Chapter 181: Truly?

Wu Shaohuan slowly turned his head toward his junior brother, Li Guang. “Junior Brother, what do you think?”

Li Guang remained silent. Chu Anlou himself was nothing especially remarkable. The problem was the power he represented here at the Ice and Snow Pavilion. There were hardly any people beneath Heaven who dared provoke it. Niu Youdao was a major criminal wanted for assassinating an envoy of the State of Yan, yet Chu Anlou was openly standing up for him. What was that supposed to mean?

“Better send word back and let the Sect Leader decide,” Li Guang said after some thought.

Xiao Tie hurriedly replied, “Martial Uncle, this disciple already sent word back to the sect two hours ago.”

Wu Shaohuan and Li Guang looked at one another.

“Then we wait for a reply.” Wu Shaohuan sighed. “For now, arrange men around the inn to keep watch. Once the Sect Leader responds, we will decide what to do.”

The group had rushed here in a blazing hurry, only to have a basin of cold water dumped over their heads... At Rainbow Inn, Yuan Gang returned to Niu Youdao’s room after arranging the men.

Seeing wisps of steam seeping from the closed bathing chamber and faintly hearing the sound of running water, he knew Niu Youdao’s habits well enough to guess that Master Dao was soaking in the hot spring. He rapped a particular rhythm on the door to announce his arrival.

Then he walked to the window, leaned out, and carefully surveyed the surroundings. Only after that did he turn back, pour himself a cup of tea, and return to the window, slowly drinking as he looked outside. Before long came the sounds of the bathing chamber door opening and closing. Yuan Gang glanced back and froze.

Black Peony had come out. She was fastening her clothes as she walked, her long hair hanging wet around her shoulders. From the look of her, she had obviously just bathed. This woman had a bathing chamber in her own room. Why had she come to Master Dao’s room?

Yuan Gang asked, “Where’s Master Dao?”

“Still soaking inside.” Black Peony smiled, delighted by the surprise on Yuan Gang’s face.

She was somewhat unhappy with him. For some time now, she had been the one managing affairs around Niu Youdao. Yet the moment Yuan Gang arrived, without a word of explanation he had simply taken over her role. Not only did he order her around directly, he had also begun issuing instructions to Duan Hu and the others.

She had originally intended to remain inside until Niu Youdao finished bathing. Once she learned Yuan Gang had arrived, however, she deliberately came out early. She wanted him to see with his own eyes what sort of relationship she had with Master Dao, so he would know enough to act appropriately. The look of surprise on Yuan Gang’s face gave her a small sense of triumph.

She walked to the window, shook out a towel, and began drying her dripping hair. In a low voice, she complained, “Why did you have to come at a time like this? You ruined Master Dao’s mood.”

The implication could hardly have been clearer. She was referring to relations between a man and a woman. Yuan Gang had already turned back toward the window and raised his teacup to his lips. His hand stopped. Slowly, he lowered the cup and turned back, looking her up and down.

“With you?”

Black Peony’s hands froze at the contempt in his voice. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Stop flattering yourself. It’s not that I look down on you, but even if you stripped completely naked, he still wouldn’t be interested in you.”

“...”

Black Peony was left speechless. The words were unpleasant, but they were true. Even when she had stripped naked and faced Master Dao without a stitch between them, he had never touched her with so much as a finger.

It had made her begin to doubt her own allure, had even stung her pride. That was why she kept trying to challenge him. She simply refused to believe there could be a cat beneath Heaven that never stole a taste of fish. Now Yuan Gang had pierced straight through the matter with one sentence, leaving her embarrassed.

At the same time, his certainty made her curious. He clearly knew something.

She asked, “You mean there’s something physically wrong with him?”

She had suspected that for some time. Yuan Gang slowly turned back toward the boundless snowy mountains in the distance. A faraway look gradually entered his eyes.

“High mountains and flowing waters seek a kindred spirit. The old friend is gone; the music can no longer rise... They say there is reincarnation, so he searched over a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers, seeking only the faintest hope of meeting again... You wouldn’t understand.”

Black Peony stared blankly, understanding almost none of what he was talking about. Before long, Niu Youdao emerged with his hair hanging loose.

Seeing Yuan Gang, he smiled. “It feels rather good. You should try soaking in it.”

As he spoke, he went directly to the dressing table and sat down. Black Peony took up a comb. She ignored her own wet hair and first began arranging his. Yuan Gang stood to one side with his arms folded, watching.

At that moment, Duan Hu knocked and entered. He went to the dressing table and reported, “Master Dao, two people have come asking to see you. One says he is Wu Kong, shopkeeper of the Tianyu Sect shop. The other says she is Gao Mulan, shopkeeper of the Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion shop.”

Yuan Gang had assigned each of them duties. Duan Hu had been stationed in Rainbow Inn’s main hall to watch for anything unusual. He had barely shown himself there before people came looking for him.

Niu Youdao slowly opened his eyes as Black Peony continued arranging his hair. He studied himself in the mirror for a moment.

“Bring them up.”

“Yes!”

Duan Hu accepted the order and left. Not long afterward, Wu Kong and Gao Mulan followed him to the top floor.

The moment they realized Niu Youdao was actually staying on this level, they exchanged glances. Both knew this floor was not open to the public. The Ice and Snow Pavilion reserved it for receiving honored guests.

Then they entered Niu Youdao’s room and saw its refined, elegant furnishings, far beyond anything in the ordinary guest rooms downstairs.

The two had been stationed here for years, yet this was their first time setting foot on this floor and the first time seeing what its rooms looked like. Their gazes went to the dressing table.

A woman was arranging a man’s hair. The man was the very person they had come to find, the same young man both had seen earlier in the canyon.

They had already witnessed Chu Anlou personally accompanying him around. Now they found Niu Youdao living here as well. Since both had come partly to probe the situation, they naturally began weighing matters in their hearts.

Duan Hu went over and reported, “Master Dao, they’re here.”

Niu Youdao smiled at the visitors reflected in the mirror.

“My clothes and appearance are not yet in order, so I cannot rise to greet you. Please forgive me.”

“No matter, no matter.”

The two responded courteously together.

Niu Youdao asked, “Shopkeeper Wu Kong of Tianyu Sect, correct?”

Wu Kong cupped his hands. “That is correct.”

“What is your seniority relative to Bai Yao?”

“Bai Yao is my senior brother.”

“Oh.”

By then Black Peony had finished arranging his hair and stepped aside with her own hair still loose. Niu Youdao stood, straightened his clothing, then finally turned away from the dressing table and cupped his hands toward the pair.

“My apologies for the discourtesy.”

“No matter, no matter.”

The two smiled. Niu Youdao gestured for Black Peony to serve tea and invited the visitors to sit. Once host and guests were seated, he smiled.

“I can understand why Shopkeeper Wu has come looking for me. But I have never had dealings with Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion. May I ask what instruction brings Shopkeeper Gao here?”

Gao Mulan smiled politely. “My purpose is the same as Shopkeeper Wu’s.”

In truth, it was not the same at all. Originally, she had intended to summon Niu Youdao to her shop, reprimand and warn him, and perhaps even kill him outright to eliminate future trouble. But with the situation as it now appeared, she no longer had any confidence. Her attitude had changed accordingly.

Niu Youdao gave an interested “Oh” and turned toward Wu Kong.

“Then what instruction does Shopkeeper Wu have for me?”

“I would not dare call it an instruction. I was ordered by my sect to pass on a message.”

Wu Kong continued, “Commandery Prince Yongping received intelligence from Yanjing. Beizhou sent word to the Song family that you intend to come to the Ice and Snow Pavilion seeking a Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit to treat the illness of the Provincial Inspector of Jinzhou. The Song family has urgently called on the Liuxian Sect to come here and kill you. You must be extremely careful.”

At those words, Yuan Gang looked toward Niu Youdao. This did not match what Master Dao had told him.

So many people already knew?

How was the plan supposed to proceed now? Black Peony was equally startled. After all this time, Master Dao had actually come for the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit?

She had guessed that Rainbow Inn’s enthusiastic reception had something to do with the portraits in Star-Plucking City, but she had never expected the real purpose of Niu Youdao’s journey to be the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit.

Thinking backward through everything that had happened, she remembered the wager with Hao Qingqing in Rainbow Inn’s main hall and how Niu Youdao had specifically told her to register him under the name he had used at Inviting Moon Inn. The more she thought, the more alarmed she became.

So from as far back as Star-Plucking City, he had already laid down a natural path for entering the Ice and Snow Pavilion. Only now did she finally understand why he had painted that portrait for her. It had never been a whim. It had been a hidden thread laid down from the beginning, silent and invisible. The depth of Master Dao’s planning genuinely startled her. Niu Youdao’s pupils contracted sharply. He too was inwardly alarmed.

The news from the Song family in Yanjing required no thought. Chen Guishuo had certainly been the one to pass it along.

But how had Beizhou learned that he intended to come to the Ice and Snow Pavilion for the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit?

He had repeatedly warned Hai Ruyue not to tell Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion. He had never expected that sect to help in the first place. On the contrary, he had worried it might obstruct him and ruin the matter.

Gao Mulan said, “Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion only learned of this after Jinzhou sent a request for assistance.”

Niu Youdao’s gaze moved between the two of them. No need to ask. Jinzhou must have received the news from Shang Chaozong’s side. Shang Chaozong’s people had truly managed to do a bad thing with good intentions.

If Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion knew about the matter, then even if Niu Youdao somehow obtained the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit through extraordinary means, the sect might fear the Ice and Snow Pavilion would trace the matter back to it. In that case, they might rather watch Xiao Tianzhen die than allow him to take the fruit.

Still, Shang Chaozong could not be blamed. Niu Youdao had to accept the goodwill behind it. His people had plainly acted because they were worried for his safety.

“In that case, how many men have your two sects dispatched to help me survive this crisis?”

Niu Youdao gestured for them to drink their tea and asked with a smiling face. The two thanked him.

Wu Kong replied, “Tianyu Sect must attend to more than Guangyi Commandery and Qingshan Commandery alone. Our manpower is stretched thin. Add the great distance involved, and I fear reinforcements cannot arrive in time.”

Gao Mulan nodded. “Exactly, exactly.”

In plain terms, neither sect intended to help him. Niu Youdao sneered inwardly, though his smile did not fade.

“Shopkeeper Gao, I’m afraid those words do not come from the heart. Did Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion not send you here to stop me?”

Gao Mulan’s heart tightened. He had actually seen through it already. This young man might look young, but he was certainly no easy opponent.

Outwardly, however, she answered solemnly, “If you can obtain the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit and cure the illness of the Provincial Inspector of Jinzhou, that would be an enormously good thing. Why would we stop you?”

Niu Youdao leaned forward slightly, his eyes suddenly bright.

“Truly?”

“Of course it is true. How could it be false?”

“Good!”

Niu Youdao clapped his hands in approval.

“Three generations of the Xiao family have served Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion. Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion has indeed not failed the Xiao family. This is a fine tale!”

Gao Mulan smiled. “Only as it should be. Hardly worth mentioning.”

Niu Youdao waved one hand.

“Brush, ink, paper, and inkstone!”

Gao Mulan froze.

What did that mean?

Why had brush, ink, paper, and inkstone suddenly entered the conversation? Yuan Gang gave her a sidelong look, one corner of his mouth lifting faintly. Black Peony had already obeyed and brought over the writing implements. Niu Youdao rose and personally dripped water into the inkstone and ground the ink.

Once a pool of rich black ink had formed, he picked up the brush with both hands and offered it respectfully to Gao Mulan. Gao Mulan did not dare accept it. Still seated, she leaned back warily.

“Brother Niu, what is the meaning of this?”

[End of Chapter 181]