Chapter 135: Changed Your Mind Again?

Bending down, the attendant picked up a jar of wine and set it on the counter. He beckoned another attendant over and instructed him to deliver it to the designated guest room.

Bai Yulou slowly walked out of the inn. Standing on the steps outside with his hands clasped behind his back, he looked up at the vast starry sky, his thoughts unsettled.

The people around Xuanyuan Dao had been making frequent secret contact with the Liuxian Sect, while Xuanyuan Dao himself had begun moving pieces in the dark. Even Bai Yulou, merely an observer, had somehow been drawn in and put a hand into the game. Tonight’s starry sky and tonight’s inn suddenly seemed touched by something strange and treacherous.

Xuanyuan Dao had said he would leave tomorrow. Bai Yulou only hoped nothing happened tonight.

Stars flickered endlessly across the night sky. The scattered lights of the ancient city were desolate and beautiful. High in the mountains, the night was cold.

On this tranquil night, Bai Yulou felt hidden currents churning beneath the stillness...

“Shanhu County?”

Inside the Liuxian Sect shop, Gao Sucong frowned after hearing Cui Yuan’s report and muttered the name to himself. He turned to Huang Engui. “Bring the map.”

Huang Engui went inside and soon returned with one. He spread it across the counter. Three Moon Butterflies stood with wings upright on a silk cord overhead, illuminating the section below so brightly that no separate lamp was needed.

The three men searched the map together for a while. Cui Yuan pointed to one place. “Here, Martial Uncle. Shanhu County is here.”

All three gazes converged on the same point.

Huang Engui stroked his chin in thought. “Meeting here... This fellow ran from Jinzhou to Star-Plucking City, and now he’s going to Shanhu County. Where exactly is he headed?”

Gao Sucong shifted the map and followed the route southeast with his eyes. He seemed to understand something. Tapping Shanhu County with one finger, he said, “That’s it. There can be no mistake. Unless he travels cross-country in a straight line on foot or takes a long detour, if he intends to return to Jinzhou or Canglu County, he can’t avoid Shanhu County. Returning on horseback, he is bound to pass through here.”

The other two studied the route he indicated and immediately understood.

Cui Yuan said, “Looks like he came to Star-Plucking City to buy supplies. He wandered around for a while, but in the end he still intends to go back to Shang Chaozong.”

Huang Engui snorted. “Anyone with eyes can see what Shang Chaozong’s supposed severing of relations with him amounts to. It was nothing more than publicly shedding responsibility so no one could seize on the connection. There’s nothing strange about him continuing to mix with Shang Chaozong.”

He looked up at Gao Sucong. “Martial Uncle, we can’t let him hide back at Shang Chaozong’s side. Once Tianyu Sect is sheltering him, trying to make a move against him again will be difficult.”

In truth, the Liuxian Sect people all knew that although Liu Ziyu and the others were said to have died at Niu Youdao’s hands, the ones who had actually dealt the killing blows were Bai Yao and the other Tianyu Sect cultivators.

But the Liuxian Sect could not afford to offend Tianyu Sect. It could only settle accounts first with Niu Youdao, the man behind the affair. Besides, that was what the Song family wanted as well.

Cui Yuan said, “The problem now is that he plans to send Black Peony and the others ahead. The informant we planted beside him won’t be able to keep track of his exact movements either. No one knows when he’ll actually leave. He might even slip away tonight...” He pointed to Shanhu County. “The only thing we can do is wait for him there to walk into the net himself.”

Gao Sucong stared at the map and sighed. “Then we make the trip. In any case, we cannot let him escape again. If he and that bear demon are all we’re dealing with and we still let him get away, the sect will have no way to answer to the Song family, and we’ll have no face left before the sect.”

He pointed at the two men. “One of you stays at the shop to maintain communication inside and outside. The other returns to the inn and keeps watching. Report any change immediately. I’ll personally take the other four men to Shanhu County. This time, we must deal with this wretch.”

Huang Engui hurriedly said, “Martial Uncle, there’s no need for you to run personally for a mere Niu Youdao. Let us handle him.”

Gao Sucong shook his head. “There’s no question of who runs errands. If he escapes again, the Liuxian Sect cannot afford the humiliation. If the sect were not so far away and there were enough time to dispatch reinforcements, I would certainly request more manpower to make absolutely sure nothing went wrong.”

“So this time, I not only intend to go personally, I’ll also ask the stationed men from Lingxiu Mountain and Fuyun Sect to join us. We will gather enough people to act together. This time, we must cast an inescapable net over Shanhu County and capture him in one stroke. There can be no mistakes!”

Huang Engui and Cui Yuan exchanged looks. Lingxiu Mountain and Fuyun Sect also belonged to the Song family’s side. The three factions were not especially close in ordinary times and even competed with one another.

But that was another matter. In an affair like this, Lingxiu Mountain and Fuyun Sect probably would not dare refuse to exert themselves.

Song Jiuming might have stepped down, but there was word that Grand Minister of Works Tong Mo still summoned him frequently. That alone said enough. Song Jiuming could return to office at any time. No one dared take him lightly.

For Gao Sucong to seek assistance from both factions showed just how seriously he was taking this.

To Huang Engui and Cui Yuan, it almost felt like using a butcher’s cleaver to kill a chicken.

But since Gao Sucong had already put matters in such terms, the two could only obey.

Gao Sucong wrote a secret report and had another Goldenwing brought over. Once again, he sent word back to the Liuxian Sect explaining the situation. Afterward, Gao Sucong departed with four disciples that very night.

As Cui Yuan had said, no one knew when Niu Youdao would leave. He might even slip away before dawn. They needed to reach Shanhu County ahead of him and make their arrangements first.

The group carried two Goldenwings with them. They quietly slipped out through the shop’s rear entrance, then went straight to the shops belonging to Lingxiu Mountain and Fuyun Sect.

Before long, a group of roughly twenty people had gathered and left Star-Plucking City... Beside the lamp, Niu Youdao was still holding that sword.

Yuan Fang had no idea what he was doing. He had been cradling the same sword and wiping it over and over for such a long time.

Niu Youdao was so calm that something about him felt wrong.

This was the first time Yuan Fang had ever seen him like this.

Knock, knock.

Someone rapped on the door.

Yuan Fang stood to see who it was.

“Honored guest, your wine.”

“Wine? We didn’t order any wine!”

Still wiping the sword, Niu Youdao said mildly, “I ordered it.”

The exchange at the doorway immediately ended.

The door shut. Yuan Fang came over carrying a jar of wine and set it beside Niu Youdao. Curious, he asked, “Master Dao feels like drinking?”

Niu Youdao said calmly, “It’s for you. Heh-heh, Master Dao, don’t joke with me. You know I don’t drink. At most, I pretend to take a few sips when I need to disguise my identity. You’re a damn boring demon. You don’t drink wine and you don’t eat meat. If you don’t want it, leave it there.”

Niu Youdao said it carelessly.

Only now did his gaze leave the sword blade and fall on the wine jar. A trace of icy coldness flashed through his eyes.

Swordlight flickered in his hand.

Shhk!

The blade returned to its sheath. He tossed the sword aside, swept one sleeve through the air, and sent out a gust that extinguished the lamp. From the darkness came one sentence.

“Get some rest.”

They had been talking and joking a moment earlier, then the room suddenly plunged into darkness.

Yuan Fang was speechless.

He simply had not followed Niu Youdao long enough... The next morning, the group met inside the inn and ate breakfast together. Afterward, everyone returned to their own rooms.

Not long later, Black Peony and the others, already packed and ready, came to Niu Youdao’s room. They knocked, entered, and came to bid farewell before setting out.

“Master Dao, we’ll go on ahead and wait for you in Shanhu County.” Black Peony and the others cupped their hands together in farewell.

Standing at the window with his back to them, Niu Youdao slowly turned around.

With his sword planted before him, he said to Yuan Fang, “Pack our things. We’ll check out too. Let’s go together. ...”

Black Peony and the others stared. At breakfast only moments ago, he had shown no intention of leaving. Why had he suddenly changed his mind?

Changed his mind again?

Yuan Fang did not understand either. “Master Dao, weren’t we going to stay here a few more days?”

He had voiced everyone else’s question.

Niu Youdao said, “I thought about it. There doesn’t seem to be any need to make things so complicated. As long as we leave this place secretly, there shouldn’t be much danger. It’s better for everyone to travel together so we can look out for one another along the road.”

The others exchanged looks.

Lei Zongkang asked, “Master Dao, then is there still any need for us to go to Shanhu County?”

“We no longer need it as a rendezvous point,” Niu Youdao said. “But we’ll still have to pass through Shanhu County.”

He waved at Yuan Fang to hurry and pack.

Yuan Fang gave an “Oh.”

There was not much to pack in the first place. He tied up the bundles, slung them over his back, and was done.

The group left the guest room, went downstairs, and headed straight to the main hall to check out. Cui Yuan was sitting leisurely in the garden drinking tea. The tea was only for show.

His real purpose was surveillance.

When he saw Niu Youdao’s group coming down and noticed that Yuan Fang was carrying luggage as well, he froze. His gaze immediately fixed on Lei Zongkang.

Lei Zongkang met his eyes.

With people beside him, he could not convey anything obvious, so he merely gave Cui Yuan a look whose meaning Cui Yuan might or might not understand.

When they reached the main hall, Yuan Fang naturally produced the receipt for the eighteen hundred gold coins Black Peony had originally paid.

Any excess was refundable and any shortage had to be made up.

For a money-loving fellow like Yuan Fang, there was no possibility he would simply abandon that sum. Bai Yulou rose from behind the counter.

He did not handle the settlement himself, instead signaling an attendant to do it.

Once the accounts were settled, the attendant asked, “Will you leave by the open route or the hidden passage?”

Black Peony said, “The hidden passage.”

The attendant immediately called someone over to guide them out.

Bai Yulou cupped his hands toward the group. “Honored guests, safe travels!”

His gaze met Niu Youdao’s for an instant. Nothing unusual showed on either man’s face.

An attendant led the group away through a side hall. They entered a sealed corridor and eventually wound their way into the mountain itself, descending flight after flight of stairs.

After walking a considerable distance, they gradually heard the faint roar of rushing water.

When they saw daylight again, they had emerged from a cave at the base of a cliff. A swift river rushed before them.

The cave stood precisely where two waterways met, their currents colliding and throwing mist into the air.

It was said that Star-Plucking City personnel guarded the surrounding area to prevent anyone from using this route to sneak into the city.

At the exit itself, at least, the group saw a cultivator sitting cross-legged on a stone platform to one side.

After the attendant spoke with the cultivator, the group was formally cleared to leave.

Niu Youdao pointed downstream.

The others nodded.

Spiritual power spread over their bodies, and all of them leapt into the raging river together, vanishing beneath the surface.

The instant they entered the water, their bodies seemed wrapped in bubbles as they were carried swiftly downstream.

From this moment onward, they had left the protection of the Inviting Moon Inn. If anything happened now, the inn bore no responsibility.

Under ordinary circumstances, however, this river route was difficult to attack successfully.

The current through the gorge was extremely fierce. Few people could endure anchoring themselves in place for long periods while resisting that torrent.

Visibility underwater was limited once the distance grew even slightly, and many cultivators came and went along the river. Randomly intercepting someone could easily create a misunderstanding.

Unless an attacker knew the precise time a target had left the inn, arranging a successful ambush was difficult.

The upper and lower reaches also split into multiple tributaries, making it even harder to know which route a target would take.

The river system stretched far, with tributaries large and small. It was difficult to determine where someone might come ashore.

And once ashore, the countless ravines and gullies crisscrossing the mountain ranges made it easy to slip away unseen.

Without precise intelligence and a large amount of manpower to cast a net, catching someone here was extremely difficult.

That was one of the important reasons Star-Plucking City had become a gathering place where cultivators from every side could trade.

[End of Chapter 135]