Chapter 171: A World of Ice and Snow

He certainly had plenty of confidence in Niu Youdao.

The others looked at one another. So this had actually been Niu Youdao’s doing?

Lan Ruoting quickly asked, “Master, what exactly happened?”

“Mm-mm!” Yuan Fang shook his head and clammed up again.

Shang Shuqing could barely stand him. She had no idea where this demon had picked up the habit of stopping halfway through everything he said. Either say nothing at all or finish the story. He might not feel stifled, but the people listening certainly did.

Lan Ruoting found this trait equally unbearable. Ever since Yuan Fang returned, Lan Ruoting had naturally questioned him about Niu Youdao’s situation. What he discovered was that the demon had developed a truly aggravating mouth: he wanted to show off that he knew something, yet insisted on preserving an air of reserve. In short, after spending some time with Niu Youdao, the fellow had become forever mysterious and tight-lipped, as though he truly regarded himself as someone important. He had completely forgotten the embarrassing figure he once cut at Nanshan Temple, forgotten what it looked like when Yuan Gang beat him black and blue every day, and somehow acquired an air of looking down on everyone here.

The problem was that they really could not do much about him. He was Niu Youdao’s man, after all, and Niu Youdao’s contribution to everything they had achieved today was beyond measure. It would be difficult to justify laying hands on one of his people.

On that point, Lan Ruoting also admired Niu Youdao. They knew perfectly well where this demon had come from and what sort of person he had once been. Yet in such a short time, Yuan Fang had actually become utterly devoted to Niu Youdao. Niu Youdao clearly had a genuine talent for winning people over.

The methods of that young man never ceased to make Lan Ruoting sigh. Niu Youdao’s age and the things he accomplished always seemed strangely mismatched.

His face still bruised and swollen, Shang Chaozong turned his head to look at Yuan Fang and could not be bothered saying anything more.

Another personal guard entered from outside and presented a paper slip.

“Capital No. 6 intelligence report.”

Yuan Fang had no idea what that meant, but Shang Chaozong, Shang Shuqing, and Lan Ruoting all became solemn. No. 6 was a covert intelligence channel in the capital established specifically for matters concerning Niu Youdao, and it had been set up at Niu Youdao’s own instruction.

Lan Ruoting was just reaching for the report when Shang Shuqing took it first.

His half-raised hand froze. He slowly turned his head and glanced at Shang Shuqing as she read the report intently, something flickering in his eyes.

When Shang Shuqing finished, her expression was grave.

“Master Dao is in danger.”

She passed the intelligence report to Lan Ruoting.

Lan Ruoting’s expression turned equally grave after reading it, and he handed it on to Shang Chaozong.

Once Shang Chaozong had finished, Yuan Fang, having heard that Master Dao was in danger, could no longer restrain himself. He held out a hand.

“Your Highness, let me see.”

The contents were not difficult to understand. The original message had been sent in cipher, but it had already been decoded before being submitted.

The gist was this: Beizhou had sent word to the Song family in Yanjing that Niu Youdao was in the State of Han and intended to travel to the Ice and Snow Pavilion in the Northern Great Snowy Mountains to seek a Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit for Hai Ruyue’s son. Song Jiuming hoped to redeem his failures through merit and use the opportunity to make a comeback, and had already contacted the Liuxian Sect and sent people toward the Ice and Snow Pavilion to kill Niu Youdao.

“What do we do? What do we do?”

Yuan Fang’s hand trembled with the report as he anxiously looked around.

Shang Shuqing asked, “Then Master Dao truly is going to the Ice and Snow Pavilion to seek a Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit?”

“Master Dao already promised Hai Ruyue!” Yuan Fang blurted.

Lan Ruoting sighed. “A promise is worth a thousand gold. Truly a man of faith and honor.”

Through Fang Zhe, whom they had stationed in Jinzhou, this side already knew the substance of Niu Youdao’s negotiations with Hai Ruyue. Once matters had reached that point, the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit was actually no longer important. Hai Ruyue had been influenced by Prince Ning’s invincible Yingyang and Wulie Guards. She was creating favorable conditions for Shang Chaozong in the hope that he could forge another force of Yingyang and Wulie Guards whose might would shake the realm, then use that force to support her in return.

Anyone who understood the situation knew that Hai Ruyue herself no longer held much hope for the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit. Jinzhou had exhausted every resource it could mobilize for years and still failed to obtain one. She probably did not believe Niu Youdao could obtain one either. Her support for Shang Chaozong was, in truth, preparation for what would happen after her son Xiao Tianzhen died, and preparation for her own future.

In other words, Niu Youdao had no real need to pursue such a nearly hopeless matter anymore. There was no need for him to seek the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit at all.

“Faith and honor?” Yuan Fang cried. “Of course Master Dao keeps his word! But he’s doing this for your sake too! I was standing right there when he negotiated with Hai Ruyue. I know perfectly well that Master Dao no longer needed to invite this trouble upon himself. I tried persuading him afterward not to bother. Do you know what Master Dao said?”

Lan Ruoting asked, “What did he say?”

“Master Dao said no one knows what year or month it will be before another Yingyang and Wulie Guards can actually be created. He personally examined Xiao Tianzhen’s condition, and it was bad. The boy may not last much longer. He could suddenly die any day. If that happens, Hai Ruyue’s position becomes awkward. If Jinzhou changes masters, who knows whether its relationship with His Highness will change as well?”

Yuan Fang grew more agitated as he spoke.

“That is why Master Dao insisted on going after the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit! Do you know how dangerous this road has been? Do you know how many people want Master Dao dead? You don’t! You didn’t see Master Dao fighting bloody battles against the people hunting him! Master Dao is risking his life for all of you! He is exhausting his heart and blood for the Shang family! You cannot watch him die! You cannot abandon him!”

There was some exaggeration in the telling, but most of it was true. Yuan Fang really was panicking, because there was nothing he himself could do.

There was another reason for his anxiety. Without him quite realizing it, his own interests had become tied to Niu Youdao’s. He understood very clearly that if anything happened to Niu Youdao, he would be worth damn near nothing on this side. Nor was he likely to make much of himself if he left. The demon was not stupid.

He could no longer return to that tiny Nanshan Temple buried in the wilderness. After coming out and seeing the world, he would never go back to those small-time affairs again.

His ambitions had grown.

But the moment he finished speaking, Shang Shuqing’s eyes reddened. Her pearly teeth bit down on her lip.

The bruised and swollen Shang Chaozong was moved as well. His expression grew solemn. Forgetting the pain in his body, he stood and faced Yuan Fang.

“Abbot...”

Then he immediately switched to a more respectful form of address.

“Master, don’t be anxious. We certainly will not sit by and ignore this. I simply do not understand how Beizhou learned Master Dao’s whereabouts and plan. How did the Shao family of Beizhou become entangled in this?”

Yuan Fang spread both hands. “I parted from Master Dao back in the State of Zhao. How would I know what happened after he entered the State of Han?”

Shang Shuqing hesitated. “The Shangqing Sect seems to be in Beizhou. Didn’t the Shangqing Sect seek refuge with the Shao family? Could this have something to do with them?”

One fact was particularly vivid in her mind: Tang Yi, the Sect Leader of the Shangqing Sect, was Niu Youdao’s wife in name. The possibility naturally occurred to her at once.

The others fell into thought, and their suspicions also began leaning in that direction. Everyone present had personally witnessed the Shangqing Sect ambush Niu Youdao at Nanshan Temple. They all knew the sect had wanted him dead.

“What a fine Shangqing Sect! They had better not fall into this monk’s hands, or this monk will kill them without mercy...”

Yuan Fang cursed, then immediately put his palms together.

“Amitabha. Benevolence, benevolence.”

Ever since returning to the monks of Nanshan Temple, he occasionally had to remind himself that he was still a monk.

“Something even Hai Ruyue could not obtain...”

Lan Ruoting stopped halfway through the sentence and shook his head.

Shang Shuqing said, “Master Dao is not reckless. If he is willing to go, he must have some plan. This is not the time to discuss that. Brother, ask Tianyu Sect to help.”

They had no ability to solve the matter themselves. Tianyu Sect was the only force they could turn to.

Shang Chaozong nodded and led everyone out.

The group went to the courtyard where Bai Yao was staying, found him, and explained the situation.

Standing beneath a tree, Bai Yao reached up and plucked a leaf. He turned and snorted coldly.

“Even Hai Ruyue’s power could not accomplish this. What business does he have blindly throwing himself into the mess?”

Lan Ruoting cupped his hands. “Mister Bai, there is a reason. Niu Youdao personally diagnosed Xiao Tianzhen and discovered that his condition is poor. If something happens to Xiao Tianzhen, Hai Ruyue’s control over Jinzhou could easily become unstable. At that point, no one knows whether the relationship between Jinzhou and this side might change.”

“Niu Youdao is doing this for our sake, but he is also helping Tianyu Sect. It benefits Tianyu Sect as well.”

Bai Yao fell silent. Under everyone’s anxious gaze, he finally said, “The key problem is that none of you knows his whereabouts. Heaven is vast and Earth is broad. Where are we supposed to find him? You cannot even contact him directly.”

“All Tianyu Sect can do is notify our people near the Ice and Snow Pavilion and have them prepare in advance.”

Lan Ruoting asked, “Could Tianyu Sect put pressure on the Liuxian Sect and the other people involved?”

“How?” Bai Yao shot back. “Does Tianyu Sect dare openly step forward and help him?”

“Sects operating within each state have rules they must observe. If you eat from a state’s pot, you have to feed that state’s stove with firewood. Bringing down the State of Yan would benefit no one.”

“He is a wanted criminal who killed an envoy of the State of Yan. Do you dare publicly admit your relationship with him?”

“And do you think the Ice and Snow Pavilion is so easy to provoke? That fellow is bold enough to defy Heaven itself. He even dared kill Yan’s envoy. He had best not start acting recklessly at the Ice and Snow Pavilion, or everyone will have to keep their distance from him...”

Jiuling County.

After leaving the county seat, Black Peony and the other three galloped all the way to the foot of a mountain outside town, where they reined in and looked around.

From the woods not far away, a lone horse came clopping into view.

Niu Youdao sat in the saddle, swaying along unhurriedly until he reached them.

Duan Hu, Wu Sanliang, and Lei Zongkang exchanged smiles. After traveling separately, they had finally reunited.

All three cupped their hands.

“Master Dao!”

Niu Youdao smiled faintly, turned his horse, and said, “Let’s go.”

The five riders charged out across the open ground, joined the official road, and galloped away.

Once they left Jiuling County, the climate gradually turned colder.

The farther north they traveled, the lower the temperature fell.

Before long, traces of snow began appearing ahead. Thin snow on the ground gradually deepened as they continued north, until the group slowly entered a world of ice and snow. Even the horses they exchanged for at relay stations along the road were covered in thick, long coats.

A snowstorm arrived without warning.

The bitter wind drove ice and snow through the air.

Ahead stood a vast fenced enclosure, and within the frozen landscape sat a relay station.

Relay stations in this region were already very different from the ones farther south. The station buildings were almost entirely single-story structures, simple adobe houses with roofs buried beneath thick white snow.

The group rode through the storm into the station and dismounted outside the relay house.

Relay attendants came forward to take their horses and lead them toward the pens.

Out in the wind and snow, one attendant swung a hammer again and again, smashing great lumps of coal apart with heavy clangs.

Black against a world of white.

The group climbed the steps and shook the snow from themselves beneath the eaves.

Lei Zongkang and Duan Hu pulled aside the thick cloth curtain hanging over the entrance and looked inside first.

Then each held one side of the curtain open and nodded toward Niu Youdao, who stood straight-backed outside.

Black Peony immediately stepped forward, undid the fastening at Niu Youdao’s throat, and removed the thick fur cloak draped around him.

She folded it over one arm and followed the calm-faced Niu Youdao into the relay house.

[End of Chapter 171]