Chapter 333: An Affront to Public Morals

"What kind of manpower?"

"The kind that can fight and kill. But there's one requirement: they have to know how to keep a secret."

"Why so mysterious? What are you planning to do?"

"Don't ask what I'm doing. Just help me find the people."

"Isn't that nonsense? If I don't know what you want done, who would accept the job? How am I supposed to find people, or name a price?"

"I've already told you. People who can fight and kill will do. You're a broker. Surely you know some clients don't want their secrets exposed. If a client refuses to reveal the secret, does that mean you refuse the business?"

Guan Fangyi gave a cold chuckle. "Are you a client? You're obviously using this old lady. If I'm going to die, I at least want to know what I'm dying for. If you won't explain it clearly, I won't do it!"

Niu Youdao fell silent for a moment before finally saying slowly, "I want to hijack a shipment at sea."

Guan Fangyi blinked her bright eyes. "How many people do you need?"

"How many can you find?"

Guan Fangyi suddenly smiled faintly and spoke three words.

"Stealing warhorses?"

Niu Youdao, still clumsily working on her hair, raised his head and looked at the woman in the mirror.

"What makes you say that?"

Guan Fangyi said, "Do I even need to ask what you came here for? Disciples from Tianyu Sect, Lingxiu Mountain, Liuxian Sect, and Fuyun Sect have all come to the State of Qi. It's not that you have no manpower. It's that you don't have enough. What are you planning to seize at sea that requires so many people?"

Niu Youdao lowered his gaze toward the woman seated before him and probed in a careless tone, "Does stealing warhorses really require that many people?"

"The people from four sects still aren't enough for you, which means the number of warhorses must be enormous. You'll have to strike every ship at the same time. If even one vessel manages to release a message, then seizing the horses will be useless. Anyone capable of transporting that many warhorses by sea must possess considerable power and mobilization ability. The moment word leaks, you may be attacked in transit before you can even bring the horses home. This job won't be easy."

Niu Youdao said, "Since you've figured that much out, you should understand what kind of manpower I need."

Guan Fangyi asked curiously, "Who's so unlucky? Whose warhorses are you planning to steal?"

"That isn't convenient to tell you yet."

Just then, a maid's voice came from outside.

"Proprietor, Shen Qiu wants to see Sir."

Niu Youdao was in the middle of arranging Guan Fangyi's hair and could not easily stop.

"Let him in."

The door opened and Shen Qiu entered. Knowing Niu Youdao had spent the entire night in Guan Fangyi's room, then seeing him combing her hair, Shen Qiu's gaze turned rather strange.

"The Sect Leader sent a message."

He took out a sheet of paper.

Niu Youdao asked, "Urgent?"

"No."

Niu Youdao still had his hands full. "Put it over there."

Shen Qiu placed the paper on a nearby table and turned to leave. Just before stepping out, he could not resist looking back once more. The corner of his mouth twitched. When the maid at the door came in to close it, she too stared in surprise at the scene inside. Once the door shut, Guan Fangyi could no longer suppress her laughter.

"Combing a woman's hair, especially mine. Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you if they see?"

"Let whoever wants to laugh, laugh. If I cared about that sort of thing, I wouldn't be able to live."

After finally managing to finish her hair, Niu Youdao turned, picked up the secret message, and read it while Guan Fangyi remained before the dressing table putting on ornaments.

With Guan Fangyi complaining beside him that he had not done her hair properly, Niu Youdao's brows gradually furrowed as he read.

"Ghost cultivators..."

The message had been forwarded by Gongsun Bu. The watchers stationed around the island had discovered that the gathered fleet had now reached roughly five hundred ships. At the same time, large numbers of ghost cultivators had appeared on the island. Clearly, the cultivators assigned to escort the fleet had arrived. After thinking it over, Niu Youdao was secretly impressed. The people helping Shao Pingbo transport the warhorses had prepared this operation extraordinarily thoroughly.

The sailors aboard the ships could not see the ghost cultivators, but they knew ghost cultivators were around them. Not knowing whether they themselves were being watched, they would naturally behave and not dare create trouble. That would save an enormous amount of manpower. Otherwise, how many people would it take to keep watch over the crews of five hundred ships? The thoroughness of the other side's planning left him almost in admiration.

Guan Fangyi was turning her head from side to side with a small mirror, inspecting her hair.

"What ghost cultivators?"

Niu Youdao rubbed the message between his hands until it crumbled apart.

"The people I'm targeting actually found a large number of ghost cultivators to escort the fleet. I have no idea where they got them."

Guan Fangyi set down the small mirror and began applying powder and rouge.

"Looks like you have the other side's situation completely in hand. They're unlucky enough to have run into you. As for where the ghost cultivators came from, there is one place in the State of Qi..."

She stopped. Her entire body went still. Slowly, she turned her head toward Niu Youdao.

"The warhorses you intend to seize are connected to Su Zhao, proprietress of Among the White Clouds?"

Niu Youdao froze as well. He slowly walked over to her.

"What makes you think this has anything to do with Su Zhao?"

He did not deny it. In truth, Niu Youdao himself did not even know whether Su Zhao had anything to do with the warhorses. He could not understand why Guan Fangyi had suddenly linked the two.

Guan Fangyi said, "You drew Su Zhao's portrait earlier."

Niu Youdao looked puzzled. "What does drawing her portrait have to do with warhorses?"

"There is a place in the State of Qi called Xianyin Mountain, one of the rare gathering places for ghost cultivators in this world. The person who rules Xianyin Mountain is called Ghost Mother. Years ago, one of Hao Yunsheng's subordinates pursued me. To show off that he was a trusted man of the Prince of the Western Court, he let slip a secret. The fellow was unlucky. Not long after leaving me, he was arrested by the court. I don't know what crime he had committed. Several of Hao Yunsheng's subordinates were arrested at the same time, and he was only one of them. But before they could even interrogate him, he suddenly fell ill and died. His death was rather suspicious, so I remember very clearly what he told me."

Niu Youdao asked, "What secret did he tell you? Was it connected to Ghost Mother?"

"Ghost Mother still has family in this world. She has a great-grandson named Zhang Xingrui who serves as an official under Hao Yunsheng, Prince of the Western Court. According to that man, only a handful of people knew this secret. Thanks to him telling me, I just happened to become one of them."

"Prince of the Western Court, Hao Yunsheng..." Niu Youdao frowned in thought.

Guan Fangyi continued, "Su Zhao is Hao Yunsheng's exclusive woman. She should know Zhang Xingrui. Now a whole group of ghost cultivators suddenly appears, and earlier you specifically drew Su Zhao's portrait. How could those two things have nothing to do with each other?"

Niu Youdao paced around the room. This information had gone far beyond anything he expected. Could it really be such a coincidence?

Could Su Zhao, proprietress of Among the White Clouds, the woman who had dealings with Yuan Gang, really be that "Sister Zhao"?

He had only been worried about Yuan Gang's safety. As a precaution, he had asked for Su Zhao's portrait so Chen Guishuo's side could verify her identity. Now, however, the pieces seemed to be lining up. All that remained was Chen Guishuo's reply for final confirmation. Why had Su Zhao approached Yuan Gang? Niu Youdao was now deeply worried for Yuan Gang's safety. But after thinking it through, something still seemed wrong.

If Su Zhao truly knew Yuan Gang's real identity while he was hiding here, then naturally she would also know the relationship between Yuan Gang and Niu Youdao.

That woman could not be so stupid as to openly approach Yuan Gang while knowing it might arouse Niu Youdao's suspicion. Shao Pingbo would be even less likely to do something so foolish. Niu Youdao could not make sense of it. The whole affair had left him thoroughly confused. Seeing that he did not look like someone whose secret she had just exposed, Guan Fangyi became uncertain.

"Could my guess be wrong?"

Niu Youdao stopped in front of her.

"Looks like gaining you was an even better bargain than I imagined."

Guan Fangyi rolled her eyes. Niu Youdao leaned slightly toward her.

"That Zhang Xingrui. I want everything you can find about him. The more detailed, the better..."

Outside the courtyard, Linghu Qiu arrived with Hongxiu, only to be stopped at the entrance.

Linghu Qiu asked the guard, "What is this supposed to mean? Hongniang doesn't want to see me, or Niu Youdao doesn't want to see me?"

The guard replied, "The proprietor and Sir are still in the room. They haven't gotten up yet. It would be inappropriate to disturb them. Mr. Linghu understands."

"..."

Linghu Qiu turned his head and looked at the sun already high in the sky. He was speechless. Then he glanced into the courtyard.

He badly wanted to ask just how wildly that shameless pair had carried on last night if they still had not gotten out of bed at this hour.

"Absurd!" Linghu Qiu muttered as he turned around.

Hands clasped behind his back, he simply stood outside the gate and waited. The key problem was that he had no idea what those two were doing inside right now. It really would be inappropriate to barge in. After waiting for quite a while, Niu Youdao's voice finally came from behind him.

"Second Brother, why are you standing at the gate?"

Linghu Qiu and Hongxiu turned. Niu Youdao and Guan Fangyi were walking toward them side by side. Guan Fangyi had half-looped one arm intimately around Niu Youdao's, smiling as she accompanied him. Anyone with eyes could see that after last night, their relationship was plainly no longer ordinary. They were practically one step from embracing in public.

An affront to public morals!

"Aiya, naturally I'm waiting for the two of you." Linghu Qiu chuckled, then asked teasingly, "Did you two have a pleasant night?"

Niu Youdao only smiled without answering.

"Get lost!" Guan Fangyi spat at Linghu Qiu.

Then she turned back toward Niu Youdao with an expression full of tender affection. The sight gave Linghu Qiu and Hongxiu gooseflesh. Guan Fangyi turned toward a man approaching from the side.

"Old Six, starting today, add several more people to accompany Brother Niu and protect him. Everything Sir eats or drinks must be carefully inspected. Don't give anyone any chance to tamper with it."

Linghu Qiu and Hongxiu instinctively exchanged a glance.

"Yes!" the man answered.

Linghu Qiu probed carefully, "Hongniang, why are you making it sound so serious?"

Niu Youdao rubbed his nose as well.

"Hongniang, are you trying to keep me under watch?"

"Watch you? Watch my ass. Believe me or don't, I'm telling you again: Prince Jin is a petty man who repays even the smallest slight. He will never let you off easily."

Guan Fangyi's gaze settled on Niu Youdao's face, once again full of tender affection.

"I don't want anything happening to you. You promised to marry me!"

Linghu Qiu and Hongxiu were stunned. Niu Youdao was stunned too. He stared at the woman, badly wanting to ask when the hell he had ever promised to marry her. That had never been part of their agreement! Yet in front of everyone, he could hardly deny it.

"I'm about to show him around Fufang Garden so he can at least learn his own home properly." Guan Fangyi smiled happily at Linghu Qiu. "Do you two want to come along?"

Linghu Qiu gave a dry laugh.

"You two go ahead. We won't disturb your pleasure."

Niu Youdao stumbled as Guan Fangyi abruptly seized him and dragged him away.

[End of Chapter 333]