Chapter 495: The Most Beautiful Woman Beneath Heaven

As tea was served, Guan Fangyi took a closer look at the woman pouring it. She was the same woman who had embarrassed her earlier.

Guan Fangyi asked, "Sect Leader Long, who is this?"

Yi Shu glanced at her, assuming she intended to complain about her.

Long Xiu knew nothing of what had happened and answered with the same smile, "My youngest disciple, Yi Shu. She is also my final disciple."

Guan Fangyi immediately said to Yi Shu, "Miss Yi may not know this, but your master treated me very well back then. He was lavish with money. Dropping ten thousand gold coins at a time was nothing to him."

Why bring that up? Niu Youdao kept shooting her meaningful looks, but she pretended not to see them. She was saying it specifically for Yi Shu to hear.

Yi Shu glanced at her master.

Long Xiu did not know whether to laugh or cry. Shaking his head repeatedly, he said, "In the blink of an eye, it must have been more than thirty years. I was young and frivolous then. I imagine I gave Hongniang plenty to laugh at. Still, youth was better!" He made no attempt to avoid the subject, which showed that he had truly put it behind him.

Guan Fangyi said, "I wouldn't dare laugh. I've regretted it so badly ever since that I could kick myself. If I'd known you would become Sect Leader of Xiaoyao Palace, I would have clung to you until you married me."

"Haha!" Sitting cross-legged on the short couch, Long Xiu threw back his head and laughed heartily. Pointing at Guan Fangyi, he said, "You had no shortage of admirers back then. I, Long Xiu, was plain-looking. How could I ever have caught Hongniang's discerning eye?"

That was merely polite talk. In his heart, he knew very well that if he had truly gotten together with a woman of Guan Fangyi's reputation back then, there would inevitably have been opposition within the sect, and his fellow disciples would certainly have attacked him over it. Given his state of mind in those days, if she really had agreed to be with him, he probably would not have let go easily. If he had resisted the pressure, he would inevitably have angered the sect, and in all likelihood he would never have become Sect Leader of Xiaoyao Palace.

Of course, another outcome was also possible. Under that pressure, perhaps he would have failed her instead.

Guan Fangyi said, "At bottom, I was the blind one and let the chance slip away. Otherwise, I might be the Sect Leader's wife now. Then I'd like to see who would still dare bully me."

Long Xiu smiled. "Who dares bully you?"

"Plenty of people." Guan Fangyi pointed at Niu Youdao. "He bullies me all the time. He tricked me out of the Qi capital, and now he orders me around like a servant girl. Sect Leader Long, you have to uphold justice for me!"

"Oh?" Long Xiu's face stiffened as he pretended to rebuke him. "Niu Youdao, now that would be your fault."

Niu Youdao smiled bitterly. "Sect Leader Long, look at her. Does she look like someone I could bully? Have you ever seen a servant girl throw tea in her master's face for no reason? Who's bullying whom here?"

Guan Fangyi glared at him. "You brought that on yourself."

"Haha!" Long Xiu laughed heartily again. He lifted his tea and took a small sip. Then the smile gradually faded as he looked at Niu Youdao, and his tone changed with it. "Niu Youdao, what did you come to see me for?"

Niu Youdao rose and answered respectfully, "After arriving at Myriad Beasts Sect, I heard that Sect Leader Long had graced this place with his presence. I dared not disturb you, yet neither could I pretend not to know. So I could only steel myself and come pay my respects."

Long Xiu looked at him with a half-smile. "Only to pay your respects?"

Niu Youdao replied respectfully, "Yes."

Long Xiu was somewhat surprised.

What followed truly was exactly as Niu Youdao had said. He brought up no serious business at all and behaved as though he had come solely to pay his respects. He listened while Guan Fangyi and Long Xiu chatted and laughed, occasionally adding a few words of flattery from the side.

With an old beauty he had once admired now sitting before him and flattering him, Long Xiu was in quite a good mood. Guan Fangyi amused him greatly.

After the guests departed, Long Xiu stood silently by the railing of the waterside pavilion.

Who had never been young? Who did not have a few old matters buried deep in memory that remained difficult to forget?

Old sediment had been stirred from the depths. Meeting again, he found that the beauty before him was no longer the woman who could once have toppled cities and states. It left him filled with emotion, but also somewhat dispirited. He realized that the past truly was the past. Some things were better left in memory than revisited.

Yi Shu returned after seeing the guests out and walked softly to Long Xiu's side. "Master, what do you think of Niu Youdao?"

Long Xiu said, "He is one of the finest figures of the younger generation. Not simple at all. Aside from his poorer origins and foundation, and his lack of power and backing, none of you martial siblings can compare with him."

Yi Shu looked somewhat disdainful. "I don't see anything special about him. All that fawning and flattery. Master, don't let his outward appearance deceive you!"

The way Niu Youdao had occasionally chimed in with flattering words had nearly made her sick.

If not for the appearance of Hongniang from the Qi capital, and the fact that the woman seemed so familiar with her master, Yi Shu would have made things difficult for Niu Youdao on the spot. She might even have taught him a lesson.

"Fawning and flattery? Is that how you see it?" Long Xiu turned to look at her, then looked back into the night outside. "You have the standing not to flatter anyone. He does not. When the time comes to bow his head, he has no choice but to bow it. You can call that fawning, or you can say that a true man knows when to bend and when to stand tall. It depends on how you choose to look at it. Keep watching. One mountain cannot hold two tigers. Sooner or later the two powers in Nanzhou will have to decide which is stronger. Then we'll see who ultimately rules the tide."

Yi Shu asked, "Master hopes Niu Youdao wins?"

Long Xiu's expression went blank. "Who wins and who loses will not affect Xiaoyao Palace's interests. Either result is fine. I hope the stronger one wins. Here in the State of Yan, we cannot be the ones charging at the front every time. We need people below us who can charge into battle and wear down our opponents. Do you understand?"

Yi Shu fell silent for a moment, then tried another question. "Master, was that Hongniang really very beautiful?"

Long Xiu smiled, full of reminiscence. "Isn't she beautiful now? Of course, she has faded quite a bit and is far from what she was. Back then she was hailed as the most beautiful woman beneath Heaven, a woman of peerless splendor. Even your master nearly failed to restrain himself."

Yi Shu's lips curled slightly. Then she asked, "Master, were you very close to her?" That was what she truly wanted to know.

Long Xiu said, "You're imagining too much. There was never any relationship to speak of."

...

After returning to their own guest courtyard, Niu Youdao likewise teased Guan Fangyi about her connections the moment they entered. "You really will say anything. Looks like your relationship with Long Xiu was quite good."

Guan Fangyi scoffed. "What relationship? There was never much friendship to begin with. I was merely a diversion when he had nothing better to do. At his present level, what does 'relationship' even mean? If I have value he can use, then there's a relationship. If I don't, at most we're acquaintances."

Niu Youdao chuckled. "At least you see it clearly."

Guan Fangyi snorted. "After all these years, I've seen through it. I told you I didn't want to go, but you insisted on dragging me there. If the other person doesn't care, fine. But if he does care and worries that I'll damage his reputation, bringing me along could easily backfire."

Niu Youdao somewhat understood now why she had been unwilling to talk about her connections with those people. Smiling, he said, "You've met every kind of person there is. You know what to say to what kind of person, and you naturally know where the limits are. I wasn't worried at all. I only wanted you there to ease the atmosphere a little. What could go wrong?"

That reminded Guan Fangyi of something. Curious, she asked, "You never raised any serious matter from beginning to end. Instead, you kept hinting that I should chat with him longer. What exactly did you go there for? Just to make an empty ceremonial visit?"

Two words came from Niu Youdao's mouth. "Playing chess."

Guan Fangyi blinked and realized he was setting up some kind of game. Curious, she asked, "What game?"

Niu Youdao stopped there. "Enough. Go rest early. Tomorrow I still need to take you to visit the others. I'll have to rely on your face to sit there a little longer."

He was baiting her curiosity again. Guan Fangyi rolled her eyes, spat, "Pah!" and said, "Don't call me. I'm not going!" Then she turned and left.

Niu Youdao acted as though he had not heard her. When the time came, he would naturally have a way to make her go.

Yuan Gang emerged from the shadows and walked over. "Everything all right?"

Niu Youdao gave a slight shake of his head, then asked, "Any word from Wuliang Mountain's people in Myriad Forms City?"

Yuan Gang said, "The people Wuliang Mountain gathered here have already been positioned throughout the city and are watching. So far, no one from Dachan Mountain has shown himself. Judging by the timing, if they weren't rushing on the road, they probably haven't arrived yet, but they should be close. There's another possibility. If they've all changed their appearances, our people don't know them to begin with and may have trouble spotting them."

Niu Youdao said, "With the Illusory Realm failing to close, Dachan Mountain will definitely send people to investigate once they receive the news. Even if they don't stay in Myriad Forms City, they'll come to Myriad Beasts Sect. Keep watching the city. The moment anyone is discovered, notify me. On the Myriad Beasts Sect side, I've asked Chao Shenghuai to keep an eye out. I can also have him look around Myriad Forms City."

Yuan Gang asked, "Is it appropriate to openly seek out Chao Shenghuai inside Myriad Beasts Sect?"

"No need to seek him out openly. That fellow is wound tight right now, afraid I'll do something reckless. If he notices anything unusual, he won't rest until he understands it. I guarantee he's been keeping an eye on us all along. Once he learns that I went to see people from Xiaoyao Palace, he'll probably start worrying again and come to us himself."

...

The lamplight was dim and yellow. A Moon Butterfly shimmered from the roof beam. Inside the hall, Xi Haitang sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion with his eyes closed.

Qiu Shan arrived and sat cross-legged opposite him. "Niu Youdao has already gone to see Long Xiu."

Xi Haitang kept his eyes closed as he replied, "So he saw him. Was that worth a special trip? Are you here to speak for Tianyu Sect again?"

Qiu Shan said, "Sect Leader misunderstands. I only wanted to mention that the meeting was not brief. Niu Youdao was there for more than an hour. I'm afraid it may not have been as simple as paying his respects."

Xi Haitang opened his eyes. "Long Xiu kept him company for that long?"

"That's exactly why I thought it was a little unusual and came to mention it. Oh, and Niu Youdao brought someone with him. Hongniang from the Qi capital."

"She came too?" Xi Haitang looked surprised. The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. "Why didn't you mention that before?"

Niu Youdao himself did not amount to much in Qiu Shan's eyes, much less one of his attendants. Why would I have made a point of mentioning her? Qiu Shan noticed that his Sect Leader's reaction was odd and asked suspiciously, "Sect Leader knows her?"

Xi Haitang saw the look in his eyes and knew he had misunderstood. He immediately explained, "Don't get strange ideas. I do know her. Her reputation really was considerable back then. She had no real background, and she wasn't from some sect where meeting privately would be inconvenient, so the threshold for seeing her was low. Plenty of people with a little standing who traveled through the Qi capital could meet her easily. When I went to the Qi capital on sect business, I heard that the most beautiful woman beneath Heaven lived there. Naturally I went to see what was so special about this so-called foremost beauty. Once I saw her, I found she was nothing more than that. There wasn't much to it. Just so-so."

Qiu Shan gave an acknowledging sound, while muttering inwardly, If she was only so-so, why did you react like that?

Seeing that the man still seemed unconvinced, Xi Haitang opened his mouth as if to explain further. After thinking about it, he decided not to bother. The more he explained, the guiltier he might sound.

And he was, in fact, somewhat guilty. It had not been as simple as seeing her once. After that first meeting, he had voluntarily gone back to see her several more times. In the end, he had only left because circumstances left him no choice. As a disciple of Myriad Beasts Sect, he could hardly remain in the Qi capital indefinitely for no reason.

[End of Chapter 495]