Chapter 521: Does Dachan Mountain Have a Choice?

Shao Pingbo had poured enormous effort into governing Beizhou. He did not covet money or private profit, had no desire for fine clothes and rich food, was not fond of women, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to administering the province.

Such self-denial, such restraint over one’s private desires, was extremely rare.

To make the fullest use of his limited energy and reduce entanglements, Shao Pingbo had even remained unmarried to this day.

Dachan Mountain was not blind. They had seen how diligent he was in government and how he labored day and night over Beizhou.

They had even worried he would work his body into the ground. People had always been assigned to help regulate his health, and spiritual medicines and elixirs had never been lacking.

Putting aside how much benefit Shao Pingbo had brought Dachan Mountain, given Beizhou’s present internal and external situation, Huang Lie truly worried whether anyone else possessed the ability to pacify trouble within while resisting enemies without and still keep the province stable.

“Beizhou’s military and civil authority is in the hands of the Shao father and son. If Shao Pingbo dies, the army will be unsettled, public sentiment thrown into disorder, and calamity may follow,” Huang Lie said hesitantly.

Niu Youdao brushed it aside lightly. “That isn’t my problem to consider.”

Huang Lie showed some anger. “Once Beizhou falls into chaos, Yan and Han will inevitably exploit the opening. What will become of Dachan Mountain then? If the outcome is ruin either way, what is there left to discuss?”

Niu Youdao said, “Dachan Mountain already holds a fine prescription that lets you advance or retreat at will. What is there to worry about?”

“A fine prescription?” Huang Lie paused. “Where?”

Niu Youdao pointed toward Huang Tong behind him. “I already offered good counsel. Have you forgotten so quickly? It seems good medicine truly is bitter in the mouth, and loyal advice harsh on the ear.”

Everyone looked toward Huang Tong. Huang Lie glanced back at him as well, then turned again to Niu Youdao. “You mean retreat to Nanzhou? How could Tianyu Sect possibly allow Dachan Mountain to encroach upon Nanzhou’s interests?”

Niu Youdao lifted his tea, took a sip, set the cup down, and rose with the aid of his sword. He slowly paced away.

Those gathered around him moved aside of their own accord. Huang Lie could not help rising as well and went to stand beside him at the railing.

Niu Youdao planted his sword before him and folded both hands over the hilt. “Beizhou is only one province, yet it lies wedged between two great powers. It rebelled against Yan, resisted Han, and now tries to stand independently by balancing between the two. How could that last forever? The slightest change could trigger a struggle for the province in an instant. One spark could set the whole prairie ablaze. I don’t need to explain that. Dachan Mountain understands it perfectly well.”

“Shao Pingbo’s ambitions are not small. What he seeks will never be limited to Beizhou. Beizhou is only his temporary foothold, a place for him to accumulate strength while he races against time. Once the opportunity matures, once a suitable target appears nearby, he will send out his armies. If no opportunity appears, he is perfectly capable of creating one himself.”

“Does Dachan Mountain presently possess the strength to control territory far beyond a single province? No.”

“To Shao Pingbo, Beizhou is only temporary. To Shao Pingbo, Dachan Mountain is also only a temporary source of support. Just like Tianyu Sect, Dachan Mountain’s foundation is thin. And just as Tianyu Sect is determined to control Shang Chaozong’s ambitions, Dachan Mountain is doing everything it can to control Shao Pingbo while waiting for its own strength to grow.”

“Dachan Mountain is still in the process of consolidating its foundations. Without several decades of accumulation, you cannot build the strength needed to expand outward. But can Shao Pingbo wait several decades for Dachan Mountain? He cannot. Once the right opportunity arrives, do you truly think you will still be able to control him? Wishful thinking!”

“You think Shao Pingbo behaves obediently because he fears Dachan Mountain? He is merely using you for the time being. Given Beizhou’s circumstances, he needs a sect whose strength is not overwhelming, a sect afraid of external pressure that will cooperate with him to a certain extent and give him room to accumulate power freely.”

“If he chose a sect that was too strong and overbearing, one that suppressed him at every turn, he would have little room to display his abilities. Dachan Mountain is precisely the best choice. That is why he chose you.”

“Sect Leader Huang, balancing between both sides may feel advantageous, but can Dachan Mountain truly not see that it has become isolated and without support? You fell into Shao Pingbo’s calculations long ago. He has already isolated Dachan Mountain.”

“When the time comes, there will not even be anyone willing to speak on your behalf. Shao Pingbo will only need to draw in a little outside force to break Dachan Mountain’s position. What will you be able to do about it?”

“To put it plainly, Shao Pingbo has never truly regarded Dachan Mountain as anything formidable. From beginning to end, Dachan Mountain has merely been a piece on the board of his grand ambitions.”

At that point, Niu Youdao turned and swept his gaze across the people of Dachan Mountain. “Everyone, I refuse to believe none of you has noticed Shao Pingbo’s ambition to use Beizhou as a springboard for expansion. Do you truly believe that once he reaches that stage, you will still be able to control him?”

At those words, everyone from Dachan Mountain fell silent, their hearts heavy.

Listening from the side, Guan Fangyi’s eyes flickered as she glanced at Niu Youdao several times.

This bad man really could talk. Even she, an uninformed outsider, almost believed every word. He was clearly plotting against Dachan Mountain, yet from the reactions of the very people being plotted against, they seemed to have taken him seriously.

With persuasive ability like this, why go through so much trouble? Why not simply sit down and talk to them from the start?

Niu Youdao continued, “So what I told Elder Huang was sincere advice from the heart. Beizhou has already become a land of trouble for Dachan Mountain.”

Huang Lie slowly said, “I’ll ask the same question again. How could Tianyu Sect allow us to encroach upon Nanzhou? Your support alone would hardly be enough.”

With one hand resting on his sword, Niu Youdao spread the other. “Why fear Tianyu Sect? Aren’t you already negotiating with Yan’s three great sects? Let me guess. The three great sects certainly do not want Dachan Mountain to continue controlling Beizhou. On that point, neither side is willing to yield.”

“In that case, Dachan Mountain may as well compromise to please the three great sects. Give up Beizhou and move into Nanzhou. Make that the condition for having the three great sects order Tianyu Sect to relocate to Beizhou.”

“Tianyu Sect may occupy Nanzhou, but in reality it stands opposed to Shang Chaozong. So long as the secular authority in Shang Chaozong’s hands remains stable and he can keep Nanzhou under control, Tianyu Sect has no leverage with which to threaten the three great sects. Once those three issue the order, Tianyu Sect will not dare disobey. It will have no choice but to go obediently!”

Niu Youdao looked back at Huang Lie and smiled. “If Dachan Mountain uses this reasoning to persuade the three great sects, I see no reason they would reject your condition. The entire matter could be settled in the blink of an eye.”

Huang Lie fell into thought. His gaze shifted rapidly, clearly tempted. Suddenly he raised his head. “You already said these things to Elder Huang before. Which means you planned this long ago. You had already calculated that today would come... This entire situation was a game you laid out, wasn’t it?”

Niu Youdao asked in return, “Does that matter?”

At those words, not only Huang Lie but everyone from Dachan Mountain felt a chill.

Only now did they finally understand why Shao Pingbo had been so desperate to get rid of this man.

He was truly terrifying.

Huang Lie turned away and called several Elders with him. They left the pavilion and gathered in a corner to discuss the matter.

Niu Youdao only cast them a sidelong glance and did not interfere. He knew an affair this large was not something Huang Lie could decide alone. He would have to consult Dachan Mountain’s senior leadership before making a decision.

Guan Fangyi moved closer to Niu Youdao and whispered, “You really shouldn’t have said those things to Huang Tong so early. And you shouldn’t have told Huang Lie beforehand that Myriad Beasts Sect was a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den. Looking at it now, everything was inside your calculations. Showing them that will make them afraid of you.”

Leaning on his sword, Niu Youdao sighed softly. “Good. I want them afraid. I want them wary enough that they won’t dare move against me casually in the future.”

“Things cannot continue like this with Tianyu Sect forever. An unstable rear is easy for others to exploit and will always hold me back. This time, I intend to clear Tianyu Sect, that future danger, out of Nanzhou, and at the same time remove the threat of internal discord.”

“As long as Nanzhou itself remains stable, I’ll have no worries behind me. The grudge between Tianyu Sect and our side has deepened too far. Reconciliation is difficult. It is time for them to get out of Nanzhou.”

Guan Fangyi could faintly hear the force behind those words. She said nothing.

Inside, she sighed.

For someone so young to have become entangled in struggles like these, grinding away his heart and mind and forcing his way step by step to where he stood today, truly had not been easy. An ordinary person his age could never have endured such a situation. He would probably have been crushed long ago without even knowing how he died.

After discussing matters for a while, Dachan Mountain’s people returned.

Huang Lie entered the pavilion and spoke frankly. “If Tianyu Sect leaves and Dachan Mountain goes to Nanzhou, how would we be any different from Tianyu Sect? Aren’t you afraid we would eventually clash with you just as Tianyu Sect did and become enemies?”

Niu Youdao said, “Sect Leader Huang has touched the key point. If I drive out Tianyu Sect only to bring in another Tianyu Sect in the form of Dachan Mountain, why would I bother?”

“I genuinely do not want to do this. I have no great sect behind me, nor do I control a cultivation faction that rules Nanzhou. What benefit would driving Tianyu Sect away bring me?”

“Step back and look at it another way. For a long time to come, I would have no reason to oppose Tianyu Sect. The logic is very simple.”

“But Tianyu Sect must have water in its head. It actually let itself be provoked by Shao Pingbo. Even after I left Nanzhou, it still refused to let me go. Is throwing Nanzhou into chaos really so entertaining?”

“If they refuse to understand the larger situation, then I can only answer them blow for blow. I have no reason to be polite.”

Huang Lie said, “Your influence over Shang Chaozong is too great. In effect, Tianyu Sect has lost control over Nanzhou. Any sect placed in the same position would have the same concern. None would sit idle. Eliminating you is inevitable.”

He was also voicing what lay in his own heart. He wanted to understand Niu Youdao’s true intentions, lest Dachan Mountain enter Nanzhou only to become a second Tianyu Sect and be driven out in turn.

Niu Youdao laughed. “Tianyu Sect is narrow-minded, and somehow that becomes my fault?”

“Whether in Qingshan Commandery or Nanzhou, I have never extracted any profit for myself. Tianyu Sect took all the benefits. After all the work and worry I have put in, am I not even allowed to secure a foothold in Nanzhou where I can protect myself?”

“To tell you the truth, Shang Chaozong is the same as Shao Pingbo in one respect. Nanzhou is too small to contain Commandery Prince Yongping’s ambitions. Sooner or later, his sword will point toward the Yan court.”

“Nanzhou?” Niu Youdao chuckled. “Commandery Prince Yongping will not care about it forever, and neither will I. If Dachan Mountain likes it, then keep it well. No one will fight you for it.”

“Tianyu Sect is simply too shortsighted to understand that. It knows only how to suppress and control. Naturally, the result has been the opposite of what it wanted.”

Huang Lie asked, “By your reasoning, Shang Chaozong is no different from Shao Pingbo. Then what reason does Dachan Mountain have to leave Beizhou for Nanzhou?”

Niu Youdao smiled. “The situations in Nanzhou and Beizhou are different.”

Then he looked directly at Huang Lie.

“Besides, does Dachan Mountain have a choice?”

Huang Lie’s face darkened.

Niu Youdao said, “Sect Leader Huang, let me offer one piece of advice. Once you go to Nanzhou, there is something you must understand.”

“Shang Chaozong will inevitably point his sword toward the Yan court and seek justice for his family. Whoever blocks Shang Chaozong’s road will inevitably become his enemy.”

“As for me, I will not expand my influence inside Nanzhou, nor will I take any benefits from it. The benefits will all be yours. That is my promise.”

“I do not care for that little bit of profit. All I require is enough standing to preserve myself.”

“But if someone insists on cutting away even that small measure of protection, then I will not be polite either!”

[End of Chapter 521]