Chapter 585: Defeated Again and Again, Yet Fighting On

Even Wu Sanliang, an old hand who had followed Niu Youdao for years, was still forbidden from entering the kitchen.

Anywhere Yuan Fang had nailed up a sign reading “Nanshan Temple” was like Yuan Fang's cat's tail: not to be stepped on.

Precisely because Wu Sanliang had been around Niu Youdao for so long, he knew exactly what sort of creature Yuan Fang was. Wasn't the monk simply afraid their cooking techniques would leak out?

Wu Sanliang had to hand it to this group of monks. To preserve their culinary skills, a band of men who had left the secular world were willing to slaughter livestock, butcher poultry, and personally enter the kitchen, seemingly without fear of offending the Buddha.

People had worried that the monks worked too hard and tried to find them helpers, but the monks refused no matter what.

Wu Sanliang had no idea what kind of spell Yuan Fang had cast over them. Once, when he complained about it in front of Niu Youdao, Niu Youdao had mentioned the word “faith,” saying these monks were people who truly possessed faith.

Faith?

Wu Sanliang did not really understand the word.

Yuan Gang looked back once, then turned and left the kitchen.

He reached a quiet spot outside, where Wu Sanliang lowered his voice beside him. “I ‘ran into’ him. Before I could even find an excuse to ask questions, he brought it up himself. Said Baili Jie was an old acquaintance passing through who happened to be short of travel money, so he gave him a thousand gold coins for expenses. It all looked perfectly normal. Nothing unusual. Master Yuan, do you suspect something is wrong with Gongsun Bu?”

Yuan Gang, faintly thoughtful, glanced at him. “You're thinking too much. You know what kind of work Wuliang Mountain does. Any contact with the outside world is worth paying a little extra attention to. That's all.”

“That makes sense.” Wu Sanliang nodded.

With nothing else to report, he left to handle his own affairs.

After noon, Lei Zongkang returned from outside the mountains and went to Yuan Gang's room. Yuan Gang was shirtless inside, holding a one-handed handstand.

Lei Zongkang stepped closer. “Master Yuan, after that Baili Jie left the villa, he entered the commandery city. He ate and drank leisurely there, then left without any hurry. Everything looked normal. Nothing unusual.”

This was one of the areas Lei Zongkang handled. Any outsider who entered this place would be watched for a time after leaving.

Yuan Gang gave a quiet acknowledgment.

After Lei Zongkang departed, Yuan Gang folded at the waist, lowered both feet to the floor, and stood. He dressed and went out.

Later, he found Duan Hu. The two left the villa together and walked to Black Peony's grave.

“Something you need, Master Yuan?” Duan Hu asked.

Yuan Gang said, “Baili Jie is said to be a somewhat well-known independent cultivator in the cultivation world. Contact Master Dao's sworn elder brother Linghu Qiu. Linghu Qiu is familiar with people of that kind. Ask what he knows about Baili Jie, what the man normally does, and have him send over everything he knows without omission. I want to see it.”

“Good. I'll send the message now.”

Yuan Gang raised a hand, signaling him to wait, then took a roll of paper from his sleeve and handed it over.

Duan Hu unfolded it and discovered a list of names. He recognized some of them and could not help looking puzzled. “Master Yuan, these seem to be disciples Wuliang Mountain has recruited over the past few years.”

“They are Wuliang Mountain disciples. I planted them there.”

Duan Hu stared at him in astonishment, not understanding why Yuan Gang was handing him such a secret list.

Yuan Gang continued, “All of these people are still being kept within the mountain. Contact them. Starting now, I want the time of every Goldenwing entering or leaving Wuliang Mountain recorded. Compile each day's movements clearly and give them to me. You'll be responsible for this. Don't let anyone else know.”

He had begun preparing for this long ago. He intended to sort out the patterns in Wuliang Mountain's communications with every region and build his own records from them.

Detecting patterns of this kind was precisely what Yuan Gang was good at. He had received reconnaissance training in such things.

It was also one of the reasons Niu Youdao had once wanted him to move behind the scenes.

Duan Hu hesitated slightly. “Master Yuan, do you suspect something is wrong with Wuliang Mountain?”

“Facts first. What's there to suspect or not suspect?” Yuan Gang pointed toward Black Peony's grave. “It wasn't easy for Master Dao to bring everyone this far. That's one of the prices we paid.”

His tone remained flat. “This isn't about suspecting anyone. It's about taking responsibility for ourselves. We're the ones staying home to watch the house, so we have to keep the house secure. We can't allow trouble to grow from within. Otherwise we'd be failing the dead and the living alike. Those of us still alive ought to preserve useful lives so we can do something for those who died. Master Dao has only so much energy. He can't handle everything himself. What falls to us, we need to do properly. That's our own responsibility.”

Duan Hu looked at Black Peony's gravestone. His jaw tightened. “I understand. Don't worry, Master Yuan. I'll start immediately.”

After Duan Hu left, Yuan Gang remained staring at the gravestone, lost in thought.

The people gathered around Maolu Villa had, in truth, divided naturally into several circles.

Those from Fufang Garden were led by Guan Fangyi, and Guan Fangyi clearly regarded herself as one of Master Dao's people.

Black Peony's original group formed another circle. They considered themselves veterans at Master Dao's side, and because they often carried out secret missions, they naturally believed themselves to be his true confidants.

Wuliang Mountain's people went without saying. The entire sect depended on Master Dao's wealth to support it, and Master Dao could uproot them whenever he wished. They could only take him as their leader.

The monks of Nanshan Temple handled the miscellaneous affairs inside Maolu Villa, including control of its food. While in the villa, Master Dao ate and drank only what they prepared. They looked like a group of monks doing menial work, yet their status was actually detached from everyone else's. They did not need to take part in fighting or risk their lives, and aside from Master Dao and Yuan Gang, they could ignore anyone's orders. They seemed like a group of foolish monks from the secular world with no authority in their hands, but Master Dao stood behind them. No one else in the villa could do anything to them. Naturally, they too centered themselves on Master Dao.

Shang Shuqing, who often stayed here, represented Shang Chaozong's side. Yet she had somehow become Master Dao's maid for combing his hair. Whatever Master Dao said, she followed. Anyone with eyes could tell that this ugly Commandery Princess had fallen for him.

Then there were Liuxian Sect, Fuyun Sect, and Lingxiu Mountain. Master Dao had alternately suppressed them and drawn them close, back and forth until he had tormented them half to death. By now, they could no longer separate themselves from him.

Such a large collection of people all clearly belonged to Niu Youdao, yet they had never truly fused into one body. Each circle handled its own affairs while keeping an eye on the others. Nearly everyone believed that watching the others was both for Niu Youdao's sake and for their own good. Without realizing it, all of them had been gathered and held in Niu Youdao's hand.

Yuan Gang genuinely admired Niu Youdao's methods.

That kind of influence seemed to do nothing at all, yet seeped in silently like rain nourishing the earth. Yuan Gang knew he could not do it himself. Simply gathering such a miscellaneous collection of people into one place, keeping them from tearing one another apart, and directing people with entirely different intentions toward the same center was not something just anyone could accomplish. Even if one wanted to learn it, there was no guarantee one could.

A mountain need not be high; where an immortal dwells, it is famed.
Water need not be deep; where a dragon dwells, it has spirit.

Maolu Villa was only a place in barren mountains and wild ridges, yet all kinds of people could gather there in relative harmony, each pursuing his own affairs, simply because Niu Youdao existed.

As for Yuan Gang himself, Guan Fangyi was the only one among those circles who would openly push back against him. He could step into the affairs of every other group. And once he acted under Master Dao's name, even Guan Fangyi had no grounds to stop him.

In truth, everyone within the villa understood that Yuan Gang was the confidant among Niu Youdao's confidants—something beyond an ordinary confidant. Niu Youdao truly regarded him as a brother of flesh and blood.

He was the one man who could even make decisions for Niu Youdao.

...

Yanjing, residence of the Grand Minister of the Masses.

A carriage escorted by a group of guards stopped outside. Gao Jiancheng had returned from his yamen and stepped down.

He had only just entered the residence when the waiting steward, Fan Zhuan, fell in beside him. Fan Zhuan waved the surrounding attendants away and lowered his voice. “A letter has come from Eldest Young Master. Something went wrong.”

A sharp light flashed through Gao Jiancheng's eyes. He quickened his pace. This was no place to talk.

Master and servant rapidly returned to the inner study.

Gao Jiancheng sat behind the desk. Seeing Fan Zhuan move to pour tea, he waved him off. Fan Zhuan stopped and instead took out a decoded secret letter and handed it over.

After reading it, Gao Jiancheng slapped the letter onto the desk. “He didn't take my words to heart. Too eager for merit, and the moment he moved he created a mess.”

“The losses were severe,” Fan Zhuan said. “Eldest Young Master is probably worried about how he'll explain it.”

“He isn't stupid, but he's still operating by the old habits of the Intelligence Directorate. The moment he sees an opening, he wants to finish things in one strike. I already told him: this isn't about whether Niu Youdao dies or not. He's still too green.”

Fan Zhuan smiled. “Precisely because he lacks experience maneuvering at court, he's come to ask Master for guidance.”

“He hasn't reported upward yet, has he?”

“Not yet. I imagine he isn't entirely sure how to proceed and wants Master to point out the road.”

Gao Jiancheng pointed at him. “Tell him this is not the Intelligence Directorate. He cannot report every detail exactly as it happened and leave those above to analyze it. His Majesty doesn't respond to that. Of course, some things cannot be concealed, but the way they are reported matters.”

He tapped the desk. “Make sure he understands the difference between fighting again and again only to lose again and again, and losing again and again yet continuing to fight. Even in defeat, he must lose in a way that pleases His Majesty. A bad thing must be turned into a good one!”

Fan Zhuan nodded, then asked, “Their first engagement ended in defeat. How should Eldest Young Master respond from here?”

Gao Jiancheng leaned back and considered for a while, fingertips tapping lightly against the desk. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

“The information we have on that wealthy landlord surnamed Zong outside the city can finally be put to use.”

Fan Zhuan had followed him for years. Their understanding was immediate. The moment he heard those words, he understood and nodded. “I'll notify Eldest Young Master at once.”

...

In the imperial garden, Shang Jianxiong stood before a cluster of withered flower branches. Perhaps the sight had touched something in him, for melancholy filled his face.

Tian Yu, Chief Steward of the Inner Palace, appeared around a corner. He approached, waved the others away, and reported softly, “Your Majesty, Gao Shaoming has sent word. They failed...”

He explained the general situation.

As Shang Jianxiong listened, anger gradually spread across his face. “A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, and after mobilizing so many experts against him, they were still wiped out to the last man? This is the ability of someone who volunteered for the task? Useless trash!”

Tian Yu bent slightly. “Yes. However, this old slave feels that what he did was not necessarily wrong.”

Shang Jianxiong whipped his head around and stared at him coldly. “How many benefits did he give you to make you speak for him?”

Tian Yu bowed again. “Your Majesty, please hear this old slave out. Gao Shaoming said plainly that Niu Youdao is no ordinary man and cannot be dealt with easily. Rather than sit and wait for a weakness to appear, it was better to strike first. Before he moved this time, he had already prepared himself to sacrifice those experts.”

“He had two purposes. First, perhaps a single strike might succeed. Second, he wanted to test Niu Youdao's true depth. The imperial court has never directly crossed hands with the man himself. No one truly knew what kind of resources he held. After this attempt, that is no longer the case. We now know that the force protecting Niu Youdao is anything but ordinary.”

“Using conventional assassination methods, if this defeat had not happened now, another would simply have happened later. At least now we can prepare a different approach.”

Shang Jianxiong fell silent after hearing this and even gave a faint nod, apparently finding some logic in it. His expression eased.

“How long does he intend to keep fighting this?”

Tian Yu replied, “He wasn't speaking empty words. He had already made plans in advance and has now submitted a strategy, though it will require the imperial court's cooperation.”

Shang Jianxiong gave a soft sound of interest. “Let's hear it.”

“There is a wealthy household outside the city, surnamed Zong. On the surface, the man is only a landlord. In reality, his background is anything but ordinary...”

[End of Chapter 585]