Chapter 167: Possibility

Huang Dou and Lin Hu stared for a moment. Gradually, both seemed to understand, and both slowly nodded.

Huang Dou suddenly laughed. “Eldest Young Master, first he burned down the restaurant, and now he has produced this thing specifically to target you. It seems your public pursuit of Tang Yi made him fly into a rage from humiliation.”

“You underestimate him,” Shao Pingbo said. “If a man like that truly wanted to take Tang Yi away, he would naturally have found a way to do it. Instead, he abandoned her decisively and fled. That shows he has no real feelings for her. Given how the Shangqing Sect treated him, perhaps that is understandable.”

“People say even heroes find it hard to pass the trial of a beauty. Besides, the two of them still have the status of husband and wife. Everyone has eyes and can see what Tang Yi looks like. Yet even after learning I was entangled with her, he still threw her aside and left without hesitation, making no effort to cling to her at all.”

“This kind of man is extremely rational. Extremely cold-blooded... and extremely dangerous.”

He slowly rose.

“To possess this kind of ability at such a young age means that, given time, he will certainly become a major threat. He cannot be allowed to live.”

Lin Hu said, “The men sent to the capital are already on the road.”

“That is precisely what I was about to mention,” Shao Pingbo replied. “Recall them. His identity was false. Do you really expect him to keep his word and go to the capital?”

The two thought about it and nodded.

Huang Dou asked, “If Eldest Young Master is determined to eliminate him, the first problem is finding him. Our influence weakens greatly once we leave Beizhou. Heaven is vast and Earth is broad. We do not know his route or where he went. Finding him may be extremely difficult.”

“What did he come to the State of Han for?”

Shao Pingbo suddenly asked the question, almost as if asking himself.

He fell into thought and began pacing slowly through the hall with his hands clasped behind his back.

Huang Dou and Lin Hu exchanged looks.

That was a difficult question. They had only just met the fellow for the first time. How were they supposed to know why he had come to the State of Han?

After a period of silence, Shao Pingbo slowly said, “There is one place he may go, although I cannot be certain.”

“Where?”

The two asked almost in unison.

Shao Pingbo stopped and looked back at them. “When I asked what errand Zhuge Xun had sent him to the capital to handle, do you remember how he answered?”

The two men looked at one another.

Had the Eldest Young Master not just said Niu Youdao would not go to the capital? Why was he suddenly bringing up Zhuge Xun’s supposed errand again?

Still, Shao Pingbo’s intelligence had always impressed the two of them deeply. They knew better than to measure his train of thought by ordinary standards.

Huang Dou followed his reasoning and replied, “I remember. He said it concerned the relay stations, that he had been sent to report the details to the capital on Zhuge Xun’s behalf.”

Shao Pingbo turned and paced back again. “You both know what happened with the relay stations, correct?”

Lin Hu nodded. “Eldest Young Master mentioned it while we were still in the capital, and Beizhou later received word from the court as well. The State of Yan had hidden spies among the relay stations. Beizhou naturally cannot tolerate the State of Yan’s spies either, so we cooperated with the court in clearing them out.”

“I hear all six states are purging the State of Yan’s spies from their relay stations. On the surface it looks calm, but the disturbance beneath the surface is enormous. The State of Yan’s Intelligence Directorate must have suffered considerable losses.”

Shao Pingbo stopped in front of them. “He claimed Zhuge Xun learned of the matter in the State of Zhao and sent the information back to the State of Han. Do you think he was lying to deceive me?”

Following Shao Pingbo’s line of reasoning, the answer was not difficult to find.

Lin Hu said, “Probably not. By then he already knew Eldest Young Master’s identity. Since he was pretending to be one of Zhuge Xun’s people, he would hardly dare invent something completely baseless. If Eldest Young Master happened to know the facts, his false identity would be exposed immediately. Naturally he would choose something credible.”

Shao Pingbo spread his hands slightly. “The key point is that even I did not know the information had been sent from the State of Zhao to the Han capital by Zhuge Xun.”

“That is understandable. Intelligence involving relations between states is naturally kept secret. But how did Niu Youdao know?”

“How did he know Zhuge Xun was the one who sent the report?”

“Would Zhuge Xun really spread information of that sensitivity around carelessly?”

Huang Dou and Lin Hu began thinking.

Shao Pingbo raised a finger. “Now look again at the arrest instructions the capital sent us. They were fairly precise. The people targeted were all operatives inserted into relay stations over roughly the same recent period.”

“If we connect that period to Niu Youdao, things become interesting.”

“Niu Youdao. Yan’s covert agents. The timing of their insertion.”

“There is a connection between all three.”

Lin Hu suddenly understood and blurted, “Niu Youdao killed an envoy of the State of Yan and enraged the court of the State of Yan. The court deployed men along the relay-station routes as eyes to search for him and deal with him!”

Shao Pingbo nodded faintly. “Now return to the question of how he knew about Zhuge Xun’s secret report.”

Huang Dou immediately said, “It may have been Niu Youdao himself who contacted Zhuge Xun!”

“I am afraid it was not only Zhuge Xun,” Shao Pingbo said. “He probably contacted the envoys of the other states as well. When he killed an envoy of the State of Yan, the envoys of the various states were basically all present. He knew them. Finding a way to deliver information to them would not have been difficult.”

“Furthermore, the states contend with one another and each harbors its own calculations. If one state learned this information, unless absolutely necessary, it would have no reason to inform the others. Better to keep the intelligence for itself and watch its rivals suffer disorder.”

“The fact that all six states acted at almost the same time is suspicious in itself.”

Lin Hu gave a short laugh. “Then it becomes even more likely Niu Youdao was behind it. The State of Yan moved against him, so he retaliated. That is perfectly natural.”

Shao Pingbo turned and walked away with his hands behind his back.

He sighed softly.

“With one counterstroke, he tore apart the net Yan had laid for him. Even the State of Yan suffered a loss at his hands.”

“You still dare underestimate him?”

Lin Hu could no longer laugh.

Both men’s expressions turned solemn.

Only now did they fully understand why Shao Pingbo regarded this person as dangerous.

They also understood why he was so wary.

The man’s attitude toward Beizhou had plainly been hostile.

Then there was the children’s rhyme.

That alone would be enough to give the Eldest Young Master a serious headache.

Huang Dou hesitated. “Eldest Young Master, does any of this tell us where he is going?”

“Does it not?”

Shao Pingbo slowly returned to the main seat and sat down.

“Once he knew the court of the State of Yan intended to deal with him, where would he be safest?”

Huang Dou replied, “Either hide somewhere secluded, or return to Shang Chaozong.”

“But he did neither,” Shao Pingbo said. “He knew the court of the State of Yan was hunting him, yet instead of hiding, he kept running around outside. He even traveled this far and entered the State of Han.”

“What did he come to the State of Han to do?”

Huang Dou and Lin Hu looked at one another without speaking.

That truly was difficult to guess.

“To continue traveling despite the danger can only mean he has something he must accomplish.” Shao Pingbo continued, “Once we understand the events leading up to this and look down on the overall situation surrounding him, traces begin to appear everywhere. We already know something of his ability. His appearance in Jinzhou was certainly no accident. What happened afterward is known throughout the realm. Shang Chaozong allied himself with Jinzhou, borrowed Jinzhou’s momentum, and took Qingshan Commandery in one stroke. So why did Niu Youdao go to Jinzhou? In all likelihood, he was the one who helped Shang Chaozong bring about the alliance with Jinzhou.”

“My father once served under Prince Ning, Shang Jianbo, and has always paid considerable attention to Prince Ning’s son, Shang Chaozong. My father mentioned that Hai Ruyue of Jinzhou once had a romantic relationship with Prince Ning. But Prince Ning is already dead. Relying on an old romance alone would be far too weak a reason for Hai Ruyue to send troops in support. This involved two states. For Hai Ruyue to act that way was a risk. She had to consider Jinzhou’s interests as well, or she could never have kept control of Jinzhou.”

“By ordinary logic, Shang Chaozong was so weak that Hai Ruyue had no reason to send troops to support him. Convincing Hai Ruyue should have been extraordinarily difficult. With that in mind, Niu Youdao appearing in Jinzhou makes perfect sense. And the facts prove that something no one expected actually happened. A great province like Jinzhou truly allied itself with Shang Chaozong, who at the time controlled only a single little county.”

“What condition made Hai Ruyue agree to send troops? Now put the whole sequence together again. Niu Youdao helped form the alliance. Shang Chaozong was about to go to war. Yet Niu Youdao did not return to Shang Chaozong. Instead, despite the danger created by killing an envoy of the State of Yan, he kept traveling outside. He knew the court of the State of Yan had already moved against him, yet he still came all the way to the State of Han. That is highly abnormal.”

“The doubts form a sequence. How did Niu Youdao persuade Jinzhou to ally with Shang Chaozong? Why did Hai Ruyue agree to send troops? Why did Niu Youdao risk coming to the State of Han? Judging by the time and distance, everything happened in a fairly tight chain. All three doubts only make sense if some condition existed behind them. So let us insert an unknown condition and examine the sequence again. Niu Youdao offered a condition to secure the alliance. Hai Ruyue accepted that condition and sent troops. Niu Youdao came to the State of Han. Does that not give us an answer?”

Lin Hu immediately said, “Niu Youdao came to the State of Han to fulfill the condition!”

Huang Dou nodded slightly.

Shao Pingbo asked, “What sort of condition could Hai Ruyue accept that would require someone to come to the State of Han? What kind of matter could ordinary people not handle, requiring a cultivator? Shang Chaozong has cultivators around him. Why must Niu Youdao personally take the risk of traveling all the way to the State of Han? Hai Ruyue also has cultivators around her. What matter could even her own cultivators not accomplish, yet require Niu Youdao himself?”

“Thinking this far reminded me of something. Hai Ruyue’s son seems to suffer from a strange illness. I heard he inherited it from his father.”

“Heavenly Yin Damaged Meridians!”

“Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit!”

Lin Hu and Huang Dou blurted out almost simultaneously.

The words were different, but they pointed to the same thing.

Quite a few people paid attention to Hai Ruyue.

Not because of her beauty, but because her son’s illness could determine whether Jinzhou changed hands.

Shao Pingbo said, “Once we insert this matter into the sequence, most of the mysteries seem to resolve themselves.”

“Niu Youdao may very well be heading for the Northern Great Snowy Mountains, intending to seek a Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit from the Ice and Snow Pavilion!”

“This...” Huang Dou frowned. “Even someone of Hai Ruyue’s status and position could not obtain one. What use would it be for him to go?”

“That is precisely why I cannot be certain,” Shao Pingbo replied. “If the item had not yet reached her hands, why would Hai Ruyue send troops so readily?”

“Could my judgment be wrong?”

“Could Niu Youdao merely be passing through the State of Han on his way elsewhere?”

Lin Hu said, “Whether he is or not, if there is even this possibility and Eldest Young Master wants him eliminated, we can simply send people to investigate.”

Shao Pingbo shook his head. “I have other arrangements for that.”

“For now, there is another matter I must trouble the two of you with.”

“You personally witnessed how the children’s rhyme came about. I ask that you explain the matter clearly to Dachan Mountain.”

“Easy enough!”

Huang Dou and Lin Hu accepted.

Then they exchanged a glance.

Both knew the children’s rhyme would be enough to keep Shao Pingbo occupied for a while.

After the two left, Shao Pingbo’s expression darkened.

He turned toward Steward Shao Sansheng, who stood silently with his hands folded.

“Children who refuse to behave sometimes slip and fall into the water. Such accidents are unavoidable.”

“The adults should start keeping a closer eye on them.”

“Arrange for some people to travel to the areas where the rhyme is being sung.”

“Create a few examples frightening enough to make people afraid.”

“Use rumor to suppress rumor.”

He knew perfectly well that the rhyme was spreading beyond Beizhou’s sphere of influence and would be difficult to control.

Even so, he had to try.

He could hardly allow children throughout the entire realm to end up singing it.

[End of Chapter 167]