Chapter 536: My Identity Is Almost Certainly Exposed!

Prince Ying's residence was not the only place where people would find it difficult to sleep that night.

In a capital this vast, any unusual movement from the Emperor of Qi would affect many people.

Niu Youdao, who had charged headlong into the Qi capital only to be placed under soft confinement in the State Guest Residence, was no exception.

He could not understand why he had been detained.

He had no clue at all.

He endured until daybreak.

By midmorning, movement finally came from outside the courtyard, and a carriage stopped beyond the gate.

A eunuch entered, found Niu Youdao, and invited him to leave.

“The Chief Steward has come?” Niu Youdao asked.

The eunuch merely smiled without answering and continued inviting him outside.

Then he asked Niu Youdao to board the carriage.

Niu Youdao did not climb in immediately.

He lifted one corner of the carriage curtain and looked inside.

A man sat there steady and composed.

Who else could it be but Bu Xun?

“Made you wait a long time,” Bu Xun said. “No helping it. I had to wait until court ended before I was free.”

Niu Youdao rolled his eyes.

He walked around to the side of the carriage, used his scabbard to lift the window curtain, and asked Bu Xun inside, “What does this mean?”

Bu Xun smiled. “Get in. It's a good thing.”

“A good thing?” Niu Youdao looked doubtful.

Bu Xun nodded faintly. “For you, an exceedingly good thing.”

Niu Youdao remained suspicious, having no idea what trick was being played.

He looked left and right and noticed there was only one carriage.

“What about the others?”

He pointed toward Guan Fangyi and Uncle Chen, who were watching this side intently.

“They can go wherever they please. No one will interfere with them.”

As Bu Xun spoke, one of the accompanying eunuchs beside the carriage made a hand signal.

The cultivators stationed around the courtyard flashed away one after another.

The confinement was lifted.

Niu Youdao glanced back and gave Guan Fangyi a look.

Then he hopped onto the carriage shaft and ducked inside.

The carriage left the State Guest Residence.

Two riders cleared the way ahead, and two followed behind.

All wore ordinary clothing.

Only Bu Xun inside the carriage was dressed in the formal robes of a palace eunuch.

Niu Youdao used his scabbard to lift the curtain and watched the pedestrians on the street for a while.

Then he let it fall and turned back.

“Go on, then. What exactly is this about?”

Bu Xun said, “I'm taking you to meet a distinguished person.”

“A distinguished person? Who? The Emperor?”

“This isn't the road to the imperial palace.”

“Or do you mean one of the Sect Leaders of the three great sects?”

Question after question came from him.

Bu Xun rested both hands on his knees and studied Niu Youdao carefully for quite some time.

The stare made Niu Youdao uncomfortable all over.

“I say, Chief Steward Bu, what exactly are you playing at?”

Instead of answering, Bu Xun slowly recited:

“The rolling Yangtze sweeps eastward,
Its waves washing all heroes away.
Right and wrong, success and defeat—
All turn empty in the blink of an eye.
The green mountains remain unchanged;
How many times has the sunset reddened?...”

Niu Youdao froze.

When Bu Xun finished that excerpt, he began another:

“In Peach Blossom Vale stands Peach Blossom Hermitage;
Beneath Peach Blossom Hermitage dwells a Peach Blossom Immortal.
The Peach Blossom Immortal plants peach trees,
And plucks peach blossoms to trade for wine...”

The corner of Niu Youdao's mouth twitched.

Then he chuckled. “The Office of Investigation truly is something. You even managed to dig this up.”

Bu Xun smiled.

That answer was effectively an admission that the poems came from him.

“I truly couldn't tell that you possessed such talent.”

“Even His Majesty was moved when he heard the verse.”

“He's been wondering whether he should invite you to become tutor to the imperial princes and grandsons.”

“Niu Youdao, that would be an excellent appointment.”

“Don't!” Niu Youdao immediately raised a hand in refusal.

“Chief Steward, don't tell me this is the 'good thing' you meant.”

“Please don't trap me.”

“Let me state this first: those poems are not mine. They belong to my master. Someone merely overheard me reciting them.”

Bu Xun gave an intrigued sound. “And who is your master?”

“With talent like that, he is worth my going personally to invite.”

Niu Youdao answered without hesitation.

“Everyone knows him. Dong Guo Haoran.”

“If you want to go looking for him, I have no objection.”

“I only fear you may not come back afterward.”

“...” Bu Xun was speechless.

Niu Youdao returned to the real issue.

“Chief Steward, who is this distinguished person I absolutely must meet?”

Bu Xun said, “Back then, you left without saying farewell.”

“We stopped you at the ranch and kindly invited you back.”

“You responded by setting the ranch on fire.”

“Thinking about it now, there was a reason for that, wasn't there?”

“You were probably hurrying off to seize Shao Pingbo's warhorses.”

“Forget the past. His Majesty is magnanimous and will no longer pursue it.”

“But the matter is not entirely over.”

“His Majesty made someone a promise. You need to help His Majesty smooth things over.”

Niu Youdao found that amusing.

Whether an affair was pursued naturally depended on who was involved.

With the influence he now wielded in Nanzhou, Hao Yuntu would hardly pursue him over such a trivial old matter.

Yet Bu Xun spoke as though Niu Youdao owed them some enormous favor.

Still, Niu Youdao understood the main point.

“Chief Steward means that when you stopped me on the road back then and invited me to return, someone wanted to see me?”

Bu Xun nodded. “You've heard of Mr. Yucang, I assume?”

Anyone who had spent years in the cultivation world would know the name.

Niu Youdao had never met him, but he had long heard of him.

He gave a quiet sound of acknowledgment.

“Ranked fifth on the Golden Core Ranking.”

“I hear he is also a learned Confucian scholar and a great master of military strategy.”

“His students are all either wealthy or noble.”

“I've even heard that your State of Qi's Supreme General Huyan Wuhen once studied under him.”

“He seems quite renowned.”

“Is Mr. Yucang the distinguished person you mean?”

Bu Xun gave an affirmative sound.

“At the time, His Majesty met with him, and Mr. Yucang mentioned you...”

He explained the general situation, at least the parts he could reveal.

The main point was that Mr. Yucang admired Niu Youdao's talent greatly and wanted Niu Youdao to become the teacher of his late sworn brother's son.

Niu Youdao's gaze flickered after hearing this.

He fell silent.

After a long stretch of silence, he suddenly called, “Stop the carriage!”

The carriage did not stop.

It would not obey him.

Bu Xun said calmly, “Establishing a relationship with Mr. Yucang would bring enormous benefit to you when dealing with the cultivation world in the future.”

“Countless people could only dream of such an opportunity.”

“Besides, Mr. Yucang is not someone who forces others.”

“If you refuse, so be it. He will not compel you.”

“But at the very least, you should help His Majesty recover some face.”

“You won't refuse even this small favor, will you?”

Back then, Hao Yuntu had promised Mr. Yucang he would bring Niu Youdao back, only for Niu Youdao to escape.

It had left Hao Yuntu rather embarrassed.

More importantly, Mr. Yucang had fulfilled what he promised Hao Yuntu, successfully arranging a marriage alliance with the Huyan family.

Now that the opportunity had appeared, Hao Yuntu naturally wanted to restore that lost face.

Niu Youdao had lost his earlier joking tone.

He became unusually calm.

“Chief Steward misunderstands. I suddenly remembered something and need to give instructions to my people.”

“Chief Steward can relax. I'll get down only long enough to say a few words, then come straight back.”

Even if he wanted to flee, he could not.

Bu Xun himself had come personally.

Escaping beneath Bu Xun's nose would hardly be easy.

Bu Xun's expression softened slightly.

He raised one hand and tapped the window frame three times.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The carriage stopped at once.

That was far more effective than Niu Youdao's shouting.

Niu Youdao ducked out and jumped down.

He walked toward Guan Fangyi and Uncle Chen, who had been following behind.

Pulling Guan Fangyi aside, he whispered several words into her ear.

Then he returned and climbed back into the carriage.

The carriage resumed its journey.

Bu Xun could see that Niu Youdao now seemed burdened by many thoughts.

...

Inside a pavilion amid the bamboo grove at Fufang Garden, Yucang sat in silence.

Shao Pingbo had escaped?

The man he had been watching, right beneath his eyes, had simply escaped like that.

They had been used to escort the man safely from Beizhou.

Then he had slipped free of their control with ease.

Yucang had even planned to teach him a lesson.

Yet plenty of people wanted to teach Shao Pingbo lessons, and he had simply walked away, leaving everyone completely unprepared.

Yucang's mood was poor.

Not because he had been tricked.

What bothered him was the contempt Shao Pingbo had shown toward Xiaoyue Pavilion.

The man would rather go to Wei than place himself under them.

What did that mean?

It meant Shao Pingbo simply did not think much of Xiaoyue Pavilion.

This world did, after all, belong to the cultivation world.

Xiaoyue Pavilion was still one of the major forces counted among cultivators.

Yet Shao Pingbo had ignored them completely and resolutely chosen a secular power instead.

At the very least, he could have talked to them.

At the very least, he could have asked what Xiaoyue Pavilion might offer him.

Instead, he had not even bothered asking before going directly to someone else.

Yucang understood perfectly well that a man who had reached Shao Pingbo's level, someone capable of using a mere Beizhou to resist both Yan and Han, possessed his own extraordinary vision.

Shao Pingbo's lack of confidence in Xiaoyue Pavilion gave Yucang an inexplicable sense of defeat.

Yet when he thought carefully about it, Shao Pingbo's choice did not seem wrong.

Leaving everything else aside, if Shao Pingbo truly gained power in Wei, Xiaoyue Pavilion would hardly turn against political authority over such a minor grievance.

Dugu Jing came walking quickly.

“Master, Bu Xun has arrived. He brought Niu Youdao with him to pay a visit.”

“Niu Youdao?” Yucang looked startled. “Wasn't he under soft confinement?”

There was no point asking more questions.

He immediately rose and went to receive them.

The carriage had already entered Fufang Garden.

The guests disembarked, and someone led them toward the reception area.

Niu Youdao walked beside Bu Xun, looking around as they went.

“You aren't unfamiliar with this place, are you?” Bu Xun asked with a smile.

Inside, he felt rather emotional.

The woman His Majesty had thought about for so many years had somehow been carried away by this fellow.

Niu Youdao gave a quiet sound of acknowledgment. “It hasn't changed much.”

Yucang approached with sleeves flowing and cupped his hands from a distance.

“Chief Steward has honored me with a personal visit. Forgive me for not coming farther to welcome you!”

When the two sides met, Bu Xun returned the greeting.

“I have too many miscellaneous affairs. I was afraid something might change unexpectedly, so I did not send word beforehand.”

“Forgive the abrupt visit. I hope I have not disturbed Mr. Yucang's peace.”

“You make too much of it. Chief Steward is an honored guest I could hardly invite even if I wished.”

Yucang offered the courtesy, then noticed Niu Youdao studying him without restraint.

He smiled.

“Could this be the famous Niu Youdao?”

Niu Youdao cupped his hands and bowed.

“Sir shines with the brilliance of the bright moon. I am merely the light of a grain-sized pearl, unworthy of comparison.”

“This junior, Niu Youdao, pays his respects to Mr. Yucang.”

“No need for such courtesy. Please!”

Yucang extended a hand personally and invited the two into a pavilion half-hidden among the greenery.

Once seated, the purpose of the visit naturally had to be explained.

When Yucang learned why Bu Xun had brought Niu Youdao here, his heart suddenly gave a hard thump.

Almost unconsciously, he looked at Niu Youdao twice.

He could discern nothing unusual from the young man's face.

A heartbeat later, Yucang wore an expression of delighted enthusiasm.

With complete sincerity, he warmly invited Niu Youdao to become the teacher of his “nephew.”

Niu Youdao refused again and again.

His reason was the same one he had used while teasing Bu Xun.

He flatly denied having composed the poems and pushed all credit onto Dong Guo Haoran.

The dead could not contradict him.

In the end, Yucang could only express his regret.

Bu Xun had endless affairs waiting for him and did not remain long.

His sole purpose in coming was to give Yucang an explanation on the Emperor's behalf.

Yucang could hardly detain him.

But he repeatedly urged Niu Youdao to stay.

Niu Youdao declined, saying he had urgent business and could not remain.

With no other choice, Yucang could only see the guests out.

At parting, Yucang held Niu Youdao by the arm and repeatedly invited him to come visit whenever he had time.

Naturally, Niu Youdao thanked him.

Once the guests had left, Yucang rapidly returned to the pavilion.

He lifted the lid from the teacup that had stood before Niu Youdao's seat.

The cup was still completely full.

The depth of the tea had barely changed.

Earlier, once he became suspicious, Yucang had paid special attention.

Whenever Niu Youdao lifted the cup to drink, he raised his sleeve unusually high, concealing the movement.

Yucang replaced the lid.

His expression darkened.

Turning his head toward Dugu Jing beside him, he said coldly, “There is an eight-or-nine-in-ten chance my identity has been exposed!”

[End of Chapter 536]