Chapter 103: Not a Shred of Backbone

They had not gone far when Yuan Fang glanced back and immediately spotted Chen Guishuo’s familiar face following at a measured distance. He lowered his voice at once. “Master Dao, this is bad. They’re following us.”

Niu Youdao looked back. After confirming that four people were on their trail, he said quietly, “I’m their target. We split up. If a fight starts while we’re together, I won’t be able to look after you.”

Yuan Fang knew that was true. He had no feud with the Song family; Master Dao was the one they wanted. If they separated, Niu Youdao might have a better chance of getting away on his own. With Yuan Fang beside him, he would only be a burden. Yuan Fang gave a small nod. “Master Dao, then what will you do?”

“Don’t worry about me. Get yourself clear first. If we stay together, there’s a good chance neither of us will get away. Remember: go to the Provincial Inspector’s Residence. We’ll meet outside. If you see that things have gone wrong, force your way straight inside. Once they seize you, say you were sent by His Highness. The Provincial Inspector’s Residence will naturally contact Fang Zhe to verify it.”

Yuan Fang nodded, his gaze complicated as he looked at Niu Youdao. Master Dao was drawing the danger away by himself.

“Up ahead,” Niu Youdao reminded him.

There was a fork in the road ahead, crowded with people coming and going. Yuan Fang understood. They would separate there.

When they reached the intersection, Yuan Fang said, “Master Dao, be careful!”

Niu Youdao said nothing. The two parted, one going left and the other right.

The four men behind them exchanged looks. The Golden Core Realm cultivator pointed two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators after Yuan Fang, then continued after Niu Youdao with Chen Guishuo.

Passing a street stall, Niu Youdao tossed several copper coins into the vendor’s basket, picked up a piece of fruit, wiped it on his sleeve, and bit into it. As he casually glanced back, he saw that only two men were following him. His heart immediately sank. Yuan Fang was probably in trouble. Whether Yuan Fang could shake them was another matter. For now, Niu Youdao could only hope they would not dare attack openly in the prefectural capital. Otherwise, Yuan Fang would have little chance of escaping.

He walked on, biting into the sweet, juicy fruit, his mood heavy.

On the other road, Yuan Fang was inwardly groaning as well. He had discovered that he was being followed.

He stopped at a stall, tossed down some money for a baked flatbread, and asked the vendor, “Which way is the Provincial Inspector’s Residence?”

The instant he asked, he regretted it so bitterly he could have kicked himself. They had passed near the Provincial Inspector’s Residence earlier, but afterward he had been too busy gawking at everything new and interesting and had forgotten the route.

The vendor pointed. “Go ahead, turn right, and cross two streets. You’ll see it.”

Yuan Fang memorized the directions and continued on, chewing his flatbread.

One of the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators came to the stall Yuan Fang had just left, picked up a flatbread, and casually tossed the vendor a silver coin. “Keep the change. That man in the felt hat just now—you were pointing something out to him. What did he ask?”

A single flatbread had earned him a silver coin. The vendor was delighted and held nothing back, exposing Yuan Fang without hesitation. “Oh, nothing much. He asked where the Provincial Inspector’s Residence was.”

The two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators exchanged a look, their expressions darkening. They realized Niu Youdao had been bluffing earlier. These people clearly were not from the Provincial Inspector’s Residence. How could someone from the Provincial Inspector’s Residence not know where it was?

They immediately quickened their pace and closed in on Yuan Fang. With their misgivings about the Provincial Inspector’s Residence gone, they were ready to make their move.

Yuan Fang looked back and saw his pursuers stopped at the stall where he had bought the flatbread. He instantly knew he was in trouble. He wanted to slap himself twice. This was what came of letting himself get distracted!

And that was indeed the truth. If Yuan Gang had been here, he would never have made such a low-level mistake.

Then he saw the two men rapidly closing in. Yuan Fang threw away the flatbread in his hand and, ignoring the startled cries from the street, sprang straight onto a rooftop. He fled over the roofs in great bounds, hoping to reach the Provincial Inspector’s Residence as quickly as possible.

The two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators shot into the air after him. It did not take long for them to catch up.

Only then did Yuan Fang discover that the gap between his cultivation and theirs was far more than slight. But regret came too late.

Bang!

Agony exploded through his waist as a kick sent him crashing into a deserted alley. He hit the ground hard enough to leave his head spinning. By the time he recovered his senses, a foot was planted on his chest and the cold edge of a sword was pressed against his throat...

A burst of startled cries came from the crowd behind him.

Niu Youdao quickly looked back and saw someone descend from above, landing beside the two men who had been following him.

He recognized the newcomer as one of the original four. Unless he was mistaken, this was one of the men who had gone after Yuan Fang.

The sight immediately told Niu Youdao that something had gone wrong.

Sure enough, after the newcomer leaned in and murmured a few words to the other two, all three rapidly closed in.

Alert to everything around him, Niu Youdao turned as naturally as if it had always been his intention and walked straight into an opulent brothel beside the street.

“Something for everyone!” A crowd of brightly dressed women swarmed toward him. Niu Youdao casually pulled out a handful of gold coins, flashed them in his palm, and scattered them into the air.

“Ah!” The women instantly dissolved into chaos, scrambling for the money. The madam and the brothel attendants joined the scramble as well, making the scene spectacularly lively.

At the very moment the three cultivators rushed through the brothel’s front entrance, a window to the right of the doorway opened and a figure slipped out.

As the three men went in through the front, Niu Youdao went out through the side window. He gently pulled it shut behind him and strode away.

The three men who had charged inside found the place in complete disorder. Their gazes swept the room. One flashed upstairs to search, another searched below, while the third immediately went back out and leaped onto the roof to watch the surroundings, guarding against Niu Youdao slipping out from some other side of the brothel...

Niu Youdao returned to Fulin Inn and quickly found Fang Zhe. The moment they met, he said, “Take me to the Provincial Inspector’s Residence. Introduce me to Hai Ruyue!”

“Now?” Fang Zhe stared in surprise and glanced at the darkening sky outside. “It’s almost night. Isn’t this a poor time to call on her?”

“Immediately. Quickly!” Niu Youdao said in a low, forceful voice. “We can’t stay here. We move at once!”

There was no time to waste. Judging from what had happened earlier, those men probably would not dare openly kill someone inside the city unless forced to, so there was still a good chance Yuan Fang was alive. If it had been Yuan Gang, Niu Youdao could have guaranteed that even if they beat him to death, he would never reveal where they were staying. Yuan Fang was far too slippery for that kind of confidence. Niu Youdao could not gamble his safety on Yuan Fang keeping his mouth shut.

There was another consideration. If they found Niu Youdao, Yuan Fang would become even more expendable. As long as they could not find him, they had more reason to keep Yuan Fang alive a while longer.

He had to find a way to get Yuan Fang out as soon as possible. The sooner he acted, the better Yuan Fang’s chances of surviving. The longer he delayed, the more danger Yuan Fang would be in. And if too much time passed, who knew what Yuan Fang might end up telling them? Niu Youdao had to move quickly.

Hearing his tone, Fang Zhe knew something had happened and nodded repeatedly. “All right!”

He summoned the two companions who had come with him on this assignment, and together with Niu Youdao they immediately withdrew from the inn.

They found another place and hired a sedan chair. Niu Youdao got inside to conceal himself, and the group headed straight for the Provincial Inspector’s Residence...

Night had fallen by the time Chen Guishuo and the others, having searched the brothel for quite some time without finding anything, returned to Liufang Guesthouse.

Liufang Guesthouse was a compound established by the Provincial Inspector’s Residence in Jinzhou specifically for receiving guests. It contained numerous courtyards of varying sizes. Many people from elsewhere had come to celebrate Hai Ruyue’s birthday this time, and Song Long was only one among them.

“He got away?” Song Long, who had been standing in the hall with his hands clasped behind his back, wheeled around and stared at the leader of the four, a Golden Core Realm cultivator named Xie Chun. “That Niu Youdao is only a Qi Refinement Realm cultivator, isn’t he? And several of you still let him escape right under your noses? His Majesty assigned you to guard this envoy. I find that rather worrying.”

He had stopped just short of saying it outright: If you cannot even handle a Qi Refinement Realm cultivator, how am I supposed to trust you to protect me?

Xie Chun looked embarrassed. He was baffled himself. They had clearly seen Niu Youdao enter that brothel and had immediately moved to control the place, yet Niu Youdao had vanished as if into thin air. Somehow, he had disappeared right under their noses. No one in the brothel had seen where he went either. It was damned strange.

“That Niu Youdao really is cunning. He threw out a handful of gold coins—”

Xie Chun had only just begun to explain when Song Long cut him off. “There’s no need for excuses, is there?”

In other words, what use were excuses?

Another Golden Core Realm cultivator, Huang Xusheng, said, “Lord Song, there’s no point dwelling on that now. Niu Youdao’s companion is here. The important thing is to interrogate him at once and force him to reveal Niu Youdao’s whereabouts.”

Yuan Fang was soon dragged in. Huang Xusheng drew his sword with a hiss and brought the point right up against Yuan Fang’s eyeball. “Where is Niu Youdao? Tell me one lie and I’ll gouge out one of your eyes!”

Yuan Fang, already trembling with fear, froze. His eyes darted once, and he understood at once. Master Dao had escaped. Otherwise, they would not be asking him this!

He wailed inwardly. Look at Master Dao, then look at me. That was the difference between them!

He did not try to act tough. Wearing a terrified expression, he stammered, “Fulin Inn! Fulin Inn on Tongfu Road...” He even gave up the room number without hesitation.

He could guarantee that someone like Master Dao was no longer at Fulin Inn. So why keep his mouth shut and suffer a beating for nothing?

He had even anticipated that Master Dao would find a way to save him. Otherwise, certain secrets might be exposed.

Yuan Fang knew perfectly well what could be said and what could not. Showing weakness was his specialty. If he acted terrified and made them think he was afraid to die, then the lies he told later would be much easier for them to believe. Even so, he was desperately uneasy. He had no idea how Niu Youdao could possibly rescue him from these people, and he could not guarantee that his mouth would fool them for long.

Huang Xusheng immediately turned to Xie Chun. “Junior Brother, take some men and go again. Don’t make another mistake this time!”

Xie Chun looked speechlessly at Yuan Fang. Even if the old fellow was telling the truth, he had not a shred of backbone. One threat and he had spilled everything. Niu Youdao was his companion—could Niu Youdao possibly not know what a spineless coward he was? There was no chance he would still be waiting at that inn.

There was nothing to be done, though. Xie Chun had caught the look his senior brother gave him and understood. With Song Long present, some things had to be done for appearance’s sake.

He could only turn and call several men to follow him. He obeyed outwardly, but inwardly he had nothing pleasant to say about Song Long. What the hell did your family’s private feud have to do with us?

Still, because of the relationship between the Song family and his sect, he could not show his displeasure on the surface...

[End of Chapter 103]