Chapter 96: Seclusion

"Military equipment?"

Niu Youdao looked up in mild surprise. Yuan Gang turned toward the windowsill, picked up several stones resting there, and brought them over. He placed them one by one on the table in front of Niu Youdao. There were three stones in total, all different in shape. One was black. One was dark red. The last was yellow. Niu Youdao picked up the black piece and examined it. When he rubbed the surface, his fingers came away black. He frowned.

"Coal?"

He set it down, picked up the dark-red stone, and inspected it carefully.

After a moment, he murmured, "Iron ore?"

Yuan Gang nodded.

"Right. Coal and iron ore. I saw village children playing with both when I was looking around. These two things appearing together here shouldn't be a coincidence. There are also quite a few men in the village whose hands look like those of blacksmiths accustomed to working near high heat. There should be more than a few smiths here."

Niu Youdao understood his point. Coal and iron ore appearing together in a place like this were unusual. They provided the basic materials needed to manufacture ironware. Why would a secluded village need so many blacksmiths producing so much iron? Combined with the place's military background, the answer was obvious. Weapons and military equipment. Niu Youdao set down the iron ore and picked up the yellow stone. After looking closely, he brought it to his nose and sniffed.

"Sulfur?"

Yuan Gang nodded.

"A child was playing with this too. It should be connected to that volcano."

Niu Youdao put the stone down and lightly tapped his fingers against the tabletop, looking thoughtful. Manufacturing large quantities of military equipment this deep in the mountains raised an obvious problem.

How were they transporting it?

Then he thought of the underground river. It could reach the mountain estate in Canglu County. Perhaps it could also reach an outlet to the sea. He could not help chuckling.

"They really put thought into choosing this place."

The next morning, Niu Youdao opened his door and saw a familiar figure waiting outside again. He and Shang Shuqing looked at each other and smiled. Niu Youdao stepped down from the threshold. Shang Shuqing froze slightly.

His hair had once again been tied casually behind his back, restored to the loose style he had worn before. A great many thoughts passed through her. For a moment, she was unusually quiet. Niu Youdao took the initiative to explain.

"I need three days to quiet my mind, relax completely, and clear away distracting thoughts. During the seclusion itself, I don't want anything binding me."

He intended to use this period of seclusion to put an end to Shang Shuqing arranging his hair every morning.

Her kindness made it difficult to refuse, but having a dignified Commandery Princess comb his hair day after day was hardly appropriate.

If it continued for too long, a lone man and woman spending that kind of time together could easily invite misunderstandings. Besides, he knew how to arrange his own hair now. He had learned simply by watching. So that was all it was. Shang Shuqing smiled faintly.

"All right."

Niu Youdao glanced at her feet.

"Commandery Princess, you should spend the next few days resting properly."

Shang Shuqing nodded. After breakfast, Niu Youdao wandered through the village with Yuan Gang and Yuan Fang following behind him. He truly did seem to be relaxing both body and mind. His robe hung loose without a belt at the waist, swaying casually as he walked. His long hair fell down his back. He was not even carrying his sword. Yuan Gang held it instead. They passed fields, mulberry groves, and flowering vegetable plots swaying lightly in the sun and breeze.

Women moved among them, busy with their work.

"What fine pastoral scenery."

Niu Youdao drew a deep breath and praised the view.

Then he suddenly said, "Old Bear, how about I speak to them and have them help you rebuild Nanshan Temple here?"

Yuan Fang refused without the slightest hesitation.

"No!"

Niu Youdao stopped, turned, and spread his arms in surprise.

"Why not? The mountains are green, the waters clear, the scenery beautiful. You can feed and clothe yourselves here and no longer worry about outsiders disturbing you."

Yuan Fang lowered his eyes.

"There are too few people. The incense offerings would never flourish. How could Nanshan Temple hide away in some nameless wilderness?"

"Still obsessed with a little incense money. No ambition."

Niu Youdao gave him a disdainful look and turned away. He had only been joking in the first place.

Yuan Gang, who rarely joined such conversations, suddenly said, "If you want Nanshan Temple to become famous, the temple doesn't have to be large and the location doesn't have to be prosperous. A mountain need not be high; with an immortal, it is famed. Water need not be deep; with a dragon, it is numinous. As long as you, the abbot, possess enough reputation, even if Nanshan Temple is hidden somewhere remote, powerful officials and wealthy men will still find ways to come and donate incense money. By then, you may be the one wishing you could hide in peace."

Niu Youdao raised a hand and pointed over his shoulder.

"Old Bear, listen to that. Monkey makes more sense than you do. Maybe you should hand the position of abbot over to him."

Yuan Fang froze as though struck by a bolt from the blue.

He stood in place staring blankly at Yuan Gang, murmuring to himself, "A mountain need not be high; with an immortal, it is famed. Water need not be deep; with a dragon, it is numinous..."

Niu Youdao and Yuan Gang gradually stopped and turned to look at him. Suddenly Yuan Fang hurried forward. He pressed his palms together before Yuan Gang, face full of excitement.

"Amitabha. If not for Master Yuan's words of truth, this humble monk might have remained trapped in delusion for who knows how long!"

With that, he bowed deeply. Niu Youdao and Yuan Gang looked at one another in speechless disbelief. Both were thinking the same thing. This demon actually took it seriously.

Yuan Fang straightened and added, "But building Nanshan Temple here still won't do. It's too remote. Even powerful officials and wealthy men might not be able to find their way here no matter how hard they tried."

The two turned and walked away. They treated his words like passing wind. Who had the energy to help him build a temple here? They had long since learned one thing. Whenever the subject involved Nanshan Temple, this demon became extraordinarily serious. A perfectly good demon, yet he was utterly determined to be an abbot. Their path eventually curved around the back of a mountain. A fast-flowing river ran there. The lively scene in the water immediately caught the attention of all three.

Men on the bank were carrying large round logs upstream. Others sat astride logs in the river as though riding horses, letting the fierce current sweep them rapidly downstream. It was not one man at a time. They came in waves. Each man sitting astride a log held a wooden staff like a saber or spear.

The ends were wrapped in thick layers of soaked hemp cloth, so waterlogged there was no telling how heavy they had become.

They stabbed and struck at one another fiercely, each trying to knock the men beside him into the river. Even though Niu Youdao knew little about battlefield combat, he could immediately tell what he was seeing. This was plainly cavalry-combat training. Only the method was unusually dangerous. Getting struck by one of those huge logs tumbling through a rapid current would be no minor matter. Anyone training this way had no choice but to stay fully alert.

Maintaining balance while sitting astride a log in rushing water was vastly harder than staying seated on a horse. On top of that, they had to fight one another. Who knew how long they had practiced to develop this kind of balance and reaction speed? Men were constantly knocked into the water.

They drifted gradually toward a calmer stretch downstream, dragged their logs ashore, then shouldered them together and ran back upstream. The rumble of wooden wheels sounded behind them. The three turned. Meng Shanming was being pushed toward them in his wheelchair. He stopped beside the group.

"Originally, after their fathers were wounded, crippled, or killed, we wanted the younger generation to hide here from the chaos and live out peaceful lives. But after word came that Prince Ning had met disaster, it became clear this place could not remain peaceful forever. There is no secret that can stay hidden eternally. Sooner or later, conflict will sweep here too. Preparing in advance is partly for self-preservation, and partly for the young prince."

Meng Shanming watched the young men training in the water and sighed. It was noisy here and unsuitable for conversation. He gestured for them to walk with him. The group accompanied his wheelchair along a small path.

Niu Youdao looked around and asked, "Roughly where are we?"

Meng Shanming answered, "We've already left Qingshan Commandery. More precisely, our approximate location should now be inside the State of Zhao. But this place lies deep in an immense mountain range. The terrain is steep and unsuitable for habitation, and the natural environment is unusual. Much of the surrounding mountains is covered in miasma, so outsiders have great difficulty finding this place. Without that secret passage, the people here would also have difficulty leaving. Even if the miasma were not a problem, the terrain alone would make crossing the vast surrounding mountain ranges extremely difficult for ordinary people. Your master, Mr. Dong Guo, once came here. He personally explored routes in and out over the surface. By his estimate, an ordinary person would probably need several months just to cross the mountains. We occupy only this tiny patch amid an endless wilderness of peaks, no more than a grain in the sea. Even if outsiders wanted to search for us, finding this place would be extremely difficult. You can safely enter seclusion here."

Dong Guo Haoran had actually been here? He had even explored routes across the surface? It seemed his relationship with Prince Ning truly had been far from ordinary.

Niu Youdao muttered inwardly, then asked, "If my master managed to come and go across the surface, that means you have a way to deal with the miasma in these mountains?"

"Mm."

Meng Shanming nodded.

"After hiding in these mountains for so long, we've naturally observed enough patterns to find ways around some of it..."

Three days later, Niu Youdao stood before a cave halfway up a mountainside. His arms hung naturally at his sides. His eyes were closed. The cave was old. It had been excavated by the first people who came here.

After learning what kind of environment Niu Youdao wanted for seclusion, Meng Shanming had brought him to inspect this place and asked whether it would do. Niu Youdao said it would. The cave was immediately cleaned from top to bottom, and sulfur powder was scattered across the floor. People had also been stationed around the area day and night to keep unrelated villagers away. The reason Niu Youdao had chosen a cave was simple. Its walls were thick.

As long as someone guarded the entrance, it would be difficult for anyone to launch a surprise attack. Staying inside a village house would leave far too many things to worry about. Niu Youdao had never personally experienced a breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment Realm. Everything he knew came from books.

Worse, he did not possess the pills normally used for such a breakthrough and would have to rely on a method of his own creation.

He was also unlike disciples of established sects, whose sects could provide a secure environment for seclusion and protect them from disturbance. Given his circumstances, he had no choice but to be especially careful. Yuan Gang and Yuan Fang emerged from the cave.

Yuan Gang said, "Master Dao, we've checked everything carefully. There shouldn't be any problems."

The two of them had thoroughly searched the cave several times over. Not a single corner had been ignored. Niu Youdao opened his eyes. His expression was peaceful.

"I'll have to trouble the two of you during this period."

Yuan Gang said nothing. Yuan Fang chuckled.

"Of course."

There were no more unnecessary words. Niu Youdao showed neither joy nor worry. His expression remained calm as he walked steadily into the cave and disappeared alone into the darkness.

Yuan Gang and Yuan Fang lowered the thick curtain temporarily hung across the entrance to keep wind and rain from blowing inside. Then they turned and stood guard outside. Niu Youdao himself did not know how long this breakthrough would take under his particular circumstances. From this day forward, the two men would protect him without leaving even for a moment. At most, they could take turns stepping just inside the entrance to rest behind the curtain. The space inside the cave was not large.

The entrance was narrow, while the interior broadened into something like a gourd shape, with several slightly raised natural platforms.

At the very back, an oil lamp burned on the ground. Niu Youdao walked to the deepest part of the cave. He turned, sat cross-legged, and slowly steadied his breathing. Then, as his eyes gradually closed, he swept one wide sleeve. A gust of force extinguished the oil lamp. The cave fell into complete darkness...

[End of Chapter 96]