Chapter 514: What Gift?

Was the commotion ahead connected to this man? Guan Fangyi asked, “What’s going on?”

No one answered.

As the disturbance spread toward their side, Uncle Chen, Old Six Xu, and the others appeared as well, lifting their heads to watch the enormous flying birds that occasionally swept overhead while crying noisily.

At Tianxing Sect’s guest courtyard, Du Yunsang and the others flashed onto the roof to look.

At Xiaoyao Palace’s guest courtyard, Long Xiu and his people came out into the courtyard and raised their heads. Long Xiu asked, “What’s going on?”

The guests gathered throughout Myriad Beasts Sect were being roused one after another.

Yet at the very beginning of the disturbance, the moment Chao Shenghuai saw chaos erupt, he raised a hand from the pavilion where he sat atop the mountain. His Moon Butterfly flew over and disappeared into storage, plunging him back into darkness.

After observing his surroundings, Chao Shenghuai flashed out of the pavilion and lifted his right hand. Five finger bells were fitted over his fingers. He shook them rapidly, producing a continuous chiming sound.

The bells were not loud, but he kept shaking them hard while watching all around him, his nerves stretched tight.

Before long, several dark shapes swept through the sky one after another. They dived toward him. Just before they reached the summit, Chao Shenghuai sprang upward and landed on the back of one enormous bird. The moment he was in place, he flattened himself against its back, using the darkness to avoid being seen.

The diving bird carried him through a sweeping arc and then rose again from the mountaintop, rapidly climbing into the sky.

Still prone across its back, Chao Shenghuai continued shaking the finger bells in his hand, guiding the other four flying mounts behind him as they crossed the mountains and waters below under cover of night.

At this point, he actually relaxed somewhat. Even if someone spotted him, he only had to throw away the finger bells in time and could claim he had noticed the abnormality and was trying to subdue the rampaging mounts.

That was why he kept scanning the surrounding sky for anyone approaching.

The only thing making him uneasy was that all five mounts were plainly agitated. They kept giving sharp cries, risking the exposure of his trail.

So he did everything he could to guide them higher into the sky...

At the mouth of an eagle-nest cave in the cliff, Chen Ping stared dumbfounded, unable to understand what was happening.

He had only switched five Black Jade Eagle finger bells. That should not have caused such enormous chaos, should it?

Several levels above him, Gao Lan stood at another cave mouth, equally stunned by the sight of giant birds flying and shrieking out of control.

Was this because of the medicine in that bottle?

“Why aren’t you using the finger bells to call them back?”

A figure raced upward from below the mountain, shouting furiously as he came.

It was An Shougui, the Elder responsible for Spirit-Gathering Mountain. He ran straight up the precipitous cliff as though over level ground, with a group of disciples following behind him.

Only then did Chen Ping and Gao Lan snap out of their fright. Many other stunned disciples were likewise awakened by the shout and hurried back through the inner entrances of each eagle nest. Beside every entrance was a small recessed niche with a hook, and from each hook they took down a finger bell.

The bell hanging beside every nest corresponded to the single giant bird housed there. Under normal circumstances, confusion was nearly impossible.

The disciples carrying the bells rushed back to the cave mouths along the cliff and shook them rapidly, summoning the giant birds flying chaotically through the sky.

Before long, the birds began returning one after another and settling inside their nests. Although they still seemed uneasy, their agitation was plainly far less severe than before.

Another large group came racing from below the mountain. Myriad Beasts Sect’s senior figures had arrived, led by Xi Haitang. They flew directly to the summit of Spirit-Gathering Mountain and looked down from above over the disorder.

“What happened?” Xi Haitang shouted angrily.

An Shougui cupped his hands. “We still don’t know.”

The number of giant birds circling in the surrounding sky gradually decreased as one after another was called home. Perhaps because of differences in constitution, some remained out of control for longer, flying and shrieking without returning for quite some time...

Niu Youdao and the others stood outside their courtyard at the mountain’s edge, watching.

When the chaos gradually subsided, Yuan Gang turned his head slightly. “Master Dao, it’s quieting down.”

Niu Youdao tilted his head and gave him a look.

Yuan Gang understood. Master Dao wanted him to return and watch for messages. Once Wuliang Mountain received the goods, they would report immediately, and this side needed to know the situation at once.

So Yuan Gang turned and strode back.

The furtive exchange between the two made Guan Fangyi’s suspicions deepen. Her instincts told her that whatever had happened inside Myriad Beasts Sect tonight was connected to this side.

After Uncle Chen and Old Six Xu returned as well, Guan Fangyi moved closer to Niu Youdao and lowered her voice. “Master Dao, I was wondering why you were acting so strange tonight. Is this another fine deed of yours?”

Niu Youdao looked surprised. “What fine deed did I do?”

Guan Fangyi rolled her eyes. “Still won’t admit it?”

Niu Youdao looked genuinely puzzled. “Admit what?”

Guan Fangyi jerked her chin toward the place where the chaos was fading. “Did you cause that?”

Niu Youdao asked, “Cause what?”

After circling through the question several times, Guan Fangyi was left speechless. She had only seen chaos without knowing what had actually happened, so she truly could not say what exactly she was accusing him of. She could only feel there was something suspicious about it.

Niu Youdao suddenly added one instruction. “Tell your people not to sleep tonight. Have them ready in case something unexpected happens.”

...

Far from Myriad Beasts Sect, well beyond the sect’s territory, five dark shapes emerged beneath the moonlight deep in a mountain forest. They descended from high in the sky and landed one after another atop a mountain peak.

A figure jumped from the back of one giant bird. He was dressed in black with his face covered. It was Chao Shenghuai, who had changed clothes to conceal his identity.

After landing, he looked around carefully and remained on guard.

A short while later, another figure sprang from the forest, likewise dressed in black with his face covered. He said, “The weather is good tonight.”

Chao Shenghuai pinched his throat and replied in a hoarse voice, “A violent storm is coming.”

Only after exchanging the agreed countersign did the two approach one another. Chao Shenghuai handed over the five finger bells. He said nothing more, turned, and immediately flew away, vanishing into the boundless forest.

The masked man who received the five finger bells looked at the five giant birds and froze in confusion. Before arriving to receive the delivery, even he had not known what he was supposed to collect. He had merely obeyed orders and come.

Only now did he realize the delivery was five Black Jade Eagles.

The shock left him almost speechless.

A little later, two more black-clad masked figures emerged from the woods. The three looked at one another in stunned silence...

A Goldenwing swooped into the guest courtyard, making Niu Youdao glance aside from the book he was reading beneath a lamp in the pavilion.

Guan Fangyi was sitting nearby as well. She had refused to leave and was watching him, determined to see what trick he was playing.

Yuan Gang soon appeared. He walked to Niu Youdao’s side, bent over, and whispered into his ear, “It went smoothly. Five. We have them.”

“...” Niu Youdao turned to him in astonishment, almost suspecting he had heard incorrectly.

Using the book to block Guan Fangyi’s view, Niu Youdao raised five fingers behind it and turned his palm over several times, silently asking for confirmation.

Yuan Gang nodded. There was no mistake. Five.

Now it was Niu Youdao’s turn to be surprised. The minimum he had demanded from Chao Shenghuai was three. He had never expected the man to get him five.

By normal logic, the fewer he stole, the safer the operation. Niu Youdao himself had assumed Chao Shenghuai would at most secure three.

The unexpected gain was a genuine pleasant surprise. Niu Youdao could not help giving a quiet derisive laugh. “That cur really is bold enough. Ruthless too!”

At this point, Niu Youdao still had no idea that Chao Shenghuai had taken the easy route of directly drugging more than twenty flying beasts to death in order to obtain those five. Who knew what expression Niu would have worn if he learned the truth.

Still, he could understand Chao Shenghuai’s behavior in principle. If the matter were exposed, what real difference would there be between stealing three and stealing five? The guilt would be the same either way. Given the opportunity, he might as well take a full haul and then see whether Niu Youdao honored his promise.

In fact, if not for fear that taking too many would expose him, Chao Shenghuai had even considered stealing more.

“Tell them to settle the mounts properly and not make any unnecessary moves. Wait for my word.” Niu Youdao lowered his voice.

Yuan Gang nodded and departed. As he left, his gaze met Guan Fangyi’s. He could plainly see the thick suspicion in her eyes.

Once Yuan Gang was gone, Guan Fangyi rose and moved behind Niu Youdao. She placed both hands on his shoulders and began kneading them with just the right amount of pressure. “Master Dao, I’m timid. This is Myriad Beasts Sect’s territory. Don’t frighten me. Don’t hide things from me, all right? Or do you not regard me as one of your own and don’t trust me?”

Niu Youdao smiled. “I wasn’t planning to hide anything from you. I only wanted to give you a surprise.”

Guan Fangyi immediately leaned over his shoulder and blew softly into his ear. “What surprise? Better not be a fright.”

Niu Youdao said, “I told you before that I would give you something to make up for your losses. I keep my word.”

Guan Fangyi’s bright eyes flickered. She spoke sweetly beside his ear. “What gift?”

Niu Youdao refused to say. “Don’t ask. I said it was supposed to be a surprise. If you know now, how can it still count? Just wait.”

He kept silent because he did not want her worrying along with him. Once the affair had passed and he was certain everything had been settled, she could happily accept the gift. If he told her now, it really would become a fright rather than a surprise.

“Tch. As though I care about your gifts.” Guan Fangyi walked away disdainfully, though inwardly she was quite looking forward to it.

She was certain this so-called gift had something to do with Myriad Beasts Sect’s disturbance tonight. If it could throw Myriad Beasts Sect into chaos like this, what sort of gift could it possibly be?

And that damned man stubbornly refused to say, leaving her curiosity itching unbearably.

...

Myriad Beasts Sect was destined to remain sleepless that night.

Quite apart from everyone else, Xi Haitang had to deal with the Sect Leaders of the various great sects, all of whom came asking what had happened.

Family disgrace was not something to spread outside. Xi Haitang naturally would not publicize that something had gone wrong internally. He had his own explanations to brush the questions aside.

By midmorning the next day, Chao Jing and An Shougui arrived together at the main hall.

Before either could salute, Xi Haitang demanded, “Did you find them?”

During the disturbance the night before, two giant flying mounts had actually fallen straight from the cliff and died on impact. Their corpses had been found below the eagle nest. Five more could not be recalled at all.

Myriad Beasts Sect had dispatched a large number of people to cooperate with Spirit-Gathering Mountain in searching everywhere, and Chao Jing had been placed in charge of the search.

An Shougui stood silently with his head lowered. One sleepless night had left him visibly haggard.

Chao Jing looked around at the assembled senior figures and said heavily, “We found them. All five Black Jade Eagles died in different mountain forests outside the sect. There are many wild beasts in those mountains. By the time we located the carcasses, they had already been badly mauled and eaten.”

“There is little point bringing them back now, and we are also worried this may be some kind of plague. Disciples are guarding the carcasses for the moment while we await the Sect Leader’s decision on how to handle them.”

Xi Haitang flew into a rage. “Another seven dead! Flying mounts from Spirit Transformation Valley and Spirit-Gathering Mountain are suffering accidents one after another. What are the two Elders responsible for those places doing?”

“If this keeps going, will you only be satisfied once every last one is dead? I give the two of you one month. You will determine the cause of these abnormalities and give me an explanation. If you cannot, step down and let someone more capable take your places!”

What could An Shougui and Mao Wushuang say? The two exhausted Elders cupped their hands together.

“Yes!”

[End of Chapter 514]