Chapter 797: That Bastard Is Still Alive?

At those words, Lang Jingkong, Fuhua, Hong Gaitian, and Duan Wuchang all wore different expressions, most of them tinged with private mockery. Driven into a corner like this, Niu Youdao still dared make such a grand declaration.

In their eyes, leaving everyone else aside, any one of the four of them could kill Niu Youdao with a turn of the hand.

Niu Youdao added, "Don't worry. I haven't reached the point of courting death."

Wu Zhaoxing and the Yun mother and son exchanged glances. They did not know what to say either, much less where this fellow found the confidence to make such a boast.

Seeing that Niu Youdao had soothed the three of them, Fuhua waved again. Several people stepped forward and swiftly sealed their cultivation once more.

The way the three looked at Fuhua now carried open dislike. Before this, they had thought Hong Gaitian was the most irritating one. Now it seemed this demoness was the truly detestable one. Hong Gaitian merely had a foul mouth. This woman liked to seize people by the vital point and hold their lives in her hand. There was something vicious about her.

Niu Youdao once again watched the three submit to restraint because of him. He kept it all in his heart and said nothing more, merely reminding Fuhua and the others, "Make your preparations."

Fuhua smiled radiantly. "Don't worry. As long as you do your part properly, there won't be any problem on our side."

Niu Youdao turned away. Without another word, he flew off beneath everyone's eyes.

After watching him leave, Fuhua turned back and paced before Wu Zhaoxing and the Yun mother and son for a while. Then she suddenly smiled. "Tell me, do you think he'll run off with our Spirit Seeds behind our backs?"

The three said nothing.

Fuhua asked again, "And if he does run, what do you think we'll do to the three of you?"

Each of them turned his or her head aside. They still refused to answer, unwilling to waste words on this demoness.

Fuhua stopped in front of Wu Zhaoxing and clicked her tongue. "Wu Zhaoxing, I'm curious. I can understand those two. Mother and son offended Zhao, ended up trapped in Nanzhou in Yan, and had no choice but to help Niu Youdao. But what about you? What is your situation? You're a great expert ranked sixth on the Golden Core Ranking. Wouldn't it be better to roam freely and at ease? Yet somehow you're utterly devoted to Niu Youdao. I truly don't understand it. What benefit did he give you, or what hold does he have over you?"

At those words, Lang Jingkong, Hong Gaitian, and Duan Wuchang all looked thoughtful.

Yun Ji and Yun Huan turned to look at Wu Zhaoxing as well. They had always found this point strange too.

Wu Zhaoxing remained silent and refused to answer.

Fuhua giggled. "If you say it's some benefit, I don't believe it. No benefit could be worth risking your life for him in a place like this. If you ask me, it's far more likely he has some leverage over you." She leaned closer to his face. "What leverage? Tell me. Perhaps we can help you."

Wu Zhaoxing caught the dangerous scent of the woman before him and said expressionlessly, "Stay farther away from me."

"Hehe!" Fuhua raised a hand and brushed a scrap of grass from his shoulder. "Fine. I'll listen to you and stay farther away. But truly, you should think over what I said. If you ever come around, you can find me. I'll be waiting anytime."

...

"You search around that hill over there. I'll take this side..."

"Senior Brother, look."

Three Lingjian Mountain disciples had regrouped in the forest and were about to divide up their search directions again when one of them suddenly pointed.

The other two followed his gesture and saw smoke rising from the distant mountains.

The three exchanged looks, then immediately dropped from the conspicuous treetops into the forest to avoid being spotted. Using the trees for cover, they skimmed from branch to branch toward the smoke to investigate.

The closer they came, the more cautious they became, approaching in utter silence.

Once they hid within a treetop some distance from the source, each carefully parted the leaves and peered diagonally downward.

A man sat in a mountain hollow below. He seemed hungry and had lit a pile of firewood to roast some game. At the same time, he was counting the contents of a bundle beside him. Under the sunlight, dense clusters of purple glimmered inside the cloth—so many Spirit Seeds they could not even be counted at a glance.

"It's Niu Youdao!" one man whispered.

The other two nodded. They had recognized him as well.

"Where did he get so many Spirit Seeds?"

"Do you even need to ask? It's not as though someone simply handed them to him. Either he robbed them, or he got lucky and found a huge grove where Spirit Trees were growing together."

"That's quite a haul. Looks like this fellow really has been working himself to the bone trying to take first place."

"Even ants cling to life. If your life depended on it, you'd work yourself to the bone too. Still, seeing the bastard all alone like that is almost pitiful."

"Eh? Weren't Wu Zhaoxing and the others with him? How come he's the only one left?"

"Think about his circumstances. Following him means danger. After this long, if it were you, would you really stay with him the whole way? They must have run off already."

"True."

One of them lowered his voice further. "Senior Brother, he has a lot of Spirit Seeds. Bringing those back would be a major contribution. Should we..." He drew a hand across his throat, suggesting that they kill Niu Youdao and take them.

"Are you insane? Didn't you see what he did in Tiangu? Even the Elders of Zhao's three major sects died by his hand. He has a Heavenly Sword Talisman. Going at him ourselves would be asking to die. Do you think he'll be afraid to fight back just because of who we are? Besides, this fellow is deeply entangled in Yan's affairs. Elder Chu let him go earlier. Without instructions from above, we can't act rashly. If we botch it, instead of earning merit we'll only create trouble."

"Then what do we do? Just let him go, each side taking its own road, and pretend we saw nothing?"

"Exactly. Senior Brother, that's a huge amount of Spirit Seeds. It would be a pity to let them slip away. Should we go back and report it?"

"That was my thought. You two keep watching him. I'll go back and report this and see what the people above decide."

"All right. Senior Brother, go and return quickly."

"Remember, be extremely careful. Don't let him discover you and don't startle the snake. If he leaves, don't follow too closely. Leave tracking marks along the way."

"Understood."

The two nodded. The third quietly departed.

...

About half an hour later, Niu Youdao finished his meal in the mountain hollow and rose. He hoisted the tightly bound bundle onto his back, stood looking around for a while, then flew off in one direction.

The two men hiding in the shadows exchanged a glance. Only after Niu Youdao had put some distance between them did they emerge and begin tailing him through the dense forest. From time to time they rose above the canopy to check his direction, never letting him slip away, while leaving Lingjian Mountain's guiding marks along the route.

...

Dozens of people formed the joint command group of Yan's three major sects, advancing as they searched the surrounding area.

A figure flew in from nearby. It was Cai Jinqi, Chu Fengping's eldest disciple.

After receiving a subtle signal, Chu Fengping temporarily separated from Shan Hai, Elder of Xiaoyao Palace, and Yan Li, Elder of Zijin Cave.

Since everyone was moving around searching for Spirit Seeds together, people being near or far from one another was perfectly normal. Shan Hai paid it no mind. Yan Li, however, cast a few extra sidelong glances toward Chu Fengping's reaction.

"What is it?" Chu Fengping asked when he reached his disciple.

Cai Jinqi replied, "Junior Brother Fan has something to report. He says they found Niu Youdao."

Chu Fengping was surprised. "That bastard is still alive? He's actually survived until now?"

Cai Jinqi said, "Yes. Not only is he alive and well, Junior Brother Fan's group also discovered that Niu Youdao is carrying a large quantity of Spirit Seeds."

"A large quantity?" Chu Fengping repeated pointedly.

Cai Jinqi nodded. At Chu Fengping's gesture, he immediately led his master away to meet Junior Brother Fan, who had deliberately stayed out of sight.

The two reached a nearby valley, where Junior Brother Fan quickly came forward to salute.

Chu Fengping waved away the formalities. "Tell me what happened."

"Yes, Elder. We encountered Niu Youdao by chance..." Junior Brother Fan gave a detailed account of what they had seen.

After listening, Chu Fengping frowned. "He was alone? No one else?"

"Yes. We observed secretly for some time. He was the only one there. We saw no one else."

Chu Fengping asked, "From what you saw, roughly how many Spirit Seeds is he carrying?"

"This..." Junior Brother Fan considered it and gestured to show the approximate size. "Definitely a great many. A bundle about this large. I'd estimate several hundred thousand seeds."

Chu Fengping sucked in a breath and stroked his beard. "That fellow... I don't know whether his luck is truly that good or whether he robbed them from someone. But whatever the case, he isn't famous for nothing. He really is capable wherever he goes. To think he managed to obtain so many Spirit Seeds all by himself."

Junior Brother Fan lowered his head but glanced upward at him, probing. "Elder, the other two junior brothers are still watching him. Should I call them back?"

Chu Fengping turned to his own disciple. "What do you think?"

Cai Jinqi said, "Niu Youdao is obviously trying his hardest to gather Spirit Seeds. Even so, taking first still seems nearly impossible. If the only goal is to eliminate him, then even if we do nothing, he may not make it past Misty Pavilion. There's no real need for us to trouble ourselves."

"But I'm afraid every faction may think the same way and decide it's too troublesome to act personally. That could instead give him a chance to slip through the cracks. And for him to obtain this many Spirit Seeds alone shows he hasn't given up on surviving. With this fellow's ability, it's difficult to say how matters will end."

"If we move against him now, however, he has a Heavenly Sword Talisman in hand. Taking him down without paying a price probably won't be easy."

He never directly said whether they should seize Niu Youdao's Spirit Seeds. He merely laid out the possibilities.

Chu Fengping stroked his beard in thought for a while. Then his eyes flashed as though he had reached a decision. "Go. Call Situ Yao over. Don't alert the other two sects."

Cai Jinqi immediately understood his master's intention. Chu Fengping had decided to act.

The three sects might be cooperating to compete for rank, but once the ranking rewards were distributed, each sect's share would be determined by how many Spirit Seeds it had contributed. Not alerting the other two meant Chu Fengping wanted Lingjian Mountain to swallow the haul alone.

At the same time, he was wary of the Heavenly Sword Talisman in Niu Youdao's hands and did not want Lingjian Mountain to pay too heavy a price. So he intended to use the manpower of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion to wear Niu Youdao down, then reap the advantage himself.

Cai Jinqi understood all of that, but still had a concern. He reminded him, "Master, given the relationship between Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion and Niu Youdao, could something go wrong?"

Chu Fengping scoffed disdainfully. "Would they dare? If there were anything real between them, they wouldn't have abandoned him in the first place. Their supposed relationship is nothing but empty courtesy. A joke!"

[End of Chapter 797]