Chapter 512: Moonlit Night

A large pile of firewood had been cut, and the deep pit had just been finished when one of the two men who had come with Chao Shenghuai ran over. Smiling at the others, he said, “Senior Brothers, Junior Brothers, the two of us can keep working here. Senior Brother Chao asks everyone to come over for a moment. He has something to tell you.” He pointed toward the far side of the mountain.

The others looked at one another. Some were plainly displeased, but they all went.

On the way, one man spat softly and cursed, “He thinks he can come here ordering everyone around just because of his grandfather. Who does he think he is?”

Several others muttered agreement, all unhappy with Chao Shenghuai’s behavior.

The senior disciple leading the group merely sighed. “Enough complaining. At least he came over with good intentions to help. Maybe he puts on a bit too much of an air.”

Once the others had gone around the far side of the mountain, the two men beside the pit exchanged a glance and immediately moved. They hoisted a Black Jade Eagle from the ground and ran.

The Black Jade Eagle was one of the more common species among large flying mounts and also one of the giant birds Myriad Beasts Sect kept in the greatest numbers. Put differently, it was the cheapest kind on the market. Even so, each one was worth more than ten million gold coins.

The two men did not run far. They carried the Black Jade Eagle into a nearby hollow and hid it, then rushed back and forth until they had concealed five carcasses in all.

When they returned to the deep pit, they quickly threw in the piled firewood, then tossed the remaining dead birds on top.

Once that was done, they hurled a burning torch into the pit. More torches were lit and thrown in one after another. Before long, roaring flames blazed from the depths.

When the others saw smoke rising from this side, Chao Shenghuai’s long-winded talk finally ended. The group returned and gathered around the pit. Within the flames, the piled bird carcasses were being consumed. At first, the air carried the scent of roasting meat. Soon it turned into the stink of burning flesh, driving everyone farther back from the pit.

Darkness had already fallen by the time the orange-red flames slowly died. Embers glowed and dimmed below while the group began shoveling the excavated earth back into the pit.

Once the work was finished, everyone headed back. Chao Shenghuai took two men and split off from the Spirit Transformation Valley disciples, claiming they were going to Myriad Forms City.

The three did not actually go far. After hiding somewhere for a while, Chao Shenghuai spoke to the two junior disciples in the darkness. “Dig out those five carcasses again. Then throw them farther away, each in a different direction.”

One junior disciple asked in confusion, “Senior Brother, what exactly are we doing?”

The other was equally puzzled. Why hide dead birds? What use could carcasses possibly have?

How could Chao Shenghuai tell them the truth? If they knew, they would probably be frightened to death. The fewer people who knew the truth, the better. He simply told them to shut up and do as instructed.

The two could only agree and carry out the order.

They left to do it, while Chao Shenghuai departed as well. He returned to Myriad Beasts Sect and went directly toward Spirit-Gathering Mountain, where he met an accomplice by prior arrangement. The man was a disciple stationed at Spirit-Gathering Mountain named Chen Ping, and he had arrived ahead of him to wait.

The moment they met, Chao Shenghuai asked, “You’re one of the people on duty during the latter half of tonight, right?”

“Yes. Didn’t Senior Brother already ask me that?” Chen Ping replied in surprise.

Chao Shenghuai glanced furtively around, then pulled five finger bells from his sleeve.

They looked like rings, except each ring was set with a tiny bell. A small crosspiece had been inserted through each bell to keep it from sounding. Pull out the crosspiece and shake the finger bell, and it would give off a clear chime.

The sound was not loud, but it carried with remarkable penetration.

These objects were normally worn on the fingers like rings. They were specifically used to control and direct flying mounts. Send the bell’s sound toward a particular direction, and the mount would fly that way.

The finger bells were made of exceptionally tough material, comparable to the metal used in superior swords, and were difficult to damage. Each bell was made to accompany one flying mount for its entire life.

The bells might all look alike, but no two bells in the world could produce exactly the same sound. There would always be minute differences, even when two were crafted by the same artisan. Once a finger bell was made, it would be permanently matched to one particular flying mount. Unless something happened to that bird, the bell would never be reassigned.

The mount would be trained with that same bell from childhood onward until it became accustomed to its sound. Year after year, the chime would be engraved deep into the bird’s memory, cultivating an instinctive response. Only then could the animal be directed as naturally as moving one’s own arm and fingers.

When Myriad Beasts Sect sold one of its giant flying mounts, the matching finger bell was included with the purchase so the customer could control it easily.

Chen Ping accepted the five finger bells and looked puzzled. “Senior Brother, what is this supposed to mean?”

Chao Shenghuai put an arm around his shoulders and leaned close to whisper into his ear. “When you’re on duty tonight, swap these five into the eagle nests in place of the finger bells belonging to five Black Jade Eagles...”

Once he understood, Chen Ping was shocked and terrified. “This... Senior Brother, no. Absolutely not. Every morning, the flying mounts in the eagle nests are released to exercise. If the substituted bells can’t control those five Black Jade Eagles, they’ll investigate immediately. Once they discover these five bells are wrong, I was on duty that night—I won’t be able to escape responsibility. No, no. Senior Brother, I really can’t do this.”

Chao Shenghuai lowered his voice and spoke sternly. “Would I harm you? If I harmed you and the investigation reached your head, you could simply expose me. Would I create trouble for myself? Relax. You won’t even have to wait until tomorrow morning. You’ll discover there will be nothing left to investigate. I guarantee you’ll be fine...”

After a long round of persuasion, threats, and inducements, the two finally separated.

Later, Chao Shenghuai met another Spirit-Gathering Mountain disciple in a different patch of forest. This one was named Gao Lan.

The moment they met, Chao Shenghuai stuffed a small porcelain bottle into his hand, then again put an arm around his shoulders and whispered into his ear for a while.

Gao Lan’s face turned anxious. “Senior Brother, what is this? Don’t tell me what happened at Spirit Transformation Valley today was because of you...”

“Bullshit! What are you imagining? Would I do something like that?” Chao Shenghuai pretended to be angry, then softened his tone and reassured him. “Don’t worry. This isn’t poison. Do exactly as I say and there is absolutely no chance it will kill anything.”

Gao Lan refused repeatedly. “No. No, Senior Brother. Absolutely not. I can’t do something like this!”

“You’re playing me, aren’t you...” Chao Shenghuai grew angry.

...

In the end, the two went their separate ways. Gao Lan repeatedly touched the small porcelain bottle hidden at his waist, his heart filled with unease.

Bright moonlight spread silver radiance across the vast land.

Inside the courtyard, Niu Youdao stood alone with his sword planted before him, eyes closed. Everything was cold and quiet. The middle finger resting on the sword hilt kept tapping lightly.

Not long after a Golden Wing entered the courtyard, Yuan Gang stepped from the shadows into the moonlight and walked to Niu Youdao’s side. “Master Dao, we’ve confirmed it repeatedly. Wuliang Mountain’s people are already prepared at the designated location. They’re only waiting on this side.”

Niu Youdao said, “Then we wait. Success or failure will be decided tonight.”

Yuan Gang said, “Can that fellow really pull this off? We only get one chance at something like this. If it fails, there won’t be another opportunity, and it will bring trouble afterward. It really is a little risky.”

“Risky?” Niu Youdao gave a cold snort without opening his eyes. His voice remained flat and calm. “Riding through the jianghu, whether wind comes or rain falls, when it is time to act, you act. At worst, a few more nameless mounds will rise among the green hills beyond the mountains. Until the very end, no one knows who will be buried in them. Wait.”

Yuan Gang raised his head and looked at the moon.

...

A brilliant moon hung high above a barren rocky cliff where not a blade of grass grew. Countless caves had been carved into the cliff face.

This was the eagle nest at Spirit-Gathering Mountain. Each cave housed one enormous flying mount.

Unlike the incompletely trained birds kept in cages at Spirit Transformation Valley, every mount here had finished its training. They knew the rules and obeyed commands. There was no need to cage them.

Behind each cave ran passages for people to enter and leave. The entire mountain was riddled from top to bottom with connected tunnels used by the disciples responsible for tending the mounts.

Inside one cave on the mountain, a Moon Butterfly circled the entrance three times.

In the woods below, the same signal quickly appeared in response.

Before long, Chao Shenghuai appeared at Spirit-Gathering Mountain. Once again, he was merely “passing by.” He went over to the disciples guarding the foot of the mountain, warmly clasped arms with them and exchanged a few cheerful words, then excused himself on the grounds that he had business and departed.

Once he reached a secluded place, a small ball of paper dropped from his sleeve into his palm. He quickly opened it. Wrapped inside were five finger bells.

His hand closed tightly around them, and he strode away.

He reached a pavilion on a mountaintop and looked toward Spirit-Gathering Mountain beneath the moonlight. Chao Shenghuai sat down, lifted the wine flask he carried, and slowly drank straight from it. A Moon Butterfly circled outside the pavilion, signaling toward Spirit-Gathering Mountain.

Sitting there, he looked very much like a man drinking away his sorrows.

And he truly was drinking away his sorrows.

More than twenty large flying mounts, each with a different price. Altogether, they were probably worth three hundred million gold coins, and every one of them had died by his hand.

He knew perfectly well what it would mean if the affair were exposed. It was a capital crime. His grandfather would not be able to save his life. In fact, his grandfather might have to kill him personally.

But Chao Shenghuai understood even more clearly what had happened to him. It was as though he had encountered a demon that had coaxed and guided him forward step by step. Before he knew it, he had followed along. When he finally wanted to turn back, he discovered he had already sunk into a vast whirlpool and could no longer climb out.

The only thing he could do now was get Niu Youdao to leave as quickly as possible. As Niu Youdao had said, once the affair was done, Chao Shenghuai would also possess a fatal weakness of Niu Youdao’s. Only then would he be safe.

For him, the choice between the lives of some twenty large flying mounts and his own life was not difficult at all.

...

Inside the dungeon, Shao Sansheng arrived carrying a food box. He crouched outside the bars, separated the stacked compartments one by one, and slid them through the opening beneath the cell door.

Shao Pingbo stood with his back to him, staring at the flame of an oil lamp.

“Eldest Young Master, eat something.”

Shao Pingbo turned and walked over. He glanced toward the cultivator sitting cross-legged at the far end of the corridor, then approached the bars and asked quietly, “Can you make contact with the outside?”

Shao Sansheng lowered his voice. “I’m only allowed out to fetch food or bring Eldest Young Master extra clothes, bedding, and other necessities. Two cultivators follow me, so I can’t contact anyone outside. But when Master asked Mr. Zhong about the situation, he did learn one thing.”

“The reason Dachan Mountain knows Eldest Young Master secretly tried to harm Niu Youdao is that when Dachan Mountain’s people went to investigate Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm, they happened to overhear Myriad Beasts Sect disciples talking in Myriad Forms City.”

“Overheard by chance?” Shao Pingbo gave a low laugh. “Those Myriad Beasts Sect people must have been deliberately arranged by Niu Youdao...” He abruptly stopped, his eyes flickering. “Given Myriad Beasts Sect’s usual way of doing things, why would their people involve themselves in something like this? In the intelligence Lu Shengzhong sent back, what was the name of the Myriad Beasts Sect disciple he used?”

Shao Sansheng thought for a moment. “Chao Shenghuai, grandson of Myriad Beasts Sect Elder Chao Jing!”

“An Elder’s grandson...” Shao Pingbo’s face sank. “Not good. Either this man never acted, or he acted and failed. If he failed, Tianyu Sect still never mentioned Myriad Beasts Sect pursuing Niu Youdao over anything. And now Myriad Beasts Sect disciples are cooperating with Niu Youdao to leak information to Dachan Mountain.”

“Chao Shenghuai has very likely already fallen under Niu Youdao’s control. With someone of that background serving as Niu Youdao’s inside man within Myriad Beasts Sect, this is unfavorable for me!”

His voice suddenly rose. “Go. Invite Elder Zhong here immediately. I have something important to tell him.”

The Dachan Mountain cultivator guarding one end of the dungeon corridor was alerted. He rose and walked over.

Shao Sansheng glanced back, then quietly reminded him, “Eldest Young Master, there’s no way to explain the full cause and effect of this matter to Dachan Mountain!”

Shao Pingbo shouted angrily, “Go quickly!”

[End of Chapter 512]