Chapter 782: Dry Tinder, Raging Fire

Shang Chaozong understood the logic.

But Guo Qingkong and his party had come here secretly for a clandestine meeting.

Clearly, they had obtained Dachan Mountain's cooperation.

Cultivators from Dachan Mountain guarded the surrounding area.

Without Dachan Mountain's cooperation, Guo Qingkong could never have quietly reached Shang Chaozong.

And Guo Qingkong must have known in advance that Dachan Mountain would cooperate.

Otherwise, with people from Lingjian Mountain and Zijin Cave also watching the area, he would never have dared come for a secret meeting.

Yet the arrival of this letter had ripped the secret open.

It proved that the carefully concealed meeting had not escaped Maolu Villa's eyes.

The meaning could hardly have been clearer.

Whatever movement occurred inside Nanzhou's prefectural yamen could not be hidden from Maolu Villa.

It was practically telling Shang Chaozong to his face: There are people of mine beside you.

Under the present circumstances, however, that was no longer important.

If Shang Chaozong truly wanted to purge them, he could reorganize everyone around him whenever he pleased and clean them out thoroughly.

But so long as Niu Youdao meant him no harm, there was no reason to do such a guilty thing.

Ordinarily, Niu Youdao did not interfere in Nanzhou's military or civil administration.

It was perfectly understandable that Maolu Villa would still keep an eye on things here.

It could hardly be expected to know nothing at all.

So under normal circumstances, even if Shang Chaozong knew Maolu Villa had people beside him, he would not move against them.

In a sense, he himself was one of Maolu Villa's people.

Conversely, if he truly began purging them, it would mean he no longer wished to be counted among Maolu Villa's people.

It would mean he intended to turn against Niu Youdao.

The difference now was that while Niu Youdao had been present, he had never issued a warning like this.

Now Niu Youdao was absent.

That made Shang Chaozong concerned about something else.

He asked, "Who is speaking on Maolu Villa's behalf over there?"

Lan Ruoting pondered before answering.

"Anyone capable of intercepting and killing Guo Qingkong's entire party cannot be ordinary."

"With Master Dao absent, who at Maolu Villa would dare oppose Xiaoyao Palace directly?"

"Who would dare slaughter an Elder of Xiaoyao Palace and his entire entourage?"

"Who could bear the consequences?"

"Other than Master Dao, no one at Maolu Villa would dare make such a decision."

Shang Chaozong looked startled and uncertain. "You mean this was Master Dao's intention?"

"Who else could decide something like this?"

"It was probably arranged by Master Dao before he entered the Tiandu Secret Realm."

"A man like Master Dao plans deeply and looks far ahead."

"He would never leave without preparing anything."

"Maolu Villa should only be carrying out his instructions."

Shang Chaozong's expression grew solemn.

He stared at the letter in his hand.

"Maolu Villa actually struck Xiaoyao Palace directly."

Lan Ruoting was surprised by it as well.

Even while Niu Youdao had been here, he had never dared act this way.

Now that he was gone, Maolu Villa had instead bared its fangs.

Perhaps those fangs were indeed formidable.

But Lan Ruoting truly did not believe Maolu Villa possessed the strength to confront Xiaoyao Palace head-on.

What he did not know was that Niu Youdao had long considered the entire situation.

One war had raised Nanzhou's influence to unprecedented heights.

Some matters could no longer be avoided.

The point had come where Yan's three major sects had to be confronted directly.

Before entering the Tiandu Secret Realm, Niu Youdao had already made a major decision.

He would join Zijin Cave.

When the time came, the party opposing Xiaoyao Palace would no longer be Niu Youdao alone.

It would be Zijin Cave.

He had nothing to fear.

Xiaoyao Palace could no longer threaten him.

"Your Highness, this isn't necessarily a bad thing," Lan Ruoting sighed.

"With Maolu Villa standing in front, it saves you from being caught between both sides."

"You may as well watch how matters develop."

Shang Chaozong said, "Guo Qingkong came here to meet me secretly and then suddenly died. Xiaoyao Palace will inevitably demand an explanation from this Prince."

Lan Ruoting pointed at the letter in his hand.

"That is the explanation."

"That is also Maolu Villa's meaning—or rather, Master Dao's meaning."

"They want Your Highness to stay out of it."

"Since Maolu Villa has already acted, they will naturally deal with the consequences themselves."

Shang Chaozong pondered, then slowly nodded.

Just then, someone came to report.

"Your Highness, Sect Leader Huang of Dachan Mountain has arrived!"

Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting exchanged a look.

They immediately strode away to receive him.

Not long afterward, the two returned to the inner garden with one additional person.

It was Huang Lie, Sect Leader of Dachan Mountain.

As they strolled through the garden, polite courtesies were unavoidable.

Once those were finished, Huang Lie changed the subject.

"I heard Elder Guo of Xiaoyao Palace came by. How did your discussion go, Your Highness?"

Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting exchanged another glance.

They immediately understood Huang Lie's purpose in coming.

For Guo Qingkong to have reached Shang Chaozong secretly, Dachan Mountain's covert dealings with Xiaoyao Palace scarcely needed explanation.

The two could see the situation clearly now.

With Niu Youdao gone, no one remained capable of holding Nanzhou steady.

All the relevant factions had begun stirring.

Dachan Mountain would never have dared behave like this while Niu Youdao was present.

Shang Chaozong's talent lay in broad strategy and great affairs, not in twisting words through petty, point-by-point schemes.

Once he had made a decision, he did not hem and haw.

He said directly, "Something happened to Elder Guo."

"Eh?"

Huang Lie froze.

He quickly asked, "What happened?"

Lan Ruoting took the secret letter from his sleeve and handed it over.

Huang Lie read it.

His expression changed violently.

What enormous nerve!

Maolu Villa had actually wiped out Guo Qingkong's entire party?

Of course, Maolu Villa had never explicitly said it was responsible.

It had left no handle for anyone to seize.

But anyone who was not a fool and understood Nanzhou's circumstances could tell perfectly well what the letter meant.

All the arguments Huang Lie had prepared before coming instantly became useless.

Maolu Villa's stance was forceful.

It had already begun confronting Xiaoyao Palace head-on.

That sort of confidence...

If Maolu Villa even dared eliminate people from Xiaoyao Palace, why would it fear Dachan Mountain?

Maolu Villa had made its position plain.

Whoever dared touch Maolu Villa's interests would face Maolu Villa fighting them to the bitter end.

There was no reason for Dachan Mountain to rush forward and act as Xiaoyao Palace's spearhead.

The two sides had already begun clashing directly.

Dachan Mountain no longer needed to step forward personally and fight over control.

If Xiaoyao Palace managed to bring Niu Youdao down, Nanzhou would still be unable to do without Dachan Mountain.

And if even Xiaoyao Palace proved unable to defeat Niu Youdao, wouldn't Dachan Mountain only be asking for trouble by jumping out?

Offend neither side.

Sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.

That would do.

Huang Lie returned the letter to Lan Ruoting.

His expression changed quickly.

A moment later he was cheerfully talking about something else.

Since he had decided to withdraw and watch, Huang Lie had no reason to remain long.

After making a round of Nanzhou's prefectural capital, he left.

...

Under hazy lamplight, a table had been laid with wine and dishes.

Yuan Gang and "Su Zhao" sat facing one another and drank.

This false "Su Zhao" had also been born into wealth and privilege.

There were few kinds of wine or food she had never experienced.

Yet even she had to admit that the comforts of Maolu Villa were unmatched in this world.

Its delicacies could be found nowhere else.

As she drank with Yuan Gang, she occasionally poured wine for him.

She could tell he had something weighing on him.

His mood was very poor.

Yuan Gang truly was in a bad mood.

The reason was the situation at Nanzhou's prefectural capital.

Shang Chaozong had disappointed him deeply.

Master Dao had exhausted himself supporting the Prince.

Yet the moment Master Dao left, Shang Chaozong secretly met with someone from Xiaoyao Palace behind their backs and concealed the matter from Maolu Villa.

Although Maolu Villa had already acted in time to suppress the situation, Yuan Gang regretted something.

He regretted dragging Master Dao into all this in the first place.

If not for Yuan Gang, Master Dao would never have supported Shang Chaozong.

Indirectly speaking, it was Yuan Gang who had brought about Master Dao's present journey into the Tiandu Secret Realm.

He blamed himself deeply.

And that was exactly what Niu Youdao had wanted him to see.

From Niu Youdao's perspective, Shang Chaozong had actually done nothing wrong.

How could a man accomplish anything if he lacked the ability to judge circumstances and adapt?

Shang Chaozong was not alone.

So many people's lives and fortunes depended on him.

How could he march blindly down one road to the bitter end without considering alternatives?

Niu Youdao merely did not want Yuan Gang to be too one-sided in his loyalties.

What Niu Youdao feared most was that if he himself disappeared, Yuan Gang would rush out and do something hot-blooded and suicidal.

Niu Youdao had always kept eyes and ears beside Shang Chaozong.

Before leaving, he had given Guan Fangyi tasks to handle.

The contacts among Shang Chaozong's people had been handed over to her.

Niu Youdao had also deliberately arranged for Yuan Gang to supervise that work.

He had expected someone to approach Shang Chaozong once he left.

He wanted Yuan Gang to see what reality actually looked like.

If Niu Youdao could not return alive, this was all he could do.

He understood too well that character decided fate.

He could restrain Yuan Gang for a time.

He could not restrain him for a lifetime.

A lone man and woman drank together.

As they kept drinking, impulse took over.

Something happened.

Under the hazy lamplight, the person across the table became hazy as well.

Neither knew exactly when they ended up in each other's arms.

Their necks intertwined as they kissed and sought each other with mounting urgency.

At some point, they tumbled onto the couch, naked, locked together in fierce passion.

...

High atop a pavilion, Guan Fangyi stood alone beneath the night sky, looking up at a sea of stars.

The war had been frozen.

On the surface, Nanzhou now appeared stable.

But beneath that surface, treacherous currents were already churning.

Even she felt uneasy.

Old Six Xu flashed up and spoke quietly.

"Dry tinder, raging fire. It worked."

"Ah."

Guan Fangyi gave a bitter sigh.

She had never imagined that one day she would resort to something so underhanded.

She had not wanted to do this.

Only after Yucang's visit made her realize Niu Youdao truly was arranging his affairs in case of death had she finally made up her mind.

Even then, she had been waiting for an opportunity.

The false "Su Zhao" wanted information about the outside situation.

She happened to catch Yuan Gang in a poor mood, his vigilance lower than usual.

The two unexpectedly ordered wine and food.

The opportunity had arrived.

In truth, Guan Fangyi had wanted to eliminate the false "Su Zhao" entirely and remove the future danger.

But Yuan Gang had never given outsiders an opportunity to do so.

Old Six Xu had barely left when Old Second Wu arrived.

He reported, "Zijin Cave and Lingjian Mountain received our message. They've already sent people rushing to the prefectural capital to protect the Prince."

"Their people are also on the way here to guard this place."

"Xiaoyao Palace probably won't dare act recklessly now."

Guan Fangyi nodded. "Hopefully the situation can remain stable until Master Dao returns."

All these arrangements had been made by Niu Youdao before he left.

He had anticipated that once he was gone, certain people would become restless.

He had never expected everyone to behave honestly.

He had already borrowed Xiaoyue Pavilion's manpower and made preparations in advance.

Combined with the eyes and ears beside Shang Chaozong, if anything abnormal appeared, then no matter which faction reached out where it should not, Xiaoyue Pavilion's people were to be mobilized immediately to strike back.

The situation itself guaranteed that someone would try something.

But no one dared openly make too much trouble.

That would not serve any faction's interests.

The mutual restraint among Yan's three major sects had given Niu Youdao the opportunity to leave behind contingency measures capable of maintaining the situation in his absence.

That balance was also what gave him the confidence to leave behind such ruthless counterattacks.

Niu Youdao did not want Shang Chaozong to stray too far.

Old Second Wu hesitated for a moment.

"What if Master Dao doesn't come back?"

Guan Fangyi sighed.

"With the arrangements he left behind, I can hold things together for a while."

"But if he truly doesn't return, the three major sects, Dachan Mountain, the three sects here, Wuliang Mountain, even the Prince himself, and Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion in Jinzhou will all begin moving."

"Every one of them will have to make new choices."

"Xiaoyue Pavilion will abandon us immediately too."

"By then everything will descend into chaos."

"I simply don't have the ability to control that situation."

"No one here will be able to hold it together anymore."

"When that time comes..."

"We'll only be able to scatter when disaster falls."

[End of Chapter 782]