Chapter 755: Master Dao, Take Care

Guan Fangyi understood what he meant. She gave a bitter smile. "I truly don't know any senior figures in the Demonic Sect. Even if there really is someone, after everything I've been through, I've long since seen men for what they are. I'm not going to attach myself to some man and curry favor just to survive. There's no need."

Niu Youdao said, "Hongniang, I'm not telling you to depend on anyone. I'm telling you to stay alive and first find a secure place where you can establish yourself. If I don't come back, things here will inevitably change. The interests involved are too great. None of you will be able to hold them back."

"When that time comes, Shang Chaozong and the others won't be masters of their own fate either. They won't do anything for a dead man who can never return. They'll find someone else to rely on. That's inevitable."

"Whoever takes over this side won't allow the power I left behind to continue existing. They'll inevitably uproot it. When the time comes, Fuyun Sect, Liuxian Sect, Lingxiu Mountain, and the others will have to choose sides to protect themselves. They may very well be the first ones to move against you."

"At that point, no one here will be able to protect you. Your situation will be extremely dangerous. Listen to me. First find somewhere you can establish yourself, then think about the future afterward. For now, this is the only arrangement I can think of. No one can say what the future will bring. There's no point in me thinking too far ahead."

At the mention of Fuyun Sect and the others, Guan Fangyi asked suspiciously, "You mean I won't have to worry about them then?"

Niu Youdao said, "Even if you wanted to, you wouldn't be able to. Without me here, you can't keep them under control. They won't listen to you at all. That may sound unpleasant, but that's reality."

"You don't need to concern yourself with them. Just take your own brothers. Taking too many people would be inappropriate anyway, and you couldn't take all of them with you. Bring only the brothers from Fufang Garden to Demon Ridge. Don't worry about anyone else. From then on, just look after yourselves."

From then on?

Guan Fangyi bit her lip with pearly teeth. "What about Old Bear and that bunch of monks?"

Niu Youdao chuckled. "A harmless group of monks. No one will make trouble for them. Besides, they have the method for brewing the wine in their hands. Everyone can make use of them. Don't worry. They'll continue living perfectly well. Old Bear knows which way the wind blows."

Guan Fangyi asked again, "What about Monkey?"

Niu Youdao shook his head. "If he's willing to go with you, take him. But I doubt he'll go. Monkey has his own ideas, and once his mind is set, nothing can change it. You can't force him, and there's no need to."

"I expect he'll stay beside Shang Chaozong, so you don't need to worry about him either. If I'm gone, I can only let go and allow him to walk his own road."

"When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Once my power breaks apart, so long as all of you have left, he'll actually be safer by himself. I've dealt with Shang Chaozong for so many years. I understand him somewhat. At least for now, he hasn't become that cold-blooded and heartless. Otherwise, I would never have allowed him to sit in Nanzhou until today, and he wouldn't have lived this long."

"Too many people would be difficult, but if only Monkey remains, Shang Chaozong and the others can protect him. As for what happens farther down the road, that won't be something I need to worry about anymore."

Guan Fangyi felt miserable inside, but she muttered, "You certainly take it well. Maybe you really won't ever come back. Doesn't that make you feel even a little bad?"

A trace of melancholy entered Niu Youdao's expression. "What good does feeling bad do? Once you've gone through enough things that hurt, you get used to them."

Guan Fangyi looked at him with contempt. "You make yourself sound like some old man."

Niu Youdao chuckled. "Actually, the two of us are about the same age."

Guan Fangyi arched a brow. "Oh? Is that a declaration of love?"

Niu Youdao looked at her with teasing amusement. "See? I tell the truth and you don't believe me."

After talking for a while, the two returned to the villa.

A crowd was waiting for them at the entrance.

The large flying mounts had already been prepared. They were about to leave.

Fei Changliu, Xia Hua, and Zheng Jiuxiao once again entrusted the disciples of their three sects who were entering the Tiandu Secret Realm to Niu Youdao. Right there in front of everyone, they again instructed their disciples to obey Niu Youdao once they entered.

Like the rest of Yan's cultivation world, the three sects had each been assigned a share of the places for the Tiandu Secret Realm. Each sect was sending one person, no more.

The three sects knew Yan's three major sects had given Niu Youdao face and therefore had not demanded more people from this side.

Sect Leader Situ Yao of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion sighed. "Brother, let's go!"

He was the most depressed of them all.

Even he, the Sect Leader of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion, had to enter the Tiandu Secret Realm. Across the various states, it was exceedingly rare for a Sect Leader to participate.

There was no helping it.

Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion was still a cultivation sect of Zhao. This time circumstances had forced them to tear all relations with Zhao completely apart. How could Zhao's three major sects possibly let Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion have an easy time?

The power to nominate entrants lay in the hands of Zhao's three major sects. The result was easy to imagine.

Zhao had named a whole group of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion's senior figures. Not one Elder escaped. Even the Sect Leader had been included. The intention was obvious: they meant to seize the opportunity to cripple Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion.

Under normal circumstances, no sect in any state would dare offend the factions from its own state that held seats in Misty Pavilion. Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion had simply run into extraordinary circumstances. Zhao intended to wipe them out to the roots. Even refusing to resist had ceased to be an option.

Fortunately, the rules still imposed limits. They could not force one sect to send too many people, or else it would fail to serve some unspoken purpose of Misty Pavilion.

Each state sent one thousand people.

Each sect from a state that held a seat in Misty Pavilion had a quota of one hundred. The remaining places were divided among the other sects of that state, with no single one of those sects permitted to send more than fifty.

Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion had been assigned the full fifty.

Fortunately, Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion now had Yan supporting it from behind. Otherwise, simply sweeping away all of its senior leadership in one stroke would have been enough to throw the sect into chaos.

With Yan's forces helping hold things steady, its senior figures could at least leave with somewhat easier minds.

They had no choice on this trip.

They could only stand with Yan.

Even knowing how dangerous it was to stay close to Niu Youdao, they had no choice but to band together with him.

"Who could have expected even the independent cultivators would be dragged in? Brother, Nanzhou can't do without you. I'll be waiting here for your return." Huang Lie, Sect Leader of Dachan Mountain, had come to see him off. He patted Niu Youdao's arm with an expression of boundless emotion and obvious reluctance.

Niu Youdao gave him a strange look.

The look made Huang Lie rather embarrassed.

Some things did not need to be said aloud. Everyone understood them perfectly well.

"Let's go!" Niu Youdao called.

Those preparing to leave headed toward the row of waiting flying mounts.

Everyone departing together was among the senior figures of the factions on this side.

There were only so many flying mounts. They could not carry everyone. Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion alone had too many people for that. Those who needed to travel on horseback had already left ahead of time.

The people here had deliberately waited until the last possible time. With flying mounts, they did not need to leave too early and could still arrive in time.

"Master Dao!"

Shang Shuqing, who had barely found a chance to exchange more than a few words with Niu Youdao since arriving, could no longer hold herself back. She called out and stepped forward.

Niu Youdao stopped and turned to look at her.

Under everyone's gaze, Shang Shuqing started to speak several times, only to stop herself. In the end, she said only one short sentence.

"Master Dao, take care."

Shang Chaozong knew his younger sister's feelings.

The look he gave her was complicated, and his heart ached somewhat.

In truth, Shang Shuqing was an unusually outstanding woman. There was nothing to criticize about her figure either. Yet because of that face, she had remained unmarried until she had become an old maid.

Before, the decline of their household had delayed her marriage.

Now their power and status were more than sufficient to solve the problem. Shang Chaozong had also been trying to find a suitable husband for her, but Shang Shuqing was no longer willing to settle for just anyone.

The Shang Shuqing of today was no secluded young lady from a great household who would allow her family to decide everything for her.

Shang Chaozong could not force her.

As for Shang Shuqing's face, Niu Youdao had already given them an answer.

It was not merely that he had no solution.

Even the Shangqing Sect could not cure it.

"Commandery Princess, you take care as well." Niu Youdao smiled and offered the polite farewell.

Then he turned away.

The row of flying mounts rose into the sky.

The departing group leapt aboard. The mounts circled overhead several times, then formed a line and flew toward the horizon.

The people of Maolu Villa watched them go.

"Qing'er."

Shang Chaozong walked to Shang Shuqing's side and called softly.

Shang Shuqing said nothing.

She slowly lowered her head.

One after another, the others' gazes turned toward her.

In truth, everyone had seen certain things long ago.

But there were many matters for which nothing could be done.

No one could help her.

Perhaps back then, everyone could still have tried to bring the two together.

At the time, Shang Shuqing's status had been sufficient to match Niu Youdao's.

Unfortunately, circumstances then had not been suitable.

Who could have imagined things would change so quickly?

By the time everyone had finally established themselves, Niu Youdao was no longer the Niu Youdao of those years.

His status and position now stood above the Shang siblings themselves.

Even Gong Lince, Sect Leader of Zijin Cave, had gone so far as to invent an adopted daughter, Wen Mo'er, and send her over.

The situation spoke for itself.

Who could still urge Niu Youdao to marry an ugly woman?

Niu Youdao had no such intention, and he had no need to control Nanzhou through a marriage alliance.

No one was in any position to raise the subject anymore.

Put bluntly, with Shang Shuqing looking the way she did, she was no longer a match for Niu Youdao.

Some things, once missed, might be missed forever...

...

Inside the Imperial Prison of the Song capital, Luo Zhao was escorted back after another interrogation and locked once more inside his cell.

Toward evening, the prison gates opened again.

This time someone was dragged inside.

It was Wen You, Luo Zhao's trusted strategist.

His body was stained with blood.

He had not received Luo Zhao's relatively favorable treatment.

The interrogators had tortured him.

Hearing the noise, Luo Zhao merely moved to the bars and looked outside.

The prison was dim, and he could not make out who it was. He could only roughly tell that the person had been locked several cells away.

The footsteps receded.

Then another set approached.

Someone stopped outside Luo Zhao's cell.

A familiar face smiled at him. "Grand Commander-in-Chief, you have suffered."

"Chief Steward?" Luo Zhao said in surprise.

The visitor was none other than Mo Gao, Chief Steward of the Inner Palace.

Mo Gao had the jailer open the door.

He took a food box from the eunuch accompanying him, carried it inside, and then dismissed the others.

Setting the food box on the table, he opened it and arranged the dishes one by one. "His Majesty ordered this old servant to bring the Grand Commander-in-Chief some wine and food."

"Thank His Majesty." Luo Zhao's voice was heavy.

Once everything was arranged, Mo Gao turned to him. "With matters having reached this point, His Majesty is under enormous pressure as well."

"His Majesty has already sent people everywhere to search for your esteemed wife. Once Madam returns, she will inevitably go to Lingxiao Pavilion and make a scene. Lingxiao Pavilion will then have to come forward and apply pressure to the court officials. The officials will be forced to loosen their stance. At that point, Grand Commander-in-Chief, you'll be able to leave this place."

Luo Zhao asked, "Any leads?"

"Not yet." Mo Gao shook his head.

Then he deliberately added, "Contradictions have appeared not only inside the court. The three major sects themselves have developed internal disagreements."

"His Majesty is under enormous pressure. Some people believe their opportunity has come. They want to force His Majesty to accept blame and abdicate, and they're already lobbying the three major sects."

"Grand Commander-in-Chief, do you understand what this old servant means?"

Luo Zhao nodded slightly.

They wanted him to bear the responsibility.

Mo Gao said, "Good. Then you understand. So the Grand Commander-in-Chief must hold firmly to one story: His Majesty agreed only because he was misled by you and had no choice in the face of your insistence."

"So long as His Majesty stabilizes the situation, the Grand Commander-in-Chief will be released sooner or later. You'll merely have to suffer some temporary grievance."

Luo Zhao gave a cold laugh. "Things have already come to this, and they're still busy fighting among themselves!"

Mo Gao sighed. "Who says otherwise? The more chaotic the times become, the more demons and monsters crawl out. Human hearts... ah."

"There are too many mad dogs around right now. It wasn't easy for me to come here either. Does the Grand Commander-in-Chief have anything you'd like this old servant to pass on to His Majesty?"

Luo Zhao said, "Wine."

"Very well. As much as you want." Mo Gao nodded.

He cupped his hands, turned, and left.

[End of Chapter 755]