Chapter 838: Reunited After a Long Separation

"According to our intelligence, the two states were negotiating peace. For Niu Youdao to suddenly do something like this, isn't he afraid Yan's three great sects will deal with him?"

Inside the palace hall, Emperor Hao Yuntu of Qi paced slowly as he asked the question in thought.

Huyan Wuhen and Bu Xun had been urgently summoned back because Hao Yuntu wanted Huyan Wuhen's judgment on this war.

Did Yan's sudden attack mean it possessed absolute confidence of victory?

If Yan truly was confident of victory, how long would the war last?

Questions like these needed answers before Qi could make timely decisions, and Huyan Wuhen was skilled at judging such matters.

In Huyan Wuhen's view, even if the Yan army could defeat Zhao, it lacked the strength to annex it.

Annexing an entire state was never as simple as winning the war.

Occupying another state's territory would bring one problem after another. The remnants of the defeated side would never resign themselves quietly, while old officials, local clans, and other loyalists of the fallen state would resist.

Where would Yan find the national strength and military manpower to suppress all of that?

Controlling such an enormous stretch of territory while lacking both national strength and troops would only drag Yan down over time.

Its forces would be spread too thin.

If an outside enemy struck, Yan might not even be able to regroup its troops quickly enough to resist.

It simply was not realistic.

In short, Yan was presently weak and depleted.

It did not possess anything close to the strength required to annex Zhao.

And yet Niu Youdao's behavior was so difficult to understand that Hao Yuntu could not help asking.

The most ridiculous part was that Niu Youdao had even sent a message threatening Qi earlier.

He claimed the Qi cultivators inside the Secret Realm had chased him down and made him unhappy, so he intended to raise a mighty army and attack Qi!

Hao Yuntu had not known whether to be angry or amused.

What nonsense.

The man actually dared threaten Qi.

With what?

Still, there was one point Hao Yuntu had to admit.

The fellow who once swallowed humiliation and struggled merely to preserve himself in the Qi capital had truly grown into someone of consequence.

His wings had hardened.

He now dared threaten the State of Qi itself.

They discussed the matter back and forth inside the hall, but still could not understand Niu Youdao's purpose in threatening Qi on one side while launching a war against Zhao on the other.

After Huyan Wuhen left, Hao Yuntu walked to the desk and lifted a sheet of paper that had been lying facedown.

Staring at the contents, he asked mildly, "He's gone up the mountain again?"

Others might not have understood.

Bu Xun did.

Hao Yuntu was referring to Prince Jin, Hao Qi.

"Going up the mountain" meant visiting the place outside the capital where Qi's three great sects were based.

These days, Prince Jin had been interacting with the three great sects rather frequently.

He also met often with generals in the army.

The latter found it difficult to avoid him.

As the Emperor's eldest son, his status alone gave many military officers headaches.

"Yes," Bu Xun replied.

"Is he really that impatient?" Hao Yuntu murmured.

He lowered the paper in his hand.

"This sovereign has been consumed with affairs of state, and his mother died somewhat too early. In the end, he lacked proper discipline. As for him... I no longer place any hope in him."

Bu Xun lowered his head and remained silent, as though he had not understood the meaning of those words.

He offered no judgment.

...

Mountains towered. Forests stretched wild and dense.

A large flying bird skimmed toward the mountain range.

Three people leapt from its back.

They were Niu Youdao, Yun Ji, and Wu Zhaoxing.

Guan Fangyi, who had waited in the mountain forest for several days, smiled when she saw them.

Niu Youdao smiled as he walked toward her as well.

After such a long separation, they were finally reunited.

Yet the first words out of Guan Fangyi's mouth were complaints.

She snorted. "You called me here, then made me wait several days."

Niu Youdao answered cheerfully, "A few matters delayed me."

Guan Fangyi gave Yun Ji a slight nod in greeting.

Then her gaze fell on Wu Zhaoxing.

She asked suspiciously, "And this is?"

Niu Youdao introduced him with great seriousness. "An expert ranked sixth on the Golden Core Ranking. From now on, he's one of us."

"Wu Zhaoxing?" Guan Fangyi was surprised.

She was even more surprised by the claim that he had somehow become one of them.

Wu Zhaoxing himself felt helpless.

After everything that happened in the Secret Realm, following Niu Youdao had caused him to offend people badly.

There was indeed a power standing behind him in secret, but that power could not reveal itself publicly.

The result was that despite the vastness of Heaven and earth, he no longer knew where he could safely go.

Niu Youdao had seized the opportunity and recruited him relentlessly.

In the end, Wu Zhaoxing managed to contact the force behind him and ask for instructions.

Even those people had not expected the matter to become this troublesome and did not know where they could place him now.

At present, following Niu Youdao actually seemed like the only option left.

Since Niu Youdao himself did not fear being implicated by the Demonic Sect, what objection could the Demonic Sect have?

There truly was no better solution.

Without a public faction willing to shelter him, Wu Zhaoxing's position would be dangerous.

And so the dignified expert ranked sixth on the Golden Core Ranking had joined Maolu Villa.

Wu Zhaoxing himself felt rather sick of the whole thing.

How had meeting that bastard Niu Youdao somehow turned into something he could no longer shake free of?

The truth was obvious.

Niu Youdao had not recruited him because he had eaten too much and felt like inviting an ancestor home to worship.

He had simply taken a liking to the fact that Wu Zhaoxing could fight.

Inside the Secret Realm, Wu Zhaoxing had served as Niu Youdao's hired muscle.

Now that they were outside, was he supposed to keep serving as Niu Youdao's hired muscle?

What kind of situation was this?

Wu Zhaoxing was depressed by it.

He was unwilling, but he had no better choice.

It felt as though he had boarded a pirate ship and could no longer get off.

"You're injured?" Guan Fangyi asked after noticing the white cloth wrapped around Niu Youdao's left palm.

Niu Youdao smiled faintly. "A minor injury."

Guan Fangyi studied his complexion but found nothing unusual.

Her eyes flickered.

Then she abruptly held out a hand.

"Where's the Heavenly Succor Pill I gave you?"

Niu Youdao smiled bitterly. "You gave it to me. What, now you want it back?"

Guan Fangyi widened her bright eyes. "That pill is worth a million gold coins! I gave it to you for emergencies. If your injury is minor and you don't need it, then naturally I want it back."

"You..." Niu Youdao shook his head helplessly.

He did not argue.

Instead, he dug a wax pellet containing a Heavenly Succor Pill out from his belt and tossed it to her.

Guan Fangyi caught it and inspected it.

Once she confirmed it really contained a Heavenly Succor Pill, she believed Niu Youdao's claim that his injuries had not been serious.

Otherwise, he would never have kept such a medicine unused.

This fellow was not the type to save money at the expense of quality. If he had something better, he never made do with something worse.

Wu Zhaoxing and Yun Ji exchanged a glance.

Both knew Niu Youdao had in fact suffered severe injuries.

It was only after several days of recuperation that his complexion had recovered.

They also knew the Demon King of the Western Sea had given Niu Youdao another Heavenly Succor Pill.

After putting the pill away, Guan Fangyi asked again, "What exactly happened inside the Secret Realm?"

Niu Youdao smiled bitterly. "A little dangerous. The situation was complicated too. It can't be explained in a short while. We can talk about it later."

What was he supposed to say?

Tell her how brilliant he had been?

How skillfully he had manipulated the various powers until they spun in circles around him?

Did he really need to boast about himself like that?

Seeing that he did not want to say more, Guan Fangyi rolled her eyes.

There was no need to ask again.

This man had always been like this.

If he did not want to discuss something, asking was useless.

Niu Youdao then asked about the situation around Maolu Villa.

What he heard was roughly within his expectations.

After Guan Fangyi finished explaining, she said with obvious dissatisfaction, "They're all grass on top of a wall, bending whichever way the wind blows. Every one of them watches the wind and adjusts course. They're unreliable. How are you planning to deal with them?"

Niu Youdao answered calmly, "Everyone makes choices. Sooner or later, everyone reaches a fork in the road. No one wants the path ahead to be too rough. Hesitating for a while and stopping to consider which road to take is human nature."

"As long as we're still walking the same road in the end, that's enough. There's no point calculating every little grievance."

Guan Fangyi said irritably, "I knew you'd be like this."

Then she reached out, grabbed his arm, and pulled him away.

"Come here. I have something to tell you."

"What is it that requires all this tugging?"

"It's about the red-faced monkey."

The instant he heard it concerned Yuan Gang, Niu Youdao obediently followed her off to one side.

Once they were away from the others, Guan Fangyi sighed.

"There are some things I couldn't say in front of everyone else. You could dream for a hundred years and never guess who that 'Su Zhao' really is."

Niu Youdao remained silent.

He simply watched her and waited.

After sighing for a while, Guan Fangyi finally gave the answer one word at a time.

"She is Feng Guan'er, wife of Luo Zhao, Grand Commander-in-Chief of Song!"

Niu Youdao's brow jumped.

He frowned. "So she isn't from Xiaoyue Pavilion. I overthought it. In that case, release her. Has she already been released?"

"This isn't about releasing her anymore." Guan Fangyi looked miserable. "The problem is that I did what you told me to do, and the monkey and Feng Guan'er ended up sleeping together after drink got the better of them..."

She explained how the whole affair had happened.

Then she said indignantly, "This is the first time in my life I've ever done something that shameless. And because of it, I even took a slap from the monkey. Why should I be the one getting hit? If anyone deserved a beating, it was you!"

"I'm telling you, I gave you face. I didn't hit him back. I stood there and took that slap!"

The monkey slept with Luo Zhao's wife?

Niu Youdao's cheek twitched violently.

That truly was something he never could have dreamed of.

Who could possibly have guessed that woman was Luo Zhao's wife?

He asked, "Did Song react at all afterward?"

Guan Fangyi shook her head. "Nothing. Not a bit of movement."

"Oh?" Niu Youdao was somewhat surprised.

Something like this had happened, yet Song showed no reaction at all?

That seemed abnormal.

From what he knew, Luo Zhao's wife was a disciple of Lingxiao Pavilion. That information should not have been wrong.

Logically, neither Lingxiao Pavilion nor Luo Zhao should have swallowed such an extraordinary humiliation in silence.

After thinking for a while, Niu Youdao sighed. "I'm afraid this matter may be bigger than it looks. Notify Wuliang Mountain. Have our eyes in Song's capital find a way to investigate Feng Guan'er's situation."

Guan Fangyi said, "If nothing's happened, then leave it alone. Why go looking for trouble when there isn't any? It's hardly something glorious. The matter is over. Let it stay in the past."

Niu Youdao smiled bitterly. "Hongniang, I understand the monkey better than you do. To put it badly, he's single-minded to a fault. To put it kindly, he's loyal, values bonds, and takes responsibility."

"If that woman is living perfectly well, perhaps the monkey will keep silent and avoid disturbing her. But if something has happened to her, he won't ignore it."

"If you aren't watching the matter, the monkey may already have mobilized Wuliang Mountain's eyes to keep track of her himself."

"If something really has happened and he hasn't reacted yet, it's only because I hadn't returned and he didn't want anything to happen to Maolu Villa. Now that I'm back... find out the woman's situation quickly. I need to anticipate what the monkey might do. Don't let him do something stupid."

Guan Fangyi understood.

She immediately raised a hand and beckoned Old Six Xu over, then gave him the necessary instructions.

After Old Six Xu left, Guan Fangyi said with deep concern, "Yan and Zhao were negotiating peace. You forced the war to restart anyway. You've gone too far this time. Yan's three great sects are probably already furious!"

Niu Youdao said, "I killed Elders of all three major Zhao sects in Tiangu. I didn't merely offend one faction. I offended all three of Zhao's great sects."

"The annihilation of the Zhao cultivators who entered the Tiandu Secret Realm can also be said to have had something to do with that. I've formed a blood feud with them."

"The power of the entire State of Zhao is too great a threat to me. If I leave it intact, it will create too much trouble later."

"It's safer to seize the opportunity to destroy Zhao and completely uproot the ground those three sects depend on for survival."

Destroy a state?

Guan Fangyi's heart jolted violently.

She had followed Niu Youdao for so long, yet only at this moment did she truly realize just how much power he had accumulated without anyone noticing.

Countless thoughts turned through her mind.

At last she sighed. "Looks like Xiaoyue Pavilion really is getting a huge bargain out of this."

Niu Youdao answered calmly, "I wouldn't call it a bargain. They've hidden themselves too deeply. Only after they surface will it be possible to uproot them completely."

[End of Chapter 838]