Chapter 211: A Beauty in the Wilds

How dangerous Shao Pingbo truly was, Lu Shengzhong did not know. That was something he would have to learn gradually. Although Niu Youdao had given him considerable freedom to act, someone of Shao Pingbo’s status was hardly easy to attack. Lu Shengzhong had no opportunity even to approach him. And even if he did get close, he still would not be able to strike; Shao Pingbo was certain to have experts protecting him. Whether openly or in secret, finding an opportunity would be extremely difficult.

The matter left Lu Shengzhong in something of a bind. All he could do was learn slowly and think it through bit by bit.

After returning to the small courtyard he had rented in the city, he spread out a map of Beizhou Prefectural Capital and stared at it for a long while.

Then he laid out a blank sheet of paper and began drawing a diagram of the people around Shao Pingbo, marking down everything Wu Sanliang had learned so he would not forget it. The relationship chart was incomplete. Wu Sanliang had not been here long and knew only so much; Lu Shengzhong would have to investigate the rest himself and fill it in.

Pa!

Something landed in the courtyard outside. Lu Shengzhong swiftly rolled up everything on the table and hid it away before opening the door.

No one was in the courtyard. There was only a crumpled ball of paper. He walked over, picked it up, and found a stone wrapped inside.

He immediately opened the courtyard gate and looked both ways along the street. A few people were coming and going, but there was no telling who had thrown it in.

He shut the gate, returned indoors, and unfolded the paper. In one corner was a distinctive hand-drawn mark. One glance told him this was a message Niu Youdao had arranged to send. It was the sign they had agreed upon.

Lu Shengzhong and Niu Youdao did not contact one another directly. A Goldenwing flying in and out of the city would itself be a flaw, easily drawing suspicion. The arrangement was also meant to protect Lu Shengzhong’s safety.

Niu Youdao had not told him who the intermediary was. He had merely designated a street vendor. If Lu Shengzhong had anything to report, he could hand the message to that person, and someone would naturally relay it onward to Niu Youdao. The paper was written entirely in cipher. Lu Shengzhong found a brush, decoded it first, then read the result carefully.

The secret letter instructed him to find a way to establish a connection with Shao Pingbo’s two younger brothers, Shao Wubo and Shao Fubo, and to make sure the two learned certain things.

After reading what those “certain things” were, Lu Shengzhong fell into thought. He burned both the original message and his decoded copy.

Then he took out the relationship chart he had just drawn, rubbed his chin, and continued studying it, his eyes flickering...

At Lingbo Residence, Shao Pingbo worked through official document after official document in his study, writing his decisions and setting each completed one aside.

He remained busy until nearly lunchtime, when steward Shao Sansheng stepped forward and reminded him, “Eldest Young Master, take a rest.”

Shao Sansheng then produced a report and presented it with both hands. “News from Qingshan Commandery. Shang Chaozong has already taken unified control of the military and civil authority of both Qingshan Commandery and Guangyi Commandery!”

A bright light flashed through Shao Pingbo’s eyes. He abruptly raised his head, took the report, opened it, and read carefully.

Only after a long while did he say in a muffled voice, “I knew Feng Lingbo was no match for Shang Chaozong and would be swallowed by him sooner or later. I simply did not expect it to happen this quickly. What speed in consolidating power!”

His eyes dropped back to the report as he muttered, “New policies... Farmers pay no tax on the land they cultivate. Anyone who settles in the two commanderies is allotted farmland. Merchants pay only half the usual commercial tax. Where did he get the financial strength to do this?”

Shao Sansheng said, “He must have received major support from Tianyu Sect. Otherwise, merely supporting Tianyu Sect would already weigh heavily on the two commanderies, to say nothing of their own military and governmental expenses. Without Tianyu Sect’s support, Shang Chaozong could not possibly govern this way.”

Shao Pingbo leaned back in his chair and sighed. “If farmers pay no land tax, refugees from every direction will inevitably be drawn there to reclaim land. Once enough people gather, commerce will naturally flourish. Then, with merchant taxes cut in half, large numbers of merchants will inevitably be drawn there as well. The tax rate may look lower, but once the volume rises, there will be no loss. Give it time, let trust in these new policies spread, and people, wealth, and goods will all accumulate in the two commanderies. The merchants will bring enormous wealth, the gathered population will flourish, and the fields reclaimed by tens of thousands will fill the granaries. Money when they need money, men when they need men, grain when they need grain. That is what it means to take the long view. From this alone, Dachan Mountain is inferior to Tianyu Sect!”

“Dachan Mountain has so many mouths to support. Making a decision like Tianyu Sect’s is not easy,” Shao Sansheng said. “Being small has advantages of its own. For Tianyu Sect, feeding one or two fewer mouths makes little difference. If it controlled a territory as large as Beizhou, I doubt Tianyu Sect would be willing to give up so much either.”

Shao Pingbo waved a hand, helplessness on his face. He did not want to discuss the matter. He tossed the report back onto the desk and refused to look at it again. The more he looked, the more envious and irritated he became. If Dachan Mountain possessed enough resolve to support the Shao family on such a scale, he would not have to exhaust himself so badly. Many things would become much easier.

Shao Sansheng continued, “It has also been confirmed that Niu Youdao has indeed returned to Qingshan Commandery. He is presently living in seclusion in a valley outside the commandery capital.”

“Living in seclusion in a valley outside the city?” Shao Pingbo narrowed his eyes slightly. “Is there any chance of killing him directly?”

Shao Sansheng shook his head. “Very difficult. We sent people to test whether they could approach. They could not get close at all, and we have already lost two men. According to the reports sent back, Liuxian Sect, Fuyun Sect, and Lingxiu Mountain have all moved there in their entirety. Niu Youdao is protected by a massive body of cultivators, experts gathered all around him. The force guarding him is many times stronger than the one around Shang Chaozong. Outsiders have no opportunity to strike. Even if we gathered a large number of cultivators and attacked by force, I fear he would slip away before they ever laid eyes on him.”

“Gathering so many people around himself for protection—guilty as a thief!” Shao Pingbo snorted. After a moment, he said slowly, “The three sects that depended on the Song family have instead gone over to him. It seems the massacre of the Song household really may have been his work.”

Shao Sansheng said, “Eldest Young Master, he has already returned to Qingshan Commandery. Should we make our move over the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit?”

Shao Pingbo asked in return, “Has anything unusual happened in Jinzhou?”

“Nothing unusual has been discovered so far.”

Shao Pingbo asked again, “How long has it been since the incident at the Ice and Snow Pavilion?”

“Almost three months.”

A cold light flashed through Shao Pingbo’s eyes. “Wait a little longer! Either we do nothing, or when we move, we kill him in one blow. We cannot give him another chance to turn the tables. That wretch is cunning. What if he is lying low until the storm passes and has not treated Xiao Tianzhen yet? If we expose him now, we will have no proof to pin on him...”

He abruptly stopped.

Slowly turning his head toward Shao Sansheng, he asked, “If a skilled physician went to Xiao Tianzhen’s door offering treatment, do you think Hai Ruyue would agree?”

“Of course she would. Even if the physician could not cure him, she would inevitably cling to the slightest hope and let him try. Over the years, Hai Ruyue herself has sought out quite a few skilled physicians...” Shao Sansheng stopped as well. Understanding dawned across his face.

He grasped Shao Pingbo’s meaning. If Niu Youdao had not yet used the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit to treat Xiao Tianzhen, Hai Ruyue would naturally accept another physician. But if Xiao Tianzhen had already been cured, there would be no need for Hai Ruyue to let another physician examine him. This was a probe.

Shao Sansheng nodded. “Understood. This old servant will arrange suitable people immediately.”

Spring Breeze House was the largest brothel in Beizhou Prefectural Capital. Painted women clustered before its doors, all smiles and swaying sleeves as they welcomed arriving patrons and saw departing guests off.

Across the street stood a restaurant. By a second-floor window, Lu Shengzhong sat before a table of food and wine, drinking slowly.

“Young Master Wu, take care on your way!”

The madam’s exaggerated voice carried across the street. Lu Shengzhong turned toward the window. Three richly dressed young men strutted out of Spring Breeze House. The one in the middle, Wu Tiannan, received particular attention from the madam.

Anyone personally seen off so warmly by the madam was certainly generous with money. Wu Tiannan also had another identity: he was the son of the County Deputy Magistrate of Pingchuan County. He had dealings with the Shao family’s Wubo and Fubo brothers, though it could hardly be called friendship. The sons of a mere county deputy magistrate were not necessarily men the Shao brothers would think highly of. Yet Lu Shengzhong had been watching precisely such a person for several days.

He had no choice. Niu Youdao had described Shao Pingbo as dangerously formidable, while everything Lu Shengzhong had learned suggested Shao Pingbo did not get along with his two younger brothers. Lu Shengzhong feared the brothers themselves might be under Shao Pingbo’s surveillance, so he did not dare approach them directly. Nor did he dare rashly contact anyone too close to them. He could only choose someone farther out on the edge. After watching Wu Tiannan leave, Lu Shengzhong tossed money onto the table, rose, and departed...

Two days later, Lu Shengzhong appeared in a city outside Beizhou. Once again, he went to a brothel.

“Honored guest, you don’t want a girl and insist on seeing me instead. Surely you haven’t taken a fancy to this old woman?” The plump madam, face thick with rouge and powder, covered her mouth with a round fan and giggled.

Lu Shengzhong produced a gold draft and pushed it in front of her. The madam stopped laughing at once. Her eyes blazed as she stared at the ten-thousand-gold denomination.

“Young. Beautiful. Fine figure. Skilled in music and song. Educated in poetry and verse. Able to dress the part and act it.” Lu Shengzhong raised one finger for each requirement. “Find me someone who meets all of that, and this money is yours.”

In the end, a carriage stopped at the rear gate of the brothel. A graceful young woman emerged from the back courtyard, her face concealed beneath a gauze-veiled hat. She followed Lu Shengzhong with measured steps and climbed into the carriage with him. The whip cracked, and the wheels rolled away... The mournful sound of a xiao flute echoed through the mountain woods.

Several riders reined in their horses. Wu Tiannan looked around until his gaze suddenly fixed on a hill shaded by trees beside the road.

A woman in robes white as snow stood there, skirts stirring in the breeze. Her face was delicate and gentle. Slender fingers held a xiao flute as she played a sorrowful melody, her expression steeped in grief as well.

As though sensing the rude eyes staring at her, the beautiful woman stopped playing. Her brows drew faintly together, and she turned and descended the far side of the hill.

Wu Tiannan and his companions exchanged startled looks. One glance at her pure, delicate appearance was enough to tell she was a respectable young woman. How had such a beauty from a good family appeared in the wilderness?

The men traded knowing looks and urged their horses together toward the foot of the hill, where they discovered a carriage parked among the trees. They dismounted and climbed the hill. Once there, they again caught sight of the young woman’s graceful white figure.

This time, however, there was a man beside her. He was burning incense and paper offerings before an old grave marker. Clearly, the man and woman were paying respects to someone buried there.

This was within Pingchuan County. With home ground beneath his feet, Wu Tiannan strode confidently down the hill with his companions and walked up to the grave. The man and woman both turned. The man was none other than Lu Shengzhong.

At close range, the young woman was even more lovely: clear-featured and pleasing, with a faintly refined, bookish air, fair skin, and a slender waist above a full bosom. Wu Tiannan’s eyes immediately lit up. He had never imagined a woman of such beauty existed within Pingchuan County.

Clang!

A sword rang out. Lu Shengzhong abruptly seized the treasured sword beside him and drew it. With a casual sweep, a blade of sword qi cut a broad patch of nearby thornbushes cleanly through at the waist.

Wu Tiannan and the others jumped in fright. Only then did they realize they had run into a cultivator. Their improper thoughts vanished immediately.

“What do you want?” Lu Shengzhong asked coldly, clear warning in his eyes.

Wu Tiannan hastily waved both hands. “Cultivator, please don’t misunderstand. We were merely passing by when we suddenly saw a lone, vulnerable woman in the wilderness. We worried for her safety and followed over to take a look.”

Lu Shengzhong said coldly, “You expect me to believe that?”

[End of Chapter 211]