Chapter 490: This Cur Has Run Out of Tricks

Chatting and laughing along the way, they arrived at a pavilion halfway up the mountain.

Several Myriad Beasts Sect disciples came out from the pavilion to greet them. Qiu Shan handed Niu Youdao's party over to those disciples, instructing them repeatedly to escort the guests to their courtyard, settle them in properly, and treat them well. Then, citing other business, he left.

Here, the distinction between truly honored guests and ordinary ones became apparent.

If they had been genuine honored guests, Qiu Shan would have escorted them all the way to their destination himself. Lesser guests were handed over to disciples stationed here specifically to receive visitors.

It was understandable. Myriad Beasts Sect occupied an enormous stretch of land. The distance from one point to another was considerable if traveled on foot. If an Elder had to accompany every guest on a leisurely tour, especially at a time like this, even sending out every Elder in Myriad Beasts Sect would not have been enough.

Niu Youdao understood perfectly and took no offense. He had not yet reached that level. They had already given him more than enough face.

From there, a disciple accompanied Niu Youdao's group onward. If they wanted to stroll and look around slowly, he would accompany them. If they lost interest and wanted to arrive quickly, that was no problem either.

After touring for a while, they saw that the route had turned away from the continuous complex of buildings in the distance and knew they were being taken around Myriad Beasts Sect's core areas. There was little more to see in the surrounding mountains and waters, so Niu Youdao and the others lost interest in continuing the leisurely tour. Their escort then led them swiftly through the air until they reached the guest courtyard assigned to them.

The courtyard was not large, only a small compound halfway up the mountain. A waterfall hung in the distance, dividing into several streams that wound through the ravine below. Similar courtyards were scattered here and there across the mountains on either side.

Inside, the arrangement was tasteful and the surroundings quiet and secluded.

Small though the place was, it had everything necessary: a hall, sitting rooms, and enough bedrooms for the entire party.

They had barely finished looking around before another disciple named Zhou Tiezi arrived to serve tea.

The disciple who had escorted them formally introduced Zhou Tiezi to Niu Youdao and the others, explaining that Zhou Tiezi would be responsible for attending to them during their stay. If they needed anything, they could instruct him to handle it.

After the escorting disciple left, Zhou Tiezi asked whether they wished to see their respective rooms first.

Niu Youdao agreed, and the group followed Zhou Tiezi around the guest rooms, assigning one to each person. Naturally, the principal guest room went to Niu Youdao.

Toward evening, someone specially delivered their meal. Zhou Tiezi received it and arranged everything neatly on the table in the sitting room. After asking whether they needed anything else, he withdrew.

The meal itself was abundant. The problem was that too many people had to share it. Yin'er was rather unhappy. Her appetite was enormous, and she clearly had not eaten to her satisfaction.

After the meal, some of them remained in the courtyard while others went outside to watch the evening clouds.

Once night fell, Zhou Tiezi returned to clear away the dishes. He again asked whether they had any further instructions. Hearing that they did not, he left for a short while.

It was during this gap that someone "just happened" to pass by under cover of darkness and encounter Niu Youdao standing silently beneath a tree at the edge of the mountain.

Niu Youdao turned his head, saw who it was, and could not help smiling. What a coincidence indeed. It was an acquaintance, and one he had been planning to find: Chao Shenghuai.

Chao Shenghuai could not smile. He had heard that someone named Niu Youdao had arrived and had deliberately seized an opening to come confirm it. Now he had his answer. It truly was the Niu Youdao he knew.

Despite the darkness, Chao Shenghuai carefully checked the surroundings. Outwardly, he cupped his hands as though merely greeting a guest he had happened to meet in passing. What came from his mouth was another matter entirely. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Why are you here?"

Niu Youdao said, "Naturally, I was afraid Brother Chao might not believe who I am, so I came to let Myriad Beasts Sect verify my identity for you. That way Brother Chao can rest easy."

Chao Shenghuai did not take it that way at all. "Why are you in such a hurry? At the very least, I need to understand the situation first. I can't act rashly. Whatever you do, don't make a mess of things. I know what I'm doing. Give me some time."

He had mistakenly assumed that Niu Youdao had come because he wanted to interfere in the flying-mount affair. That was why Chao Shenghuai had become restless the moment he heard Niu Youdao had arrived.

Seeing how nervous he was, Niu Youdao stopped teasing him. "I came for something else. There's a small matter I need Brother Chao's help with."

"There's more?" Chao Shenghuai's eyes widened in agitation. "Do you think I run Myriad Beasts Sect?"

"Don't misunderstand. It truly is a small matter. Help me find out whether people from several sects have come."

Chao Shenghuai paused. It seemed he really had misunderstood. Given his background in Myriad Beasts Sect, asking around about something like this truly was trivial. He relaxed slightly. "I can't stay long. Which sects?"

"Xiaoyao Palace, Zijin Cave, and Lingjian Mountain from the State of Yan; Baichuan Valley, Wushang Palace, and Tiannü Sect from the State of Han."

Chao Shenghuai looked suspicious. "The three great sects of Yan and the three great sects of Han?"

"Correct."

"Why are you asking about them?"

"Relax. It won't affect your business, and it has nothing to do with Myriad Beasts Sect."

"They've come. All six are here, and the Sect Leaders of all six sects came personally. Because of the Illusory Realm, more than half the people with seats in Misty Pavilion have arrived. I heard some even went personally into the Illusory Realm to take a look."

"Have the nine supreme experts beneath Heaven come?"

"That I don't know. Great figures like those are divine dragons—you might glimpse the head, but never the tail. They come without a shadow and leave without a trace. Even if they had arrived, no one would announce it without their permission. That's not something a person like me can find out."

"Looks like Myriad Beasts Sect has been very busy lately. That's good for you." Niu Youdao winked at him, giving him a look that said they both understood why.

Chao Shenghuai was just about to frown and say something when Guan Fangyi happened to walk out through the courtyard gate. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I'm leaving."

"Mm." Niu Youdao nodded slightly and cupped his hands in farewell.

Chao Shenghuai flashed away and disappeared into the night.

Guan Fangyi came to Niu Youdao's side and peered in the direction Chao Shenghuai had vanished. Suspicion filled her eyes. "Was that Chao Shenghuai?"

"Good eyes." Niu Youdao cheerfully praised her.

"Why does it always sound like you're insulting people whenever you praise them?" Guan Fangyi spat, then immediately asked, "Tell me the truth. What were the two of you sneaking around and plotting?"

"What sneaking around? We were standing here openly and honorably, weren't we? We happened to meet, so what's wrong with exchanging a greeting?"

Guan Fangyi did not believe a word of it. "Master Dao, this is not a place where you can act recklessly. If something happens, we won't even be able to run. If you really intend to make trouble for Chao Jing, then please warn me first so we can leave. If you're tired of living, that's your business. I still want a few more years."

This was the matter that worried her most at present. She had watched Niu Youdao kill the He brothers but deliberately leave Chao Jing's grandson alive, and now she had seen him furtively associating with that grandson. The target seemed far too obvious. How could she not be suspicious?

Niu Youdao said, "You're imagining nonsense again."

"Don't think I don't know what kind of thoughts you brought with you to Myriad Beasts Sect. And don't think bringing that 'glutton' along means everything is guaranteed. If that 'glutton' reveals her true form and people discover she's with us, I'm telling you, that would be trouble big enough to pierce the heavens."

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Niu Youdao shook his head, then lifted his gaze toward the stars scattered across the night sky. "On such a fine evening, are you interested in accompanying me for a stroll beneath flowers and moonlight? We'll pay visits to a few important people."

Guan Fangyi asked, "Who?"

...

At the same time in Beizhou, night had not yet fallen. The sun still slanted westward above the distant mountaintops.

On the city wall, Shao Pingbo had just finished inspecting the defenses when he stopped, lingering over the dusk.

Wrapped in a cloak, he stood atop the wall and gazed into the distance. The wind sent his cloak snapping behind him, unable to hide the gray-white hair at his temples.

Shao Sansheng approached, gestured for the attendants to withdraw, then came to stand beside Shao Pingbo. For a while, the two remained silent together.

Shao Pingbo was the one who finally broke the quiet. "Something happened?"

"Nothing in particular. It's just that there's still no word from Lu Shengzhong. It's been quite a few days. Could he still be lying low?"

After setting his plans in motion in Myriad Forms City, Lu Shengzhong had immediately sent word back saying that, to avoid exposing himself, he would go into hiding for a time and temporarily suspend contact. Beizhou still had no idea that something had already happened to him.

Shao Pingbo said, "No news is good news."

Shao Sansheng looked surprised. "This old servant doesn't understand."

Shao Pingbo smiled faintly. "No news means no more than two possibilities. First, he hasn't succeeded yet and is still lying low, which means he still has a chance. Second, he was exposed, fell into Niu Youdao's hands, and Niu Youdao has already killed him. How is that not good news?"

Shao Sansheng hesitated. "Could it not mean that he succeeded and will send us good news?"

"What sort of man is Niu Youdao? Has he faced too few open attacks and hidden arrows over these years? Great winds and huge waves have failed to drown him. The chance of him capsizing in a gutter is not very high. What I fear is Lu Shengzhong falling into Niu Youdao's hands. That fellow's bones are hardly very hard. If he listened to Niu Youdao and sent me a message reporting 'good news,' who knows what sort of surprise Niu Youdao would then send me."

Shao Sansheng asked, "Young Master never held any hope for him from the beginning?"

"You can't put it that way. If I'd held no hope at all, I wouldn't have sent him. Even the finest rider can have his horse stumble. I did place some hope in him. At the very least, causing Niu Youdao some trouble would have been worthwhile. The hope was simply very small, which is why I had you contact Tianyu Sect."

Shao Sansheng fell briefly silent, then said, "The letter has already reached Tianyu Sect. If Tianyu Sect truly sent people over, then judging by the time, assuming they kept traveling and weren't delayed on the road, they should be near Myriad Beasts Sect by now."

"In the struggle over Nanzhou, Niu Youdao turned clouds and rain with his hands. From a weaker position, he forcibly fought Tianyu Sect to a standstill, and Tianyu Sect suffered a hidden loss. Although I saw through Niu Youdao's methods, the Great Snowy Mountains forced me to fear smashing the vessel while throwing at the rat. One covert move from him nailed me in place, and I did not dare act rashly. I could only watch that cur run rampant, snatch food from the tiger's jaws, and succeed. That was what gave him the chance to stand on equal footing with Tianyu Sect in Nanzhou. I, Shao, have hated that matter deeply ever since."

"Yet after that cur gained the chance to stand as Tianyu Sect's equal, he hid his head and tucked away his tail. He never appeared in Nanzhou afterward. At first, I thought he was merely afraid of Tianyu Sect. It wasn't until he surfaced in Myriad Forms City, at exactly the point when Shang Chaozong had already secured control of Nanzhou, that I finally understood. That bastard truly is no ordinary man."

"His earlier refusal to show himself was deliberately shrouding the situation in mystery. He was buying Shang Chaozong enough time to take full control and secure his own position. During that period, Jinzhou had supported Shang Chaozong far too decisively, while the matter of the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit could not possibly be revealed to Tianyu Sect. As a result, Tianyu Sect did not dare act rashly. Only when that cur appeared in Myriad Forms City did I finally understand: I won't get to watch him and Tianyu Sect fight each other to the death in Nanzhou. That cur has exhausted what he can do there. He intends to leap beyond Nanzhou, gather his strength, and strike again!"

[End of Chapter 490]