Chapter 781: Stirring into Action

The three of them—Wu Zhaoxing, Yun Ji, and Yun Huan—suddenly came fully awake from their tedious wait, all because of that one sentence. It was as though they had been jolted out of a dream.

One after another, they stared at Niu Youdao.

In that instant, all three seemed to sense a dangerous air coming from him. For no clear reason, they suddenly found the man dangerous. Frightening.

He had been forced into a desperate situation, yet not once had they seen the slightest fear or panic from him. He had remained calm throughout, advancing and retreating with measure.

He was plainly facing threats from the powers of the various states, yet somehow seemed to possess no awareness that he was the one under threat.

Because of what he had just said, the three abruptly realized the situation almost seemed reversed.

It created a strange illusion.

Rather than being driven into a corner, Niu Youdao seemed to be forcing his way against the current, like a venomous snake hiding in the shadows and watching the powers of the various states.

Looking back at his entire series of actions, he seemed even more like a sinister wolf stalking behind those powers with cold, fixed attention.

Where was there any sign of a man conscious that he had been driven into a dead end?

"We can follow them now..."

Niu Youdao turned around and immediately sensed something was wrong.

He touched his own face.

Nothing seemed unusual.

Puzzled, he asked, "Why are all of you staring at me like that?"

The three could not put the feeling they had just experienced into precise words.

They could not explain it.

It was simply something they had suddenly felt for no apparent reason.

Their staring only left Niu Youdao baffled.

He repeatedly raised a hand to touch his face, but still found nothing wrong.

Afterward, the group resumed tracking Zhao's people.

...

At Fufang Garden in the Qi capital, Zhuang Hong and her son, once again living under confinement, watched Yucang leave.

When Yucang emerged from the courtyard, he met Dugu Jing approaching.

Seeing the subtle signal his disciple gave him, he knew there was important business to report.

Neither man said anything there.

They quickly returned to Yucang's own courtyard and entered a room.

Only then did Yucang turn and ask, "What is it?"

Dugu Jing nodded. "The matter in Nanzhou has been handled."

Yucang asked, "No flaws left behind?"

"No. It was done cleanly."

Yucang released a breath.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he sighed. "That fellow... I'm afraid his chances of survival are slim."

Dugu Jing hesitated. "More than slim. Sha Rulai said it publicly. His words represent Misty Pavilion's authority. There is no possibility of him going back on them."

"Niu Youdao has no hope of returning alive at all."

"Is there still any need for us to keep helping him with things like this?"

Yucang raised his head and let out a long sigh. "Give up?"

"How many generations have carried this wish and this conviction?"

"Until I see the final outcome with my own eyes, how can you ask me to give up so easily?"

Dugu Jing lowered his head slightly and sighed as well.

Then he raised it again. "Master, news has come from below. Something strange happened. Someone is searching for the Shang Mirror."

Yucang abruptly turned toward him. "The Shang Mirror has lain dormant for so long that the world has nearly forgotten it. Why would someone suddenly start looking for it?"

"Someone contacted one of our people and offered an enormous sum for help investigating the Shang Mirror's whereabouts."

"Because we had already been watching for information about the Shang Mirror ourselves, the people below were alert. They immediately investigated the contact and uncovered the other side's identity."

"They're from Tongxian Pavilion."

"Tongxian Pavilion?" Yucang looked doubtful. "Which Tongxian Pavilion? I only know the Tongxian Pavilion from Cangzhou in Yan. Is there another?"

"That's the one."

"We still don't know whether they're the real party behind the request, nor why they're searching for the Shang Mirror."

"We don't know whether they're genuinely after the Mirror, or whether they've learned that it's in our hands and are deliberately probing us."

"I was afraid of inviting trouble, so the moment I received the report I ordered our people to stop digging. Better not to walk into someone else's trap."

Yucang's expression turned grave.

He stroked his beard in thought. "Tongxian Pavilion... Didn't they flee Yan after joining Wu Gongling's rebellion? They're in Song territory now."

"What would a mere Tongxian Pavilion want with the Shang Mirror..."

His eyes suddenly brightened.

"Wu Gongling!"

Dugu Jing understood immediately. "Master means the real person who wants the Shang Mirror is Wu Gongling?"

Yucang gave repeated cold laughs. "He now occupies half of Song. The war was frozen at exactly the right moment because of the Tiandu Secret Realm, giving him an excellent opportunity to develop his strength."

"On top of that, he now has the Tiannü Sect behind him."

"That beast has no small ambition. I'm afraid he wants to proclaim himself emperor!"

After hearing the matter put that way, Dugu Jing thought for a while, then slowly nodded.

"Yes. Under the rules, if he wants to proclaim himself emperor, he is still missing one thing—a State-Protecting Divine Artifact."

"The other seven already have masters, and seizing one would be difficult. Even if a state were destroyed and the opportunity arose, there is no guarantee the artifact would fall into his hands."

"Counting them all, the Shang Mirror is indeed the only realistic choice."

...

The distant city faintly visible on the horizon was the prefectural capital of Nanzhou.

Standing atop a large flying mount, Huang Lie, Sect Leader of Dachan Mountain, watched it with a flickering gaze.

The stabilizing ballast keeping all the powers in Nanzhou in check was Niu Youdao.

Now Niu Youdao had entered the Tiandu Secret Realm.

Whether he ultimately returned alive or not, that fact alone had already made the relevant parties stir into action.

Some people had no intention of waiting for Niu Youdao to return and seize control of the situation again.

They had already begun moving in secret.

Xiaoyao Palace, for example.

Xiaoyao Palace had quietly approached Huang Lie, offering support for Dachan Mountain to take full control of Nanzhou and asking him to cooperate with Xiaoyao Palace in putting pressure on Shang Chaozong.

Put plainly, they wanted to exploit Niu Youdao's absence to seize power.

The matter could not be handled openly.

The war had only been temporarily frozen, not ended.

If their actions disrupted the Yan-Zhao war and caused Yan to lose, that was not an outcome Xiaoyao Palace wanted either.

More importantly, Yan did not belong to Xiaoyao Palace alone.

Lingjian Mountain and Zijin Cave were there as well.

Neither would sit quietly by and watch Xiaoyao Palace swallow such a rich piece of meat.

Even so, Huang Lie remained wary of Niu Youdao.

Going head-to-head with Niu Youdao was something he lacked confidence in.

Coming here this time had required no small amount of resolve.

One careless move could mean falling out with Niu Youdao completely.

No one knew whether Niu Youdao would return alive.

But if he did return, and then learned Dachan Mountain had been plotting against him, that fellow was no soft persimmon.

Whether Dachan Mountain could preserve its interests in Nanzhou afterward would be difficult to say.

In truth, Niu Youdao had not been competing with Dachan Mountain for benefits so far.

He had always yielded Nanzhou's profits to them.

If that arrangement could remain stable forever, there would be nothing wrong with it.

The problem was that control of Nanzhou itself remained in Niu Youdao's hands.

Those benefits felt less like something Dachan Mountain possessed and more like something Niu Youdao had bestowed upon them.

If one day Dachan Mountain displeased him, he could cut off that largesse whenever he wished.

And with Niu Youdao backing Shang Chaozong, the Prince had been free to govern Nanzhou as he saw fit.

With Niu Youdao holding everything steady, Dachan Mountain found it difficult to interfere.

Saying "difficult to interfere" was the polite version.

In reality, it meant Dachan Mountain had gained a set of restraints.

If, for example, someone in the sect took a fancy to the property of some wealthy household, Dachan Mountain simply did not dare act recklessly.

There had already been a precedent.

One of Dachan Mountain's disciples had taken a fancy to a beautiful woman.

Unable to restrain himself, he forced himself on her.

Dachan Mountain itself had not even known about the matter.

Somehow, Shang Chaozong learned of it.

The Prince did not dare say much directly, but judging from subsequent signs, he had probably passed word to Niu Youdao.

Not long after, Niu Youdao sent Huang Lie a message asking after him.

He did not pursue responsibility.

He merely said that throwing Nanzhou into disorder benefited no one.

What Niu Youdao said was sound principle.

Could Dachan Mountain possibly claim that what its disciple had done was right?

The disciple was immediately punished according to sect rules.

Yet the incident caused resentment inside Dachan Mountain.

Not because people thought the disciple should not have been punished.

They simply felt Niu Youdao's reach extended too far.

In truth, Niu Youdao had not reached very far at all.

Some people were dissatisfied only because his existence limited certain privileges Dachan Mountain's people had expected to enjoy.

In name, Dachan Mountain controlled Nanzhou and received Nanzhou's benefits.

Yet it could not...

Put bluntly, it could not satisfy every private desire.

Even on territory supposedly under its own control, it could not freely enjoy all the privilege, profit, and prestige that power ought to have brought.

That was not something anyone could say aloud.

So they could only argue that because Dachan Mountain lacked true autonomy over Nanzhou, Niu Youdao could cut off its interests at any time.

That was the only respectable argument they could put forward.

Huang Lie himself disliked the feeling as well.

All along the journey, he had been considering how he should speak to Shang Chaozong.

His hesitation came from his fear of what might happen if Niu Youdao returned.

For now, the outside world still knew nothing about what had happened in Tiangu.

That was also why Yucang did not dare reveal it, not even to Niu Youdao's trusted people.

Niu Youdao was tied to the entire balance of Nanzhou.

Pull one hair and the whole body moved.

If people learned Niu Youdao could not possibly return alive, hearts throughout Nanzhou would inevitably change.

...

Standing alone beneath the eaves, Shang Chaozong remained silent.

He had already returned to Nanzhou's prefectural capital.

The battlefield had been frozen.

There was no reason to keep both of Nanzhou's key men there, so Meng Shanming had remained behind to hold the front.

Shang Chaozong had been under tremendous pressure lately.

Whether Niu Youdao could return alive was his greatest concern.

People below him had begun probing the subject as well.

Clearly, they too were worried about Nanzhou's future.

Guo Qingkong, an Elder of Xiaoyao Palace, had come to see him and discussed switching allegiance.

Guo Qingkong promised that so long as Shang Chaozong led Nanzhou to submit to Xiaoyao Palace, the killing of Shi Sheng could be written off and forgotten.

Whether that promise was true or false, Shang Chaozong understood one thing perfectly well.

If Niu Youdao could not return, he would inevitably have to make a new choice.

It was not only Xiaoyao Palace.

Lingjian Mountain and Zijin Cave had also hinted at the same thing.

They simply had not spoken as bluntly as Xiaoyao Palace.

Outsiders could hardly imagine the pressure Shang Chaozong was facing now.

If he refused them now, he would effectively offend all three major sects.

If Niu Youdao then failed to return, and there was no longer anyone capable of balancing the three sects, Shang Chaozong's end would be miserable.

Not only his.

Many people would face a bloody purge.

"Your Highness, a message from Maolu Villa."

Lan Ruoting approached and handed him a deciphered letter.

Shang Chaozong noticed how ugly his expression looked.

As he took the letter, he asked, "What happened?"

Lan Ruoting said, "Something happened to Elder Guo Qingkong of Xiaoyao Palace. He was attacked and killed!"

Shang Chaozong was shocked.

He immediately lowered his eyes and read the message carefully.

It was almost exactly as Lan Ruoting had said.

After Guo Qingkong secretly met with them, he was attacked on his return journey.

Not only Guo Qingkong.

Every member of his entourage was killed.

Not one survived.

The crucial point was that the letter stated exactly how many people had been in Guo Qingkong's party and precisely where in Yan territory they had died.

The only thing it stopped short of saying outright was that Guo Qingkong had secretly met Shang Chaozong.

Shang Chaozong asked, "Didn't they have flying mounts?"

Lan Ruoting replied, "They may have been intercepted and killed in the air."

Shang Chaozong fell silent for a while.

Then he asked, "Maolu Villa did it?"

Lan Ruoting said, "They all died in a place that remote. At this point, Xiaoyao Palace itself probably doesn't even know yet."

"The message came from Maolu Villa."

"Do we really need to ask who did it?"

"This letter was deliberately sent for Your Highness to see."

[End of Chapter 781]