Chapter 530: Calling Each Other Sisters

The old fear flooded Guan Fangyi's heart again.

No one understood better than she did just how terrifying this demon king was, a monster capable of coming and going freely even amid the tremendous destructive power of Heavenly Sword Talismans.

Sensing no goodwill from Yin'er, Niu Youdao began backing away until he reached Yuan Gang's side.

Without moving his lips much, he murmured softly, “This is what you called 'not much of a problem'?”

Yuan Gang had sent word earlier explaining the situation.

He knew the matter Niu Youdao was handling in the provincial capital was extremely important and had been afraid of distracting him, so he had not described things as especially serious.

“I only tried to make her leave with Wuliang Mountain's people. She refused and insisted on waiting for you.”

“I was going to restrain her and force her back. Then she became like this.”

“There really wasn't much else. The moment I stopped, she stopped causing trouble too.”

After explaining, Yuan Gang added one warning. “Master Dao, our earlier judgment of her may have been wrong.”

“Once she's provoked, it looks like she can recover her demon-king form at any time.”

Niu Youdao's eyes flickered as he studied Yin'er.

He had no experience with this and could not understand exactly what was happening.

Guan Fangyi had also retreated, stopping beside Yuan Fang. She whispered, “Old Bear, what happened?”

Yuan Fang answered just as quietly, “Master Yuan wanted her to leave with Wuliang Mountain's people. She wouldn't go.”

“You know what Master Yuan is like. Fierce as ever. So he just attacked.”

“She started changing right away. Luckily Master Yuan stopped in time. Otherwise, the consequences would've been unthinkable.”

Yuan Fang still felt lingering fear.

After spending some time with Yin'er, he had gradually begun thinking this demon king was easy enough to get along with.

She was easy to fool, sweet and simple-minded, and over time he had stopped taking her seriously.

This time, the moment Yin'er turned hostile, Yuan Fang found himself badly frightened by memories of his own earlier recklessness around her.

“Fierce?” Guan Fangyi glared at Yuan Gang's back. “More like fiercely stupid!”

She was both shocked and angry.

Did this Monkey have something wrong with his head?

He knew perfectly well how terrifying this demon king was, yet he had still dared put his hands on her.

Could a man really be that stupid?

Niu Youdao was still considering how best to communicate with Yin'er in her present state.

Then Yin'er suddenly smiled.

It was as though her reaction had been slow and only now caught up, or perhaps she had only just recognized Niu Youdao.

She hopped down from the boulder, ran over, and grabbed his sleeve.

“Dao-Dao!”

Her speech was simple.

What everyone else called Master Dao became Dao-Dao in her mouth, a form of address belonging to her alone.

Niu Youdao instinctively wanted to retreat again and avoid the danger.

Seeing nothing happen, he forced himself to remain still.

He watched her reaction carefully.

Only after confirming there truly was no problem did he relax.

Yin'er's smile shone brightly, delighted that the man she had waited for had finally returned.

The sinister silver markings on her face made that smile look somewhat eerie.

Then she pointed at Yuan Gang and complained with some displeasure, “Monkey. Bad man!”

She had barely met Niu Youdao before beginning to tattle.

Guan Fangyi muttered inwardly, Well said!

Niu Youdao glanced back.

Yuan Gang remained as cold-faced as ever.

Niu Youdao's gaze swept across Uncle Chen and Old Six Xu as well.

Without saying anything more, he reached out, took Yin'er by the hand, and led her away until the two disappeared from everyone's sight.

They stopped in a secluded place and faced one another.

Yin'er looked at him with wide-eyed curiosity, clearly not knowing what he intended.

“Dao-Dao?”

Niu Youdao began channeling spiritual power through her arm and into her body, probing her condition.

The examination confirmed his suspicion.

The demon power within Yin'er had increased dramatically.

He had already discovered inside the Illusory Realm that even after he dissolved the demon power inside her, Yin'er's physical body would slowly generate more and accumulate it again.

But it had never surged this suddenly before.

Judging from what Yuan Gang had said, the sudden increase was probably the result of her being provoked.

When Niu Youdao first discovered that Yin'er's demon power would regenerate, he had not known what consequences it might have.

Now he knew.

Once enough demon power accumulated inside her body, she would advance into the demon-king state again.

Nine times out of ten, the terrifying true form of the Holy Rakshasa would reappear.

The Qiankun Art began circulating once more.

Niu Youdao again subdued the demon power within her.

The demon power struggled and resisted, yet it was as though it had encountered its natural nemesis. There was nowhere for it to escape.

Yin'er slowly raised her head and closed her eyes.

A faint look of comfort appeared on her face.

As the demon power was gradually dissolved, the sinister silver markings across her face slowly faded as well, until they vanished completely.

Niu Youdao withdrew his spiritual power and released her hand.

Yin'er gradually opened her eyes again.

She had returned to the appearance of that innocent woman, large pure eyes blinking at him.

Niu Youdao smiled and turned away.

Yin'er trotted after him, calling in her simple voice, “Dao-Dao.”

Three giant flying mounts shot out from the mountain forest and rose into the sky.

With Yin'er present, Niu Youdao's ears finally enjoyed some peace.

Guan Fangyi stopped nagging endlessly about him selling one of the flying mounts too cheaply.

“Where are we going?” Yuan Gang asked after checking their direction.

“The Qi capital.” Niu Youdao looked ahead. “Shao Pingbo may be hiding there.”

He briefly explained Hao Zhen's letter.

Yuan Gang said, “His younger sister is in the Qi capital. Isn't that clue a little too obvious?”

“If he isn't there, won't this whole trip be wasted?”

“Precisely because it's too obvious, I overlooked it at first.”

“I thought that while fleeing for his life, Shao Pingbo would never go somewhere with such an obvious connection to him.”

“Then I thought again.”

“Maybe Shao Pingbo is exploiting exactly that assumption.”

“Whether the trip is wasted or not, I still have to go.”

Niu Youdao's expression darkened slightly. “I may have made the same mistake again.”

He meant the reply he had sent Hao Zhen.

Earlier, Huang Lie had sent a reply to Beizhou and alerted Shao Pingbo into fleeing.

If Shao Pingbo truly was in the Qi capital this time, Niu Youdao's reply might once again have beaten the grass and startled the snake.

Only after realizing that afterward had he taken his leave of Huang Lie and immediately set out for the Qi capital.

Previously, he would not have possessed the ability to respond this way.

Now that he had flying mounts, once he recognized a possible leak, he had the means to move quickly and plug it.

Yuan Gang understood.

Master Dao intended to pursue Shao Pingbo to the bitter end and leave him no chance to rise again.

Especially with Beizhou in its present state, there was no possibility of allowing Shao Pingbo to return there in the future.

As for Shao Pingbo himself, returning now was already impossible...

At Tianwei Residence, Xuan Wei stood before a map.

She had discarded powder and cosmetics and appeared bare-faced, though she still wore men's clothing.

Tang Yi entered through the doorway without needing to be announced.

That alone showed the enormous trust Xuan Wei had extended toward her.

Xuan Wei had already issued orders and given Tang Yi a token allowing her, when traveling alone, to enter and leave Tianwei Residence whenever she wished without reporting first.

Of course, with Ximen Qingkong, her retainer cultivator, present, Xuan Wei did not need to worry that Tang Yi might harm her.

“Chancellor.” Tang Yi approached and saluted.

Xuan Wei shifted her gaze away from the map and looked at her. “Little Sister, I already told you. From now on, you and I will address each other as sisters. There's no need to be so distant. I truly do regard you as a younger sister.”

Nearby, Ximen Qingkong glanced at Tang Yi.

Tang Yi looked somewhat helpless.

Agreeing felt inappropriate.

Refusing felt equally inappropriate.

She did not know whether she ought to feel overwhelmed by the honor.

She had only just arrived, yet already the famed female Chancellor of Wei wanted to address her as a sister.

It felt like more than she could bear.

But if Xuan Wei insisted, did Tang Yi really have the standing to refuse?

Xuan Wei had indeed treated her extremely well.

She had directly made Tang Yi one of her close personal retainers.

Her stated reason was that they were both women, Xuan Wei happened to lack a female cultivator at her side, and having one nearby would make certain matters easier to handle.

She called it fate.

Not only had Xuan Wei given Tang Yi a token granting access to the Chancellor's residence, she had also allowed Shangqing Sect to choose any suitable mountain land within her own Grand Princess fief outside the city.

She was even providing financial support.

Orders had already gone out to gather skilled craftsmen and artisans so Shangqing Sect could rebuild its sect headquarters as quickly as possible.

The female Chancellor's efficiency was exceptionally high.

Her support for Shangqing Sect could hardly be called small.

It was support Shao Pingbo could never have provided.

Of course, there was no comparing one small Beizhou with the wealthiest State of Wei beneath Heaven.

Shao Pingbo's power and Xuan Wei's were not on the same level either.

Xuan Wei's gaze returned to the map. “I just received word. Shao Pingbo is in the Qi capital.”

Tang Yi looked slightly confused.

Shao Pingbo was in the Qi capital. So what?

If he were elsewhere, so what?

What was strange about a regional lord visiting another state?

Xuan Wei turned back to her and added meaningfully, “If my judgment is correct, your former husband has moved against Shao Pingbo.”

“He has already forced Shao Pingbo out of Beizhou and made him flee to the Qi capital.”

The words former husband made Tang Yi feel uncomfortable all over.

Even so, she was shocked. “Shao Pingbo abandoned Beizhou and fled?”

She knew a little about Shao Pingbo.

On Beizhou's ground, unless some overwhelmingly powerful force crushed down upon him or some major upheaval occurred, no one could shake his position there.

How could Niu Youdao possibly possess that much power?

Even exhausting all of Nanzhou's strength should not have been enough.

“Look at the timing.” Xuan Wei touched several points on the map with one finger.

“By ordinary travel, Shao Pingbo should not have reached the Qi capital so quickly after leaving Beizhou.”

“He must have had flying mounts receive him.”

“Niu Youdao likewise rode flying mounts from Myriad Beasts Sect to the Beizhou Provincial Inspector's Residence.”

“The time between the fugitive appearing in the Qi capital and Niu Youdao arriving in Beizhou almost matches exactly.”

“That strongly suggests one was pursuing while the other fled, and they just happened to miss each other.”

“Niu Youdao has bitten down very tightly on Shao Pingbo.”

She looked at Tang Yi. “You've dealt with both men.”

“In your view, will Niu Youdao rush to the Qi capital and continue hunting Shao Pingbo?”

Tang Yi stood stunned for a moment.

Shao Pingbo had flying mounts to escape on?

When had Niu Youdao acquired flying mounts too?

Why did it feel as though the conflict between these two had suddenly escalated?

She had only recently led Shangqing Sect out of Beizhou.

In the blink of an eye, Shao Pingbo too had been forced to flee the province.

Had Xuan Wei been anyone else, Tang Yi might genuinely have doubted whether the news was true.

At that moment, she vaguely realized that Niu Youdao was no longer the same after taking Nanzhou.

Their conflict truly might have escalated.

He now possessed the qualifications to confront Shao Pingbo directly.

Tang Yi had heard that Niu Youdao was capable.

But hearsay was still hearsay, and rumors often contained exaggeration.

Shao Pingbo was different.

While living in Beizhou, Tang Yi had witnessed his extraordinary ability with her own eyes.

With no more than Beizhou, he had resisted the State of Han in the north and defended against the State of Yan in the south, handling external threats and internal disorder with ruthless decisiveness.

He truly possessed the scope and methods of a man who governed an entire region.

Some of what Tang Yi had personally witnessed was more impressive than any rumor.

Had her lifelong marriage not already been settled, even she sometimes doubted whether she could have resisted a man like Shao Pingbo.

By comparison, she actually knew very little about Niu Youdao.

When she encountered him later, she had even noticed what she regarded as a serious flaw in his character.

He was hot-tempered and would show people a sour face at the slightest disagreement.

He did not seem like someone capable of accomplishing great affairs.

He could not be compared with Shao Pingbo's breadth of ambition, his command of the greater situation, or his methods.

In Tang Yi's eyes, the two had never seemed to stand on the same level at all.

She had always thought Niu Youdao's ability lay more in opportunism and clever tricks, the sort of thing that could not truly be brought onto the grand stage.

Put plainly, she had never believed Niu Youdao was genuinely Shao Pingbo's match.

Yet Shao Pingbo, whose image had stood so high in her mind, had actually lost to Niu Youdao.

Niu Youdao had forced him to abandon Beizhou and flee for his life in panic.

The result appeared so suddenly that Tang Yi was caught completely unprepared.

[End of Chapter 530]