Chapter 505: His Hair Stood on End

Uncle Chen returned, with Zhou Tiezi accompanying him. Zhou Tiezi had personally seen the people of Tianxing Sect escort Uncle Chen out under guard.

He had no idea what Uncle Chen had done to anger Tianxing Sect, and the sight left him somewhat shaken.

The round trip had not actually taken very long. Yuan Gang, who had been waiting outside, asked Zhou Tiezi a couple of questions, then accompanied Uncle Chen into the courtyard.

Niu Youdao was waiting inside. He stood in the pavilion with his sword planted before him, keeping watch over the disordered Go board, where black and white stones lay mixed together.

The two entered the pavilion. Niu Youdao turned and smiled. “You’re back.”

Uncle Chen said expressionlessly, “I did as you told me.”

“You didn’t run into Wen Xinzhao?”

“No.”

“How did Du Yunsang react?”

“Not much of a reaction...” Uncle Chen then recounted the entire encounter in detail.

“Thank you for the trouble.” Niu Youdao spoke courteously and gestured for him to go rest.

Uncle Chen did not stand on ceremony. He turned and left, though the unease in his heart had yet to fade.

By now, he could more or less guess what Niu Youdao was trying to do. What he could not understand was how Niu Youdao knew Chen Tingxiu’s movements inside Myriad Beasts Sect, or how he had been so certain Uncle Chen would not encounter Wen Xinzhao. Niu Youdao also seemed to have known in advance that Du Yunsang would not become angry with him.

When had Chen Tingxiu gone there? Whom had he gone to meet? Whom would Uncle Chen not encounter? Master Dao seemed to know everything as though the whole sequence had been arranged by him beforehand.

And then there was Zhou Tiezi of Myriad Beasts Sect. Judging from recent events, and from the furtive way Zhou Tiezi had just met with Yuan Gang, why did it feel as though Niu Youdao had already bought him over?

Master Dao had been staying right here. Uncle Chen had seen no extra movements from him, had not seen him do much of anything, yet somehow everything seemed to remain within his grasp.

Then he remembered that so-called “poisoned tea.” One cup had been enough to make him go to Du Yunsang and curse the man to his face.

Thinking back now, Uncle Chen still found his own behavior strangely inexplicable. Precisely because of that, the more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. Master Dao seemed increasingly unfathomable.

Back in the pavilion, Niu Youdao touched the tip of his sheathed sword to the Go board and flicked one black stone out. It struck the ground with a crisp click beneath his words. “The two Chens have faced each other. Uncle Chen came back alive, so Chen Tingxiu has reached the end of his road.”

Yuan Gang stared at the black stone as it bounced across the ground and came to rest.

Niu Youdao casually stirred the remaining stones on the board a few times with his scabbard. “I expect Shao Pingbo to make a move within the next few days. Notify our people in Beizhou. Keep the line open, and report any abnormality immediately. This time, we absolutely cannot let that cur escape again!”

...

High mountains and distant roads stretched ahead. Deep beneath the shade of roadside woods, more than a dozen people sat resting in silence. They were the Tianyu Sect party sent to carry out the second stage of the plan.

A Golden Wing descended from the sky and slipped into the dense trees.

Before long, a disciple came over carrying the decoded secret message. He presented it with both hands to an elderly man seated cross-legged. “Second Venerable Guardian, a message from the sect!”

The old man was named Cheng Yuandu. He was over a hundred years old, yet looked no more than fifty or so. His hair and beard were black as ink, while his skin was smooth and pale as jade.

Tianyu Sect still had two surviving venerable elders of this generation, both martial uncles to Peng Youzai and the others. Long years of cultivation had brought both men to an extremely profound level. The entire Tianyu Sect supported them, and they were the sect’s greatest deterrent against outside powers.

The two Venerable Guardians had long since handed authority to the younger generation. After serving the sect for many years, they had earned the right to concern themselves with nothing else. Dedicated attendants cared for them, the sect supplied whatever cultivation resources they needed, and they had only to devote themselves to cultivation. Unless something of great importance concerned the whole sect, no disciple would casually disturb them or ask them to emerge.

Cheng Yuandu read the message, then rose. “The situation has changed. The sect orders us to proceed to the destination immediately, traveling day and night without rest.”

The “change in situation” referred to the report Chen Tingxiu had sent back. Niu Youdao had already established contact with the Sect Leaders of Yan’s three great sects, and no one knew what further change might result. Chen Tingxiu himself had no way to deal with Niu Youdao for the moment, so Tianyu Sect had decisively activated the second stage of the plan and ordered Cheng Yuandu’s party to hurry there at once and prepare for an opportunity to assassinate him.

“Yes!” The disciples rose together and cupped their hands in acknowledgment.

...

At the Beizhou Provincial Inspector’s Residence, Shao Sansheng entered the study at a brisk pace and presented a secret letter to Shao Pingbo, who was bent over the desk writing. “Eldest Young Master, a message from Tianyu Sect.”

Shao Pingbo did not look up. He continued writing and asked, “Have you found where Shangqing Sect went?”

Shao Sansheng shook his head. “No trace at all. We have no idea where they went. The entire group seems to have cut off all contact with the outside world.”

Shao Pingbo finished writing, set down his brush, and took the secret letter, but he did not open it immediately. Instead, he sank into thought and murmured to himself, “Where could Niu Youdao have arranged for Shangqing Sect to go?”

“Would Niu Youdao really care whether Shangqing Sect lives or dies?”

“He doesn’t want to. But Zhao Xiongge stepped in. Since Zhao Xiongge could send Shangqing Sect to Myriad Forms City to find him, there had to be some arrangement behind it. Otherwise, wouldn’t the whole thing have been a joke? Zhao Xiongge would certainly demand an answer for Shangqing Sect. Faced with an expert of the cultivation world like that, and with something Zhao Xiongge cares about, Niu Youdao would not dare fall out with him lightly. I’m afraid refusing would be difficult.”

“This Zhao Xiongge has always remained entangled with Shangqing Sect, never quite severed from it. A pity he cannot be used by me.”

Shao Sansheng ventured, “Niu Youdao’s base is in Nanzhou. Could he have secretly sent Shangqing Sect there?”

“I would actually prefer that. But Niu Youdao won’t dig his own grave. Forget everyone else; Tianyu Sect would be the first to seize on it. This is a man who could leave the wife he formally married beside me for years, knowing full well I intended to make a move against Tang Yi, and still do nothing. That tells you how cold and ruthless he can be.”

“He is too rational to do something that amounts to burying himself alive. If it were truly a dead end, Zhao Xiongge could not force him into it either. He must have arranged for Shangqing Sect to go somewhere else. But where? Jinzhou, perhaps, or the State of Qi? Zhao Xiongge cannot openly involve himself with Shangqing Sect, while the places Niu Youdao knows well and has connections in amount to little more than those two. Where else could he send them? Have our people pay closer attention to both places.”

“Yes.” Shao Sansheng accepted the instruction. Then, after hesitating, he said, “Eldest Young Master, perhaps you should read Tianyu Sect’s message first.”

Shao Pingbo drew his thoughts back and finally lowered his gaze to the letter.

The instant he made out the contents, every hair on his body seemed to stand on end. He shot to his feet, eyes wide. Then he suddenly bent over and raised his sleeve to his mouth, coughing again and again. His complexion changed violently under the strain.

Shao Sansheng hurried to his side and patted his back, his face troubled.

The letter said that Niu Youdao had been visiting Yan’s three great sects and Han’s three great sects one after another at Myriad Beasts Sect. He had met all six Sect Leaders and spoken with every one of them for a substantial length of time, at least about an hour each.

Tianyu Sect said this was absolutely abnormal. Unless Niu Youdao possessed something capable of moving those six sects, men of such status could not possibly spend so long talking with someone like him. Peng Youzai himself admitted that, given his own standing, even he could not monopolize so much of those great Sect Leaders’ time merely for idle conversation.

Sending this intelligence was Tianyu Sect’s way of repaying Beizhou for its earlier warning. At the same time, it was also a warning in return: was Niu Youdao preparing to act against Beizhou?

Tianyu Sect did not want to see Niu Youdao gain any advantage now either. At the very least, they did not want him using Beizhou’s interests to curry favor with the six great sects. If he truly pleased Yan’s three great sects, Tianyu Sect feared trouble for itself. That was why they had urgently warned Beizhou and urged them to prepare early.

If even Tianyu Sect could see that something was wrong, how could Shao Sansheng have failed to understand after reading the message?

Beizhou stood wedged between the powers of those six sects, balancing between both sides. There were so many great sects beneath Heaven, yet Niu Youdao had chosen precisely these six. It was difficult not to suspect that Beizhou was the target.

Truthfully, the message had made Shao Sansheng’s scalp prickle. He had been afraid to show it to Shao Pingbo for fear of aggravating him, but a matter this large could not be concealed. Sure enough, it had provoked the Eldest Young Master and brought his old illness roaring back.

Shao Pingbo’s face shifted between pallor and flushed red before his coughing finally eased. He lowered his sleeve. A smear of blood stained the cuff.

His fist slammed onto the desk. “That Niu cur means to kill me this time!”

Seeing blood at the corner of Shao Pingbo’s mouth, Shao Sansheng hurriedly poured tea and offered it. “Eldest Young Master, please calm yourself. He only went to meet them. Perhaps it has not reached that point.”

Shao Pingbo used the arm holding the secret letter to push the tea aside. He shook his head. “I should never have let Lu Shengzhong act rashly. He beat the grass and startled the snake. Niu Youdao probably already knows I have unleashed a killing move against him, and he knows my hand has followed the opportunity into Nanzhou.”

“He understands perfectly that this round is one where either he dies or I do. If I do not fall, then he must. How could he not answer the challenge? He would never approach those six sects merely to pay courtesy calls. He must have a purpose.”

Shao Sansheng said, “Could he perhaps be aiming at Tianyu Sect?”

Shao Pingbo whipped his head around and demanded angrily, “Then how do you explain him visiting Han’s three great sects? Why deceive ourselves?”

“In Nanzhou, Tianyu Sect was only stirred up by my provocations. Even if Niu Youdao intends to gather strength for another showdown with Tianyu Sect, that cannot happen in the short term. Until he has enough power in his hands to replace Tianyu Sect and cover Nanzhou himself, he cannot move to destroy Tianyu Sect. It would run directly against his own interests! This time, he must be coming for me.”

Shao Sansheng’s own heart was pounding. “Eldest Young Master, the six great sects stand above the states of Yan and Han and hold seats in Misty Pavilion. Why would they listen to him?”

Their information was too limited. Even Chen Tingxiu, who was physically inside Myriad Beasts Sect, had no idea what was really happening, so Shao Pingbo could not reach a definite conclusion either.

But one thing he did know. “That fellow never wastes effort. If he went to see those six sects, then he must have some confidence behind it. Now that this has become a life-and-death struggle, he may not move at all, but once he does, it will certainly be a thunderous blow aimed straight at me!”

He planted both fists on the desk, lowered his head, and closed his eyes. “Old Shao, prepare several things.”

“First, be ready to evacuate those students who have already begun distinguishing themselves through practical training. In these chaotic times, possessing a cadre of capable officials who know how to govern is capital for rising again.”

“Second, personally inspect our evacuation routes one more time. They concern our last thread of survival. Do not entrust them to anyone else.”

“Third, regarding the Qi capital. Back when Sister Zhao was there, certain signs already made me feel that Xiaoyue Pavilion’s operations in the Qi capital were unusual. Contact Xiaoyue Pavilion. Tell them to send elite personnel to receive us. Say we need to escort a group of people whose importance concerns the overall situation in the Qi capital. Xiaoyue Pavilion will certainly take it seriously and make arrangements.”

When he had finished, Shao Pingbo weakly waved a hand. “Go handle it.”

These were arrangements for the aftermath of Beizhou’s entire foundation collapsing. Shao Sansheng’s voice trembled. “Eldest Young Master, the situation is still unclear. Is there really a need to prepare this far?”

A savage look surfaced on Shao Pingbo’s face. “Beizhou is the work of many years of my life. How could I lightly abandon it? But now that matters have reached this point, there is never anything wrong with preparing for the worst.”

Shao Sansheng thought it through and nodded. Then he asked with concern, “Should we inform Master?”

Shao Pingbo fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. “No. Father cannot know. If circumstances change and we need to escape cleanly, we will still need to use Father to lull them into complacency.”

Shao Sansheng’s eyes widened slightly. “You mean... sacrifice Master?”

Shao Pingbo jerked his head around. “What nonsense are you talking about? Is that the sort of man you think I am?”

“Father controls Beizhou’s military forces. No matter who wins, no one wants a chaotic Beizhou. Whoever Father falls into the hands of will still need to rely on him. For a considerable period, his life will be in no danger. We can plan what comes afterward.”

“If I cannot get away, then neither father nor son will be able to escape. Do you understand?”

[End of Chapter 505]