Chapter 344: Ten Years in Seclusion

At Prince Ying's residence, inside a modest study, Prince Ying Hao Zhen sat quietly behind the desk. His hands were tucked into his sleeves, one through the other, and his eyes were lowered. He looked almost meek.

He possessed none of his father Hao Yuntu's imperial presence, none of his eldest brother Hao Qi's aggressive bearing, and none of his second brother Hao Hong's heroic air. Though still young, he looked like a settled little old man content with a modest life, without much youthful vigor anywhere about him. A sheet of paper lay on the desk. It was the letter Niu Youdao had written. Only a few short lines, yet Hao Zhen had stared at them for a long time.

Three men stood side by side across the desk: Che Buchi of Daqiu Sect, Xie Longfei of Xuanbing Sect, and Gao Jianhou of Tianhuo Sect. The three sects had assigned them responsibility for Hao Zhen's safety.

Beside the desk stood Mu Jiu, the eunuch chief steward of Prince Ying's residence. A faint smile seemed permanently fixed to his face, and his back was slightly hunched.

"'The realm is so fair that countless heroes vie to bow before it!' What sort of breadth of mind does it take to write words like these?" Hao Zhen sighed in genuine admiration, then raised his eyes toward the others. "What do you make of this letter?"

Che Buchi said, "The tone changes abruptly in the lines that follow. The flavor becomes different."

Xie Longfei said, "It sounds like a threat."

Gao Jianhou said, "'Victory makes a king, defeat an outlaw; whether we meet or not rests on Your Highness's single thought.' It sounds almost like a final ultimatum."

Hao Zhen asked, "Do you think I should meet him?"

Che Buchi said, "He's somewhat arrogant. I know a little about this man. At Ice and Snow Pavilion, he was humiliated by Chu Anlou, the shopkeeper of Rainbow Inn. He probably tried to swagger on borrowed authority by relying on Ice and Snow Pavilion and got taught a lesson for it. That shows he's accustomed to posturing. Your Highness should hold firm to your own strategy and ignore him. Leave him hanging. He can't do anything to you. If he truly dares go too far, the three of us can deal with him. This isn't a place where he gets to throw his weight around."

Hao Zhen said, "Then how do you explain his killing Song Long, an envoy of the State of Yan, killing Zhuo Chao, defeating Kunlin Shu, intimidating the riffraff at Flying Waterfall Terrace, and holding the auction at Heavenly Mirror Lake? In my view, he does possess some real ability."

Che Buchi tested him carefully. "Your Highness wants to meet him?"

"I'm hesitating as well." Hao Zhen sighed, then turned his head. "Mu Jiu, what do you think?"

Mu Jiu bent slightly. "Your Highness will naturally make the proper decision."

Hao Zhen said, "Everyone here is one of our own. Say whatever you think. Let everyone hear it and consider it."

"Yes." Mu Jiu bowed again and offered only one sentence. "Chief Steward Bu Xun personally went to visit him."

Hao Zhen said, "That is exactly what makes this difficult for me. I don't know what sort of relationship he has with Father Emperor's side, nor do I know what his purpose is in seeking me out. Otherwise, why would I need to pay him any attention?"

Mu Jiu spoke again. "This old servant has recently looked carefully into Niu Youdao's past. According to rumor, he was placed under house arrest by Shangqing Sect for five years while still a youth. After he left Shangqing Sect, the sect sent disciples to intercept and kill him, only for him to kill them instead. Could Shangqing Sect truly not have killed him while he was imprisoned under their own roof? Why wait until after he left before making the attempt? That suggests the man is exceptionally capable of enduring. While he was inside Shangqing Sect, he never gave them a proper opportunity to act against him. At the Heavenly Mirror Lake auction, Kunlin Shu pressured him again and again. Niu Youdao endured public humiliation, lowered himself, voluntarily admitted defeat, and even pretended to lose. Only when Kunlin Shu forced him to the point where he had nowhere left to retreat did he immediately prepare his escape route and then strike decisively and ruthlessly. Had others not intervened, would Kunlin Shu still be alive? That affair and the matter with Shangqing Sect are cut from the same cloth. At first he endures. The moment he is forced to a dead end, he strikes without the slightest mercy. From this, one can see that he is not merely a man capable of extraordinary endurance. There is a fierce tiger in his heart as well. Shangqing Sect opposed him. Is Shangqing Sect doing well now? Kunlin Shu made things difficult for him. What state is Kunlin Shu in now? Song Long, an envoy of the State of Yan, troubled him in the State of Zhao and died by his hand in Jinzhou. The State of Yan mobilized large numbers of secret agents hidden across the various states, yet still failed to eliminate him. Instead, those networks suffered heavy losses throughout the states. Afterward, Song Jiuming, Commandant of Justice of the State of Yan, was quietly stripped from power. Where is the Song clan now? Exterminated to the last household! The State of Yan was furious, but what did it manage to do to him? Ice and Snow Pavilion was thrown into turmoil, yet was he harmed in the slightest? Liuxian Sect, Fuyun Sect, and Lingxiu Mountain originally depended on the Song clan, yet now they stand around him as his protectors. Strange indeed. Zhuo Chao blocked his way at Boundless Pavilion. Now not even Zhuo Chao's bones remain. After Niu Youdao arrived in the Qi capital, petty men provoked him, and three deaths at Flying Waterfall Terrace silenced the lot of them in one stroke. His Majesty made matters difficult for him, yet still failed to injure him. Instead, Chief Steward Bu Xun later went personally to his door, and Princess Consort Yu met him secretly at night. Hongniang spent years amid the romance and pleasures of the Qi capital and would not submit to ordinary men, yet after meeting him once she washed her hands in a golden basin. Judging from all this, this old servant believes the man has considerable methods and the ability to turn clouds and rain with his hands. When he meets a mountain, he opens a road; when he meets water, he builds a bridge. He is a man who will use whatever means are necessary and will not stop until he achieves his objective. Now he has fixed his attention on Your Highness. You have refused to meet him repeatedly, yet he still refuses to let go. Does Your Highness truly think he will give up simply because he cannot meet you?"

The room fell silent after this long assessment.

Hao Zhen recovered from his contemplation and asked, "What do the three of you think?"

Xie Longfei said, "After hearing the Chief Steward analyze him this way, it may not be a bad thing if Your Highness can establish a relationship with him."

Che Buchi said, "Whether a relationship is worth establishing depends on whether it brings benefit or harm. Why not first see what he actually wants? If what he proposes is unacceptable, Your Highness need not clash with him directly. An open spear is easy to dodge; a hidden arrow is difficult to guard against. You can report the entire matter directly to His Majesty without concealing anything. If there is trouble, those taller than us can bear the sky."

Mu Jiu praised him. "Mr. Che speaks reasonably."

Hao Zhen's gaze moved toward Gao Jianhou, who had remained silent. He smiled.

"How is that Kunlin Shu of your sect doing now?"

Gao Jianhou sighed. He understood that Hao Zhen was not truly concerned about Kunlin Shu. The prince cared about his attitude.

"His pride was too high. This time Niu Youdao gave him a thorough beating and completely smashed that arrogance out of him. I went back and saw him once. Physically, there isn't much wrong with him now. But ever since returning from that auction, he hasn't spoken a single word or made a sound. He's gone from one extreme to another. His temperament is extreme by nature. Who knows what he'll do later."

Then he stated his position clearly.

"Your Highness needn't worry about what I think. The sect's affairs are the sect's affairs; Your Highness's affairs are Your Highness's affairs. Whatever Your Highness wishes to do, do it without hesitation. The fact that I can stand inside this study should already tell Your Highness where my heart lies."

Hao Zhen nodded faintly. He drew one hand out of his sleeve, picked up the sheet of paper on the desk, and read again:

"'The realm is so fair that countless heroes vie to bow before it!' I too would like to see what exactly he wants from me. Mu Jiu, make the arrangements."

With that decision made, Prince Ying's residence and Fufang Garden quickly established contact. Prince Ying's residence originally intended to meet openly and properly, but Niu Youdao refused. He would not meet in public and insisted on a secret rendezvous with Hao Zhen. This filled Prince Ying's residence with suspicion, and the two sides spent quite some effort arguing over the arrangements...

High in the mountains beneath dense green trees, Fire Phoenix climbed with a food box in hand and returned to the small lodge in the forest. No one was inside. Fire Phoenix was surprised.

For all this time, her senior brother had remained here recuperating. Even after his injuries healed, he had never once stepped outside.

Where had he gone?

She set down the food box, checked around the room, and then went outside to search. The moment she emerged, a man came flying over.

As soon as he saw her, he called urgently, "Senior Sister, something happened to Senior Brother Kun!"

Fire Phoenix's face went deathly pale in an instant. Her voice trembled.

"What happened to Senior Brother?"

"He went to the forbidden grounds for closed-door seclusion!"

"..."

Fire Phoenix froze, then immediately breathed out in relief. So he had only gone to the forbidden grounds. For a moment she had feared that her senior brother had taken things too hard and gone off to end his own life. Without another word, she shot away and headed straight for the forbidden grounds behind the mountain. The two arrived one after the other.

They found their master, Pang Zhuo, arguing furiously with Senior Martial Uncle Tian Ren'an, who guarded the mountain near the forbidden grounds. Both old men were red in the face and shouting at each other over whose negligence was to blame.

"Master, what happened?" Fire Phoenix hurried forward to ask.

The moment she arrived, both old men fell silent.

"Yunshang, ah. That muddleheaded senior brother of yours has entered Lightless Cave." Pang Zhuo looked utterly heartbroken.

Fire Phoenix raised her eyes toward the dark cave entrance ahead, surrounded by jagged, gaunt rock. Naturally, she knew what entering Lightless Cave meant. Lightless Cave was Tianhuo Sect's forbidden ground for closed-door cultivation. Seclusion there was completely different from ordinary cultivation behind a closed door. Entering Lightless Cave was no child's play. Once inside, one had to remain for at least three years.

For those three years, one could not leave even a single step without permission and could have no contact whatsoever with the outside world. Inside, there was no sunlight at all.

Whether one was genuinely cultivating or merely pretending, whether one could achieve anything or not, remaining for three full years in a place without day or night was not something an ordinary person could endure. No one would be inside to accompany or amuse you. One could imagine the torment.

On the other hand, any disciple with enough perseverance to endure three years in such a sunless place could cultivate there without worry. Tianhuo Sect would support that disciple with all its strength. Everything required for cultivation, including food and drink, would be supplied by Tianhuo Sect. People would guard the forbidden grounds outside and ensure no one disturbed the cultivator's seclusion. Fire Phoenix's expression changed slightly. There were fewer than six months remaining before her wedding with her senior brother.

If he entered now, sect rules required at least three years. Their wedding would obviously have to be postponed. She forced a smile.

"It's all right. Given Senior Brother's current state, entering Lightless Cave and calming himself for a while may not be a bad thing."

"That beast said he intends to cut off all worldly thoughts during his seclusion and doesn't want to delay you..." Pang Zhuo produced a letter and handed it to her, his face filled with anger and painful sympathy for her. "Read this first."

Fire Phoenix took the letter with uncertainty and quickly opened it. The moment she finished reading, her expression changed violently.

She cried out, "Ten years!"

The letter had been written by Kunlin Shu. He said he intended to sever the seven emotions and six desires and devote himself entirely to closed-door cultivation. He apologized to her, said he did not want to delay her life, and asked to break off the engagement. The second sheet was the written cancellation of the betrothal. He had broken off the engagement and intended to remain inside the sunless Lightless Cave for ten years.

The scale of Kunlin Shu's resolve to cultivate could be imagined. The problem was that no matter how powerful Tianhuo Sect was or how deep its resources ran, it would not provide ten years of cultivation resources to someone without expecting anything in return. No sect could simply support a person for ten years for free. Of course, someone who had rendered enormous merit to Tianhuo Sect would be another matter.

If you had contributed greatly to the sect, the sect would support you, and no one from top to bottom would object. After three years of seclusion in Lightless Cave, a disciple had to emerge and perform work for the sect. That was also how the sect tested the progress made during seclusion.

After five years of seclusion, the sect had supported you for five full years, so you would be assigned an important mission as your test. After ten years of seclusion, the sect had invested ten years of resources into you. The kind of mission awaiting you when you emerged could easily be imagined. Since the founding of Tianhuo Sect, only the founding ancestor had ever undertaken ten years of seclusion. No one after him had done so. Now Kunlin Shu had become the second.

[End of Chapter 344]