Chapter 487: Mutual Benefit

A large hand clamped around Yin’er’s neck and dragged her away from the doorway. The door shut behind her.

Shoved aside, Yin’er glared at Yuan Gang, visibly fuming.

Yuan Gang folded his arms and stood guard outside the door, utterly unmoved by her anger.

Guan Fangyi and Yuan Fang, who had been pacing the corridor, stopped and looked over. Both of them broke into a cold sweat on Yuan Gang’s behalf.

Yuan Fang clicked his tongue inwardly. Master Yuan really was Master Yuan, as fierce as ever. He actually dared treat this demon king that way.

Inside the room, Niu Youdao smiled and indicated that everything was fine.

Chao Shenghuai was puzzled. “Who is that woman?”

“Who she is isn’t important. Leave her aside. Let’s talk about our business.”

“Brother Niu, what exactly are you trying to do?” Chao Shenghuai pointed at the small porcelain bottle in front of him.

Keeping his voice low, Niu Youdao briefly laid out the plan. “Arrange a few accidents among the birds in Spirit Transformation Valley. When their carcasses are being disposed of, find a way to get hold of them. Use those carcasses to make up the numbers among the already-tamed birds, then get some of the tamed ones out.”

Chao Shenghuai was speechless. Shock gave way to horror. “Have you lost your mind? Swap dead ones for live ones? I might as well kill myself!”

“Don’t be so hasty.” Niu Youdao pressed a hand downward, signaling for him to calm down. “Yes, you’ll be swapping dead ones for live ones, but no one can be allowed to know that the live ones were taken away. The operation has to be handled properly. There need to be accidents among the birds in Spirit Transformation Valley, and there also need to be accidents among the already-tamed ones. The dosage is the key. The birds in Spirit Transformation Valley can die; the tamed ones may fall ill, but they must not die.”

He pointed at the small porcelain bottle. “Mix this medicine into the flying beasts’ food. You can judge the dosage yourself when the time comes.”

Chao Shenghuai finally understood. Poison some of the flying beasts still being tamed in Spirit Transformation Valley to death, and make some of the already-tamed ones fall ill. Then find a way to take control of the carcasses being disposed of and secretly substitute them for the sick, tamed flying beasts. The higher-ups would be led to believe that some of the already-tamed beasts had died, when in fact they had not died at all and had already been smuggled out.

The method sounded workable, but Chao Shenghuai was still badly frightened, especially by Niu Youdao’s wording.

What did he mean by, “You can judge the dosage yourself”? Had Chao Shenghuai agreed to any of this?

He snapped, “Niu Youdao, if you want to die, don’t drag me down with you. If the birds are poisoned, do you think the sect won’t investigate?”

“Why would I make trouble for myself? Nor would I let anything happen to you. If something happened to you, wouldn’t I be implicated as well? Don’t worry. I prepared this medicine carefully. Strictly speaking, it isn’t even a poison. Only after a certain dosage will it trigger a particular reaction inside those flying beasts and cause sudden death. Listen carefully: sudden death, not death by poisoning. No toxicity will be found.”

As he spoke, Niu Youdao picked up the little porcelain bottle and pulled out the stopper. He dipped his little finger into the gray powder, put it directly into his mouth, sucked it clean, and swallowed.

Chao Shenghuai stared, dumbfounded.

“Even an ordinary person can eat it without anything serious happening. It only speeds up the heartbeat, dries the mouth and tongue, and makes you thirsty. Drink plenty of water and it eases. For a cultivator, it’s even simpler. A little use of spiritual power will easily balance the reaction. It can’t poison a person to death at all. Those flying beasts are different. They don’t know how to regulate themselves the way people do, especially the ones shut inside cages. A light dose will make them ill; a heavy dose will make them die suddenly in a short time. If you don’t believe me, taste some yourself. It truly isn’t poison. It merely accelerates the body’s reactions.”

Niu Youdao pushed the bottle toward him again.

Chao Shenghuai leaned backward and waved both hands repeatedly, avoiding it as though it were a snake. He certainly did not dare taste it. At the same time, he flatly refused. “No! I cannot do something like this. Tampering here and there will make people suspicious too easily.”

“Suspicious of what? For other people, perhaps. But what are you afraid of? Without evidence, who would dare pin something like this on Elder Chao’s grandson? What benefit would you gain from killing those flying beasts? As long as the inventory still balances, no one will suspect you, much less dare suspect you casually. Your grandfather would be the first to object.”

“This is not something I can do alone. And I don’t dare do it. I advise you to abandon this crooked idea.”

“If one person can’t do it, find people to help. It would be difficult for others, but with your background, you should have ways. It isn’t that difficult.”

“It’s far too risky. If something goes wrong, no one will be able to save me. I cannot agree to this.” Chao Shenghuai stood. “If there’s nothing else, excuse me.”

Niu Youdao slowly leaned back in his chair and said casually, “He Youjian very much wanted to avenge his younger brother. Brother Chao, what do you think should be done about that?”

Bang! Chao Shenghuai slammed a fist onto the table and hissed angrily, “Stop using that to threaten me. If you make things difficult for me, don’t think you’ll have an easy time either. At worst, I’ll expose your scheme and redeem my crime through merit! I’d rather accept some punishment than let you get me killed.”

Niu Youdao spread his hands. “What scheme do I have? Once we reach Myriad Beasts Sect, I’ll deny everything. You say I have a scheme, so that makes it true? What evidence do you have? Couldn’t I say you were deliberately retaliating and framing me? Ah, there’s no point talking about that. But I would like to remind you of something. Elder Chao may say he acted for his grandson, or he may say he acted to clear himself of responsibility, but he deceived those above and concealed the truth from those below, causing more than a hundred disciples to die for nothing. Can Elder Chao bear that responsibility? I don’t believe your grandfather could keep his position as Elder once the matter came out. And once your grandfather loses power, with a matter this serious on your own head, your fate would be worrying indeed.”

He leaned slightly forward and rested both elbows on the table. “Or perhaps there’s another possibility. Before the matter ever becomes that large, your grandfather might save himself by pushing all the blame onto you and claiming that you deceived him. Tell me, might Elder Chao decide to prove his innocence by placing righteousness above family and killing his own grandson with his own hands? Put more bluntly, silencing you. As for me, I’d simply recognize the difficulty and back away rather than invite trouble. Your grandfather wouldn’t want the affair to grow any larger either. What would happen to me?”

Chao Shenghuai’s eyes reddened. Both hands braced against the table, his breathing grew rapid as he stared fixedly at Niu Youdao.

Now he finally understood why Niu Youdao had never stated his conditions inside the Illusory Realm. He had been waiting to see whether Chao Shenghuai’s grandfather could smooth everything over. Once the old man succeeded, he too would be dragged into the mire, and the time would be ripe for Niu Youdao to name his price.

Thinking of the one hundred thousand gold coins Niu Youdao had given him, and all that talk about making friends, Chao Shenghuai felt like vomiting blood.

“You treacherous bastard!” he ground out, one word at a time, as though he wanted to carve Niu Youdao into a thousand pieces.

Niu Youdao remained perfectly calm and sipped his tea. “Treacherous bastard? I wasn’t the one who started this, was I? Who went looking for whose trouble first? Who tried to harm whom first? Who brought this on himself? There’s no point saying more.”

He set down the teacup. “What’s past is past. We both need to look ahead. Together, both sides benefit; apart, both sides lose. It isn’t a difficult choice. Think about it. Once you do this and I get the flying mounts, I’ll never again dare use this matter to threaten you. I gain something, and you become safe.”

That did make Chao Shenghuai’s gaze flicker slightly.

“Don’t worry. I don’t shortchange my friends. If I gain something, you’ll gain something too. I won’t make you work for nothing. How about this: one million gold coins for every flying mount. Get me a batch.”

“A batch? Getting even one would be difficult, and you want a batch? Do you think they’re fruit on a tree that can be plucked whenever you please?”

“Judge according to the circumstances. Get as many as you can. Three is the minimum. One million per mount. The more you get, the more you earn. Mutual benefit. Neither side loses.”

“A flying mount sells for at least ten million on the market, and you’re offering me only one million apiece? I take that kind of risk, and you say I don’t lose?”

Niu Youdao looked up and rebuked him in a low voice. “What damned use is the high price? Myriad Beasts Sect is the one holding that price up. You can count on your fingers how many people beneath Heaven can afford one. How many does Myriad Beasts Sect actually sell in a year? Are you insane, or has your brain filled with water? Can I use these things to make money? Can I take them around selling them everywhere? If I really did that, Myriad Beasts Sect would be the first to set its eyes on me. Are you trying to die, or am I tired of living? One million apiece is already quite good! Even if I did sell them, could I sell them at market price? At market price, why would anyone buy something of unknown origin? Wouldn’t it be safer to buy directly from Myriad Beasts Sect?”

Chao Shenghuai slowly sank back into his chair. He sat there dejectedly, as though all the spirit had been drained from him.

Niu Youdao continued encouraging him. “Brother Chao, this is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. The affair in Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm has brought so many honored guests that Myriad Beasts Sect is exhausted dealing with them and has no attention to spare for matters like this. It is the best possible time for you to act. An opportunity lost will not come again. Just think: with several million gold coins in your hands, fine wine and beautiful women without end—what a life that would be.”

Chao Shenghuai remained silent...

No outsider knew what the two had discussed. As soon as Chao Shenghuai left, Yin’er immediately slipped into the room and stuck close to Niu Youdao, refusing to leave.

Guan Fangyi entered afterward and asked, “Who was that?”

The visitor had come in disguise and left in disguise. She had no idea who he was.

“You’ll naturally know when the time comes.”

Niu Youdao did not want to tell her yet. Otherwise, this woman would start fretting and shouting about it without end.

“Hmph. Always doing furtive things that can’t bear the light of day.” Guan Fangyi looked at him with disdain.

Yuan Gang, who had disappeared for a while, returned and walked over to Niu Youdao. “Wuliang Mountain sent word. The State of Wei agreed, and they agreed readily.”

Guan Fangyi looked puzzled. “The State of Wei? What have you dragged Wei into now?”

What else could it be? It was the matter Niu Youdao had promised Zhao Xiongge: finding the Shangqing Sect a road to survival. He had Wuliang Mountain’s agent in the State of Wei contact Xuan Wei, Wei’s female Chancellor, using Yuan Gang’s prior acquaintance with her as the connection. Niu Youdao himself had never dealt with Xuan Wei.

Niu Youdao raised a hand and patted Yuan Gang on the shoulder. “Your face still carries more weight.”

“It isn’t my face,” Yuan Gang said. “You know that perfectly well. Xuan Wei isn’t stupid. One look at the Shangqing Sect and she should know whose business this is. She’s doing it for your sake. And she isn’t helping for no reason. When the time comes, she’ll expect you to repay this favor.”

[End of Chapter 487]