Chapter 81: I'm Leaving

"Seize Qingshan Commandery?"

Niu Youdao raised one eyebrow. He did not know exactly how cities were stormed and territory seized in this world, nor had he ever witnessed it firsthand, but Shang Chaozong's methods were certainly becoming more aggressive by the day. They had only just forcibly occupied Canglu County, and now he was already talking about swallowing Qingshan Commandery whole.

Having an appetite was a good thing, but a man still needed the stomach for it. Otherwise, he would eat himself to death. The corner of Niu Youdao's mouth lifted.

"Even Feng Lingbo wouldn't casually say something like that. Your Highness has only borrowed a few thousand troops from him. Isn't this calculation of yours a little too ambitious?"

A mysterious smile appeared on Lan Ruoting's face. He stepped sideways and pointed at the neighboring State of Zhao on the map.

"Zhao! Empress Dowager Shang Youlan is Prince Ning's own aunt."

"Oh? There's something like that too?"

Niu Youdao clicked his tongue.

"Imperial relatives truly remain imperial relatives wherever they go. A princess of Yan became the Empress Dowager of Zhao. Was she married there as part of an alliance in the early years?"

Shang Chaozong sighed.

"Nothing more than an old humiliation. When my great-grandfather first ascended the throne, the situation was somewhat unstable, so he married off a daughter to secure an alliance. At the time, no one could have imagined that great-aunt would eventually become Empress of Zhao, much less the present Empress Dowager. In fact, before the Wu Dynasty collapsed, the Shang clan married off quite a number of princesses to pacify the feudal lords. Speaking of it now, the royal houses of the various states all carry more or less of the Shang bloodline. Shang Youlan is not unique in that regard. The others simply never reached a position as high as hers."

Niu Youdao nodded. His old line of work in his previous life had required him to read widely in history, so he understood this sort of situation perfectly well. Precisely because he understood it, however, he had doubts.

"If Shang Youlan had just been married away and still longed for her homeland, I'd believe it. But now she's the honored Empress Dowager of an entire state, and the present Emperor of the State of Zhao is her son. What she considers first is probably her son's realm and the inheritance of her descendants. Compared with Yan, Zhao is the home where her life and standing truly rest now. Otherwise, she probably couldn't have become the Empress Dowager she is today. She can't possibly have Zhao send troops to help His Highness, can she? Even taking a step back, the court of the State of Yan is her natal family. There's no reason for her to oppose it for His Highness's sake."

Lan Ruoting waved a hand.

"Master Dao is correct. Shang Youlan stands at the pinnacle of power in Zhao, so naturally she would never do anything harmful to Zhao's interests. But the strength of states rises and falls. Later, when Zhao weakened, its emperor, Shang Youlan's husband, once sent a son and daughter to the State of Yan as hostages. Both children were born to Shang Youlan. The son is Hai Wuji, the present Emperor of the State of Zhao. The daughter is Hai Ruyue. Hai Ruyue was still young when she was sent to the State of Yan as a hostage and became quite close to Prince Ning at the time. Prince Ning looked after her considerably while she lived in the capital of the State of Yan. After Hai Ruyue returned to Zhao, she remained in contact with him. Every state has its share of local lords who command troops and establish themselves independently. Xiao Huang, the Provincial Inspector of Jinzhou in the State of Zhao, was one of them. To placate Xiao Huang, the Emperor of the State of Zhao married Hai Ruyue to Xiao Huang's sickly son, Xiao Bieshan. After Xiao Huang died, Xiao Bieshan naturally inherited his father's position. Later, Hai Wuji ascended the throne as Emperor of the State of Zhao and devoted himself to strengthening the state. He began moving against the local lords within Zhao. Xiao Bieshan's position became precarious. By then Prince Ning's military might was at its height and his name shook all beneath Heaven. Faced with pressure from her elder brother, Hai Ruyue contacted Prince Ning and asked him, for the sake of their old friendship, to help her through the crisis. The State of Yan itself did not want to see Hai Wuji gain complete control over Zhao. A State of Zhao with all power united beneath one ruler would pose too great a threat to the State of Yan. Prince Ning therefore agreed to Hai Ruyue's request and moved troops to the border of the State of Zhao. The pressure forced Hai Wuji to withdraw his forces to defend against the State of Yan, allowing Xiao Bieshan and Hai Ruyue to pass safely through the crisis."

As he finished, Lan Ruoting reached back and pointed toward Jinzhou, which lay opposite Qingshan Commandery. Niu Youdao became thoughtful.

"Your Highness intends to borrow troops from Jinzhou to seize Qingshan Commandery?"

Shang Chaozong nodded.

"Back then Hai Ruyue swore she would repay Father and would never refuse any request within her power. I have the blood-written pledge she left behind. If she breaks her word, she'll at least have to consider whether I might make it public and damage her reputation. I only need her to assume an offensive posture and coordinate with me. I'm not asking her to expend much real strength. I doubt she'll refuse, and the State of Zhao probably won't oppose it either. Zhao would hardly object to seeing the State of Yan divided against itself. So long as Hai Ruyue applies military pressure to Nanzhou, Nanzhou will have no choice but to concentrate its forces against her. That will give me the perfect opportunity to seize Qingshan Commandery. Once I hold Qingshan Commandery, Hai Ruyue need only continue presenting a posture of cooperation. If the State of Yan understands that attacking me will bring Jinzhou troops to my aid, the imperial court will naturally hesitate. And once the Tianyu Sect sees the influence I possess with Hai Ruyue, if I am the only one capable of holding Qingshan Commandery, how could they possibly refuse to support me?"

Niu Youdao looked doubtful.

"Does Hai Ruyue really possess that much influence in Jinzhou?"

Lan Ruoting smiled.

"Master Dao may not know this. Xiao Bieshan was frail and sickly from childhood and did not live very long. He died of illness seven or eight years ago. His son, Xiao Tianzhen, is still underage. The true authority in Jinzhou is currently in Hai Ruyue's hands. His Highness has already sent someone to contact her in secret. We should have an answer before too long."

Niu Youdao remained skeptical.

"Do you truly believe one blood-written pledge guarantees that Hai Ruyue will help you? I think you'd be better off asking for something more practical, like money and grain. She might find that easier to agree to."

At least, Niu Youdao himself had his doubts. In a chaotic age of states contending for supremacy, where life-and-death struggles were constant, states could tear up their promises at any time. Forget a blood-written pledge. Even a blood alliance might not be reliable.

Lan Ruoting said, "There's no harm in trying. If she truly refuses to cooperate, then we'll have no choice but to abandon the plan to swallow Qingshan Commandery. As Master Dao says, using the pledge to exchange for some money and grain would still be more practical."

Niu Youdao and Yuan Gang exchanged a glance. For the other side to reveal a secret like this to them could be considered a genuine opening of the heart.

Since Shang Chaozong's side already had a plan and had been preparing for it, that was a good thing. Niu Youdao was happy to see it. He also felt a little rueful.

Whether Shang Chaozong's plan succeeded or not, a fallen prince was still a prince. The foundation of his birth remained. Now he had produced another card in Hai Ruyue. An ordinary man, fallen or otherwise, would find it nearly impossible to gain access to resources like these.

"Feng Lingbo and the Tianyu Sect will probably start pressing you to search for that thing. You should prepare some way to delay them."

Niu Youdao still gave the reminder.

Lan Ruoting said, "The Tianyu Sect tacitly accepted our forcible occupation of Canglu County precisely because we gave them an excuse. We told them we needed complete control of Canglu County before we could search properly. At the very least, that requires reorganizing the county. We should be able to drag the process out for roughly three months. No matter what happens with Jinzhou, we should have an answer by then."

This strategist was no amateur either. One link had already been fitted into the next. Niu Youdao realized he had worried unnecessarily.

After hesitating briefly, he said, "Your Highness, Monkey and I may need to leave for a while."

The moment those words came out, Shang Chaozong and the other two looked at one another in surprise. They had just opened their hearts and revealed a secret like this to him, and now he wanted to leave?

Shang Chaozong hurriedly asked, "Has this prince neglected Master Dao in some way?"

Niu Youdao knew they had misunderstood and waved a hand.

"Your Highness misunderstands. I've reached a point in my cultivation where something is happening, and I need to find an absolutely safe place to enter seclusion. Other powers have people stationed here now. There would inevitably be some risk if I tried to seclude myself here. I'm telling Your Highness because I hope you can find a suitable opportunity to cover our departure so no one notices us leaving."

This was no excuse. Niu Youdao had reached the peak of the Qi Refinement Realm some time ago. He had already sensed it on the road. The surging collisions of his inner breath were growing increasingly violent, and he had reached the threshold of breaking through into the Foundation Establishment Realm.

He no longer dared continue refining the Transmission Protective Talismans within his body, afraid the breakthrough would become impossible to suppress. He had to find a safe place to enter seclusion. He had already discussed the matter with Yuan Gang.

Yuan Gang knew how important this was to Master Dao and naturally intended to accompany him and stand guard during the breakthrough. With Niu Youdao explaining it this way, the others could hardly object. Even so, they were still somewhat worried that once he left, he might never return. Yuan Gang was one thing.

Everyone on this side could see that Niu Youdao was an extremely rational man. Men like him were difficult to influence, and he had never truly handed his heart over to them. After speaking for a while longer, the group left the underground chamber and went their separate ways.

Not long afterward, Shang Shuqing came to the small courtyard where Niu Youdao was staying and personally brought over a pot of tea. A small table was set in the courtyard. The three of them sat beneath the moon.

As Shang Shuqing poured the tea, she asked, "Master Dao, we've selected a number of suitable people. About the suturing method for treating wounds, could we ask Master Yuan tomorrow to..."

Niu Youdao casually pointed at Yuan Gang beside him.

"Whether he teaches it is his business. Don't ask me."

Shang Shuqing tested the waters again.

"My sister-in-law is rather interested in it too. She would also like to send some people to learn, and she may even come personally. Would that be convenient?"

Niu Youdao jerked a thumb toward Yuan Gang.

"Nothing to do with me. Ask him."

Then he picked up his cup and drank his tea. Shang Shuqing turned toward Yuan Gang. Yuan Gang nodded, agreeing. He did not drink any tea. Instead, he rose and left. In fact, Yuan Gang had a habit.

Food that someone voluntarily brought to them always made him wary. Once Master Dao ate or drank something, Yuan Gang would not immediately touch it himself. He would wait for some time before consuming any. He was not using Niu Youdao to test for poison, nor did he distrust Shang Shuqing.

It was simply that if something did happen, both of them could not afford to fall at once. Otherwise, there would be no one left able to respond. Only Niu Youdao and Shang Shuqing remained beneath the moon. Several times, Shang Shuqing looked as though she wanted to say something. In truth, she very much wanted to ask where Niu Youdao intended to go into seclusion. In the end, however, she did not ask.

Instead, her gaze settled on the casually tied ponytail behind his head.

"Master Dao, why don't you bind your hair?"

Niu Youdao chuckled.

"I've never done it before. Don't know how. Eventually I just got too lazy to bother."

Shang Shuqing gave a soft sound of acknowledgment and said no more. After sitting a while longer, she left.

That night, Yuan Gang came to Niu Youdao's room and spoke to him while he sat cross-legged in meditation.

"Feng Ruonan went to Shang Chaozong's room for the night. Some of her daily things were moved over too. Looks like she's officially living with him now."

Niu Youdao opened his eyes.

"Heh. Lan Ruoting really is shameless enough to go through with it."

He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

Then he added, "Let's get up early tomorrow morning."

[End of Chapter 81]