Chapter 751: First Visit to Zijin Cave

Guan Fangyi did not know how to answer those questions, but she did remind him of something. "It isn't only you. I looked over the list. Ghost Mother and Yun Ji are on it too."

Niu Youdao was surprised. "Do those two count as independent cultivators?"

Guan Fangyi asked in return, "Do you count as one?"

Niu Youdao had no answer. His situation was actually much the same as Ghost Mother's and Yun Ji's. He too had gathered a large group of people beneath him and occupied a mountain. Calling him an independent cultivator was not entirely accurate, yet he belonged to no sect. Strictly speaking, he still fell within the category of independent cultivators.

Seeing him check the list, Guan Fangyi moved closer and helped turn several pages, pointing out where the two names appeared.

The sight of Ghost Mother and Yun Ji on the list cooled the anger that had just begun rising inside him. He said gravely, "Contact Gong Lince and find out where he is. I want to see him. I need to know exactly how the nominations were made."

Guan Fangyi said, "Is it safe for you to show yourself right now?"

Niu Youdao said, "Misty Pavilion has already ordered the wars frozen, and my name is on the list. That itself is a protective talisman. For the moment, this may actually be the safest I've been."

Guan Fangyi thought about it and found the reasoning sound. "Wen Mo'er is in our hands. At any rate, she's Gong Lince's adopted daughter. Going to see Gong Lince should be safe." With that, she turned and left to make contact.

Niu Youdao sat down, calmed himself, and began examining the list name by name. If the matter could not be reversed, then he could only face it.

"Ximen Qingkong..." Niu Youdao murmured.

He had come across another name that surprised him considerably.

Ximen Qingkong, the number-one expert on the Golden Core Ranking and the personal guard of Xuan Wei, the female Chancellor of Wei, had actually been placed on the list too.

Logically, Wei should have done everything possible to keep Ximen Qingkong off it.

Could even Wei's influence not stop this?

Seeing Ximen Qingkong listed made Niu Youdao's suspicions toward Gong Lince fade another measure.

...

Contact was established with Gong Lince.

He had not returned to the battlefield and had not gone back to Meng Shanming's side to oversee matters.

The war had already been frozen. After leaving Misty Pavilion, Gong Lince had returned to Zijin Cave.

"The Sect Leader wants you to go to Zijin Cave and meet him. He says he has something important to tell you." Wen Mo'er found Niu Youdao and delivered the message after helping make contact.

Niu Youdao was still silently thinking when Guan Fangyi arrived.

After sending Wen Mo'er away, Guan Fangyi handed him a letter. "His Highness's side should have learned about this too. They want to see you."

Niu Youdao read the letter, then handed it back. "Now that the war is frozen, let them decide for themselves what to do. Whatever benefits Nanzhou most, I trust they know how to judge. I still have matters to deal with. We'll postpone the meeting for now. Before I enter the Tiandu Secret Realm, I'll go see them once."

Guan Fangyi nodded. She knew how to reply.

Just then, Yuan Gang arrived as well and handed Niu Youdao a secret letter.

Niu Youdao took it and saw that it was from Yucang, once again requesting a meeting and explicitly saying it concerned the Tiandu Secret Realm.

A faintly self-mocking smile appeared at the corner of Niu Youdao's mouth. "It seems this man is still quite concerned about me."

When he first learned about the list, Yucang had been one of the first people who came to mind. Niu Youdao hoped to gain another layer of protection from Xiaoyue Pavilion.

Now that he had received this letter, even if Yucang himself was not entering the Tiandu Secret Realm, Niu Youdao felt somewhat more assured.

As for why Yucang cared about him, Niu Youdao knew perfectly well.

No one rises early without profit.

"Arrange the time and place for the meeting. Calculate it properly. Once I return from Zijin Cave, I'll go straight to see him." Niu Youdao gave the instruction casually.

For now, he needed to see Gong Lince first.

He needed to determine exactly what had happened inside Misty Pavilion.

Rumors outside were not necessarily reliable. Only after tracing the matter to its source, and knowing exactly how much trouble he was facing, could he establish a foundation from which to deal with all the people and matters around him. Otherwise, when one side possessed more information than the other, it was far too easy to be deceived.

"Mm." Yuan Gang nodded in acknowledgment. After learning that Master Dao had to enter the Tiandu Secret Realm, his mood was heavy.

Niu Youdao turned and instructed Guan Fangyi as well. "Contact Chao Jing. I want to verify what exactly happened inside Misty Pavilion."

Weren't you going to ask Gong Lince about that?

The words almost left Guan Fangyi's mouth before she understood.

The matter was too important to rely on one person's version.

Master Dao wanted to confirm the facts by comparing several sources.

Xi Haitang, Sect Leader of Myriad Beasts Sect, had also attended the meeting in Misty Pavilion, and Chao Jing should be able to learn the truth from that side.

Guan Fangyi could see it now.

Unlike the anger he had shown when he first received the list, Master Dao had already calmed down. He had rapidly shifted his perspective and was now responding methodically, one step at a time.

Once everything on this side had been arranged, they summoned a large flying mount and prepared to hurry toward Zijin Cave.

Wen Mo'er wanted to accompany them, but Guan Fangyi stopped her. "You don't need to go. Stay here."

As she spoke, Guan Fangyi gave Uncle Chen and the others a look.

They understood and nodded.

Guan Fangyi had already given them instructions earlier.

As a precaution against Gong Lince trying anything, Wen Mo'er was to remain here as a hostage.

As for what Wen Mo'er herself thought, it was not important.

At this point, Niu Youdao's safety came before everything else for the people around him. No one here cared whether Wen Mo'er was happy or unhappy. Beauty was useless. If the time truly came to lay a vicious hand on her, not one person here would blink.

Niu Youdao now represented everyone's interests.

He was the one at the helm.

If anything happened to him, no one else could control where this ship went. None possessed the ability to steer it, nor could they continue controlling the situation in Nanzhou. The waves outside were high and dangerous. Without someone who could see the direction clearly, the ship could easily strike a reef and sink.

As before, Guan Fangyi and Old Second Wu accompanied him.

The three leapt onto the large flying mount and shot into the sky, sweeping toward the distant horizon.

...

The name Zijin Cave had nothing to do with the terrain where the sect stood, nor with any cultivation technique it practiced. According to legend, it came from the place where the founding ancestor of Zijin Cave had once lived.

By the time the sect developed to its present state, it had already relocated several times and long since left the place where its founder had originally established the sect.

That made it different from the Shangqing Sect.

The Shangqing Sect had once been the foremost sect in Yan and already occupied an excellent geomantic site. It could not bear to abandon that land. To do so would have felt like betraying generations of departed masters.

Zijin Cave's development, however, had only improved over time. Naturally, each place it moved to became better as well. Abandoning the previous sites had brought no shame whatsoever.

The place where Zijin Cave now stood was one of the rarest spiritually blessed and naturally beautiful regions in all of Yan.

The scenery was magnificent, and the buildings rising along the mountainside were imposing.

Niu Youdao, however, was in no mood to admire any of it.

They arrived riding the flying mount.

Instead of following the proper rules and entering through the mountain gate, they flew directly toward the sect's main hall and other important grounds.

Disciples patrolling the sky on flying mounts came to intercept and question them. Once they learned it was Niu Youdao, they immediately let them pass.

The flying mount descended.

Old Second Wu remained behind to guard it and handle communications with the outside world.

Niu Youdao and Guan Fangyi headed directly toward Zijin Cave's main sect hall, led by a disciple.

They did not enter the hall immediately.

Their arrival had been sudden, so they waited outside for a short while.

Before long, Gong Lince arrived leading a group of Zijin Cave's senior figures. They met Niu Youdao outside the hall.

Many among them had never seen Niu Youdao before.

Gong Lince had.

Back at the Myriad Beasts Sect, Niu Youdao had once brought Guan Fangyi to visit him.

"Getting a meeting with you isn't easy. You've finally shown yourself." Gong Lince smiled faintly, making the remark as a tease.

After cupping his hands and greeting everyone, Niu Youdao smiled back. "Sect Leader Gong never summoned me. I wouldn't dare intrude rashly."

Gong Lince's brows lifted slightly.

Strictly speaking, Niu Youdao was not wrong.

Gong Lince had searched for him, yes, but he truly had never issued a formal sect decree ordering him to appear.

The real problem was that no one could even find Niu Youdao.

He had plainly been hiding and refusing to meet.

Under those circumstances, what point was there in Gong Lince issuing a formal decree only to embarrass himself?

If he issued the order and Niu Youdao still did not come, wouldn't he merely be slapping his own face?

"Listen to you. Somehow this has become my fault instead. That tongue truly is sharp." Gong Lince gave a chuckle.

Outside was not the place to speak. There might be unfriendly ears nearby.

He gestured toward the hall, indicating they should go inside.

Niu Youdao walked beside him and said as they went, "I'm about to become one of you. As for what happened in the past, I assume none of you will hold it against me."

The Elders exchanged looks.

Gong Lince had already informed them of his intentions.

Some were somewhat dissatisfied that Gong Lince intended to sacrifice Wen Mo'er as part of the effort to win over Nanzhou.

Among them were even old bachelors advanced in years who coveted Wen Mo'er's beauty.

But no one dared oppose or criticize Gong Lince over the matter of a woman.

Winning over Nanzhou involved interests far too great, interests touching many people throughout the sect.

Every personal dissatisfaction had to yield before that.

Otherwise, one would be opposing the collective interests of the sect.

Forget Gong Lince.

No one else would tolerate it either.

Not only did no one oppose him, they instead approved of Gong Lince's approach.

This situation was different from Long Xiu's earlier use of Yi Shu.

Yi Shu was Long Xiu's youngest and final disciple.

Gong Lince taking an adopted daughter, by contrast, had been an adaptation made after judging the situation and changing with the times.

When the two were compared, there was a difference between having methods and being unscrupulous.

Strictly speaking, both were unscrupulous.

But once the outcomes appeared, everyone reacted differently.

One man would merely be praised for skillful methods.

The other would be left with a ruined reputation.

That was why Long Xiu had always hidden what he was doing and dared not make it public.

Gong Lince reached the principal position and stopped. "Whether you can become one of us still depends on whether you can return alive from the Tiandu Secret Realm."

The Elders split into two lines on either side and watched.

Quite a few were secretly observing and evaluating Niu Youdao.

The thought of someone this young becoming an Elder of Zijin Cave still made many of them somewhat uncomfortable.

Niu Youdao stood with his sword planted before him and looked around with a smile. "With Zijin Cave's strength, I assume you can ensure that I return safely."

Gong Lince shook his head. "That truly isn't certain. Do you know how many people inside Misty Pavilion wanted you dead?"

"There were thirty sect leaders present. Each made nominations without regard to state. When the final results came out, twelve of them had named you. Twelve sect leaders wanted you sent into the Tiandu Secret Realm."

"You understand what that means, don't you? At minimum, twelve separate powers want you dead."

"Zijin Cave cannot oppose that many forces. Even adding Xiaoyao Palace and Lingjian Mountain would not be enough."

"You should understand now just how much trouble you've run into."

Niu Youdao was genuinely startled.

He had not expected to be watched by so many great figures who held seats in Misty Pavilion.

He immediately asked, "Who nominated me?"

Gong Lince said, "No one knows. The nominations were anonymous. Misty Pavilion collected everyone's lists and registered them together. No one knows who nominated whom."

Niu Youdao's tone sank. "Sect Leader Gong had a voice there. Why didn't you stop it at the time?"

"I tried. I couldn't stop it..." Gong Lince then explained the details of how the nominations had unfolded. It was also necessary to explain them, to avoid misunderstandings.

This was the true account of what had happened inside Misty Pavilion.

The people who attended generally did not casually spread the specifics of Misty Pavilion's internal proceedings afterward.

Even senior figures in the various sects who later learned the details would not spread them widely.

At most, outsiders would hear only a rough summary that something had happened.

That was precisely why Niu Youdao had come here.

Because Misty Pavilion had planted Gongsun Bu at his side, the thing he most wanted to confirm was whether this incident had any direct connection to Misty Pavilion itself.

[End of Chapter 751]