Chapter 160: Utterly Shameless

Along the road, Niu Youdao carefully observed Shao Pingbo and gradually began to discern something else beneath the surface.

Aside from the brief conversation when they first met in the forest, Shao Pingbo never once looked at him properly again. He showed no interest in paying him any attention.

Even when the group stopped to rest, Niu Youdao found no opportunity to approach him.

Thinking back to how courteous Shao Pingbo had been at their first meeting, Niu Youdao gradually understood. It had never been because the food tasted good.

At the beginning, Shao Pingbo simply had not known their background. Where had the change from courtesy to arrogance occurred?

Once Niu Youdao sorted through the encounter, the answer slowly became clear.

It was not when he admitted he was an independent cultivator.

It had been when Shao Pingbo suddenly behaved rudely, took over as though he were the host, and let his men finish the entire basin of pork. The logic was simple. When they first met, Shao Pingbo had been perfectly polite. That proved he was not someone ignorant of etiquette. For him to become abruptly discourteous was far too abnormal.

When something is abnormal, there must be something strange behind it. Once he understood, Niu Youdao pinched his forehead. The man had probed them without showing it.

When their side made no response, Shao Pingbo learned exactly how much weight they carried.

The key was that at the time Niu Youdao had had no reason to react. He had wanted to avoid trouble.

Who could have imagined Shao Pingbo was testing them because he intended to drag him away as a cook? Niu Youdao developed a headache. He had run into a troublesome man.

From their very first contact, through detail after detail, he could feel that this person’s arrogance ran in his bones.

Niu Youdao had claimed to be one of Zhuge Xun’s men, returning to the capital on official business.

Yet Shao Pingbo had still forced him along without the slightest courtesy merely to cook. That meant he did not take Zhuge Xun seriously.

Perhaps he did not even take the court of the State of Han seriously. The depth of the man’s pride could be imagined.

And yet Shao Pingbo’s arrogance did not come merely from family background. His shift from courtesy to arrogance had been carefully measured. He knew when to advance and retreat. His control over the situation had been precise.

This was not a man blinded by his background into empty self-importance.

His arrogance came from confidence in his own judgment and control.

People like that were often extremely difficult to deal with because their minds remained clear and cold. Such people were frequently rational to the point of ruthlessness.

When a decision had to be made, they made it without hesitation. Cold-blooded creatures of that sort... Niu Youdao had dealt with such people before. They were not easy to provoke.

Once Shao Pingbo had tested Niu Youdao’s group and judged their measure, he immediately stopped caring about them. He showed not the slightest concern for their feelings. That alone revealed much.

Once Niu Youdao organized his thoughts, he became fully alert and spent the journey observing even more carefully. The more he watched, the more alarmed he became.

Among the cultivators in Shao Pingbo’s party, two men actually received respectful treatment from the two Golden Core Realm cultivators Niu Youdao had already seen.

That meant those two were very likely Golden Core Realm cultivators as well, and of higher standing.

There were another two cultivators whose conversations with the higher-status pair appeared to be on equal footing.

Those two were therefore very likely Golden Core Realm cultivators too.

Judging from how all the other cultivators treated these six men, along with various smaller details, Niu Youdao gradually confirmed his conclusion. Shao Pingbo had six Golden Core Realm cultivators protecting him!

Back when Shang Chaozong had carried the supposed secret of the hundred thousand Crow Generals, how many Golden Core Realm cultivators had Tianyu Sect sent to protect him on the road?

It was obvious from this alone how highly Shao Dengyun valued this son.

Niu Youdao was not especially familiar with Shao Dengyun’s family circumstances.

He vaguely remembered hearing that the man had three or four children. Did every child have this many experts protecting them? Golden Core Realm cultivators were not cabbages. That seemed unlikely.

Perhaps it was because Shao Pingbo had gone out to handle some important matter? Niu Youdao immediately pulled his perspective farther back.

The broad situation in Beizhou surfaced in his mind, though in truth he did not know the details very well.

Shao Dengyun had originally been a general of the State of Yan guarding the frontier.

Later he defected from the State of Yan and submitted to the State of Han, opening the passes and allowing the army of the State of Han to advance, seize cities, and take territory.

In the end, all of Beizhou was cut away from the State of Yan.

Apparently as a reward for his defection, Shao Dengyun became Provincial Inspector of Beizhou and took control of the entire province.

It was said that Shao Dengyun borrowed the State of Han’s power to the north so the State of Yan did not dare act rashly, while borrowing the State of Yan’s presence to the south so the State of Han itself had to think twice before moving against him.

Now that Niu Youdao considered it carefully, the situation was far from simple.

As a surrendered enemy general, Shao Dengyun inevitably faced some degree of rejection from the State of Han’s internal powers.

Yet he had still managed to occupy an entire province, hold troops under his own command, and make himself difficult for either side to touch. That was no ordinary feat.

Shao Dengyun had apparently once been a general under Prince Ning, Shang Jianbo.

According to rumor, the court of the State of Yan’s purge of Prince Ning’s old followers had finally forced Shao Dengyun into rebellion.

Prince Ning had possessed many old retainers, and many of them had been purged.

But among them, Shao Dengyun seemed to be the only one who had decisively betrayed the State of Yan altogether.

For no particular reason, Niu Youdao suddenly felt that Shao Dengyun’s decisiveness resembled Shao Pingbo’s.

Combining that thought with everything he had observed before him, he began to wonder whether Shao Dengyun’s decisive defection might somehow have had something to do with Shao Pingbo. Then he wondered whether he was overthinking it. Perhaps it was simply father and son sharing similar temperaments. That too was entirely possible... Beizhou had originally belonged to the State of Yan.

In the past, the State of Yan and the State of Han had used the great river as their boundary. Now the river belonged to the State of Han. So did the land. Several large boats were already waiting on the river. Men and horses boarded together. The boatmen raised the sails.

Rows of oars on both sides of the hulls moved in rhythm as the vessels crossed the water. The river was broad.

The boatmen rowed hard for more than a quarter of an hour before reaching the opposite bank. The vessels came alongside the wharf. Ropes were thrown ashore and secured. Gangplanks were laid down, and everyone began disembarking.

A considerable crowd had already gathered at the wharf to welcome them.

After stepping ashore, Shao Pingbo merely nodded faintly at those offering him greetings. He did not bother with anyone else. Instead, he walked directly toward one particular woman.

Coming down behind him, Niu Youdao could hardly have failed to notice her. Shao Pingbo’s special treatment was one reason. The other was simply that she was beautiful.

She stood out from the crowd like a crane among chickens.

Her hair was arranged in a coiled style beneath a light veil.

A pair of clear phoenix eyes gave her a dignified, cool beauty.

Her skin was porcelain pale, her figure graceful, and she wore a long gray gauze robe. Her bearing was refined and otherworldly. Niu Youdao was utterly speechless.

There was no way he could fail to recognize this woman.

It was Tang Yi!

He had deliberately gone around Beizhou when entering the State of Han precisely because he did not want to run into anyone from the Shangqing Sect.

He had not wanted to come with Shao Pingbo for exactly the same reason.

He had heard the Shangqing Sect had submitted to Shao Dengyun.

If he followed Shao Pingbo, the chance of encountering them was simply too high. And now the very thing he had feared had happened.

Tang Yi herself had come to the riverbank to welcome Shao Pingbo. What kind of cursed situation was this? Niu Youdao looked around.

There was nowhere to hide unless he climbed back onto the boat or jumped into the river.

He had only paused for an instant when a cultivator behind him nudged him and signaled him to keep moving. Two people stood beside Tang Yi. He knew both. One was Su Po.

The other was Tang Susu, who had repeatedly wanted him dead. Enemies truly did meet on a narrow road.

Perhaps because Tang Yi was sect leader of the Shangqing Sect, or perhaps simply because she was beautiful, Shao Pingbo’s attitude toward her was visibly warmer than his attitude toward everyone else.

Fortunately, Tang Yi and the other two had their attention fixed on Shao Pingbo in front of them.

Niu Youdao used the opportunity to move behind several people and block their line of sight.

He needed to get through this moment first, then find a chance to slip away.

Hidden behind the crowd, Niu Youdao listened to Shao Pingbo speak and quickly understood. Shao Pingbo had taken a fancy to Tang Yi!

The admiration in his words was not concealed in the slightest. It would have been difficult not to hear it. Fortunately, Tang Yi’s polite refusal was equally obvious. Otherwise Niu Youdao would have found the situation unbearably distasteful. Yes, he did not particularly like Tang Yi.

He felt nothing toward her, and certainly nothing between man and woman.

In fact, at present there was no woman in this world he truly liked.

But damn it, Tang Yi had formally bowed to Heaven and Earth with him. By status, she was still his wife.

No matter how little he liked her, he could not calmly watch his nominal wife flirting with another man right in front of him.

His state of mind had not transcended desire to that degree.

“Oh, right. I brought you a gift.”

“I appreciate Eldest Young Master’s kindness, but there truly is no need. I am a married woman!”

As they spoke, Tang Yi repeatedly emphasized that she was married.

It seemed she hoped Shao Pingbo would understand the difficulty and retreat.

“I know you do not accept gifts. This one is different. I brought along an excellent cook. You have probably never tasted dishes like his before. You might as well try them.”

Shao Pingbo smiled.

Then he looked back and called, “Brother Zhang.”

It was as though only now had he remembered Niu Youdao existed.

The people behind him immediately moved aside to create a path. Niu Youdao was exposed in the middle. He was speechless.

Tang Yi, Su Po, and Tang Susu all looked straight at him. All three froze instantly.

Not one had ever dreamed they would see Niu Youdao here. Niu Youdao walked over with perfect composure.

He planted his sword before him, looked Tang Yi up and down once, and smiled.

“What a beauty.”

Shao Pingbo frowned slightly. His voice turned cold.

“Brother Zhang, please mind your words.”

A faint smile curled at the corner of Niu Youdao’s mouth.

“Lord Shao, is this the honored guest you wanted to entertain?”

Shao Pingbo nodded. “Exactly.”

Niu Youdao said, “Lord Shao dragged me all this way for her alone. Your sincerity is plain to see.”

He looked from Shao Pingbo to Tang Yi.

“In my eyes, Lord Shao and this beauty truly are a well-matched pair.”

Shao Pingbo warned him, “Brother Zhang, that goes too far. This lady is Sect Leader of the Shangqing Sect!”

Hearing Shao Pingbo repeatedly call him Brother Zhang, Tang Yi and the other two began wondering whether perhaps they had mistaken someone else for Niu Youdao. Maybe the resemblance was only superficial.

But the sword Niu Youdao had planted before him was the same sword Dong Guo Haoran had carried in his earlier years. All three recognized it. A similar face could be coincidence. A similar face carrying the same sword could not.

If this was not Niu Youdao, who else could it be?

Niu Youdao’s words were undoubtedly a public slap across Tang Yi’s face. There was nothing he could do. He had never wanted to meet her. But now there was nowhere to avoid it. His only choice was to advance in order to retreat.

He first threw out enough pointed words to make those three too embarrassed to expose his true identity.

Tang Yi burned with shame until she wished the ground would swallow her.

Whatever else could be said, Niu Youdao was her husband in name.

Yet here she stood before her own husband, in broad daylight and before a crowd, entangled ambiguously with another man. What kind of principle was that?

Niu Youdao’s words were nothing less than merciless mockery aimed directly at her. Su Po lowered his head slightly. He too felt embarrassed.

Even Tang Susu, who would gladly have killed Niu Youdao, felt awkward in this moment.

If Niu Youdao publicly revealed his identity now, Tang Yi would become the laughingstock of all beneath Heaven.

People would point at her spine and curse her for the rest of her life.

Niu Youdao’s sudden appearance, and his appearance under circumstances like these, struck all three of them like one slap after another across the face. Sect Leader of the Shangqing Sect? Black Peony and the other three looked at one another. So this was the Shangqing Sect’s leader?

And unless they had heard wrong, this sect leader had just admitted with her own mouth that she was a married woman.

They simply did not know whether the “husband” she referred to was the man from the rumors or someone she had married later.

If it really was the man from those rumors... Then this sect leader was utterly shameless, wasn’t she?

[End of Chapter 160]