Chapter 267: Sister Zhao Was Careless

Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting had long known there might be danger, but they had never imagined it would be this dangerous. Niu Youdao had not even reached the State of Qi before a top expert came hunting him down!

Whether or not the two felt guilty was another matter. A heavy shadow now lay over their hearts as to whether Niu Youdao's journey could succeed at all.

Fei Changliu explained, "Commandery Princess, every part of the plan was personally arranged by Niu Youdao. The disciples of our three sects were following his orders as well. Under the arrangement he made, they had no opportunity to stop what happened. Afterward, he and Zhuo Chao burrowed underground and fought there. Even if our disciples wanted to lend him a hand, they were powerless. They don't possess the ability those two have to move beneath the earth. The moment the two emerged, our disciples attacked at once, and two Golden Core Realm disciples lost their lives because of it. How can you say they stood by and did nothing?"

"Commandery Princess!" Lan Ruoting called in warning, stopping Shang Shuqing from continuing.

The matter had already happened and was already over. There was no point dwelling on it now, and accusing the three sects like this was inappropriate. Their losses in the State of Qi over the warhorse affair did not seem small either.

Bai Yao spoke again. "Sect Leader Fei, you said Niu Youdao, like Zhuo Chao, has the ability to burrow underground?"

Fei Changliu fell silent for a moment, then nodded lightly. "Niu Youdao entered the ground first. Zhuo Chao pursued him down..."

Under a blazing sun, the riverbed had run dry. Ant-like crowds labored between two mountains beside the channel, some digging, others carrying earth.

A group stood atop the embankment. Two local officials held a map open before Shao Pingbo, comparing it against the terrain as they explained the situation.

An old man carrying two baskets of earth on a shoulder pole slowly made his way up the bank. Suddenly his foot slipped and he fell on the slope. His load toppled aside, and the laborers with him immediately set down their own poles and went to help. The commotion made Shao Pingbo look up from the map. Then he glanced at the parasol over his head.

He abruptly turned, swept out a hand, and knocked the parasol from the official holding it. Coldly, he said, "The common people labor under the blazing sun while you put on airs and hold a parasol over me. What are you trying to do? How are the people supposed to look at me?"

The official holding the parasol was so frightened that he dropped to his knees with a thud and repeatedly kowtowed. "Eldest Young Master, this lowly one was muddleheaded! This lowly one was muddleheaded!"

Shao Pingbo turned toward the porter who had fallen and climbed back up. "Why did he fall?"

An official beside him cautiously replied, "He's probably old. His legs aren't as steady as they used to be."

Shao Pingbo fixed him with a cold stare. "Are you certain no one embezzled the grain rations, leaving the laborers hungry and weak in the limbs?"

The official hurriedly explained, "Absolutely not! Under Eldest Young Master's strict orders, even if this subordinate had ten thousand times the courage, I would never dare relax my inspections!"

Shao Pingbo said, "I'll repeat what I've said before. So long as the people remain, the land remains. Lose the people, and you won't be able to hold the territory anyway. People are Beizhou's greatest wealth! I know everyone has difficulties, but these laborers are doing hard physical work. If they can't eat their fill, how are they supposed to work? I don't demand that you feed them solid meals every time, but three meals a day—two of gruel and one full meal—is the absolute minimum. If anyone colludes with wealthy households to skim the grain supply, and someone starves to death because of it, this canal will become the burial ground of his entire family! It's still the same rule: find one, punish one. There will be no leniency!"

"Yes, yes!" The official raised his sleeve to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. "Eldest Young Master can rest assured. Everything is being done according to your instructions."

Shao Pingbo pointed again toward the excavation between the two mountains. "Before the rainy season arrives, this diversion point must be opened. Otherwise the river will rise, construction will become impossible, and the project will be delayed another year. The irrigation of the plain beyond the mountain depends entirely on this place. What is at stake is an entire year's harvest across a vast region, which means the grain rations of countless people, which in turn affects whether a large population can settle down and establish homes. Your responsibility is enormous!"

The official said, "Eldest Young Master can rest assured. This subordinate will absolutely open it before the rainy season arrives!"

Shao Pingbo looked at him sidelong. "Pleasant words are useless. How will you guarantee it?"

The official braced himself. "Recruit more laborers from among the refugees and add manpower to accelerate the work!"

Shao Pingbo asked, "If you increase the manpower, how will you guarantee the laborers' grain?"

The official replied, "Whose fields will be irrigated once the canal is finished? Naturally those people should contribute money and grain. This subordinate will have a proper discussion with the wealthy households concerned."

Shao Pingbo said, "Reasonable. But I have two requirements. First, no laborer doing the work is to starve to death. Second, you are not to bully those wealthy households. Explain the reasoning to them properly and make them understand it. If you frighten them away and create a bad impression, causing other wealthy households to retreat as well and affecting Beizhou's greater plans, I will not spare you!"

The official wailed inwardly, but still hardened himself and accepted. "This subordinate will remember!"

"Report the project's progress once every three days. I'll wait in Beizhou for your news."

"Yes!"

Shao Pingbo swept his gaze over the local officials present and slowly said, "All of you are here working for the livelihood of Beizhou's people. I will not treat you unfairly either."

He turned toward a general standing to one side. "General Xu, gather the families of all the officials here, high and low, and send them together to Beizhou Prefectural Capital to be settled. I'll support their families for them so they can carry out their duties here without distraction."

General Xu cupped his fists. "Yes!"

Shao Pingbo addressed the officials again. "Before the rainy season arrives, all of you must work together and open this canal. I'll wait in Beizhou for your victory report. When that report arrives, I will personally escort your families back and personally celebrate your achievement!"

The officials were terrified inwardly. He was taking their families hostage! They had long heard of this Eldest Young Master's ruthlessness and decisiveness. If they failed to complete the assignment, the consequences were easy to imagine.

Yet all of them still had to answer in unison, "Thank you, Eldest Young Master!"

After everyone dispersed, Shao Sansheng gestured for the few people around Shao Pingbo to withdraw, then reminded him, "Eldest Young Master, is it really appropriate to detain these officials' families as hostages?"

The silver strands at Shao Pingbo's temples were especially conspicuous beneath the sunlight. He stared at the busy worksite and sighed softly. "How could I not know it's inappropriate? But in these chaotic times, men's hearts are like water and must sometimes be checked by stern measures... The orders come from me. Leniency and severity must temper one another. Sometimes making them fear me allows government orders to be carried out quickly. That isn't necessarily a bad thing."

Shao Sansheng was silent for a moment, then said, "Eldest Young Master, Miss Su failed in her attempt against Niu Youdao!"

Shao Pingbo spun around. "What happened?"

The matter could not be explained in one or two sentences. Shao Sansheng took the decoded secret letter from his sleeve and presented it, letting Shao Pingbo read for himself.

After reading it, Shao Pingbo slowly said, "Failure isn't strange. I warned Sister Zhao long ago that Niu Youdao would definitely be prepared and that she shouldn't move rashly!"

Then he stared at the paper in his hand, frowning in thought. Under his breath, he murmured, "Even an expert like that failed... and a whole group of people suddenly appeared around him..."

After a long while, he handed the pages back to Shao Sansheng and instructed, "Send word to Sister Zhao. I want every detail of what happened after Niu Youdao came out of the mountains. Remember: details. I want the details!"

"Yes!" Shao Sansheng answered.

"Cough, cough..." Shao Pingbo suddenly broke into a violent coughing fit.

Several days later, in a study inside the Provincial Inspector's Residence in Beizhou, Shao Pingbo sat beneath a lamp reading official documents and rapidly writing his comments.

Shao Sansheng entered and presented another secret letter. "Eldest Young Master, Miss Su's reply has arrived."

Shao Pingbo did not look up. Only after finishing his comments on the document in hand did he set down his brush, pick up the secret letter, and read carefully. This time the report filled several pages.

After concentrating on it for a long while, Shao Pingbo slowly set the papers down on the desk and stared silently at the lamplight for a long time.

At last, he sighed faintly. "Sister Zhao was careless. Niu Youdao probably already knows the assassins came from Xiaoyue Pavilion. I'm afraid Linghu Qiu's identity has aroused his suspicion as well."

Shao Sansheng asked for instruction. "How so?"

Shao Pingbo drew out the secret letter. "Look at the beginning, where it describes Niu Youdao after he emerged from the mountains."

Shao Sansheng took the letter but did not look down. "This old servant has already read it. The beginning says that after Niu Youdao left the mountains, he entered Qingshan Commandery City and purchased a few things..."

He stopped abruptly, realization striking him. "Eldest Young Master means Niu Youdao was deliberately exposing his movements?"

Leaning back in his chair, Shao Pingbo nodded. "For a few traveling supplies, why would he need to appear personally to buy them? And that group of experts from the three sects who suddenly appeared around him could never have gathered there out of nowhere. They were obviously prepared in advance. He was using himself as bait. He had laid the trap long beforehand and wanted to lure anyone intending him harm into taking the hook. The fact that even an expert like Zhuo Chao failed to kill him proves how thoroughly prepared he was!"

"With that kind of ability to protect himself, why still have people secretly follow him? Why deliberately show weakness to outsiders? What could it be except an attempt to lure people who wished him harm into striking? He deliberately invited trouble onto himself. What did he want? It's not difficult to understand. His journey to the State of Qi concerns matters of enormous importance. He wanted to know beforehand who was hostile to him so he could make his arrangements afterward. That means he wanted a prisoner alive. He wanted to find out who was acting against him so he could prepare his response! I'm afraid someone from Xiaoyue Pavilion has already fallen into his hands."

Shao Sansheng said, "Miss Su wrote that Xiaoyue Pavilion has already reprimanded her over this affair. From what they accused her of, it proves that all five men who attacked were killed. There shouldn't be any living prisoner in Niu Youdao's hands."

Shao Pingbo gave a cold laugh. "That instead proves Linghu Qiu really is one of Xiaoyue Pavilion's people!"

Shao Sansheng stared at him, astonished. He truly could not keep up with the young master's reasoning.

"Niu Youdao plans before he moves. The people secretly following him never exposed themselves before the attack. How many people Niu Youdao actually mobilized for the ambush, and how he killed Zhuo Chao, remain mysteries to this day. Sister Zhao and Xiaoyue Pavilion both have no idea what actually happened during the assassination. Not a single assassin returned. So how could Xiaoyue Pavilion know the precise casualties?"

"Zhuo Chao's group had seven people. One was responsible for drawing Linghu Qiu away, one was responsible for keeping watch at Boundless Pavilion, and five were responsible for making the attack. That was the general arrangement. Before this, Linghu Qiu had practically been inseparable from Niu Youdao. After something like this happened, do you think Niu Youdao wouldn't suspect Linghu Qiu? If even this couldn't arouse Niu Youdao's suspicion, then he wouldn't be the Niu Youdao I know. Once he suspected Linghu Qiu, Niu Youdao was unlikely to tell him that he'd captured anyone alive. After the incident, Niu Youdao would naturally tell Linghu Qiu that all five assassins had died! And so Xiaoyue Pavilion also came to believe all five assassins were dead!"

"Niu Youdao went to such lengths to lay this trap precisely because he wanted a prisoner alive. Even Zhuo Chao died at his hands. Do you really think capturing one living man would have been especially difficult for him?"

Shao Sansheng seemed to understand, but still asked doubtfully, "Xiaoyue Pavilion's methods for dealing with traitors are no joke. Even if someone was captured, they should know the consequences of betrayal. Would they confess that easily?"

Shao Pingbo sneered. "You underestimate Niu Youdao far too much. Niu Youdao isn't one of those self-important brutes from the cultivation world who know only how to fight and kill. With his methods, unless the prisoner is already dead, once someone falls into his hands and has nowhere to run while he is free to work on them, I wouldn't be surprised by any outcome. Most people never even have the chance to withstand his methods. Once someone is lying helpless in front of him, he has plenty of ways to pry open that person's mouth! The fact that he could leave Boundless Pavilion means he already got what he wanted!"

[End of Chapter 267]