Chapter 768: I Won't Force You

"Manpower to help us?" Yan Li immediately pressed him. "Who?"

Niu Youdao shook his head, plainly unwilling to say. He changed the subject. "No one discovered that I left, did they? Are your people reliable?"

Yan Li said, "I pulled the men away from the directions you used coming and going. Not many people on Zijin Cave's side saw anything either. The ones who know won't talk."

"Good." Niu Youdao nodded. Then he asked, "What about Chu Fengping? Has Elder Yan thought of a way to deal with him?"

At the mention of this, Yan Li felt a headache coming on.

He sat cross-legged in front of Niu Youdao as well. "That shameless old bastard actually brought the female disciple here specifically for this. He intends to make the match happen directly inside the Tiandu Secret Realm. Once he does that, you won't have any road left to retreat."

"The key problem is that if we want to protect you, we need the support of all the strength Yan brought here, especially because of that demand Sha Rulai imposed on you to take first place."

"If all the Spirit Seeds collected by Yan aren't concentrated into your hands alone, it'll be very difficult for you to take first place."

"If you refuse Chu Fengping now, the whole matter collapses."

"I've thought it over again and again, and for the moment I truly don't have any good solution."

Hardly had he finished speaking when Shan Hai's voice came from outside the tree hollow.

"Wu Zhaoxing, move aside! I saw Yan Li go in. Stop using that nonsense about not disturbing him to fool me!"

Niu Youdao and Yan Li exchanged a look.

Then Niu Youdao called, "Senior Wu, let him in."

A moment later, a figure flashed inside.

Shan Hai stood before them and looked Niu Youdao up and down.

His gaze moved back and forth across both men's faces. "What are you two hiding in here plotting?"

Yan Li sighed. "Shan Hai, you're thinking too much."

"Thinking too much?" Shan Hai sneered. "If I hadn't seen you come inside, then with Wu Zhaoxing being someone you brought in, he'd probably still be blocking me outside."

Niu Youdao said, "Elder Yan, since things have reached this point, I don't think there's any need to keep hiding it from Elder Shan Hai."

Yan Li looked at him, uncertain what he meant.

Shan Hai gave a cold chuckle. "So there really is something you're hiding from me."

Niu Youdao extended a hand to invite him to sit.

Shan Hai was not polite.

He flicked the hem of his robe aside and sat down cross-legged.

"I won't hide it from Elder Shan Hai. I've run into some trouble. Elder Chu of Lingjian Mountain came to see me..."

Niu Youdao directly exposed Chu Fengping's attempt to coerce him into marrying his female disciple.

He explained that the reason he had been hiding inside and refusing to go out was that he did not know how to answer Chu Fengping.

The moment Shan Hai heard what Chu Fengping intended, he understood.

He cursed immediately. "That bastard Chu truly has no face left at all!"

Cursing was easy.

But the matter itself was genuinely troublesome.

Before knowing, Shan Hai could have ignored it.

Now that he knew, he had no choice but to confront it with them.

And because of Niu Youdao's present predicament, the problem was almost unsolvable.

The three discussed it again and again but could not find a definite solution.

At last Shan Hai gritted his teeth. "How about this? The two of us pretend not to know anything. You may as well marry the woman and be done with it."

Niu Youdao stared at him in disbelief. "Are you joking? You think marriage is something you can play around with like this?"

Yan Li looked thoughtful. He asked Shan Hai, "You mean stabilize Lingjian Mountain first?"

Shan Hai nodded. "Chu Fengping waited until we were already in here before forcing the issue. He has you by your weak point, Niu Youdao. You have no choice but to comply. He obviously planned it long ago. You can't dodge it."

"So right now this may be the only way. Otherwise, there is no solution."

"Marry her for now and stabilize them first. Once you're together with the woman, there'll be plenty of opportunities later..."

He raised one hand and made a throat-cutting gesture.

Yan Li's brows lifted.

He understood.

They could eliminate the woman afterward.

Niu Youdao's expression sank. "Easy for you to say when you're the one standing safely on the side."

Yan Li sighed. "It truly isn't honorable, but at a time like this, I have to admit it is a method."

Shan Hai tried persuading him too. "It does make things difficult for you, but we're thinking on your behalf. We have no choice."

"Besides, you're a hot-blooded young man. In this Secret Realm, what's wrong with having a woman handed to you for free to enjoy? It's a good thing!"

"Of course, have your fun and don't take it seriously. A woman who comes for profit isn't someone you should take seriously either."

"When it's time to give her up, make the decision cleanly."

"Brother, you're a man who handles great affairs. Ruining yourself over a woman like that isn't worth it."

Niu Youdao rolled his eyes repeatedly and shook his head in helplessness.

"We all understand what Chu Fengping means by bringing the woman directly inside and trying to arrange this. He wants to force me into having no road of retreat."

"To keep both your sects steady, he can't possibly make me hold a public wedding here. If I simply agree with my mouth, he can guess as easily as anyone that a spoken promise can be reversed at any time."

"He won't trust that."

"He'll inevitably force me to prove my sincerity. He'll inevitably force me to turn raw rice into cooked rice so I can't easily regret it later."

"A full year is more than enough time for a child to be conceived. He'll certainly want me to get that woman's belly big."

"Stabilize them first, then deal with her later?"

"How exactly am I supposed to deal with her then?"

"Kill my wife and child?"

"What kind of rotten idea is this?"

That really did seem to be the case.

Yan Li and Shan Hai looked at one another.

Yet the real difficulty did not fall on either of them.

Shan Hai stood up. "Cultivators inevitably face choices between life and death. How you choose is up to you. I won't force you."

With that, he left, wearing the air of someone unconcerned by the outcome.

The tree hollow remained quiet for a while.

Niu Youdao watched Shan Hai leave, then turned his attention to Yan Li's reaction without speaking.

Eventually Yan Li broke the silence.

"Brother, there's something you must understand."

"If Lingjian Mountain and Xiaoyao Palace stop supporting you, leaving Zijin Cave alone to protect you, then the weaker our position becomes, the easier it will be for outside enemies to attack us."

"I was the one who led Zijin Cave's disciples in here. I have to take responsibility for their lives and deaths."

"If the other two sects abandon you, Zijin Cave will have no choice but to avoid the risk as well."

"I cannot disregard the lives of so many disciples over the life or death of one woman."

"You understand my difficulty."

"Of course, I won't force you either. Think carefully for yourself."

After saying that, he rose and left as well.

Niu Youdao remained seated and watched him go.

A cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Won't force me?

What was this if not forcing him?

These two were not worried in the slightest that he might truly join hands with Lingjian Mountain.

Now that they knew the hidden arrangement, naturally they did not need to worry.

If he refused to kill that woman later, then when the time came, the other two sects would simply turn against him.

Niu Youdao had known all along that these people were unreliable.

He deliberately laid the matter out to test them.

Sure enough, they immediately hoisted him over the fire to roast.

Ultimately, the real absurdity came from Misty Pavilion.

One state, yet it had deliberately created three major sects.

"Someone!"

Niu Youdao called loudly.

A disciple of Liuxian Sect entered and cupped his hands. "Master Dao!"

Niu Youdao ordered, "Invite Sect Leader Situ Yao of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion over."

"Yes!"

The disciple accepted the order and left.

The disciples sent by Liuxian Sect, Fuyun Sect, and Lingxiu Mountain were three women as well, and all were reasonably attractive.

Their purpose could not be spoken aloud.

The three sects had benefited from Niu Youdao's influence. Yan had required only one person from each of them, sparing all three sects from potentially greater losses.

The sects also knew that the people they sent would hardly accomplish much inside the Tiandu Secret Realm.

In truth, the three women had been sent largely to attend to Niu Youdao.

If Niu Youdao wanted it, they could attend to him in any way at all.

Whether this counted as repaying his favor was one thing.

It also counted as placing a wager.

Young men and women spending enough time together could easily give rise to something.

If Niu Youdao returned safely, the three sects would at least have drawn closer to him.

If he failed to return safely, one sect losing a single disciple was hardly significant.

No matter which way the account was calculated, it was a sound gamble.

The three female disciples understood what their sects meant.

But they lacked the perspective to understand how dangerous the struggles above them truly were.

They only knew that this "Master Dao" was an imposing figure.

Normally, in their eyes, he stood high above everyone else.

Even their own Sect Leaders treated him with great respect.

The thought of becoming Master Dao's woman held no small appeal.

Their sects had only needed to say a few words before they came here full of expectation.

Unfortunately, so far Master Dao did not seem interested in them.

He had barely even looked directly at them.

He treated them only as people who handled miscellaneous chores.

That left them rather disappointed.

Still, there was plenty of time.

They had only just arrived.

The three continued to hold expectations for the future.

A little later, Situ Yao arrived.

It had to be said that the Niu Youdao of today truly was different.

The dignified Sect Leader of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion came the moment Niu Youdao summoned him and left whenever dismissed.

Situ Yao himself did not think there was anything improper about it.

"Brother, something the matter?"

Situ Yao sat cross-legged opposite him.

Niu Youdao remained silent for a while.

Then, without circling around the point, he asked directly, "If I part ways with Yan's three major sects, will the people of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion leave with me?"

Situ Yao froze.

Then he waved a hand. "Brother, things are good like this. At minimum, it does you no harm. Don't start thinking recklessly."

Niu Youdao said, "Sect Leader Situ, I'm not joking with you."

Situ Yao's expression became grave. "Did something happen?"

"It's difficult to explain in a few words."

Niu Youdao watched his reaction closely.

Situ Yao placed both hands on his crossed legs and rubbed them back and forth.

He plainly found the decision difficult.

Finally he said, "We've dealt with each other for so long. Personally, I stand on your side."

"If we were outside, there'd be nothing to discuss. I would unquestionably walk the same road as you."

"But one matter is one matter."

"Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion was badly harmed by Zhao's three major sects this time. The people here now are tied to the very survival of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion."

"If we cannot return, then Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion has only two endings: either someone swallows it, or someone erases it."

Niu Youdao said, "Most of the backbone Zhao brought here was already killed by me in Tiangu. Zhao's cultivators will inevitably have to think about protecting themselves now. It's unlikely they'll still have the strength to make trouble for Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion."

"You could say I did your sect an enormous favor and removed your greatest immediate threat."

Situ Yao said, "But there are far too many people hostile to you."

"If Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion leaves with you, the outcome is easy to imagine."

Niu Youdao nodded. "I understand what Sect Leader Situ means. Fine. I won't force you."

He raised a hand in a gesture inviting Situ Yao to leave.

Situ Yao looked troubled. "Everything is fine right now. Why must you part ways? Does it really need to reach that point? Is there no way to salvage the situation?"

"Brother, think carefully!"

Niu Youdao smiled and nodded.

"Ah."

Situ Yao sighed, stood, and left.

Under the Moon Butterfly's glow, Niu Youdao sat alone for a while.

He had originally intended to summon someone from Dachan Mountain and ask the same question.

After thinking it over, however, he decided there was no need.

Talking would be useless.

If even Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion was unwilling to leave with him, Dachan Mountain was even less worth asking.

The internal injury he had inflicted on himself had not yet fully healed.

He took out medicine for his wounds and swallowed it, then settled down to regulate his breathing and recover.

He could not remain hidden inside this tree hollow forever.

Once dawn came tomorrow, who knew what grudges and disputes would be waiting?

[End of Chapter 768]