Chapter 308: He Dares Not Court Death

Third Madam Pei looked up from the stack of gold drafts in her hands. Seeing Niu Youdao ordered about so casually and humbling himself without the slightest dignity, she could not decide whether she ought to feel sympathy for him. She vaguely remembered their chance encounter on the road to the Great Snow Mountain. Back then, this man had been quite free and easy. Even when Chu Anlou humiliated him, he had never behaved this submissively. Times truly had changed.

She really had owed Niu Youdao a favor at the time. Even if she wanted to help him now, however, the present circumstances made it difficult for her to say anything. Taking one step back, managing to preserve his life was already a decent result. There was no need to say more.

If he could not endure even this much humiliation, then even surviving the present would not help him survive the future.

Niu Youdao cupped his hands toward everyone in the pavilion, then turned and gave Linghu Qiu a meaningful look. Linghu Qiu understood immediately and followed him out. The two had barely descended the steps when a man emerged from the crowd opposite. He raised a hand, peeled the false face from his features, and smiled at them.

Kunlin Shu, who had been about to speak inside the pavilion, saw this and temporarily held his tongue, watching coldly. Niu Youdao and Linghu Qiu looked at one another. The man who had revealed himself was none other than Feng Entai! Hadn't this fellow already left? Why had he come back? The two exchanged a silent look, and their hearts almost instinctively sank.

As for any claim that Feng Entai had returned out of brotherly loyalty, neither man believed much of it.

Both suspected he still had not given up on the exit permits and wanted to obtain them by some other method. Niu Youdao could especially understand Feng Entai's state of mind. Tianyu Sect had sent him here to accomplish a task. Not only had he achieved nothing, he had actually created trouble instead. He was probably desperate for a chance to redeem himself through merit. Niu Youdao's guess was correct.

The man who had supported the auction at the beginning and bought the exit permits for thirty thousand warhorses with only ten thousand gold coins had been a Tianyu Sect disciple. They had profited enormously. In truth, even Feng Entai had never imagined ten thousand gold coins could buy the lot.

Seeing Niu Youdao presiding over the auction, Feng Entai knew he was trying to use it to escape danger.

As Niu Youdao's sworn elder brother, Feng Entai had wanted to help open the bidding so he could at least say later that he had supported his brother. So he had signaled a Tianyu Sect disciple to raise a hand and get the auction moving. Never in his dreams had he expected Niu Youdao to deny everyone else even the chance to bid. Niu Youdao had immediately forced the sale through and practically compelled the Tianyu Sect disciple to buy.

What kind of situation was that? Feng Entai had now shown himself because he worried that once Niu Youdao and Linghu Qiu later escaped into the lake, they would become difficult to find. He needed to ask clearly what was happening with this auction before deciding what to do next. Besides, even Linghu Qiu had allowed himself to be dragged into the matter. Feng Entai therefore judged that nothing serious was likely to happen. The two men hurried over to receive him.

Niu Youdao asked heavily, "Eldest Brother, why are you here?"

"We'll talk later." Feng Entai tilted his head, signaling for them to follow him away.

Both men had questions, but this was not the place to ask them. They were about to leave with him when a calm voice came from inside the pavilion.

"Niu Youdao."

Niu Youdao stopped and turned toward Kunlin Shu.

"Mr. Kun, what instructions do you have?"

"Senior Brother!" Fire Phoenix once again tugged at Kunlin Shu's sleeve, still signaling him not to act recklessly.

Kunlin Shu lightly patted the back of her hand.

Softly, he said, "He's already finished what he needed to do. His business is over now, isn't it?"

His meaning was obvious. He had refrained from interfering earlier because he did not want to disrupt the affair.

Now, however, as far as the emperor and the three sects were concerned, Niu Youdao no longer had any value to exploit. As he spoke, Kunlin Shu casually moved Fire Phoenix's hand aside. Fire Phoenix looked as though she wanted to say more. She was worried something might happen to Kunlin Shu.

Tianhuo Sect might not put Zhuo Chao in its eyes, but Zhuo Chao had still been a first-rate expert on the Golden Core Ranking. Kunlin Shu might not have been Zhuo Chao's match. And Niu Youdao was a man capable of killing Zhuo Chao. Even before Zhuo Chao's death, Niu Youdao had already possessed considerable fame. Not every man beneath a great reputation was a fraud. There was probably more to him than met the eye.

Fire Phoenix believed Niu Youdao's current humility was very likely forced upon him by the situation. He dared not court death. But in front of so many people, she could not very well argue openly with Kunlin Shu. If the two were merely senior brother and junior sister, that would have been easier. But they were going to become husband and wife.

If she made her future husband lose face in front of everyone, how would people look at them afterward? The husband was the wife's guiding principle. In the end, Fire Phoenix yielded. Her silver teeth pressed lightly against her lip as she withdrew. Kunlin Shu strolled to the steps and looked down at Niu Youdao from above.

"I hear you killed Zhuo Chao?"

Everyone inside and outside the pavilion immediately turned their eyes toward him. A gust of wind swept past. Kunlin Shu's red robes fluttered around him, and with his handsome, refined features, he cut an impressive figure. Quite a few people outside silently admired the sight. As expected of a disciple from a great sect. Could this man be a friend or relative of Zhuo Chao? Niu Youdao froze briefly and instinctively wanted to deny it.

But Ice and Snow Pavilion had already updated the Golden Core Ranking and officially settled the matter. He could hardly stand here and publicly say Ice and Snow Pavilion was talking nonsense.

So he answered tactfully, "How could I possibly have killed Zhuo Chao? The truth is, from the very beginning, I don't know who had already beaten Zhuo Chao into a serious injury. I merely picked up a bargain!"

Linghu Qiu glanced at Niu Youdao when he heard that. That was not quite the version this fellow had told him. Kunlin Shu thought to himself, So that's what happened. He had wondered how this man could possibly have killed Zhuo Chao.

Outwardly, however, he said blandly, "You're too modest. Was killing the envoy of the State of Yan while surrounded on every side also merely picking up a bargain?"

Niu Youdao could not work out what this man was trying to do.

"Mr. Kun is discerning. That really was picking up a bargain too."

"The truth is, although the envoy of the State of Yan appeared to die by my hand, he actually died because of envoys from other states."

"Some of those envoys may have had grudges with the envoy of the State of Yan. They deliberately tied down his retainer cultivators, and only then did I get the chance to take advantage."

That was also the truth. Without help from certain people, Niu Youdao could never have killed Song Long under the circumstances at the time. Hearing this, not only Kunlin Shu but quite a few others thought it sounded plausible.

Envoys from the various states competing with one another, undermining one another, and setting traps for one another was completely normal. The envoys stationed here in the Qi capital did the same kind of thing all the time. Kunlin Shu, however, had no intention of letting the matter rest. He had come today determined to make the emperor of Qi understand something.

"Niu Youdao, excessive modesty becomes hypocrisy."

Niu Youdao hurriedly said, "I'm not being modest. I truly don't have that ability."

Kunlin Shu said, "Whether it's modesty or hypocrisy can be proven with our hands."

"I hear your cultivation is at the Foundation Establishment Realm. Mine is as well."

"Are you willing to accept my challenge?"

Everyone was surprised. Niu Youdao included. No one had expected this turn. The people from Daqiu Sect and Xuanbing Sect exchanged puzzled looks, unable to understand what Kunlin Shu was doing.

For a disciple of a great sect to challenge someone publicly like this, didn't it look somewhat like using power to bully the weak? More importantly, even if Kunlin Shu defeated Niu Youdao, what meaning would it have? In outsiders' eyes, wasn't it only natural that a Tianhuo Sect disciple should defeat Niu Youdao? Winning would bring him no particular glory. Why bother with something so thankless? Then again, Kunlin Shu belonged to Tianhuo Sect.

It was not the place of Daqiu Sect or Xuanbing Sect to control him. Third Madam Pei secretly thought the situation had turned bad for Niu Youdao. She knew very well what kind of man Kunlin Shu was.

He was the outstanding figure among Tianhuo Sect's disciples of this generation, proud and arrogant enough even to strike an imperial prince. Once a man like this spoke, Niu Youdao would probably not be allowed to refuse. If he did refuse, Kunlin Shu would likely see it as an insult to his face.

Only moments ago, Third Madam Pei had thought Niu Youdao had swallowed his pride and finally escaped one calamity. Who could have expected another to appear immediately afterward? She had some friendship with Niu Youdao, so she did feel a faint desire to warn him. Against Kunlin Shu, refusing to fight would not work. He should accept the challenge, then lose cleanly. Even if he could win, he must not. Otherwise Tianhuo Sect would lose face, and Tianhuo Sect would never let him go.

They would inevitably kill him to restore their reputation. Unfortunately, she could not conveniently warn him in front of everyone. Niu Youdao was staring directly at Kunlin Shu and never looked her way. She did not even have the opportunity to signal him with her eyes. For a single instant, something sharp flashed through Niu Youdao's gaze as he faced Kunlin Shu. Then it quickly softened again. He cupped his hands.

"I wouldn't dare. How could I possibly be Mr. Kun's match?"

Kunlin Shu said, "Stop calling me 'Brother Kun' at every turn."

"If you don't dare accept the challenge, then what are you? What qualification do you have to call me brother?"

"One answer. Do you accept my challenge or not?"

The words were naked humiliation. Niu Youdao did not react. He simply cupped his hands again.

"I truly am no match for Mr. Kun. I am willing to admit defeat before everyone here."

Then he turned and faced the crowd.

In a loud voice, he declared, "I, Niu Youdao, admit that my strength is inferior to Mr. Kunlin Shu of Tianhuo Sect. Before everyone here, I concede defeat!"

He turned back, cupped his hands toward Kunlin Shu, and bowed. He looked utterly sincere in his admission of defeat. Countless people at the scene sighed inwardly. Still, they could understand Niu Youdao's actions if he was trying to preserve his life.

And when all was said and done, openly admitting oneself inferior to a member of Tianhuo Sect was hardly some unbearable disgrace in their eyes.

Kunlin Shu said blandly, "Do you sincerely admit defeat?"

Niu Youdao bowed again.

"Truly from the bottom of my heart. I sincerely concede."

Kunlin Shu said, "A man's heart is hidden behind his belly. Saying you're sincere means nothing."

"Show me some sincerity."

"Do this: cut off one of your own arms, and I'll count your admission as genuine."

The moment those words came out, quite a few expressions changed. Qin Yong and the others from Daqiu Sect exchanged looks with the people from Xuanbing Sect. All of them felt Kunlin Shu had gone too far today. Niu Youdao had already humbled himself to this degree, yet Kunlin Shu continued pressing him relentlessly. Wasn't this simply excessive bullying? Tianhuo Sect was a great sect with standing in the world.

Why behave like this?

They were beginning to suspect that Kunlin Shu and Niu Youdao might have some private hatred or grudge unknown to everyone else.

"Senior Brother, he's already admitted defeat. Let it go." Fire Phoenix stepped forward and quietly tried to persuade Kunlin Shu.

Kunlin Shu suddenly turned and stared at her. Their eyes met. In the end, Fire Phoenix yielded. Her silver teeth lightly bit her lip, and she stepped back. Her feelings were complicated. Before their engagement, whenever she found something objectionable, she could criticize her senior brother freely. He had always accepted it with a smile. Never once had he looked at her this way. Niu Youdao remained bent in his bow, his body gone rigid. Slowly, he straightened. His gaze collided with Kunlin Shu's.

After a moment of silence, Niu Youdao said slowly, "The body, hair, and skin are received from one's parents. One does not dare injure them lightly."

"Much less an entire arm."

"I ask Mr. Kun to raise his hand and spare me this once."

Kunlin Shu replied with one hard sentence.

"I ask you only this: will you cut it off, or won't you?"

The two men stared at each other. Gradually, a smile appeared on Niu Youdao's face.

"Looks like I have no choice but to accept the challenge today."

[End of Chapter 308]