Chapter 611: Have You Always Wanted Me Dead?

He had clearly heard that they were swearing a bond, yet he had still spoken that way.

The Tiannü Sect was made up entirely of female disciples, and its rules forbade relations between men and women. Long Xiu’s words were plainly an insult to Hui Qingping.

Hui Qingping’s expression chilled. “If you don’t know how to speak like a human being, shut that filthy mouth!”

“Impudent!” Yi Shu immediately rebuked her from Long Xiu’s side. Her master had been insulted; as his disciple, naturally she had to speak up.

Long Xiu raised a hand to stop her. “If they want to complete the ceremony, let them. It won’t change anything.” His gaze shifted meaningfully to Niu Youdao, as though telling him to decide for himself what he ought to do.

Niu Youdao looked awkward.

Guan Fangyi, Yuan Gang, Fei Changliu, Zheng Jiuxiao, Xia Hua, and the others all grew tense.

Situ Yao, watching from the side, felt both relieved and anxious. He was relieved that Long Xiu had arrived in time and would not sit by while the thing he had feared came to pass. But he was also worried that Long Xiu might move against Niu Youdao and completely overturn the current balance between Nanzhou and Jinzhou.

“Little Brother, what are you still hesitating for? Don’t tell me you want to go back on your word.” Hui Qingping pressed him from the side, forcing Niu Youdao to continue.

And so, before everyone’s eyes, the two swore their oaths to Heaven and kowtowed in turn. After rising, they planted their incense, poured wine, and drank the ritual cups.

Everyone who cared about Niu Youdao broke into a cold sweat under the enormous pressure they thought he was enduring.

What they did not know was that, for Niu Youdao, the pressure was mostly on the surface. He had never expected both Lingxiao Pavilion and Tiannü Sect to send elder-level figures here, nor had he expected Long Xiu to come in person, much less for all these people to run into one another. It had truly been one surprise after another.

None of this had been part of his calculations. He had only estimated that Yan’s three major sects would send an elder with enough authority to make decisions. He had never believed a mere Maolu Villa was important enough for someone of Long Xiu’s stature to come personally.

But Niu Youdao had already decided what he intended to do. Though their collision here was unexpected, it actually made things simpler and saved him considerable trouble.

The moment the ceremony ended, Quan Taifeng inserted himself into the scene. He slapped Niu Youdao hard on the shoulder and said with extraordinary warmth, “After today’s oath, you and I are family. With this elder brother of yours here, there’s no need to fear anything.”

Hui Qingping shot Long Xiu a sidelong glance and smiled as well. “Little Brother, your elder sister may only have a few more years on you, but I do have shoulders broad enough to carry responsibility. Whatever happens, I won’t stand by and watch you suffer injustice.”

The two chimed in one after the other. They were completely different from the people who had been pressured into swearing the bond moments earlier. Now they were competing to reassure Niu Youdao and tell him not to be afraid.

Put plainly, they were performing for Long Xiu. Niu Youdao was now their sworn younger brother. If Long Xiu touched him, he was touching them, and they would not stand aside.

There was also an unmistakable sense of the two joining forces against Long Xiu.

In truth, neither had expected Long Xiu himself to come to Maolu Villa. They had anticipated that Yan’s three major sects would send someone, but even if an elder had come, they could have faced him as equals. Long Xiu’s arrival was another matter entirely. Their rank and standing were not equal, and the people accompanying him were no weaker than their own side. The two had no choice but to band together.

The atmosphere became oppressive and strange. Most people no longer dared make a sound. Niu Youdao maintained an appropriate silence.

“Finished with the farce?” Long Xiu asked. He had not expected to run into something like this after coming personally.

After Yan’s three major sects received Niu Youdao’s and Shang Chaozong’s letters pleading their grievances, Nanzhou’s aggrieved posture and request for the three sects to uphold justice made them overlook Nanzhou itself. Since Nanzhou had appealed to them to decide the matter, it appeared weak and obedient, something they could control at any time. There seemed no need to intervene there immediately.

As Yan’s ultimate arbiters, the three sects instead began demanding an explanation from the imperial court and exchanging letters back and forth with it. No one expected Nanzhou to suddenly send troops during that delay and beat Dingzhou so badly it could scarcely fight back.

Then things began to look wrong. News arrived through the Golden Core Ranking that Zong Yuan had been killed and Zhao Xiongge had acted. At the same time, the Yan court urgently reported the war and asked the three sects to mediate. The matter had grown too large and Yan itself was showing signs of descending into internal chaos. The three major sects could no longer sit still.

After a brief discussion among themselves, they decided there was no need for all three to send people to deal with a mere Maolu Villa. Xiaoyao Palace volunteered to represent them in Nanzhou, so Long Xiu came personally to see what was going on.

All the back-and-forth had consumed several days before the three major sects finally had no choice but to step in and restrain Nanzhou. That was why Long Xiu had arrived late, even behind Hui Qingping and Quan Taifeng despite their having traveled from farther away.

Privately, however, Long Xiu was relieved he had come himself. If he had casually sent an elder, that elder would never have been able to control a situation like this.

When no one answered him, Long Xiu tilted his head toward Niu Youdao. “Niu Youdao, come with me.”

Niu Youdao had only just taken a step when Hui Qingping caught his arm. Quan Taifeng also stretched out a hand to block his path.

Long Xiu, who had been about to turn away, stopped. “What are you trying to do?”

Neither answered him. Hui Qingping warned Niu Youdao, “Little Brother, your elder sister is doing this for your own good.”

Quan Taifeng gave a grunt of agreement. “Little Brother, we’re thinking of your safety too.”

At this point, neither was willing to let Niu Youdao fall easily into Long Xiu’s hands. That was precisely why, even after Long Xiu arrived, they had insisted on completing the sworn bond: it gave them a proper and legitimate excuse to interfere.

Long Xiu nodded faintly and stared expressionlessly at Niu Youdao. “I won’t force him, and neither will you. Whether he comes over is for Niu Youdao himself to decide.”

That single sentence put Hui Qingping and Quan Taifeng in a difficult position. Niu Youdao might be their sworn brother, but he was also a cultivator of Yan. If they openly coerced a Yan cultivator in front of Long Xiu while standing on Yan soil, Long Xiu would have every reason to act. Both were forced to let go.

Niu Youdao showed no hesitation and immediately walked toward Long Xiu.

Alarmed, Hui Qingping grabbed his arm again. “Little Brother, don’t be rash. Think this through.”

“I said no one is to force him,” Long Xiu said. “Anyone who dares make a move can try. I guarantee not one of you will leave here alive!” He tilted his head.

One of the Xiaoyao Palace attendants immediately wrote a secret message and released a Goldenwing.

Hui Qingping and Quan Taifeng exchanged a glance. Both knew he was not merely trying to frighten them. Forget whatever additional manpower Long Xiu might have arranged nearby. He alone had the authority to mobilize the cultivation sects throughout Yan to hunt them down. Even if reinforcements had to come from Xiaoyao Palace itself, the advantage in distance was still far beyond anything their own sects could match.

More importantly, judging only by the strength present here, they were already no match for Long Xiu’s escort.

The Xiaoyao Palace people were moving even as they thought. They surrounded the two groups on the spot, glaring like tigers and looking ready to strike at any moment.

Hui Qingping cursed inwardly. She had never expected to run directly into Long Xiu himself. Her hand had no choice but to release Niu Youdao once more, though she kept shooting him urgent looks.

“It’s fine.” Niu Youdao smiled and continued toward Long Xiu.

He was not afraid. If he dared do something, he naturally had the nerve to bear the consequences. Here in Nanzhou, he was not someone anyone could simply kill at will.

He did not like drawing his sword, and he rarely fought personally, but that did not mean he could not fight, nor did it mean he was someone to trifle with.

Before leaving, he gave Yuan Gang a look. Yuan Gang understood and nodded.

“Little Brother!” Quan Taifeng called heavily and stepped forward, only for a Xiaoyao Palace elder to flash in front of him. The two stared each other down.

Long Xiu turned and walked away. Niu Youdao followed.

Guan Fangyi quickly followed Niu Youdao as well. Along the way she repeatedly signaled Uncle Chen, Old Second Wu, and the others with her eyes. The old hands from Fufang Garden quietly began gathering and deploying themselves along the direction Niu Youdao was taking.

Their lives and fortunes were at stake. If the two sides truly turned hostile, whether they could win or not, no one here would care that the man before them was Long Xiu, Palace Master of Xiaoyao Palace.

Yuan Gang moved over to Fei Changliu, Xia Hua, and Zheng Jiuxiao. Ignoring the standoff still unfolding before them, the four quietly withdrew, then quickly left Maolu Villa.

Yuan Fang, who had been spying from behind a moon gate, immediately shrank back. He paced along the base of the wall, rubbing his hands over and over in anxiety. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

In the waterside pavilion, Long Xiu stood by the railing with his hands behind his back. “What are you trying to do?”

Naturally, the question was directed at Niu Youdao.

Niu Youdao stood respectfully to one side and gave a bitter smile. “Palace Master, I truly didn’t want to swear a bond with those two. You saw it yourself. I had no choice. They forced me into it. I couldn’t refuse even if I wanted to.”

This was one piece of blame Hui Qingping and Quan Taifeng really did have to shoulder. Many people had not heard the negotiations beforehand. Those who later came to witness the ceremony, Long Xiu included, had personally seen Hui Qingping force Niu Youdao to continue. And at this point, neither Hui Qingping nor Quan Taifeng was about to admit that Niu Youdao had been the one who forced them into the bond.

Yi Shu rebuked him from the side. “Nonsense! The Palace Master had already stepped forward to support you. You could have refused on the spot. What were you afraid of? Yet you dared continue swearing a bond with foreign enemies right in front of the Palace Master. What are you plotting?”

Niu Youdao turned his head toward her. “Miss Yi, that’s easy for you to say. Yes, the Palace Master could support me while he was standing here. What about afterward? Can the Palace Master remain at my side forever? Liuxian Sect, Fuyun Sect, Lingxiu Mountain, and Dachan Mountain all have disciples who must travel in the outside world. Could we withstand retaliation from those two sects? Would you personally come running every time insignificant people like us needed someone to stand up for us? Miss Yi, you stand high above everyone else. You come from a great sect and no one dares provoke you. You don’t understand the difficulties of people beneath you.”

“You...” Yi Shu found herself unable to answer and resorted to arguing the point another way. “You’re famous throughout the cultivation world for liking sworn bonds. I think you did it deliberately!”

Niu Youdao disagreed. “Miss Yi, you plainly saw them force me into it, yet you insist on throwing dirty water over my head. Miss Yi, whose side are you on? Why are you siding with outsiders?”

Yi Shu flared up. “You swore a bond with foreign enemies, and you accuse me of siding with outsiders?”

“Enough!” Long Xiu barked, cutting them off. What was done was done, and there was no point arguing about it further. He turned a cold gaze on Niu Youdao. “I wasn’t asking about the sworn bond. What is this business with Nanzhou attacking Dingzhou?”

“That sworn-bond business is nonsense. Who would take it seriously?” Niu Youdao replied firmly. “All I need is one word from the Palace Master. If you say the offensive stops, I will immediately put pressure on Dachan Mountain and Shang Chaozong. The army can halt its attack at once!”

That was the right attitude. There was not the slightest ambiguity in it, and Long Xiu found it pleasing to hear. “Stop this nonsense. Yan is facing threats from foreign enemies. Our own people cannot keep fighting among themselves. Have Nanzhou’s army stop the offensive immediately!”

“Yes!” Niu Youdao agreed. Then he cupped his hands again. “Palace Master, I have one question I would like to ask. I don’t know whether I should.”

“You’ve already opened your mouth. What is there left that you can’t ask? Speak.”

Niu Youdao looked at him. “Palace Master, have you always wanted me dead?”

Long Xiu did not know where this had come from. His eyes narrowed slightly. “Which eye of yours saw me trying to kill you?”

Niu Youdao said, “Earlier, the imperial court seized an opportunity to mobilize an army against Nanzhou. I don’t believe the three major sects knew nothing about it, yet no one said a word. You all watched the imperial army press down on us. Afterward, the court sent assassins to attack me in Jinzhou. Then I returned to Maolu Villa, and the court gathered a large force to attack again. Several thousand cultivators on my side were killed. Nanzhou lost nearly ten thousand soldiers. Blood flowed like rivers. The mountains and fields outside Maolu Villa are covered in bleak new graves, yet to this day not one person from the three major sects has come forward to speak a single word of justice!”

“The court provokes us once, twice, three times, without end. Palace Master, tell me: who could endure it? Should I have struck back or not? I sent my grievances and pleas to the three major sects and waited until now. I never received a single fair word. All I received was an order for me to stop, as though I alone were in the wrong. What about the imperial court?”

[End of Chapter 611]