Chapter 815: A Bit of Trouble

“Let’s stop and rest for a while.”

“Now?” Fuhua looked at the sky, then at Niu Youdao beside her. It was only mid-afternoon. Rest already?

The overseas group could not remain hidden forever. The journey back was long and would take considerable time, and they still had to allow for unexpected developments, so they had set out early and were already on the return route.

“I keep feeling that something isn’t right. Send some people out first and have them scout the surroundings,” Niu Youdao said by way of explanation.

The moment he said that, the entire group became alert. When someone with keen judgment sensed that something was wrong, there was usually some reason behind it. Better to be cautious; vigilance rarely hurt.

They immediately followed his suggestion and sent a group of people out to scout in every direction.

Niu Youdao himself also went to inspect the surroundings.

After searching for some time, he made his way to the edge of a gorge. The gorge before him, with its torrent roaring through it, was precisely where he had escaped the pursuit of the various states before.

After checking the area, Niu Youdao plunged into the rushing water again and began feeling his way around beneath the current, altering things once more.

He had no choice. The last time he escaped pursuit here and changed into Misty Pavilion clothing, someone had seen a Misty Pavilion man appear.

Logically, the people from the various states should not have kept their eyes fixed on someone from Misty Pavilion. Even so, he had to guard against the unexpected. If trouble truly arose, he would deny to the death that he had ever impersonated a Misty Pavilion man. Without evidence, no one could do anything to him unless they simply decided to pin the accusation on him regardless.

The crucial problem was that if anyone investigated, he still needed an explanation. If he had not impersonated someone from Misty Pavilion, then how had he escaped? Surely he could not claim that even he did not know how he himself had gotten away.

He had deliberately guided the group along this route so he could come back and tamper with the scene, preparing a fallback explanation for what had happened in case he ever needed one.

That was also why he had made everyone stop nearby to rest.

The scouts found nothing unusual that day, but by the time they finished all the searching and moving about, night had already fallen. They could only camp where they were.

The next day, the group set out again.

After a return journey lasting nearly two months, they finally reached a place not far from the ancient forest surrounding the exit.

For an ordinary person, it still was not exactly close. A full day’s travel remained.

They had been hiding for too long. For safety, they had severed contact with the other forces and knew nothing about the current situation. Nor did they dare approach too closely.

“What do we do?” Standing on a mountaintop and looking into the distance, Fuhua rubbed her forehead in frustration. “There should be about half a month before the exit opens. People have probably already reached the ancient forest and set up ambushes. That whole area may already be under someone’s control. The moment anyone goes over, they could be discovered, so it isn’t suitable to send more scouts in. Are you certain we can really get through this final hurdle?”

Plans could never keep pace with change. Now, how they were supposed to leave had become a major problem.

But what else could they do? What was done was done. Everyone who could be offended had already been offended. Whether they wanted to face the consequences or not, they had no choice.

“We have to get through even if we can’t,” Niu Youdao said. “If it isn’t suitable to send people over to investigate, then have the people over there send someone out to report the situation.”

Fuhua looked at him. “What do you mean? Grab a tongue?”

Niu Youdao laid it out plainly. “I have people planted among the various forces. We have an agreed method of making contact.”

You have people among the various forces? Fuhua and the others exchanged looks.

Niu Youdao offered no further explanation. “Big Sister, Brother Lang, choose some people and come with me.”

At this stage there was no point quibbling. Fuhua and Lang Jingkong agreed, each selecting several dozen capable fighters.

Niu Youdao also brought Wu Zhaoxing and the other two with him, then had Situ Yao choose some people to accompany them as well.

Safety came first. He did not like fighting and killing. Fighting and killing carried risks. Better to bring more people with him so that if violence became necessary, someone else could handle it.

The group spread scouts ahead of them and advanced cautiously all the way to the outskirts of the ancient forest.

Niu Youdao found a hilltop and ordered everyone to gather plenty of firewood.

They did as instructed. Lang Jingkong finally could not resist asking, “What are we doing?”

“Setting the mountain on fire!” Niu Youdao said. Before Lang Jingkong could ask another question, he pointed toward the sky. “I arranged it with my people. If smoke rises at noon, they’ll come looking for me.”

Lang Jingkong and the others immediately understood. The ancient forest covered too vast an area. If someone was far away, a small column of smoke might not be visible, so they had to make the fire large. Once people in the area saw the smoke, the various sides would naturally send men out to investigate. Niu Youdao’s people could then use that opportunity to come find him.

Several dozen people began setting fires across a broad area at the same time. There was no way the blaze could remain small. The forests of this whole region were probably doomed, but with the lives of so many people at stake, who cared?

Once the fire caught, Niu Youdao beckoned. The group swiftly withdrew and headed straight for the tallest mountain several li away.

After reaching that peak, Niu Youdao left a marker for anyone searching for him, then continued retreating farther away.

...

“Fire!”

On the treetops of the ancient forest, those watching the surroundings spotted the anomaly. At the shout, quite a few people flew up into the canopy and looked into the distance.

Ji Yude studied the smoke rising far away, then raised his head toward the blazing sun directly overhead. The corner of his mouth twitched.

“Send some people to see what’s going on. Be careful!” someone shouted from below.

Ji Yude immediately dropped from the treetop and volunteered to join the group going out to investigate.

He flew with the others out of the ancient forest and reached the area where the mountain fire was raging. While the rest spread out to inspect the surroundings, his gaze swept about before locking directly onto the highest peak nearby.

He flew over.

Once he reached the tallest mountain, he found the route marker. He looked around and made certain no one was following before immediately heading off along the trail it indicated.

He dropped into a secluded valley and saw the final marker, but no one was there. Ji Yude looked around.

Hidden in the shadows, Niu Youdao looked toward the mountain opposite. Only after the people there signaled that no one had followed and the area was safe did he reveal himself and meet Ji Yude.

There was no need for pleasantries. Niu Youdao immediately asked about the situation.

Until he asked, he had no idea how badly events had diverged from his expectations after he escaped disguised as a Misty Pavilion man. The various forces had not pursued the people of Yan, Wei, and Qi, nor had they launched into any large-scale mutual slaughter.

In other words, his scheme to make them kill and wear one another down had failed.

That made the situation genuinely troublesome. With so much manpower sealing off the exit, his side had almost no possibility of breaking through the blockade. More importantly, it was not enough for him alone to escape. He had to take a vast quantity of Spirit Seeds out with him.

Ji Yude was not the only one who arrived. Five more people appeared one after another.

Fuhua, who was secretly leading men to guard the surroundings, repeatedly glanced in their direction. She muttered inwardly that this fellow truly had planted people among the various forces. The various forces? She wondered whether that included her own side.

Ji Yude and the others studied one another. None of them had known the others existed. Now that they had met, they could more or less guess that they all shared the same identity.

The fact that Niu Youdao was willing to expose them to one another made them realize that matters had reached the final critical moment and he could no longer worry about such things.

Looking at the six people before him, Niu Youdao could not say whether his mood was heavy or not. He was simply somewhat quiet.

He knew some people were not on this side and therefore had not seen his signal. Others might never appear again.

Only after listening to them did he learn that Zhao had been wiped out jointly by Jin, Han, and Song. The Xiaoyue Pavilion agents planted among Zhao’s forces had probably died with them.

When he heard that someone had secretly tipped the others off, accusing him of colluding with the three neutral sects, a cold smile appeared at the corner of Niu Youdao’s mouth. He even gave a faint cold snort. “I already showed mercy, but you insist on courting death yourself. Then don’t blame me.”

The moment he heard what had happened, he knew who was responsible. Other than Yan Baoru, there could be no one else.

If Xu Huo had been carrying out the plan exactly as Niu Youdao arranged, events would not have developed that way.

He had no Spirit-Torment Pill. He had never even seen what a Spirit-Torment Pill looked like. He had merely used the idea of one to frighten Yan Baoru into submission.

Even with the supposed Spirit-Torment Pill as a deterrent, however, he had known from the beginning that Yan Baoru might not be reliable.

The reason was simple. She had never tasted the true agony of a Spirit-Torment Pill.

That woman had her own pride. Once she recovered from her loss of composure, if she had never suffered the pill’s torment and did not truly fear it, she might not be willing to remain forever beneath his control.

Even so, after reassessing the situation at the time, Niu Youdao had still held on to a sliver of hope. He had hoped the legendary Spirit-Torment Pill’s reputation alone might be enough to keep her in line. An expert of her caliber was someone he genuinely would have liked to bring under his command.

That was why he had still given Yan Baoru a chance. As long as she behaved obediently, others would handle what came afterward and she herself would face no danger. Once she left the Secret Realm, she would naturally come looking for him for the Spirit-Torment Pill’s antidote.

Now it seemed his hope of subduing the woman had collapsed. She was still unwilling to submit. She had jumped out after all.

The six men did not know who he was talking about, but all of them understood the rules. No one asked questions they should not ask.

One of them returned to the main issue. “Given the present situation, with those factions joining forces to blockade the exit, even the people of Yan, Wei, and Qi may have difficulty forcing their way through smoothly. If you want to carry first place out with you, I’m afraid there isn’t much hope.”

Niu Youdao said disdainfully, “A joint blockade? A pack of people each harboring their own schemes cannot stop me from leaving. Once you return, act immediately. Sow discord between them in secret. I want those three sides to start killing one another!”

The men exchanged looks.

Ji Yude said heavily, “If we openly sow discord, it will be too obvious. We could easily expose ourselves.”

“Mind your method,” Niu Youdao said. “I’m not telling you to walk over and directly provoke them. I want you to create the atmosphere indirectly. Jin, Han, and Song were never of one heart to begin with. They’re nothing more than a pile of dry firewood. One spark is enough to set them ablaze.”

“Create an atmosphere that makes Jin feel Han and Song only care about preserving themselves and have no real intention of helping Jin secure a ranking. On Han and Song’s side, make them feel that if Jin keeps getting nowhere, it intends to rob them instead. Now that all of you have met, you can coordinate across the different camps. Make that fire catch!”

[End of Chapter 815]