Chapter 455: First Meeting with Yun Ji

Envy was one thing, but Guan Fangyi genuinely disliked Yuan Gang. The way he treated her always forced her to face the reality that she was no longer young, and for a woman who had been beautiful all her life, that was somewhat difficult to accept. Guan Fangyi's wandering gaze suddenly stopped. A moment later, Niu Youdao and the others also turned toward the same direction.

Ten people from the Shangqing Sect came flying over with Tang Yi at their head and landed beside Niu Youdao's group. Tang Yi gave Niu Youdao a nod in greeting, and Luo Yuangong and Su Po followed suit. Two others were familiar faces as well: Wei Duo, and the one-eyed, lame Tu Han.

Niu Youdao gave Tu Han a long, serious look. During the years he had been confined by the Shangqing Sect, Tu Han had been the one person there for whom he had felt genuine goodwill. Tu Han had taken considerable care of him and had even secretly warned him before he left the Shangqing Sect. This was the first time the two had met again in all the years since they parted.

Neither spoke. A faint smile appeared in Niu Youdao's eyes before his gaze paused briefly on Wei Duo and quickly moved away again.

Wei Duo was the one he found hardest to deal with. Every time that fellow saw him, he wore the same expectant, almost lovestruck expression. It made Niu Youdao uncomfortable all over. He did notice one thing, however. Tang Susu was still absent from the group. The woman's stubbornness was easy enough to imagine.

Tang Yi and the others did not try to speak with Niu Youdao either. They simply stood quietly nearby, apparently intending to enter the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm as well.

In truth, entering the realm was not the purpose of their journey. They had openly assigned people to keep watch on Niu Youdao, and when they learned he had come here and guessed that he intended to enter the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm, the group had hurried over after him. They had no idea their behavior had already angered Niu Youdao.

Niu Youdao wanted to sever all connection with the Shangqing Sect, yet the Shangqing Sect had now openly planted itself at his side in full view of everyone. Who could guarantee that among the scattered people covering these mountains there was no one who recognized them? Were they trying to cook the raw rice into cooked rice? Niu Youdao's face tightened slightly. He gave a cold snort inwardly, thoroughly displeased.

One wave had yet to settle when another rose. The woman in white behind and to the right suddenly moved as well, flying over and landing nearby before walking slowly toward them.

The gesture itself proved she bore no immediate hostility. She had given them time to prepare rather than flashing directly into striking range. Under everyone's watchful eyes, the woman in white stopped alone before Niu Youdao and met his gaze.

Niu Youdao studied her carefully. Although a veil covered her face, he was certain he had never met her before. He smiled and asked, "Does this friend need something from me?"

He knew that people generally would not make trouble openly on Myriad Beasts Sect's own territory and directly beneath its eyes, but Guan Fangyi still slipped one hand into her sleeve and closed her fingers around a talisman, ready for any unexpected development.

Tang Yi and the others also focused on the woman. From Niu Youdao's words, they could tell that he did not seem to know her.

The woman in white said calmly, "I am a friend of Wu Xuejun."

The visitor was Yun Ji, though she did not directly reveal her identity in front of everyone. She had originally intended to keep following Niu Youdao after they entered the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm and observe him a little longer. But after the Shangqing Sect group joined him and increased the number of people around him, she realized continuing to shadow him would not be easy, so she simply came over openly.

In the cultivation world, anyone who publicly claimed to be someone's friend was normally telling the truth. Otherwise, it amounted to borrowing another person's name and could easily cause trouble. If the person whose name had been borrowed did not come forward to sever the supposed relationship, what happened if that name was used again next time to provoke a life-and-death feud? At Yun Ji's words, quite a few people looked puzzled. They had no idea who Wu Xuejun was.

Even Niu Youdao needed a moment before realizing she meant Ghost Mother. Ghost Mother lived apart from the broader cultivation world, on the boundary between yin and yang, and did not dare act too ostentatiously. Her former name had gradually been forgotten. Enough time had passed that few people still knew it. A name was only a form of address in any case, and everyone had long grown accustomed to calling her Ghost Mother.

Ghost Mother had personally admitted to Niu Youdao that she had only one friend. The image of Hou Qingtian from earlier flashed through his mind. A bitter smile gradually appeared on Niu Youdao's face. He could roughly guess who this woman was.

For a moment, however, he did not know how to address her. Should he call her Elder Sister Yun, following Ghost Mother's generation, or Auntie, following Yun Huan's?

In the end, he cupped his hands politely. "Greetings, Senior."

Yun Ji asked mildly, "It seems you already know who I am."

"I have a guess."

Niu Youdao raised one hand and pointed toward the clouds and mist between the two mountains. Outsiders might not understand the gesture, but both of them knew he was pointing out her surname.

Since she did not wish to reveal her identity, he did not expose her, though he still left himself room in the wording.

"No wonder you're capable of overturning clouds and rain. You really are a clever man." Yun Ji gave a slight nod, essentially confirming his guess. Then she added, "You seem very fond of becoming sworn siblings with people."

The fingers of Niu Youdao's hand resting atop his planted sword rose and fell one after another, releasing a trace of the awkwardness he felt inside.

"When one rides through the jianghu, there are always times one loses one's way. I happen to enjoy making friends. Occasionally there are misunderstandings. We can each keep our own relationships. I hope Senior won't take it to heart."

Had it been an ordinary person, even if Yun Ji did not outright punish him, she might still have taught him a lesson. But people could not all be treated alike.

Shang Chaozong now held the authority of Nanzhou, with several hundred thousand troops under his command and enough influence to affect the balance beneath Heaven. That meant Niu Youdao today was no longer someone just anyone could touch at will. At the very least, not everyone dared attack him openly.

If Niu Youdao publicly announced that he had come here, the State of Song would undoubtedly send an important official to meet him and show goodwill, strengthening its influence over Nanzhou so that it could restrain the State of Yan when necessary. Relations between states were complicated. At the very least, if the court of the State of Song knew Niu Youdao was here, it would not lightly allow anything to happen to him on the State of Song's soil. The logic was simple: offending Niu Youdao meant offending Shang Chaozong.

Why did so many cultivation sects dream of controlling territory of their own? Why had Tianyu Sect coveted Nanzhou? Why had Niu Youdao exhausted himself helping Shang Chaozong? In the end, it all came down to the struggle for power and profit.

The contest between Tianyu Sect and Niu Youdao in Nanzhou had been a struggle over exactly that. They were not merely fighting over resources within Nanzhou itself, but over the right to speak for Nanzhou. Possessing that influence was, in a sense, the same as possessing resources—and not merely resources confined within Nanzhou. Influence over the various states could likewise be exchanged for resources.

Tianyu Sect disciples now undoubtedly found it far easier to conduct affairs in other states. Other powers gave them face, their safety enjoyed another layer of protection, and they gained conveniences in handling matters. Were these not resources as well? Such advantages could not even be bought with money. They were immense resources, the sort countless smaller sects dreamed of obtaining. This was the foundation upon which a sect could develop.

If Niu Youdao wanted to borrow one million gold coins in the State of Song today, would the State of Song refuse him? The money would be his for the taking. He would not even need to repay it, so long as he dared ask.

For Tianyu Sect, the outcome might still be less than perfect. Its attempt to raise Feng Lingbo had failed while Niu Youdao's effort to raise Shang Chaozong had succeeded, and half of Nanzhou's voice had been bitten away from Tianyu Sect by force.

But for Niu Youdao, given his present strength, obtaining this much was already enough to satisfy him—provided he could hold onto it. Only by establishing himself in the present could he walk toward the long term. Faced with someone like that, how could the mere Mountain Lord of Duyun Mountain dare behave too outrageously in public?

Yun Ji changed the subject. "You're entering the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go in together."

"All right." Niu Youdao tilted his head and signaled for someone to make room for her.

Guan Fangyi immediately extended a hand in invitation and had Yun Ji stand beside her, while she herself positioned her body between Yun Ji and Niu Youdao in case the woman tried anything against him.

Who is she?

Quite a few people still had not worked it out. Tang Yi's side, meanwhile, knew nothing at all and had no idea what riddles Niu Youdao and the woman had been exchanging...

On a platform carved into the mountainside of the left of the two peaks, three Myriad Beasts Sect disciples stood side by side. They were among those responsible for guarding the entrance to Butterfly Valley today. Their gazes drifted from time to time toward the place where Niu Youdao's group stood.

The man on the left was Chao Shenghuai, grandson of Myriad Beasts Sect Elder Chao Jing. The man in the middle was his senior brother He Youjian. The man on the right was another senior brother, He Youjian's younger brother He Youchang. Worry showed faintly on He Youchang's face.

"Junior Brother, why have so many people suddenly appeared around him? We haven't even figured out who that woman is. Is it really appropriate to act rashly?"

The addition of the Shangqing Sect group and Yun Ji had made them much more wary.

Chao Shenghuai said, "Anyone not important enough to be invited by the sect to stay on the mountain, and forced instead to lodge down in the city, obviously can't be anyone of real consequence."

"Senior Brothers, if we turn that thing over and sell it to the sect, that's two million gold coins. How long would we have to collect our monthly allotments before we ever saw that much money? It would be enough to let us live comfortably for years. Why are you shrinking back now that the matter is right in front of us?"

Myriad Beasts Sect might be enormously wealthy, but the ordinary disciples beneath it were not necessarily flush with money. At most, they received more cultivation pills than disciples of poorer sects. Money itself was still distributed according to limits.

Even Chao Shenghuai, despite being Elder Chao's grandson, merely received all the cultivation pills he needed. He was not showered with money. Too much obvious favoritism would invite criticism, and as a sect elder, Chao Jing still had to consider appearances.

He Youjian pondered before saying, "Junior Brother Chao, it isn't that we brothers have changed our minds. Their numbers suddenly increased, making it easier for something to go wrong. If even one person escapes and leaks the matter to the sect, and the sect learns that we were doing something that damages its reputation, the consequences will be severe. We might even be expelled."

They wanted the benefit without accepting the risk. Chao Shenghuai despised them inwardly. If he had been able to handle this alone, he would never have brought anyone else in.

"Senior Brothers, you're worrying too much. They have people. Do you think we don't?"

"Relax. I wouldn't do this without confidence. I've already spoken with several trustworthy senior brothers and told them I have an enemy to deal with. If anything happens, we can call them over at any time."

"Afterward, two hundred thousand gold coins will be enough as a token of thanks. The remaining one million eight hundred thousand can be divided among the three of us—six hundred thousand each."

The He brothers exchanged a glance.

They understood perfectly well that the "trustworthy senior brothers" Chao Shenghuai mentioned were probably disciples belonging to Elder Chao Jing's faction. Naturally, disciples of Elder Chao's line would not dare spread ugly stories about his grandson and embarrass Elder Chao.

And Chao Shenghuai had clearly avoided telling them the real nature of the matter because he did not want too many people sharing the profits. Chao Shenghuai continued persuading them.

"We truly wouldn't dare act recklessly outside, but what place is this? The Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm. We have the advantage of timing and terrain."

"If we use the conditions inside properly, we may not even need to act ourselves before the matter is settled."

"Besides, we can simply judge the situation as it develops. If an opportunity appears, we strike. If there truly is no chance, then we withdraw. There won't be much risk. There's nothing to fear."

Put that way, the He brothers felt considerably reassured. Both nodded. Once again, they made up their minds.

[End of Chapter 455]