Chapter 910: Shall We Laugh Off the Past?

"It truly is difficult to believe," Fire Phoenix said. "Ten years passed before we knew it. It didn't feel like much while they were passing, but looking back, a great many things really did happen in those ten years. Not long after Senior Brother entered seclusion, Niu Youdao somehow brought a huge number of warhorses back from our State of Qi, building up enough military strength in his little corner of territory to support a major army..."

Because of her Senior Brother, Fire Phoenix had paid considerable attention to Niu Youdao over the years.

At first, she had hated him bitterly. Niu Youdao had wounded her Senior Brother, her own betrothed, so badly that the two of them had been forced to spend ten years apart. But time truly could make many things fade. At the very least, it could allow a person to calm down and look at certain matters more clearly. Looking back now, could everything really be blamed on Niu Youdao?

Her Senior Brother had forced matters upon him. Niu Youdao had yielded again and again, even feigning defeat and conceding in the hope of swallowing the humiliation and preserving the peace. Yet her Senior Brother had pressed him too far, insisting on driving him to his death until Niu Youdao had no choice but to fight with everything he had. Who was there to blame?

Of course, the growth of Niu Youdao's strength and influence was also an important reason one had no choice but to view the matter calmly.

And so Fire Phoenix began recounting, one by one, the stories and rumors about Niu Youdao she had heard over the years, hoping to put an end to her Senior Brother's obsession.

She told Kunlin Shu that Niu Youdao had not only taken the warhorses away that time, but had also taken Hongniang of the Qi capital with him, the woman so many men had tried and failed to win.

After bringing back the warhorses and accumulating strength, perhaps he gradually found the opportunity he had been waiting for. The forces in his little corner of territory assembled their men and launched a fierce attack on Nanzhou, taking the entire province in one stroke.

After the war, an uneven division of the spoils created a feud between Niu Youdao and Tianyu Sect, and the two sides began contending with one another. In the end, Niu Youdao forced Shao Pingbo, who controlled the real power in Beizhou, to flee in disarray. He then drew Dachan Mountain out of Beizhou and drove Tianyu Sect from Nanzhou. Fire Phoenix did not know exactly how he had managed it, but from that point onward, Niu Youdao controlled Nanzhou.

Later, the Yan court sent a large number of experts to eliminate Niu Youdao, even deploying Zong Yuan, one of the top experts on the Golden Core Ranking. Zong Yuan fell, the Yan court returned in defeat, and from then on Maolu Villa's name resounded beneath Heaven.

Afterward came the Cangzhou Rebellion within Yan. Wu Gongling murdered his elder brother and seized his position, then joined Han and Song in attacking Yan. With Yan in mortal danger, Nanzhou sent troops. Invoking Prince Ning's lingering prestige, they rallied Yan's forces, drove out the rebel Wu Gongling, and defeated Song's army. Wu Gongling was now Emperor of Song, while Han's army had invaded Song and was still locked in war with it.

Then Zhao took advantage of Yan's internal turmoil and weakness to send its armies against Yan. Once again, Nanzhou's forces marched west to resist the enemy, and the two states fought to a bloody stalemate.

After that came the Tiandu Secret Realm gathering. Misty Pavilion intervened and the states ceased hostilities. With no choice, Niu Youdao entered the Tiandu Secret Realm. At Tiangu, he dealt ruthlessly with Zhao's three major sects, killing on the spot the Elders who were leading their delegations. After provoking that disaster, he was driven into desperate straits by Sha Rulai.

Yet when the Tiandu Secret Realm gathering ended, Niu Youdao actually took first place. The number of Spirit Seeds he obtained surpassed every faction beneath Heaven, allowing him to preserve his life.

After leaving the secret realm, Niu Youdao set another war in motion. He joined forces with Xiaoyue Pavilion to raise troops within Zhao. Together they drove Zhao into a desperate position, annihilated several million of Zhao's elite troops in the Battle of Jiaohu, destroyed the state, and divided its territory between them. Xiaoyue Pavilion successfully restored its lost state, and Qin was reborn!

After the war, Niu Youdao became the disciple of Zhong Guzi, Zijin Cave's most senior Supreme Elder. He entered Zijin Cave and, in a single leap, became one of its Elders.

Fire Phoenix went on for a very long time, recounting one thing after another. At last she summed it all up. "Senior Brother, there must have been many other things during those years as well, including things no outsider knows and things I simply never heard about because my sources were limited. But for Niu Youdao to reach where he is today step by step, he truly weathered one great storm after another. He has armies in his grasp, controls the strongest military force in Yan, and has become an Elder of Zijin Cave. He holds great status and power now. He is no longer someone you can provoke lightly."

The fact that Niu Youdao had managed to cleave his way through such complex circumstances left Kunlin Shu deeply moved.

After listening, his expression was dazed, almost dreamlike. He murmured, "He actually took first place in the Tiandu Secret Realm under his own name..."

The other great storms did not strike him quite as deeply, but taking first place in the Tiandu Secret Realm was genuinely shocking to him. He could not imagine doing such a thing and knew he himself would never have managed it.

Fire Phoenix nodded. "Yes, Senior Brother. Tianhuo Sect wanted to deal with him inside the Tiandu Secret Realm too, yet the sect still could not do anything to him. If even the sect couldn't handle him, what can you do alone? Why could he become an Elder of Zijin Cave? Zijin Cave must have taken a liking to the power in his hands! Senior Brother, the Niu Youdao of today truly isn't an ordinary man anymore. If you try to make trouble for him, the sect won't readily agree either. Acting recklessly would bring trouble upon the sect and even upon Qi. Senior Brother, he now has enough influence to exert a certain amount of pressure on the State of Qi!"

Kunlin Shu raised his head and let out a long breath. He sighed. "Junior Sister, I don't want to make trouble for him. I only want to compete with him openly and honorably one more time!"

Fire Phoenix grew anxious. "Senior Brother, do you still not understand? You no longer have the standing to compete with him. Unless you happen to encounter him alone, there is no need for him to act personally at all. Why would he need to fight you himself? There are plenty of experts under him, including Wu Zhaoxing of the Golden Core Ranking, who has already joined him. Senior Brother, his power is too great. If he is willing to offer someone a favor, one word from him is enough to have any number of people come looking for trouble with you. An open spear is easy to dodge; a hidden arrow is hard to guard against. How many can you avoid? Unless you intend to hide inside the sect forever! If you go out of your way to provoke him, then you are the one in the wrong. If you bully your way to another sect's Elder and Zijin Cave comes to demand an accounting from our sect, how is the sect supposed to answer? Even if they kill you, our sect would find it hard to say anything on your behalf, because you started it."

She gripped Kunlin Shu's sleeve. "Senior Brother, let it go. With Niu Youdao as he is today, the two of us cannot afford to provoke him through our personal strength alone. Why not look at the good side? What happened back then is over. Without that incident, Senior Brother would not have achieved what you have today. In a certain sense, Niu Youdao helped make you what you are. Shall we simply laugh off the past?"

...

"Your Majesty, Yan has no sincerity whatsoever in these negotiations. This is a delaying tactic. They plainly mean to bleed away our national strength inside Song. We cannot drag this out any longer. Withdraw the army!"

In the imperial study of Han's inner palace, in the Han capital, Grand Marshal Jin Jue repeatedly cupped his hands and pleaded with Emperor Nie Zhenting.

Wu Gongling had exhausted even Jin Jue's patience. Nothing Wu Gongling did resembled the conduct of a ruler. He did not care whether Song lived or died. He let the enemy army ravage the land, allowing them to destroy whatever they pleased, while refusing to meet Han in a direct battle. He hid, ran, and harassed them. If this continued, sooner or later Wu Gongling would ruin the entire State of Song himself.

Song's three major sects understood that as well. Even if Song survived, its vitality would be devastated far beyond any ordinary measure, and no one knew how long recovery would take. Yet Song's three major sects had no other choice. What other road remained to them? They could only accompany Wu Gongling while he smashed their own rice bowl.

If there had been no threat from outside powers, Jin Jue would naturally have been happy to watch Song behave this way, and he knew Wu Gongling could not keep it up forever.

But Wu Gongling did not care. He had assumed the posture of a scoundrel: if Song collapsed, so be it. Even if it collapsed, he would drag Han down into the water with it. He was plainly determined to consume Han's national strength so that someone else could reap the benefit.

If Mu Zhuozhen were still on the throne, he would never have dared act this way. He would have had to resist the invaders with everything he had, or popular resentment would have surged and his throne would never have remained secure. Wu Gongling carried no such burden. All the blame had already been laid at Mu Zhuozhen's feet; Wu Gongling was merely the man who had come to clean up the mess.

What did the common people know? Mu Zhuozhen's Edict of Self-Reproach had truly carried the black pot away with him even after his fall. The people of Song hated Mu Zhuozhen and believed their present suffering was all his doing. Seeing Song's armies constantly running here and there, busy without pause, they assumed the troops were fighting and waited expectantly for Wu Gongling to drive out the invaders.

With Yan having stabilized its position and racing to recover its strength, Jin Jue made a major decision. Song's armies did not dare confront Han's forces directly anyway, so it would not matter if he, the commander, temporarily left the front. He hurried back to the capital for an audience with the emperor.

Nie Zhenting's expression was grave. "Grand Marshal, I understand your reasoning. But Han has paid such a great price and lost so many sons. If we simply withdraw after starting this war and gaining nothing, how are we to answer to all beneath Heaven?"

Jin Jue dropped to his knees on the spot and cupped his hands. "Let all the blame fall upon this minister alone. Your Majesty may issue an edict punishing me, strip this old minister of the office of Grand Marshal, and use me to give the entire court an accounting!"

Nie Zhenting was moved. He came around the imperial desk, hurried forward, and personally helped Jin Jue to his feet. "The fault lies with Tiannü Sect. How can the Grand Marshal be blamed? Had Tiannü Sect not indulged Wu Gongling for its own selfish interests, how could the situation have reached this point?"

Jin Jue shook his head. "There is no meaning in speaking of Tiannü Sect now. Can Your Majesty do anything to Tiannü Sect? Your Majesty, the opportunity for war has already been lost. We must not create further dangers for ourselves. We have to stabilize our own position and leave no opening for outside enemies to exploit. Otherwise, a sudden upheaval could come in an instant and catch us completely unprepared!"

He had come quickly and left just as quickly. After his audience with the emperor, Jin Jue hurried back into Song territory to handle the negotiations with Song.

An army could not simply withdraw because one side announced it was withdrawing. The enemy had to be willing as well. Han first had to communicate clearly with Song: stop making trouble; we're withdrawing, which benefits you; we won't fight you anymore. Agreed?

Naturally, Han also hoped to extract some advantage in return, such as making Song cede several prefectures.

...

"Your Majesty!"

Emperor Taishu Xiong of Jin had come in person. Upon receiving the news, Shao Pingbo hurried to the main gate to welcome him.

Ruler and minister entered together and took their seats in a pavilion. Taishu Xiong wasted no words. "I have just received news that Han is preparing to withdraw. Han and Song are already holding secret negotiations and will soon cease hostilities. Once the four quarters are pacified, it will be unfavorable to our plans afterward. How far has your scheme progressed?"

Shao Pingbo replied, "Your Majesty, Xuan Wei has controlled Wei for many years. Her roots run too deep. This matter cannot be rushed, or it will backfire. Your Majesty, Qin has only just been reestablished and has a hundred neglected affairs awaiting restoration. For quite some time, it will have no strength to send forces west to aid Wei. Jin can afford to wait."

Taishu Xiong swept out a hand. "Wait, wait, always wait! What I want to know today is when we can act. You must give me a definite answer today!"

His tone was poor, in large part because he truly was irritated. Not one of the people Qiyun Sect had sent to raid and plunder Zhao's imperial palace by night had returned. Even the three venerable elders sent with them had vanished without a trace. No one had been able to find them anywhere. Something had most likely happened, but the losses were simply too severe.

Instead of stealing the chicken, they had lost the rice as well. Qiyun Sect was already blaming his side for mishandling the affair and demanding an explanation of exactly what had happened.

The crucial problem was that no matter what Taishu Xiong tried, he could not determine what had happened. How had three Supreme Elders simply vanished? Unable to provide an explanation, he was naturally being berated by Qiyun Sect again and again, leaving him thoroughly vexed.

[End of Chapter 910]