Chapter 600: That Villain Is Despicable!

The three Sect Leaders were somewhat stunned.

All the money was theirs to divide, and on top of that, each sect was being given a large flying mount?

Niu Youdao turned and walked away. Guan Fangyi pushed the three finger bells toward them again and said irritably, “What are you standing there dazed for? Take them. They're gifts.”

Xia Hua still found it hard to believe. “Gifts? You're giving them to us for nothing?”

Guan Fangyi replied, “What, you don't want them?”

How could they possibly not want them?

The three hurriedly snatched up a finger bell each and handled them with obvious delight. As for the displeasure in a certain woman's tone, that no longer mattered.

“Do I need to teach you how to use them too?” Guan Fangyi asked sourly.

That, at least, was unnecessary. Even if they had never eaten pork, they had seen pigs run; they had heard enough to know how the bells worked.

Guan Fangyi turned and left.

Before long, three enormous flying mounts descended from the sky and landed outside the waterside pavilion. Fei Changliu, Zheng Jiuxiao, and Xia Hua immediately ran over to claim their respective mounts.

Standing by the railing, Shang Shuqing personally watched the three Sect Leaders beam with delight. She could not help smiling along with them.

Not long afterward, she watched the three of them personally guide their new flying mounts into the sky and depart.

Guan Fangyi caught up with Niu Youdao, grumbling under her breath the whole way. “Some ‘gift for me.’ I'm nothing but your storekeeper. When you don't need something, you throw it to me. The moment you need it, you take it back. And I'm cheap enough to keep doing it. I know perfectly well I can't hold onto anything, yet I still can't stop grabbing whatever comes my way.”

Niu Youdao walked along leaning on his sword and chuckled. “They're only three flying mounts. Once I squeeze one hundred million gold coins out of Gao Jiancheng, I'll give all of it to you. You'll come out far ahead.”

Guan Fangyi spat. “Quit trying to make this old lady happy. Where would Gao Jiancheng get a hundred million? No matter how corrupt he is, he couldn't have embezzled that much.”

Niu Youdao stopped and turned to look at her, teasing in his eyes. “If I really do get it, do you want it or not?”

Guan Fangyi glared. “Of course I want it! Why wouldn't I?”

Niu Youdao laughed. “Hongniang, I'm not flattering you. I really have noticed you're getting younger and younger.”

Guan Fangyi froze for a moment, then laughed and cursed. “Save the sweet talk. Give me something real.”

Niu Youdao stepped close to her and, beside her ear, spoke with incomparable sincerity and seriousness.

“No matter how merciless the years may be, you will always be the most beautiful woman in my heart.”

Then he gently brushed past her.

Guan Fangyi stood rooted to the spot. Her white teeth scraped lightly across her red lip as she watched him go, love and hate mingled in her eyes.

All things considered, she had been fairly easygoing this time. She had only grumbled for a while about the one million given to Su Jieren for compensation and about these three flying mounts. Unlike usual, she had not forced Niu Youdao to waste endless words persuading her.

Too many people had died protecting this place.

...

Inside the imperial palace at Yanjing, the morning court had ended. Ministers began filing out of the great audience hall.

As the officials descended the steps, they saw a large flying mount sweep in from outside and enter the palace grounds. Quiet murmurs arose among the ministers.

Gao Jiancheng also turned his head and asked the people beside him, “My old eyes are failing me. Did the man on that flying mount look somewhat familiar?”

A younger official beside him immediately lowered his voice. “It looked like Eunuch Ga returning from outside.”

Gao Jiancheng gave a quiet acknowledgment. His eyes flickered, but he said nothing more.

Once they left the audience hall, some officials headed out of the palace while others remained to work in the central government offices within. A man of Gao Jiancheng's rank naturally belonged to the latter group.

On the way, however, a guard approached quickly and cupped his hands. “Grand Minister of the Masses, your steward is waiting outside the palace.”

Gao Jiancheng nodded, waved him away, then gave several instructions to the subordinates beside him before heading toward the palace gate.

The moment he emerged, Steward Fan Zhuan came forward and drew him aside. Lowering his voice, he said, “Master, something has happened to Eldest Young Master. He's fallen into Niu Youdao's hands.”

Gao Jiancheng was badly startled. “What happened?”

“Eldest Young Master accompanied Ga Miaoshui personally to Qingshan Commandery to attack Maolu Villa. The operation failed. This is a letter from Niu Youdao. He wants Master to pay money to ransom him.” Fan Zhuan offered the letter with both hands.

Gao Jiancheng immediately snapped the paper open and read it.

As he took in the contents, his face gradually turned pale and his body swayed.

Fan Zhuan hurriedly caught his arm. “Master, don't become agitated. Don't become agitated. We'll think of something. We'll think of something. Heaven protect him—Eldest Young Master will surely be fine.”

Once Gao Jiancheng steadied himself, he gave a bitter laugh. “I'm not grieving over that wretch's life. If he were dead, that might actually be simpler. Alive and held in Niu Youdao's hands, he can drag the entire Gao clan down with him. The Gao clan is finished!”

He sighed bitterly. “Wretched son! I warned him again and again that he still hadn't shaken the habits he learned in the Intelligence Directorate. Yet he actually went to the front himself. Doesn't he understand the saying that a body worth a thousand gold should not sit beneath a dangerous roof?”

Fan Zhuan said, “Master may be worrying too much. Perhaps it hasn't reached that point.”

Gao Jiancheng sighed. “Niu Youdao has never seized personal profit for himself, whether in those two commanderies or across all of Nanzhou. The man knows measure in both advance and retreat. He isn't greedy for money. Do you truly think he captured Shaoming merely to extort a little wealth? This is a chess piece delivered directly into his hands, and ironclad evidence that the imperial court launched a covert attack against him. Have you thought about what happens if Shaoming stands up and testifies against the court?”

Fan Zhuan's face changed drastically.

If that truly happened, the Gao clan was indeed finished. Master would inevitably be implicated as well.

His Adam's apple bobbed. He said with difficulty, “He named a price. Perhaps he truly does need money urgently.”

“Fool!” Gao Jiancheng said. “Forget the fact that I cannot produce one hundred million. Even if I could, I cannot give it to him. Do you think his target is the Gao clan? His purpose is to manufacture trouble for the imperial court. If I truly hand over one hundred million to make the exchange, he will certainly make the transaction known to everyone. Settling the matter privately would itself confirm the imperial court's covert attack. Even if I brought Shaoming back alive, the Gao clan would still be completely finished. His Majesty would be the first person unwilling to spare us!”

This time Fan Zhuan truly panicked. “Then what do we do? Is there really no way to salvage this?”

Gao Jiancheng raised one hand. “Don't panic yet. The more frightened we become, the more mistakes we'll make. Stay calm. For now, act as though we know nothing. Go back and gather information. I'll sound out the situation from my side as well. First we establish exactly what happened, then we decide.”

“Good. This old servant will go make inquiries immediately.”

After Fan Zhuan left, Gao Jiancheng stood in silence for a while, thinking.

Then he straightened his robes and returned to the palace.

His thin frame once again carried a dignified, commanding bearing. No trace of anything unusual could be seen.

...

Crash!

A porcelain teacup shattered across the floor of the imperial study.

Shang Jianxiong had not even changed out of his court robes. He was blazing with fury as he pointed at Ga Miaoshui and berated him.

“More than ten thousand cultivators! Experts gathered in force! You even mobilized Zong Yuan, and you still failed? What use are any of you?”

Ga Miaoshui explained, “We appear to have fallen into Niu Youdao's trap. The other side had clearly prepared in advance. More than ten thousand cultivators from the two sects could not even break through the outer defensive line. Massed arrows and siege crossbows poured down like torrential rain, and they suffered catastrophic losses during the outer assault alone. Inside Maolu Villa, people saw Huang Lie, Sect Leader of Dachan Mountain, personally present with Dachan Mountain's senior leadership. There was also a top-tier expert holding the ground. Even Zong Yuan was no match for that man and died at his hands. Preparations that complete could only have been a trap!”

Shang Jianxiong bared his teeth in rage. “A trap? You're telling me this now? What were you doing before you went? Were all of you blind?”

Ga Miaoshui bowed his head and said nothing.

Tian Yu, standing nearby with a deep frown, spoke. “A top-tier expert? Where did Maolu Villa get a top-tier expert?”

Ga Miaoshui replied, “The man deliberately concealed his real appearance, but the techniques he used resembled the legendary Azure Cloud Sword Art.”

Suspicion appeared in Tian Yu's eyes. “You suspect Zhao Xiongge of Demon Ridge?”

“Very likely. Other than him, I cannot think who else it could be. Niu Youdao and Zhao Xiongge both came from Shangqing Sect, after all.”

“Shangqing Sect. Shangqing Sect again. Prince Ning's remnants again!” Shang Jianxiong pointed furiously at Tian Yu. “I said long ago that all of them should have been uprooted. I regret ever listening to that old Song Jiuming's slanderous counsel! In my view, it's time to use the old affair to bring the three great sects into this.”

He waved sharply. “Contact the three great sects immediately. Use Shangqing Sect as the issue and have them step in to eliminate Niu Youdao!”

Tian Yu looked troubled. He very much wanted to ask whether, after everything surrounding Prince Ning had reduced Yan to its present condition, the three great sects had not already regretted it enough.

Naturally, he could not say such a thing aloud.

Instead, he shook his head and advised, “Your Majesty, leaving aside the fact that the affair from those years has already passed, the real problem is that Niu Youdao has now grown into a power in his own right. His influence throughout Nanzhou runs too deep. Even Dachan Mountain, which nominally controls Nanzhou, cannot suppress him. If the three great sects do not want Nanzhou thrown into complete disorder, even they must treat him with caution. That villain's methods are simply too clever. No one ever saw him openly building a force of his own, and that lulled everyone into complacency. By the time anyone realized what had happened, it was already too late. Nanzhou and Jinzhou in Zhao are now joined in common interest. The example of the two sides cooperating to face danger together has only just passed. If anyone moves recklessly, Jinzhou will not sit and watch. Add the Han armies pressing down from the north and Song watching like a tiger in the east, and at this moment the three great sects absolutely do not want to see Yan descend into internal chaos that can no longer be contained. Even the three great sects no longer dare act rashly against him. If Your Majesty goes to them now, they may instead hold Your Majesty accountable and ask why you secretly sent men into Nanzhou to launch an attack. They will fear provoking Nanzhou's armies into running rampant. If Jinzhou becomes involved as well, matters will only grow more troublesome. At that point, who among the three great sects would still care about old Shangqing Sect affairs?”

Those words left Shang Jianxiong inwardly uneasy.

After all, this operation had been carried out behind the backs of the three great sects.

The worst part was that it had failed.

After pondering for a moment, he asked, “If Nanzhou raises troops, Dachan Mountain presumably won't cooperate, will it?”

Tian Yu answered, “By ordinary reasoning, no. Dachan Mountain has only just established itself in Nanzhou and has not even found firm footing yet. It should not wish to invite trouble onto its own head. But under present circumstances, the three great sects want stability inside Yan and do not wish to hand an opening to foreign enemies.”

Shang Jianxiong ground his teeth. “Then are we simply supposed to let Niu Youdao go?”

Tian Yu's face was bitter. “Your Majesty, a force this powerful was assembled and still failed to break into Maolu Villa. Leaving aside whether sending even more manpower would succeed, I fear no one would be willing to go after what happened this time. It would be better to let the matter rest for now and look for another opportunity later. If even this could not kill him, it is truly unwise to make the affair any larger. If matters genuinely spiral beyond control, Your Majesty will have no way to answer to the three great sects.”

Shang Jianxiong fell silent and slowly breathed out the frustration in his chest.

At that moment, a eunuch entered from outside carrying an intelligence report. Ga Miaoshui stepped forward to receive it, did not dare read it first, and handed it directly to Tian Yu.

The moment Tian Yu read it, his expression changed.

“That villain is despicable!” he spat bitterly.

Shang Jianxiong swept him with a cold look. “What now?”

Tian Yu said, “That Niu scoundrel is ruthless! He has hung the Sect Leaders of Zhenling Academy and Feihua Pavilion, together with a group of captured senior figures from both sects, from the walls outside Qingshan Commandery's city for public display. He intends to destroy both sects completely. The disciples of the two sects have appealed to Your Majesty for aid. They beg Your Majesty, in consideration of the hardships both sects endured in Your Majesty's service, to save them!”

[End of Chapter 600]