Chapter 873: The Messenger Delivers Word

Guan Fangyi finally understood why Niu Youdao had said earlier that the lake had nothing to do with rescuing Shang Shuqing.

It truly had nothing to do with rescuing her. He intended to use it to preserve his own life.

But could it really keep him alive?

Niu Youdao said, "Whether I like it or not is one thing. Once you've chosen this road, there will always be times when fighting is unavoidable."

Guan Fangyi said, "If you think the people from the three great sects are unreliable, couldn't Wu Zhaoxing go instead? Let Wu Zhaoxing replace you..." The moment the words left her mouth, she realized how selfish they sounded and immediately corrected herself. "His cultivation is higher than yours. His chances of success would be better too."

"Red Lady, there's no such logic." Niu Youdao shook his head, then smiled. "If Wu Zhaoxing goes, the other side won't trust him. They won't believe he has the authority to negotiate on anyone's behalf, so he won't even get the opportunity to act. Different matters require different people. Cultivation isn't what matters; suitability is. His cultivation may be higher, but if he goes, he'll be walking into a dead end with no chance to escape. If I go, I still have a possibility of getting out. Enough, Red Lady. My mind is made up. You can't stop me. This is settled."

Shang Chaozong's eyes had reddened as well. Master Dao was going to stake his life on this. Emotion surging, he said, "Master Dao, forget it. We won't save them. Truly, we won't!"

"I have my own plans for this. Don't delay. Send the message to the other side immediately. I'll wait for your news." Leaving those words behind, Niu Youdao turned and walked away.

Yun Ji looked from one person to another, inclined herself slightly in farewell, then turned and left as well.

Guan Fangyi silently followed behind them.

After they were gone, Meng Shanming slowly said, "Your Highness, you cannot stop him. Do as he says. Cooperate properly. If the coordination is right, that will help more than anything else."

Shang Chaozong was deeply torn. "If I do this, won't I be far too selfish?"

Meng Shanming looked back. "Da'an, you heard everything. Disguise yourself as a scout and make this trip personally. It will be easier for the other side to trust you. I won't be at ease sending anyone else."

"Yes!" Luo Da'an, standing behind the wheelchair, accepted the order.

...

Back inside his tent, Niu Youdao returned to the map and studied it carefully, considering whether any holes remained in the plan.

For him, the matter itself was often simple. The preparations before and after it were what truly mattered, and those were usually far more complicated than the act itself. Once the genuinely complicated parts had been sorted out, the moment of action was often the simplest part to handle.

"You killed the Elders of Zhao's three great sects at Tiangu, then ignited a war to destroy Zhao. Now you're voluntarily delivering yourself to their door. How could they possibly let you go?" Guan Fangyi muttered from behind him after remaining silent for a while. She was plainly still trying to persuade him not to take the risk. It was simply too dangerous.

Without turning from the map, Niu Youdao said unhurriedly, "They're a group driven by interests. They understand perfectly well which matters weigh more heavily. Faced with the survival or destruction of their own sects, what happened before no longer matters to them. More precisely, whether they kill me no longer matters. If they kill me, they lose their last hope completely. At a time like this, so long as I can give them hope, even if they don't sweep the couch clean to welcome me, at least they won't act recklessly against me."

Guan Fangyi said, "The hostages are in their hands. Can you guarantee they'll give you a chance to snatch them away?"

"When there's an opportunity, that's when things are most dangerous. If there is no opportunity, then I'll actually be safe." Niu Youdao remained calm. "If I find no chance to act, I'll simply pretend to negotiate, say I need to return and discuss matters with His Highness, and make a few perfunctory remarks before leaving intact. They won't forcibly detain me and ruin the negotiations. So long as I let them see hope, they'll let me return safely. You don't need to worry so much."

After all that, he was still going.

Guan Fangyi could no longer hold back. She stamped one foot and spoke plainly. "Master Dao, I want to save the Commandery Princess and the young prince too, but we still have to consider the circumstances! You know perfectly well there's a very real chance you'll lose your life if you go. Is taking such an enormous risk worth it? At least to the people of Maolu Villa, even the Commandery Princess and the young prince together aren't worth as much as you!"

Niu Youdao turned. His deep eyes rested quietly on her before he suddenly asked, "Then in the eyes of the people of Maolu Villa, between you and me, whose life is worth more?"

Guan Fangyi rolled her eyes repeatedly. "Fine, I'm not worth as much as you. Happy? That's exactly why you can't take this risk."

"But if you were the hostage right now, I would still risk everything to save you, no matter the cost. Do you believe that?"

"..." Guan Fangyi was rendered speechless.

She believed him.

She did not doubt it in the slightest. Niu Youdao would certainly exhaust every possible method to save her. After following him for so many years, on that point she had absolute confidence.

Niu Youdao slowly said, "There are things a man will do, and things he will not. Ever since His Highness first borrowed troops from Guangyi Commandery, we've encountered one difficulty after another. I had many chances to take easier roads. Plenty of powers far stronger than His Highness tried to recruit me. There were also many dangers I could have avoided entirely. Yet I still chose this hardest road. Do you know why?"

"This isn't called loyalty unto the end. My moral awareness isn't that lofty either."

"This is called righteousness."

Guan Fangyi looked at him with a complicated expression.

Yun Ji, observing from the side, looked over as well, thoughtful as she was reminded of herself.

The reason she obeyed Niu Youdao was not merely because he held leverage over her. Was it not also because of the man himself?

In truth, even though Niu Youdao possessed something that could be used against her, she had never felt as though she were being coerced. Following him instead gave her a sense of security deep in her heart. She felt steady.

At dawn, a lone rider emerged from the Yan army's direction and rode into the morning wind toward Zhao's lines.

It was Luo Da'an, disguised as a scout.

Halfway across the grassland, a rope suddenly snapped taut from the ground.

The horse screamed, its legs caught, and it crashed forward, throwing Luo Da'an from the saddle.

Two Zhao soldiers who had been lying in wait sprang up with short blades and rushed him.

Still rolling across the ground, Luo Da'an refused to be captured so easily. He kicked upward and sent one attacker flying, rolled past the other's downward stab, then seized the man's knife wrist and dragged him into a tumble as well.

When Luo Da'an sat up again, one knee was already jammed hard into the man's lower back. The soldier's knife had changed hands and was now pressed against his own throat.

Luo Da'an stared coldly at the other soldier, who had just climbed back to his feet. "I mean no harm. I am a staff officer under Marshal Meng, ordered to deliver a letter to Grand Commander-in-Chief Pang..."

...

Inside Zhao's central command tent, a general hurried in to report. "Grand Commander-in-Chief, Meng Shanming has sent a messenger. He says he carries a confidential letter for you."

Pang Teng, who had risen early and was washing his face at a basin, looked back in surprise. "Meng Shanming has a confidential letter for me?"

The general replied, "The messenger is Luo Da'an, a staff officer under Meng Shanming."

Pang Teng was taken aback. "Luo An's son? The Luo Da'an whom Meng Shanming accepted as his disciple?"

"That's right. We've verified him. It is indeed Luo Da'an. He disguised himself as a Yan scout and asked us to keep his arrival secret as well."

Pang Teng hurriedly wiped his face, tossed aside the towel, and waved a hand. "Bring him in."

Before long, Luo Da'an was escorted inside with a black hood over his head and both hands bound behind his back.

Pang Teng said impatiently, "Untie him. Untie him."

As far as he was concerned, one man alone could not stir up any trouble here.

The black hood was removed and Luo Da'an's hands were freed. He looked around once, his gaze settling on Pang Teng. After flexing his wrists, he cupped his hands in greeting.

Pang Teng was studying him as well. His interest came chiefly from the fact that this was Meng Shanming's disciple. Seeing the young man stand there alone without a trace of fear, Pang Teng's brows shifted slightly.

"Where is the letter?"

Luo Da'an raised a hand, untied the cloth strip binding his hair, and held it out.

Someone immediately took it, inspected it carefully, and only after confirming there was nothing wrong did they hand it to Pang Teng.

Pang Teng unfolded the wrinkled, twisted strip of cloth and found writing on it as expected. He stretched the cloth taut and read the message carefully. Once he understood it, uncertainty appeared in his eyes.

He looked up. "A meeting time has already been agreed. Why does he now want to hold secret talks?"

Luo Da'an replied, "I was only ordered to deliver the letter. I know nothing else."

Pang Teng hesitated, then waved a hand. "Take him away for now."

Seeing the men below preparing to bind Luo Da'an again, he added, "Just put the hood back on and watch him."

This was no ordinary messenger. Luo Da'an possessed a certain status and could speak in Meng Shanming's presence. They might still need him to carry a reply. There was no point treating him too harshly.

If they offended him needlessly and he happened to be a petty man, a few ugly words after he returned could perhaps ruin something important.

The black hood was placed over Luo Da'an's head once more, and he was escorted away.

The reason for the hood was simple: they did not want him seeing the details of Zhao's encampment. That too was military intelligence.

Before long, Zuo Chengfeng of Luoxia Villa, Jiang Wanlou of Guiyuan Sect, and Mi Man of Juxian Sect hurried into the tent after receiving word.

Once all three had read the letter in turn, Zuo Chengfeng voiced the same doubt. "A meeting time has already been agreed. Why does he still want to come for secret talks?"

Pang Teng said, "The people of Yan's three great sects are supervising the army over there. There is no possibility those three sects will agree to withdraw. Shang Chaozong, on the other hand, may want to save his sister and son."

"The two sides' positions are bound to conflict."

"For Niu Youdao to come here personally for secret talks must have something to do with that conflict. He probably wants to bypass Yan's three great sects and privately discuss some form of compromise with us."

"At the very least, he must be bringing conditions we want to hear. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare come!"

The three Sect Leaders nodded slightly.

That was entirely possible.

Indeed, it seemed the only possibility.

Even so, Mi Man had some doubts. "Could this be a trick?"

Jiang Wanlou snorted. "What kind of trick could it be? Surely he isn't going to lead an army of thousands here for secret talks. Would that still count as secret talks?"

"Even if he brings a hundred men, once they arrive here, the slightest unusual move will ensure not one of them leaves alive."

"If he still dares act recklessly after coming here, then he truly must be tired of living."

That logic made sense.

The others nodded.

Jiang Wanlou turned back to Pang Teng. "What does the Grand Commander-in-Chief think?"

Pang Teng said, "We lose nothing by meeting him. My opinion is that we agree to the secret talks."

The three Sect Leaders exchanged looks, then nodded their agreement.

Once the matter was settled, Zuo Chengfeng said resentfully, "That bastard Niu Youdao—I truly want to chop him into mince and feed him to the dogs. He still dares come here. His nerve is not small. He's far too arrogant!"

Mi Man sighed. "Brother Zuo, at a time like this, what's the point of saying such angry words? Why do you think he's coming? He knows you don't dare kill him. Otherwise, would he dare come?"

Then he turned to Pang Teng. "Grand Commander-in-Chief, let the messenger return with our reply."

[End of Chapter 873]