Chapter 499: The Money Wasn't Accepted

Chao Shenghuai sighed. “What fight? There was no fight at all. I heard Hongniang took two slaps without even lifting a hand. She was summoned over, given two smacks, and simply stood there and endured them. Still, it’s understandable. Wen Xinzhao isn’t someone just anyone can afford to offend.”

Had it not been dark, Niu Youdao’s expression would have been visibly ugly. He too wanted to know why Guan Fangyi had been struck. “Why did Wen Xinzhao hit her?”

“How would I know? I heard there wasn’t any lead-up at all. Wen Xinzhao suddenly called her to a nearby pavilion and then slapped her twice. Even our sect disciples were startled. But everyone knows what kind of reputation Hongniang of the Qi capital has. Her affairs with men have always been rather messy. People suspect she may once have seduced Du Yunsang. Otherwise, given Wen Xinzhao’s status, she wouldn’t have behaved like that.”

Niu Youdao flared at once. “Bullshit! Which eye of yours saw her seduce Du Yunsang? She isn’t that kind of woman! With no evidence at all, what are you people doing spreading this kind of garbage?”

Chao Shenghuai remembered the rumors that this fellow and that woman were none too clean with each other either. Fine. He immediately apologized again and again. “All right, I spoke badly. Brother Niu, don’t take it to heart. You can rest easy about this. It happened inside Myriad Beasts Sect, and Tianxing Sect’s people won’t spread it around. If word really got out, Myriad Beasts Sect wouldn’t be able to escape responsibility. This concerns the reputation of important people. The sect has already issued strict orders forbidding anyone from spreading it. Don’t worry. It won’t get out.”

Niu Youdao’s anger had not subsided. “What is Myriad Beasts Sect even doing? Someone runs wild inside your own sect and you do nothing? If you can’t even protect the safety of your guests, what right do you have to hold a seat in Misty Pavilion? Is this how Myriad Beasts Sect treats its guests?”

Chao Shenghuai’s voice immediately rose a little. “Brother Niu, Myriad Beasts Sect didn’t want to see something like this either, but it happened without warning. Who could have known? Our disciples were going to report it and pursue the matter on the spot. Hongniang herself stopped them and even said she had accepted it willingly. If the person involved refuses to pursue it, why should Myriad Beasts Sect make a huge issue of things and turn ourselves into villains for no reason? I think Hongniang understands the larger picture. She knows what matters and what doesn’t. Brother Niu, you can’t act recklessly.”

“If there’s nothing else, get lost.”

“Huh? What’s wrong with you? Why are you taking your temper out on me?”

“Get lost!”

“Fine. Cool down. Calm yourself. Whatever you do, don’t act recklessly.”

A faint rustling came from behind the hanging vines on the cliff wall. Then Chao Shenghuai fell silent. He had gone.

Niu Youdao paced slowly for a while, then stopped beside the stream and stared at the crescent moon reflected in the murmuring water.

A moment later, he suddenly turned his head. A figure had flashed down beside him. It was none other than Qiu Shan.

Niu Youdao immediately grew alert, worried that his secret meeting had been exposed.

“What are you doing standing here alone so late at night?” Qiu Shan asked with a smile.

Niu Youdao gave a cold snort. “One of my people was hit. Am I not allowed to come out alone and stew over it?” He used the matter as cover.

Qiu Shan sighed. In truth, that was exactly why he had come.

After word spread that Hongniang had been slapped, Myriad Beasts Sect worried that Niu Youdao’s side might cause trouble. They had already begun watching the situation, hoping to keep it under control. The moment his unusual behavior was noticed, it was reported upward, and Qiu Shan had hurried over to talk him down.

Myriad Beasts Sect did bear some responsibility. The incident had happened on their territory, and they had failed to uphold justice.

More importantly, Niu Youdao was no harmless fellow himself. He had dared kill an envoy of the State of Yan and had even openly tried to kill a Tianhuo Sect disciple. Myriad Beasts Sect was worried that he might do something reckless.

“Brother, how do you want to handle this?” Qiu Shan asked, sounding out his intentions.

“Easy enough. I’m not asking for much. Bring that bitch here and let me slap her twice in return. Then we’ll call it settled.”

“Fine. No problem. There’s no need to seize her. We can simply ask her to come.” Qiu Shan agreed readily, then asked, “But even if she comes and stands in front of you, letting you strike her, would you dare?”

“Heh!” Niu Youdao laughed and pointed out of the valley. “Bring her here and try me. See whether I dare!”

Qiu Shan reached over and pressed Niu Youdao’s hand back down. He spoke patiently. “Brother, don’t indulge this useless temper. Who is Wen Xinzhao? Her father was the former Sect Leader of Tianxing Sect. Though he has already stepped down and yielded the position, he is still alive, and his influence remains. Is Tianxing Sect something you can afford to provoke? You can satisfy yourself for a moment and hit her. Then what? Try leaving Myriad Beasts Sect afterward and see how many days you survive.”

“Then after I hit her, I’ll just stay inside Myriad Beasts Sect and never leave. How about that?”

Qiu Shan rolled his eyes toward the sky and refused to entertain the petulant remark. “Tianxing Sect carries considerable weight. They have a voice in Misty Pavilion, and even Xiaoyao Palace, Zijin Cave, and Lingjian Mountain give them some face. If you dare touch Wen Xinzhao, Tianxing Sect need only send word to those three sects. What do you think they’ll do? With your present standing, there is no one beneath Heaven who would offend Tianxing Sect for your sake. Have you thought about Nanzhou? How many lives would have to be thrown away just to satisfy one moment of anger from you?”

There was pressure in his words, but also an apology. “Hongniang understood the larger picture and gave Myriad Beasts Sect face. We are not people who fail to appreciate that.” He pulled a stack of gold notes from his sleeve and held it out. “There is one million here. Consider it a small apology from Myriad Beasts Sect. Pass it to her for me.”

Niu Youdao glanced at the notes and pushed Qiu Shan’s hand back. “Myriad Beasts Sect is wealthy indeed. Unfortunately, my capacity is too small. I can’t accept it.”

Qiu Shan chuckled. “That works too. I’ll give it to Hongniang personally.”

Niu Youdao rejected the idea outright. “Some money can be accepted. Some cannot. I appreciate Elder Qiu’s goodwill, but there’s no need. I’ll make the decision for her in this matter.”

Qiu Shan clasped both hands behind his back, taking the stack of gold notes with them. “Brother, you should think this through carefully. The heads of Yan’s three great sects are all here. If Tianxing Sect truly sends word to them, whatever face you think you have may no longer count for much.” He tipped his chin toward the guest courtyard halfway up the mountain.

The implication was clear. Once the three great sects gave Tianxing Sect face, Niu Youdao’s influence over Nanzhou would cease to matter. Without Nanzhou behind him, he would not even have the standing to stay in a place like this. If he caused trouble, Myriad Beasts Sect would not protect him. They would throw him out and let him face Tianxing Sect himself.

It was pressure, plain and simple, and the message was equally plain: even if Tianxing Sect was in the wrong, Myriad Beasts Sect would not stand on Niu Youdao’s side. They were speaking politely only to leave him some dignity. He had better know when enough was enough.

Qiu Shan had come to talk him down because Myriad Beasts Sect did not want the matter to spread and invite criticism that it handled affairs unjustly. But offending Tianxing Sect merely for the sake of “justice” was equally unnecessary. They wanted to defuse the matter if possible and avoid reaching that point. Otherwise, Myriad Beasts Sect would never have offered this sum of money to compensate for Wen Xinzhao’s misconduct.

Niu Youdao smiled. “Elder Qiu is thinking too much. I won’t take the money, but I won’t make things difficult for Myriad Beasts Sect either. There’s no reason for me to make trouble for myself. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Good!” Qiu Shan nodded in satisfaction. “That’s all I needed to hear. All right, rest early. I’ll speak for you with the Sect Leader and ask him to arrange a time to see you as soon as possible.”

“Many thanks.” Niu Youdao cupped his hands.

Qiu Shan patted him on the shoulder, then turned and flashed away.

The main hall of Myriad Beasts Sect blazed with lamplight.

Before a row of bright oil lamps, Xi Haitang held a jade needle and gently teased one wick higher. Firelight trembled across his face.

Qiu Shan entered the hall and walked to his side. “Sect Leader, he didn’t take the money.”

Xi Haitang’s hand paused slightly, the needle suspended above the flame. “That fool doesn’t know whether to live or die. Does he really intend to smash an egg against a rock?”

“Not quite. He’s certainly angry, but he agreed not to do anything Myriad Beasts Sect doesn’t want to see. Once he leaves Myriad Beasts Sect, whatever they do is no concern of ours. We’ve assigned people to watch them, so they won’t be able to stir up trouble here. Still, that Wen Xinzhao... what is she thinking? Does she not know what status she holds? She wasn’t slapping someone else’s face. She was slapping her own, and Du Yunsang’s with it. If word spreads, people will laugh. What is Du Yunsang, the dignified Sect Leader of Tianxing Sect, supposed to do with his face then?”

Xi Haitang shifted one step and adjusted the wick of the next lamp. “Could Hongniang really have had something going on with Du Yunsang? How is it that no rumor of it ever reached us?”

Qiu Shan said, “Hard to say. I’m afraid only the people involved know the truth.”

Xi Haitang chuckled. “Thinking back, that woman Hongniang was quite proud in those days. There really weren’t many people who could force her to submit, yet somehow she still managed to establish herself in the Qi capital and always resolve whatever trouble came her way. She was lucky enough. Who would have thought she would end up like this now? Times change. People...”

Qiu Shan smiled. “What luck? From what I heard, she always got through trouble because too many men were competing for her favor and stepping forward to protect her. If not for so many flower guardians, someone would have taken her as a private plaything long ago.”

“Mm. That makes sense.”

...

Dim moonlight filtered through the paper window, leaving the graceful figure inside the dark room only faintly visible.

Guan Fangyi sat quietly before the dressing table in a light robe, her hair loose. The mirror before her gave off a cold, dusky gleam beneath the hazy moonlight.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The familiar sound of a sword striking the ground as someone walked drew Guan Fangyi abruptly back from memories of the past. She turned her head toward the door.

Outside beneath the moonlight, Niu Youdao stood at the foot of the steps with his sword planted before him. His slanting shadow lay beside him as he stared at the same door.

Now he understood why she had skipped dinner. He understood why she had hidden herself in her room and refused to come out. He understood better why she had never wanted to speak of those old matters involving powerful men, and naturally understood why she had been reluctant to show herself in front of them again.

He had forced her to go.

And when something happened, she had endured it alone. She told no one, said nothing, and quietly hid herself away in the darkness.

He did not know what she was feeling at that moment, but Niu Youdao himself felt deeply guilty. Had he not forced her to go, none of this would have happened.

“Bathing again?”

“What do you want? Haven’t you seen enough?”

“Don’t falsely accuse me. I was standing so far away, the tub was so high, and you covered yourself so tightly with your arms. I didn’t see anything.”

“Oh? Afraid you’ll have to take responsibility? Who was it back in the Qi capital who said he’d marry me?”

“Heh. I never said that. You were the one who insisted on pinning it on me. Enough about that. Why are you sulking in your room? Come out for a walk.”

“Kneel and beg me.”

“Come or don’t. At your age, why are you throwing a child’s tantrum?”

“Get lost!”

“Heh.”

In the end, Niu Youdao did not go over and push open the door. Using his sword as a walking stick, he turned away with a smile.

The smile vanished the moment his back was turned.

[End of Chapter 499]