Chapter 132: Secret Dealings

Niu Youdao had no interest in arguing with him. He pointed at the gold drafts in Yuan Fang’s hands. “Go walk around the city. Visit the Qiyun Sect shop and replace that monk’s saber of yours with a good one. While you’re there, buy some Spirit Essence Pills for your cultivation.”

Yuan Fang chuckled. “No hurry, no hurry. I’ll save it for Master Dao first.”

Save it for me?

Niu Youdao was speechless. He knew exactly what this old bald donkey was thinking. He wanted to hoard the money to build that temple of his again.

Niu Youdao sneered. “If you don’t hurry and improve your own strength now, then even if you build your temple, what will you do when someone comes looking for trouble? Can you protect it? A mountain need not be high; if an immortal dwells there, it is famed. Water need not be deep; if a dragon dwells there, it has spirit. Have you forgotten Monkey’s words?”

Yuan Fang froze.

Then he tucked away the gold drafts and left without another word...

The innkeeper returned to the front hall and sat behind the counter. The thought of the extra one hundred thousand gold coins inside his robes left his mind somewhat unsettled.

He forced the distracting thoughts aside and asked the attendant who had covered the counter for him, “Nothing happened, did it? Nothing. Oh, right. Old Dog came by a little while ago. Seemed like he had something to report to you.”

The innkeeper frowned.

The Liuxian Sect men had suddenly checked into the inn earlier, which was abnormal. He had secretly ordered Old Dog to watch them in case they caused trouble inside the establishment.

Had something really happened?

He waved a hand. “Have him come over.”

“All right.” The attendant hurried away.

Before long, the serving attendant nicknamed Old Dog arrived and squeezed behind the counter.

The innkeeper turned his head. “Something happened?”

Old Dog leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Those two from the Liuxian Sect really are acting strangely. Sneaking around, furtive as thieves. They spent a long time wandering through the gardens earlier. While you were away just now, they secretly slipped into the room of Lei Zongkang, one of Black Peony’s people. No idea what they did in there. Afterward, Huang Engui left, while Cui Yuan stayed behind.”

“Lei Zongkang?” The innkeeper immediately connected the name with Niu Youdao. Stroking his beard, he muttered, “What are these people trying to do? Are they planning to cause trouble in the inn?”

His first thought was naturally to protect the stability of the Inviting Moon Inn.

Old Dog shook his head. “I don’t know. But causing trouble inside the inn seems unlikely. Forget those two—give the entire Liuxian Sect a hundred times the courage and they still wouldn’t dare. Black Peony’s group has even less nerve for that. It’s Xuanyuan Dao whose background I can’t figure out.”

The innkeeper thought about it and agreed. Still, to be safe, he ordered, “Call a few more people. Watch every one of them closely. No one is allowed to create trouble inside the Inviting Moon Inn!”

“Understood!” Old Dog nodded and quickly left.

That evening, Niu Youdao called everyone together and ordered a table full of fine food and good wine from the inn. Together with Black Peony’s group, this was the first time all of them had formally sat down and shared a meal.

After the rounds of drinking, toasts, and polite flattery, Niu Youdao set down his cup and formally announced, “Everyone rest properly tonight. If you have anything to pack, pack it early.”

Several people exchanged looks.

From the sound of that, were they leaving? Black Peony and the others were particularly puzzled. Hadn’t he said he intended to stay for half a year?

Black Peony asked, “Master Dao, are we leaving?”

At her use of “Master Dao,” Lei Zongkang’s lips tightened almost imperceptibly. Dissatisfaction stirred in his heart.

A homeless dog dares have people call him Master?

Niu Youdao nodded slightly. “We leave tomorrow.”

Black Peony asked, “Where are we going?”

“When we arrive, you’ll naturally know.” As always, Niu Youdao left part of his meaning unspoken.

Black Peony nodded and did not ask again. Inwardly, however, she was muttering to herself.

She had no idea what Master Dao was trying to do.

Judging from all the signs before, he had plainly meant to approach Sha Huanli. Yet after successfully approaching her, he had deliberately maintained a distance.

Black Peony had assumed he was deliberately loosening the reins to capture the prey. But now he said they were leaving tomorrow. That did not look like such a strategy at all.

Had she guessed wrong?

What exactly was this man trying to do? After the meal, Niu Youdao wandered through the ancient city’s night market again.

At the Myriad Beasts Sect shop, he bought several Moon Butterfly eggs. He intended to hatch one of the glowing butterflies. It would make moving around at night much more convenient in the future.

Niu Youdao bought ten eggs in one purchase. Each was about the size of a small jade-green pearl, far larger than any ordinary butterfly egg.

They were not cheap.

One egg cost one hundred gold coins.

Ten cost him another thousand.

The money was spent, but the Myriad Beasts Sect gave very thorough instructions to customers. They included the necessary hatching materials and explained carefully how to hatch and control the creatures.

Once the group returned to the inn, everyone went back to their own rooms to rest.

Niu Youdao and Yuan Fang, however, began fiddling with the butterfly eggs.

Each took a small wooden box about half the size of a palm. When they slid open the lids, a faint fragrance drifted out. Inside was a multicolored paste known as Hundred Flowers Mud.

According to the Myriad Beasts Sect, it was made by crushing a hundred kinds of flowers and mixing them with sea mud.

The Shangqing Record of Gleanings, however, stated that the Hundred Flowers Mud definitely contained some additional secret formula. Hundred Flowers Mud prepared by anyone else could not hatch a “Little Moon.” Only the Myriad Beasts Sect’s mixture worked.

Even stranger, no one knew what method the Myriad Beasts Sect used to distinguish or prepare the eggs, but every egg they sold hatched into a male butterfly. Buyers never obtained females capable of laying eggs.

The Myriad Beasts Sect had this source of profit gripped firmly in its own hands.

Following the method taught by the Myriad Beasts Sect, Niu Youdao and Yuan Fang cut their own hands and dripped a substantial amount of blood into the small wooden boxes. Then they thoroughly mixed their blood into the Hundred Flowers Mud.

Afterward, each took one Little Moon egg and buried it inside the paste.

According to the Myriad Beasts Sect, once buried, the egg would absorb the essence of the flowers and the blood qi. When the little creature inside finally broke through the mud, it would eat all the Hundred Flowers Mud in the box. After that, it would form another cocoon.

Once it broke free from that cocoon, a glowing Moon Butterfly would have been successfully hatched.

The process was extremely simple. The buyer hardly needed to worry about anything. The Myriad Beasts Sect had simplified every complicated step in advance.

Whose blood qi the newly hatched Moon Butterfly absorbed was the person it would recognize as its master.

The two dabbed a little injury medicine onto their cuts, then looked at each other and smiled.

Each took a small pouch resembling a fragrance sachet, placed the wooden box inside, and hung it from his belt...

Lei Zongkang returned to his room and remained there for a while. Then he opened the door again. He looked left and right outside before quickly leaving.

After going downstairs and crossing the garden, he reached another guest room on the opposite building. He checked his surroundings again, then lightly knocked.

The door opened.

He slipped inside.

The person who admitted him was none other than Cui Yuan. Once the door shut, the two leaned close together.

Cui Yuan asked, “Anything happening?”

Lei Zongkang lowered his voice. “He’s leaving tomorrow.”

Cui Yuan frowned. “Didn’t you say he planned to stay here for half a year?”

“Master Cui, I don’t understand what he’s thinking either. If he says he’s leaving, am I supposed to stop him?”

“Where is he going?”

“I don’t know.”

“You didn’t ask?”

“This man never gives a firm answer. His thoughts run deep. Black Peony asked, but couldn’t get anything useful from him either.”

Cui Yuan considered the matter for a while, then patted Lei Zongkang’s shoulder. “Good. Go back first. If anything changes, notify me immediately.”

Lei Zongkang nodded.

Cui Yuan opened the door first and looked around. Once he confirmed no one was there, he gestured behind him. Lei Zongkang quickly slipped out and left. Cui Yuan withdrew into the room again.

Not long after Lei Zongkang returned to his own room, Cui Yuan, who had waited for a while, left as well and rapidly departed the inn...

On the top floor of the inn, the innkeeper sat cross-legged in a room, cultivating.

He naturally could not remain behind the front counter all day and night. He had his own time as well.

Knock, knock!

Someone rapped on the door.

The innkeeper slowly ended his cultivation and opened his eyes. “Come in.”

Old Dog opened the door and entered. Coming close, he reported, “Innkeeper, that Lei Zongkang secretly slipped into Cui Yuan’s room again just now. After Lei Zongkang went back, Cui Yuan also left the inn. The man we sent to follow him reported that Cui Yuan returned to the Liuxian Sect shop.”

The innkeeper lowered his legs from the bed and paced around the room with his hands behind his back.

Narrowing his eyes, he said, “What exactly is this Xuanyuan Dao doing with all these secret dealings with the Liuxian Sect?”

He was now worried about what Xiang Ming had said. Perhaps this Xuanyuan Dao truly was deliberately trying to approach the City Master. Who knew whether all this furtive activity behind the scenes might somehow be directed at her?

If that were really the case, he would not dare swallow those one hundred thousand gold coins even if someone gave him a hundred times more courage.

Yet the more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed.

If Xuanyuan Dao’s target really was the City Master, would he actually dare conduct furtive secret meetings inside the Inviting Moon Inn itself? He would have to be out of his mind.

Old Dog said, “Innkeeper, I don’t think Xuanyuan Dao is the one secretly dealing with the Liuxian Sect. It looks more like Black Peony’s people are going behind Xuanyuan Dao’s back and dealing with them.”

“Oh?” The innkeeper spun around. “What makes you say that?”

Old Dog explained, “Think about it, Innkeeper. If Xuanyuan Dao really wanted secret dealings with the Liuxian Sect, why put Lei Zongkang in the middle? Everyone already knows Black Peony’s group has joined up with Xuanyuan Dao. Why make things so complicated? The two sides could simply make direct contact. And look at how furtive Lei Zongkang is. He seems to be deliberately avoiding any meeting between Xuanyuan Dao and the Liuxian Sect. Lei Zongkang only goes to see them when he’s alone. In my opinion, Black Peony’s group and the Liuxian Sect seem to be plotting something behind Xuanyuan Dao’s back.”

The innkeeper slowly nodded. “That makes sense.”

He paced and considered the matter for a while.

Then he abruptly turned. “Old Dog, go to Xuanyuan Dao and give him a message. Tell him I invite him for tea. Him alone!”

Old Dog froze. “Innkeeper, you aren’t planning to warn him, are you? There’s no need for us to involve ourselves in this. As long as we keep a close watch and don’t let them cause trouble in the inn, they can do whatever they want outside. We can’t manage every affair, and it has nothing to do with us.”

The innkeeper said indifferently, “Xuanyuan Dao met the City Master today.”

“Uh...” Old Dog stared blankly, then asked suspiciously, “What background does this Xuanyuan Dao have? Why would the City Master meet him?”

The innkeeper replied, “Are the City Master’s affairs yours to question? Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. I know what I’m doing.”

How could he possibly ignore the matter? There were certain things he could not say aloud.

He was worried Niu Youdao might create some incident inside the Inviting Moon Inn.

What if that damned one hundred thousand in gold drafts had been given merely to seal his mouth?

If something really happened, the innkeeper could not bear that responsibility.

And if Niu Youdao caused trouble, fell into the hands of the City Master’s residence, and then exposed this matter, the innkeeper would be in an extremely awkward position.

This was one hundred thousand gold coins, not some trivial sum. Calling it a gratuity was already difficult to justify. He intended to probe the situation first.

If anything seemed wrong, he would immediately hand those one hundred thousand gold coins over to Xiang Ming.

“Yes.” Old Dog nodded, no longer daring to ask more, and turned away.

[End of Chapter 132]