Chapter 450: Might as Well End It Once and for All

The room fell quiet. Niu Youdao stood alone with his eyes closed, both hands resting on his sword, silent and motionless. No one knew what he was thinking.

Guan Fangyi returned after seeing the guests out and announced, "They're gone. I've already sent Old Six to find out where they're staying."

Niu Youdao gave a faint, "Mm."

Guan Fangyi circled around until she stood in front of him. Seeing him standing there with his eyes closed in silence, she could not resist teasing him.

"Looks like old feelings are hard to let go. Seeing an old flame again doesn't sit well with you, does it?"

Niu Youdao opened his eyes and chuckled.

"Why do I hear so much jealousy in your voice?"

Guan Fangyi was rendered speechless. Gradually, her eyes widened.

Then she gave a contemptuous snort. "Jealousy? Me, jealous over you? Who do you think you are? If not a thousand, then at least eight hundred men have fallen beneath this old woman's skirts. You think I'd get jealous over you? What a joke! Master Dao, I truly couldn't tell before. You're quite full of yourself."

Niu Youdao looked as though a burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"I had originally been thinking of marrying you. Turns out I was overthinking it. Forget it, then."

He turned, walked aside, and casually set his sword down.

"..."

Guan Fangyi was struck dumb for a moment. Then anger surged across her face. She looked left and right, grabbed a cup from the table, and hurled it directly at Niu Youdao. Niu Youdao ducked his head and avoided it.

Crash!

The cup smashed against the wall and shattered across the floor.

"You hypocritical beast..."

Guan Fangyi immediately unleashed a rapid torrent of curses. For the next several days, Niu Youdao barely left the inn. Most of those traveling with him assumed he was avoiding Tang Yi. Only Yuan Gang understood the real reason. Before certain matters had been clarified, Master Dao would not act rashly. One careless move could easily place him in danger... Inside another inn room, Lu Shengzhong slowly unfolded the secret message in his hands.

After reading its contents, bitterness spread across his face. The message was Shao Pingbo's reply after Lu Shengzhong had sent word back to Beizhou. He could not help suspecting that Shao Pingbo and Niu Youdao were, in certain respects, exactly the same kind of person. Just like the instructions Niu Youdao had once given him, Shao Pingbo now told Lu Shengzhong to use his own judgment freely. If he could eliminate Niu Youdao, all the better.

In any case, the objective was to make Niu Youdao suffer. The truth was that Shao Pingbo had no better option either. He lacked cultivation-world forces capable of dealing with Niu Youdao, and Dachan Mountain would not help him do this sort of thing. In reality, the situation resembled Niu Youdao's predicament back then. With Shao Pingbo under Dachan Mountain's protection, Niu Youdao had likewise been unable to do much to him.

Lu Shengzhong reduced the secret message in his hand to powder. Then he walked to the window, pushed it open, and stood with his hands clasped behind his back as he looked out over Myriad Forms City. His heart was deeply troubled. In truth, he had no desire whatsoever to provoke Niu Youdao. That kind of man was too dangerous. Niu Youdao had a whole group of people around him, while Lu Shengzhong was alone.

But Lu Shengzhong had no choice. The agony of the Spirit-Torment Pill was not something a human being should have to endure. Originally, the antidote had been in that woman's hands. Now it was in Shao Pingbo's. Lu Shengzhong did not dare disobey him. His wandering gaze happened to settle on one of the towering sculptures outside. He froze. Then his eyes abruptly brightened. For a while, he studied it thoughtfully, weighing something in his mind.

At last, he seemed to reach a decision. He shut the window, turned, and left... A map lay spread out before Niu Youdao. Yuan Gang had obtained it. Niu Youdao stood beside the table studying it. The two men shared the same habit: wherever they went, they first made a point of understanding the local terrain. Knock, knock. Yuan Gang pushed the door open and entered, closing it behind himself. He walked to Niu Youdao's side and lowered his voice.

"Beizhou replied. About half a month ago, the Shangqing Sect suddenly went to bid Shao Pingbo farewell. They formally separated from Beizhou and left as a whole."

Niu Youdao's gaze, still resting on the map, slowly sharpened.

"Shao Pingbo would never let the Shangqing Sect get away so easily."

The two had worked together for many years. When Niu Youdao handed him a task, Yuan Gang naturally knew how to investigate it properly.

He replied, "I asked about that too. Beizhou mentioned one incident. A Golden-Furred Hou suddenly charged into the military camp outside Beizhou's prefectural city and injured some people."

"The Golden-Furred Hou!"

Niu Youdao's eyelids rose. According to rumor, only one Golden-Furred Hou was currently known to exist in the entire world. And with the Shangqing Sect involved, it was not difficult to guess what had happened.

"Zhao Xiongge... No wonder."

Now he understood why Shao Pingbo had let the Shangqing Sect go. Someone Shao Pingbo could not afford to offend had intervened.

"The map," Niu Youdao called.

Yuan Gang immediately went to another table, took out a second map, and hung it open against the wall. Niu Youdao walked over. His gaze settled on Beizhou, then traveled east all the way to Myriad Forms City.

After making a rough calculation of travel time, he said slowly, "There wasn't enough time for them to wander anywhere else. They came straight to Myriad Forms City."

"They came for me."

Yuan Gang said coldly, "Master Dao, I'm afraid someone around us isn't very clean."

Niu Youdao remained calm. The moment the Shangqing Sect intercepted them immediately after they entered Myriad Forms City, he had already become suspicious. Now he had merely obtained confirmation. He turned his head and looked at Yuan Gang meaningfully. Yuan Gang understood. He gave a silent nod. Niu Youdao looked up at the ceiling and began to feel a headache coming on. It was not the Shangqing Sect's persistence that troubled him.

It was the fact that Zhao Xiongge had actually intervened. The incident itself had happened in some obscure corner, vanishing almost as soon as it appeared without causing any great disturbance. Other people might never have paid attention to it. They might not even have heard about it.

But Niu Youdao and Shao Pingbo were both directly involved and understood perfectly well that Zhao Xiongge's mount would never wander into the military camp outside Beizhou's city for no reason and injure people. For Shao Pingbo, that had been a warning. For Niu Youdao, was it not likewise a reminder? Zhao Xiongge had made it plain that he stood behind the Shangqing Sect.

If either man had the courage, he was welcome to oppose that backing and see what happened. And so Shao Pingbo had yielded immediately. He obediently let them go. Now it was Niu Youdao's turn to suffer a headache. The Shangqing Sect had come looking for him, and it seemed to have been Zhao Xiongge's intention. He could ignore what the Shangqing Sect wanted. Zhao Xiongge, however, was someone he could not afford to provoke.

It was not that Niu Youdao refused to give Zhao Xiongge face. He simply did not want the trouble that came with the Shangqing Sect. Most importantly, the Shangqing Sect could attach itself to almost anyone in the world except Shang Chaozong. Why had Niu Youdao gone to such lengths to sever his relationship with the Shangqing Sect?

Because once the Shangqing Sect became entangled with Shang Chaozong, Shao Pingbo would almost certainly be the first to seize on the matter and make use of it. Zhao Xiongge himself had come from the Shangqing Sect. Niu Youdao did not believe Zhao Xiongge could be unaware of the stakes. For Zhao Xiongge to arrange things this way was simply creating trouble for him. Niu Youdao raised one hand and peeled the disguise from his face, revealing his true appearance.

Yuan Gang, standing nearby, looked somewhat surprised.

Niu Youdao explained casually, "Shao Pingbo would never ignore where the Shangqing Sect went. He probably already knows I'm here."

"There's no need to keep hiding it anymore. Concealing ourselves now could instead give someone an opening to make use of."

Just then, Yuan Fang knocked and entered.

"Master Dao, the Shangqing Sect people are here again."

Niu Youdao gave a faint, "Mm."

Yuan Fang looked surprised. Tang Yi and the others had come to call every day for several days. Niu Youdao had refused to see them every time. Today, he had unexpectedly agreed. Once Yuan Fang left, Niu Youdao gave Yuan Gang a look. Yuan Gang understood without a word and immediately departed as well. Before long, Guan Fangyi had not even reached the door before her laughter arrived ahead of her.

The woman had personally accompanied Tang Yi and the others this time. The visitors were still the same three: Tang Yi, Luo Yuangong, and Su Po. The group entered. Seeing Niu Youdao with his true face exposed, Guan Fangyi looked mildly surprised. The three members of the Shangqing Sect could not help studying him more carefully. He was still the same person. Yet compared with the youth from Peach Blossom Spring, he had truly changed.

Even compared with the man they had encountered by the docks a few years ago, his features had matured considerably. He had genuinely become a man with a commanding bearing. Tang Yi looked momentarily dazed. Her thoughts flashed back to their wedding night, when she had lifted her red bridal veil and first seen that youthful face. He had truly grown up. This was the man with whom she had bowed to Heaven and Earth as husband and wife...

The way she stared made Niu Youdao uncomfortable all over.

"Cough, cough!"

Guan Fangyi gave two deliberate coughs. Then she walked over beside Niu Youdao and pretended to straighten his clothes and dust him off, behaving with conspicuous familiarity. From the corner of her eye, she carefully watched Tang Yi's reaction. Tang Yi lowered her gaze, deliberately avoiding the sight. Her emotions were complicated. Niu Youdao gave his shoulder a shake and dislodged Guan Fangyi's meddling hand. He turned and glared at her.

He knew perfectly well the woman was doing it on purpose. Guan Fangyi withdrew her hand, barely suppressing her smile.

"Why isn't Elder Tang here?" Niu Youdao asked coldly.

Tang Yi replied, "Someone has to remain behind to hold things together—"

Niu Youdao raised one hand and cut her off. "There's no need for this kind of hypocritical explanation. If Elder Tang is unwilling, then why force her? If you want to talk, I need to see sincerity first. If there is no sincerity, is there any point continuing the discussion?"

That single line left the Shangqing Sect side with nothing to say. And he was not wrong. So once again, they were easily driven away. After seeing the guests out, Guan Fangyi returned. The moment she saw Niu Youdao, she clicked her tongue.

"What a heartless husband. You truly can bring yourself to be that cruel. You don't know the slightest thing about cherishing a beauty."

Her bright eyes were full of teasing. Whenever this woman became shameless like this, Niu Youdao did not want to bother with her. He turned away. Immediately afterward, Yuan Gang knocked and entered.

From the doorway, he called, "Master Dao, I had the inn prepare some fresh dishes. Come taste them."

Niu Youdao said to Guan Fangyi, "Since there's fresh food, call everyone over and let them try it together."

And so six people gathered around one table in a private room. Only Old Thirteen remained behind to watch the Goldenwing used for communications. As everyone ate, Niu Youdao suddenly spoke.

"Monkey, send word to the three sects later. Have them secretly dispatch one hundred elite disciples here."

Yuan Gang nodded to show he understood.

Guan Fangyi, however, could not help asking, "What are you going to use them for?"

Niu Youdao replied, "Having the Shangqing Sect keep pestering us like this is troublesome. Might as well end it once and for all. Kill them."

Everyone seated at the table looked up in shock. Guan Fangyi was visibly startled. She stared at him in disbelief.

"You intend to kill the Shangqing Sect?"

Niu Youdao said indifferently, "How did Prince Ning, Shang Jianbo, fall? There is no possibility of me becoming entangled with the Shangqing Sect again. They're the ones insisting on rushing over here to seek death. I've tried to drive them away and they still refuse to leave. They can't blame anyone else."

Guan Fangyi frowned. "There's no need to go that far. Why don't I talk to them for you and make them understand they should retreat?"

Niu Youdao replied, "You don't need to interfere in this. I'll handle it myself. It's time the grievances from back then were settled as well."

[End of Chapter 450]