Chapter 335: His Reputation Precedes Him

Bu Xun bowed slightly. "Your Majesty, he still hasn't left the capital. He's still in the city."

"He hasn't left?" Hao Yuntu was puzzled.

Niu Youdao had come for warhorses, and Hao Yuntu had already resolved the problem for him on the State of Qi's side. Why was he still dragging his feet instead of leaving? More puzzling still was Bu Xun's hesitation when speaking of it.

"Why hasn't he left? Bu Xun, are you hiding something from me?"

Bu Xun smiled bitterly to himself. This was precisely the matter he had not wanted to mention, which was why he had kept silent about it. But now that the emperor had asked directly, refusing to answer would amount to deceiving the sovereign. He bowed again.

"Your Majesty, Niu Youdao has become entangled in an affair of the heart. They say he intends to marry Hongniang..."

The suspicious, probing air that had risen around Hao Yuntu instantly froze. His cold, scrutinizing expression melted away in an instant as well.

"Niu Youdao intends to marry Hongniang? Are you certain? Wasn't she going to become his servant? How did that turn into him marrying her?"

Bu Xun said, "The news has already spread, and we've confirmed it."

Only then did Hao Yuntu understand why Bu Xun had avoided mentioning the matter. Last time, Hao Yuntu himself had said he could not bear to hear any more about Hongniang. He had not expected the subject to be dragged before him again, much less in this form. He turned and once more gazed across the myriad lights of the capital. For a long time he said nothing. No one knew what he was thinking. Only the emotions in his eyes were extraordinarily complicated.

After quite a while, he asked, "Is he remaining in the capital to prepare for the wedding?"

Bu Xun replied, "There are no signs of that at present. Right now the two of them are inseparable in the capital, traveling around together and enjoying themselves. They don't seem to have had their fill yet."

Hao Yuntu's lips tightened slightly. He had originally thought that if Niu Youdao truly intended to hold a wedding, he might have Bu Xun find some suitable pretext to send a congratulatory gift, showing his magnanimity and demonstrating that he had already let the matter go. Instead, the pair were flaunting their affection around the city.

Once more, the image flashed through his mind of a woman in bridal red throwing an embroidered ball from a pavilion.

Slowly, he said, "I am the emperor of the State of Qi. I will not be entangled by the private affections of men and women! What has happened with those ten exit permits?"

Bu Xun said, "They've already become the focus of fierce fighting. Quite a few people have died. We have kept track of where every permit has gone, and with the three major sects secretly cooperating, we won't allow any one of them to leave the State of Qi easily..."

Night lay black over a high mountain. The stars filling the heavens looked almost close enough to touch, yet even from the summit they remained impossibly distant. Black Peony raised her head toward the stars while the wind stirred her skirts. She and Gongsun Bu were lying low here with their people, waiting for Niu Youdao's next plan. That next plan had not arrived. Instead, they had received news that Niu Youdao intended to marry Guan Fangyi.

The message Shen Qiu sent back made it clear that everything had happened abruptly. Niu Youdao had sought out Guan Fangyi that very day, slept in the same room with her that night, and by the following day seemed to have decided to marry her. Black Peony had no idea what Niu Youdao was playing at. But suddenly creating a marriage out of the whole affair seemed far too outrageous.

She knew perfectly well that there was no relationship between herself and Niu Youdao as man and woman, nor any romantic feeling between them. Yet for some reason her heart was restless and irritable. She wanted to be alone for a while, to calm herself and think the matter through...

The State of Qi was still wrapped in darkness, but over Qingshan Commandery in the State of Yan, the rising sun already filled the east. Hoofbeats thundered out of the valley.

Shang Shuqing, together with the three sect leaders Fei Changliu, Zheng Jiuxiao, and Xia Hua, courteously escorted Shang Chaozong and the others on their way, then stood watching them disappear. Shang Chaozong too had been stirred by the news of Niu Youdao's impending marriage. Tianyu Sect had been the first to react. And speaking of recent events, Tianyu Sect was already furious enough. Originally, they could simply have had Feng Entai ask Niu Youdao directly. Unfortunately, Feng Entai was no longer beside him.

That fool had actually taken back the burden they had finally managed to throw off. Later, they did manage to cast that burden away again, and someone else took it over. But the people who took it found Tianyu Sect's behavior suspicious and actually chased Tianyu Sect's disciples for quite some time, trying to silence them. Only after other factions became involved in the struggle did the Tianyu Sect disciples finally escape the danger. Even so, Tianyu Sect lost quite a few elite disciples.

Peng Youzai had nearly vomited blood from fury. Of course, Tianyu Sect had still left itself a small fallback. Some disciples remained hidden in the Qi capital without having exposed themselves. That was how news that Niu Youdao intended to marry Guan Fangyi made its way back. Tianyu Sect immediately contacted Shang Chaozong's side to verify it. Marriage was an ordinary human affair. No one could criticize a man simply for taking a wife.

The problem was Guan Fangyi's identity and reputation, which left everyone rather speechless. Once Shang Chaozong heard what kind of woman she was, he too was astonished.

He found it difficult to believe Niu Youdao would marry someone like that, so he came here to ask for confirmation. Yet the three sects here, including the people from Wuliang Mountain, had no idea what Niu Youdao intended either. All they knew was that the story appeared to be true.

After watching her elder brother and the others depart, Shang Shuqing turned and asked the three sect leaders, "Is this Hongniang very beautiful?"

The three men looked at one another. Discussing whether another woman was beautiful in front of this princess somehow seemed inappropriate. Reality, however, still had to be faced.

Fei Changliu said, "Before I became Sect Leader of Liuxian Sect, I once traveled to the Qi capital. I never had dealings with Hongniang, but after hearing of her reputation I did see her once. I have to admit that she was a rare, peerless beauty."

Zheng Jiuxiao nodded. "When I was younger, I too went to see her out of curiosity. She truly was a great beauty. Calling her elegance peerless would not be an exaggeration. She had many admirers. But that was a long time ago. I don't know what she looks like now."

"Tch!" Xia Hua suddenly scoffed.

She cast the two men a sidelong look full of contempt.

"That woman is a shameless slut, and the two of you actually traveled all that way to stare at her. Look at the promise of you men. And people like you somehow became dignified sect leaders!"

The two men looked rather embarrassed.

Fei Changliu explained, "I was traveling. I only went to look in passing. It wasn't as disgraceful as you're making it sound."

Zheng Jiuxiao added, "Exactly. What's the point of traveling if you don't go see things you've heard about?"

Shang Shuqing raised her head and looked toward the manor on the distant mountaintop where Niu Youdao lived. A trace of melancholy entered her expression. It would probably no longer be appropriate for her to comb and arrange Niu Youdao's hair. His new wife might misunderstand. It seemed she was no longer suited to continue living there either.

"Oh? I went to the Qi capital when I was younger too. How come I never went out of my way to see her?" Xia Hua hooked an arm through Shang Shuqing's. "Commandery Princess, ignore these two rotten men!"

She led Shang Shuqing away. Fei Changliu and Zheng Jiuxiao were left staring at each other.

Fei Changliu asked, "What do you make of this?"

Zheng Jiuxiao said, "It's his private affair. What am I supposed to make of it? Still, our man really is formidable. Forget reputation and all that. For so many years, with so many men trying, no one managed to pluck that flower. The moment he makes a move, he succeeds. Doing what others cannot is a kind of ability in itself!"

Fei Changliu shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. One incident after another had erupted in the Qi capital: challenges, exit permits, an auction, then Niu Youdao severely injuring a Tianhuo Sect disciple. Everyone here had been worried sick about him. And then, just when they thought that was enough, the man turned around and produced a spectacle like this. Once again, his name had spread beneath Heaven.

"He usually looks like such a low-key man, yet everything he does is anything but low-key. At the slightest turn he does something that makes his name known beneath Heaven. Truly, extraordinary men do extraordinary things."

Then Fei Changliu tilted his chin toward Shang Shuqing's departing figure.

"Did you notice? The Commandery Princess seems to have some feelings for Niu Youdao."

News of Niu Youdao running into one trouble after another had been arriving constantly of late. They had seen Shang Shuqing's reactions with their own eyes. If they still could not discern anything after living all these years, then they truly would have lived in vain. Zheng Jiuxiao looked back as well.

"They're a young man and woman. Developing feelings after spending so long together isn't hard to understand. But then again, though she's an exceptionally virtuous and gentle woman and impeccable in every other respect, that face of hers really is difficult to praise. It's somewhat frightening. Her whole life has probably been delayed because of it."

He sighed.

"Forget it. Niu Youdao clearly isn't interested. It looks one-sided. No one should ever pierce that layer of paper, or both sides will only end up embarrassed."

"You don't need to remind me."

In Beizhou, atop a river embankment, Shao Pingbo stood in high spirits watching water surge through the intake and rush into the canal, branching outward toward vast stretches of farmland. The wind rose. His cloak snapped behind him.

Combined with the bearing shaped by the aspirations he carried for state and realm, he truly cut the figure of Beizhou's graceful First Young Master. Tang Yi stood beside him, her skirts fluttering in the wind. A faint gloom lingered in her expression. The man was elegant as jade; the woman beautiful as an immortal. Standing together, they truly looked like a golden boy and jade maiden. The successful opening of the irrigation channel had put Shao Pingbo in an excellent mood.

He glanced back at Tang Yi.

"Something is weighing on your mind?"

Tang Yi said, "Managing a sect inevitably comes with problems."

Shao Pingbo nodded slightly.

"Take your time. There's no need to rush."

Tang Yi gave a faint nod as well. In truth, she had been reflecting constantly on whether she had been wrong to overrule all objections and bring Shangqing Sect to Beizhou. She had come filled with ambition, hoping to accomplish something. Yet under this First Young Master's hand, she felt as though she had sunk into a mire. She could neither sink fully nor pull herself free. Whenever she was about to sink, he would pull her up.

Whenever she wanted to leave, she found she could not. Faced with Shao Pingbo, she felt utterly powerless, unable to find anywhere to exert her strength. She was anxious. Anxious about Shangqing Sect's future. If things continued this way, the spirit of the entire sect would eventually be worn away.

Once everyone from top to bottom grew accustomed to drifting through life, eating and waiting to die, once they accepted their fate, Shangqing Sect would find it extremely difficult to rise again. That was why she had turned her attention to Niu Youdao. She had sent someone to him and had even been willing to yield the position of Sect Leader. Niu Youdao had refused without the slightest mercy. He had made it clear that he no longer wanted any relationship with her.

Nor could she find any reason to blame him. They both knew perfectly well who had wronged whom first. The news she had heard one piece after another in recent days only sharpened the contrast.

Niu Youdao might seem to live in constant danger, but to someone like her, trapped in fruitless inaction, he was at least living vigorously and accomplishing things.

Meanwhile, Shangqing Sect, once the foremost sect in the State of Yan, was gradually sinking into obscurity under her leadership. Even Tang Yi herself could feel it. Unless someone deliberately mentioned the sect, perhaps no one in the cultivation world would even remember Shangqing Sect still existed. And now, who in the cultivation world did not know Niu Youdao? An entire dignified sect could not even match the fame of one expelled disciple.

Nor was this the first time Shangqing Sect had faced such a thing. First there had been Zhao Xiongge. Now another Niu Youdao had appeared.

Tang Yi knew very well that without Zhao Xiongge, Shangqing Sect might not even have had a place to stand today.

All it had taken was for Zhao Xiongge's mount to show itself once, and Shangqing Sect had been given a road to survival. She often reflected on the same questions. Why could Shangqing Sect never keep its capable disciples? Why were the capable disciples always the ones driven away? Where, exactly, had Shangqing Sect gone wrong? Recently, she too had heard the news that Niu Youdao intended to marry Hongniang of the Qi capital.

As a woman who had once bowed to Heaven and Earth with Niu Youdao, it would be a lie to say she felt nothing. Yet she could only watch. Other people could ask how Niu Youdao could possibly marry a woman like that. Tang Yi did not even possess the right to say it.

"Have you heard any recent news about Niu Youdao?" Shao Pingbo suddenly asked.

[End of Chapter 335]