shangqing Sect? Can't you see who directed the performance we just witnessed? The Song clan is making it perfectly clear that they already know what you've done. By exposing the matter openly, they're telling you that they owe the Shangqing Sect nothing anymore and will show us no further consideration! Song Shu had only one son. Do you think the Song clan will let this rest? You've brought a great disaster down on the Shangqing Sect!"

Tang Susu's face twisted.

Suddenly she shouted, "I didn't want this either! Who knew that idiot would be such useless trash, unable to handle even one small matter!"

Slap!

Luo Yuangong swung his hand and struck her across the face. Tang Susu staggered back two steps, one hand covering her cheek.

She glared at him. "You dare—"

Luo Yuangong cut her off with a shout.

"That slap was on Master's behalf!"

Tang Susu's lips moved.

Her face went rigid.

Whatever she had been about to say never came out. She was too plainly in the wrong. No matter what she said, she would still be in the wrong. Luo Yuangong turned toward Tang Yi.

"Sect Leader, it is time to consider abandoning the Shangqing Sect's ancestral foundation and finding somewhere to hide from this disaster. If we keep holding this place, sooner or later we'll face the calamity of extermination. If we go into hiding and preserve even a little of our roots, there may still be a chance to wait for another day."

He cupped his hands, turned, and strode away.

Tang Susu shouted furiously at his back, "No! This place is the painstaking work of generation after generation of the Shangqing Sect. We absolutely cannot abandon it lightly!"

Su Po, however, also turned and left, walking neither fast nor slow. Tang Yi remained in the hall, silent. Tang Susu clenched both fists, trembling with rage... Behind the mountain stood a bare stone peak.

Inside a cave halfway up the mountain, Wei Duo, who had been punished to face the wall and reflect on his mistakes, crouched on the ground with his head in his hands, his face full of grief and indignation.

Tu Han stood nearby.

Su Po slowly recounted the string of recent events, though he did not mention outright that the Song clan might retaliate against the Shangqing Sect. After listening, Wei Duo spoke anxiously through his stammer.

"The... the rules are... a little rigid... but rules... are rules. If everyone ignores them... once the rules are broken... th-then calamity begins!"

Su Po nodded. "But you saw the opinions of the disciples throughout the Shangqing Sect at the time. No one was willing to let a young boy who understood nothing become Sect Leader. You alone could not stop it. Now Niu Youdao is outside by himself. I fear he may be in danger. Are you willing to go protect him?"

Wei Duo shot to his feet and nodded again and again.

"This disciple is... willing!"

Approval appeared on Su Po's face.

"Good. I have temporarily adjusted the hidden sentries among the defensive disciples. For about one hour, no one will be watching the northern mountain ravine. You can leave through there. A bundle has already been prepared for you beneath the white stone in the ravine. Take it for the journey."

"Yes!"

Wei Duo cupped his hands in acknowledgment. Almost without another thought, he ran. By the time Su Po and Tu Han walked out of the cave, Wei Duo was already nowhere to be seen. Tu Han looked at Su Po beside him.

"Elder, after the way the Shangqing Sect treated Niu Youdao, even if Wei Duo goes to him, I'm afraid Niu Youdao may not appreciate the gesture."

Su Po said, "I don't need him to appreciate anything. The Shangqing Sect may suffer disaster at any moment. Wei Duo is a man of loyalty and righteousness. If the Shangqing Sect falls into danger, he will fight to the death. Unlike others, he will not think of some way to preserve himself through compromise. I do not wish to see such a loyal and righteous man sacrifice himself for nothing. If I hadn't said this, he would never willingly leave the Shangqing Sect."

He turned to look at Tu Han.

"You should leave as well. Find a way to contact your master, the one hiding at Demon Ridge, as quickly as possible. If calamity falls on the Shangqing Sect, only he has the ability to resolve it!"

"This..."

Tu Han hesitated. "Master was already expelled from the Shangqing Sect. I'm afraid he won't easily come out of seclusion."

Su Po replied, "He watched Tang Yi grow up from childhood. I doubt he would willingly watch her fall into danger. In any case, whether he comes out is his choice. You only need to tell him the Shangqing Sect faces the calamity of extermination and let him decide for himself."

[End of Chapter 57]