Chapter 926: A Basket of Fragrant Fruit

Fire Phoenix was still afraid he might do something improper to her, and grief had left her with little mind for deeper thought. Nervously, she said, "Naturally, he'll return to Tianhuo Sect."

She had completely failed to grasp the deeper meaning of his question.

When the young couple met earlier, Niu Youdao had stood to the side watching coldly. He had already seen that the two of them were so grief-stricken they looked ready to live or die together and were not thinking matters through. He had no intention of letting the net he had cast go to waste, so he had come specifically to warn her.

"Don't be so nervous or frightened. I came for your sake, and for Kunlin Shu's as well. Some of the disrespectful things I said earlier were only because I was angry at Kunlin Shu for making trouble without reason. I've calmed down now, and you should steady your emotions too. Don't worry. I won't do anything improper to you. I'm here for your good."

Hearing that, Fire Phoenix did not necessarily believe him, but she relaxed somewhat. Wiping away her tears, she asked, "What business does Elder Niu have with me?"

So the earlier question had been wasted. She had not listened to it at all. Niu Youdao was somewhat speechless, but he still smiled. "Qian Fucheng wanted to take Kunlin Shu away. Do you know what will happen to Kunlin Shu if he leaves here?"

Fire Phoenix looked slightly puzzled. "You mean the sect will punish Senior Brother severely?"

Niu Youdao said, "Let me remind you again. Your Senior Brother is bound by a wager. Someone from All-Under-Heaven Money House agreed to act as witness and personally stood witness to that wager. Other than Misty Pavilion, no one beneath Heaven dares repudiate an agreement like that. And Qian Fucheng could originally have stopped your Senior Brother from accepting the wager, yet this Tianhuo Sect Elder not only failed to stop him but even helped facilitate it. Can Qian Fucheng shoulder responsibility for that?"

Fire Phoenix's bright eyes slowly widened. She seemed to understand something.

Niu Youdao continued, "It isn't only your Senior Brother Tianhuo Sect will punish severely. Qian Fucheng himself cannot escape responsibility. You should understand now why he wanted to take your Senior Brother away."

Fire Phoenix seemed to understand, yet not entirely. Hesitating, she said, "Naturally... naturally so he could take Senior Brother back and make it easier to account for what happened?"

Niu Youdao said, "Then what about the wager? I told you: other than Misty Pavilion, no one dares renege on it. Nor does All-Under-Heaven Money House force anyone into wagers, and under ordinary circumstances it would not involve itself in something like this. This happened only because both sides agreed beforehand, both sides went together to invite them, and both sides approved of someone from the money house acting as the intermediary. Only then did Shopkeeper Hang step forward. Break the agreement? Do you think Tianhuo Sect dares play games with All-Under-Heaven Money House? The paper issued by All-Under-Heaven Money House carries tremendous weight. The currency beneath Heaven passes through its hands. The whole institution turns on trust. Would Tianhuo Sect dare damage that trust?"

Fire Phoenix stared at him in alarm and uncertainty. "You mean Elder Qian has no way to take Senior Brother back to Tianhuo Sect?"

Niu Youdao said, "Not that he has no way—he doesn't dare. With All-Under-Heaven Money House guaranteeing the wager, Tianhuo Sect cannot refuse to hand the man over. What meaning would there be in bringing him back? In the end, they would still have to send him out again. So what do you think Qian Fucheng will do? He was willing to leave you here as a hostage so long as he could take your Senior Brother away. Why do you think that was?"

Fire Phoenix shuddered. "He wants... he wants to harm Senior Brother!"

Niu Youdao slowly nodded. "More than harm him. I'm afraid he intends to kill your Senior Brother outright. So long as Zijin Cave releases the man voluntarily, Tianhuo Sect will not have forcibly broken the wager and All-Under-Heaven Money House will have nothing to say. If your Senior Brother then meets with some accident on the road, that falls outside the wager. All-Under-Heaven Money House will not concern itself with miscellaneous affairs like that, and it will no longer have anything to do with Tianhuo Sect. If Tianhuo Sect itself moves against your Senior Brother and someone catches proof that they are trying to destroy the wager, what consequences would follow? There are some things Elder Qian can do that Tianhuo Sect cannot. At the very least, the incident cannot happen inside Tianhuo Sect. The moment I allow your Senior Brother to leave this place, he is certain to meet with disaster. I'm keeping him here not because I want to harm him, but because I'm saving him!"

Fire Phoenix understood now. Yet she gave a bitter smile. "Saving him? You keep him here as a slave and call that saving him? If you truly wanted to save him, you should laugh off the wager, release both of us, and cancel the agreement. That would be truly saving him. You keep holding him and refuse to let him go... Elder Niu, do you think I'm a fool? You've reduced husband and wife to this, and now you expect me to be grateful?"

"I reduced the two of you to this?" Niu Youdao asked. "Can this affair really be blamed on me? You know better than anyone who clung to me and refused to let matters rest. And one more thing. I may be a party to the wager, but don't forget that I'm also an Elder of Zijin Cave. Look at the larger picture. With leverage this good in hand, do you really think Zijin Cave will simply let it go? Zijin Cave will inevitably seize the opportunity to demand conditions from Tianhuo Sect, and very steep ones at that. Zijin Cave will not waste an opportunity like this. Do you really think I can still decide the matter by myself?"

Fire Phoenix said in grief and anger, "If you can't decide it anymore, then why did you come see me?"

Niu Youdao raised an eyebrow. "Under the wager, you're already my servant. Am I, your master, not even allowed to see my own servant?"

Fire Phoenix instinctively backed against the wall again. Through her tears she said nervously, "A servant is a servant. Don't even dream that I'll agree to anything beyond that!"

Niu Youdao was genuinely speechless. Did he look that much like a villain? Why did she keep imagining matters in that direction?

"You're overthinking it. I came because I don't want either of you to fall into Zijin Cave's hands. I don't want husband and wife to become hostages traded back and forth in a bargain between Zijin Cave and Tianhuo Sect."

Fire Phoenix did not believe him. With tears on her face, she laughed bitterly. "You can be that kindhearted?"

"Whether I'm kindhearted doesn't matter. What matters is that once the two sects start exchanging interests... You should understand this yourself. Whether you become a servant or slave is irrelevant. Your life and death don't matter much to Tianhuo Sect. The person Tianhuo Sect wants back is your Senior Brother. They will not allow him to remain here as a slave. Have you thought about what that means? If Tianhuo Sect has to sacrifice enormous interests because of your Senior Brother... he possesses Tianhuo Sect's supreme secret art, yet he's impulsive and uncontrollable, and on top of that he causes the sect to suffer enormous losses. Have you thought about what will happen to him after he goes back?"

Tears streamed down Fire Phoenix's face as she shook her head. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I want to save your Senior Brother. I want to save you too. I want to protect both of you."

Fire Phoenix finally sobbed aloud. "You yourself said you can't decide this. What makes you think you can protect us?"

"Whether I can protect you, even I don't dare guarantee. I can only do everything in my power. I simply want you to understand why I refused to let Qian Fucheng take your Senior Brother away. I will do my best to preserve both your lives. If you still want your Senior Brother to live, then when necessary, I hope you'll cooperate with me. With your cooperation, my chances of protecting husband and wife will be somewhat better."

Fire Phoenix wiped her tears and thought over his words. "How do you want me to cooperate?"

Niu Youdao turned and strolled toward the door, calm and unhurried. "I don't have certainty yet. There's no point saying more now. We'll see when the time comes. I only came to give you a warning beforehand. Of course, if you don't care whether your Senior Brother lives, then when the time comes I'll hand the two of you over to Zijin Cave and let the two sects dispose of you as they please."

Fire Phoenix hesitated, then finally called after him, "Why? I don't believe you'd help us for no reason. I don't believe you're that kindhearted."

"How is it for no reason? You're my servants. You're my people. If other people can dispose of my people however they like, what face would I have left? I haven't been established in Zijin Cave for long and still have to make my way here. How could I let someone sweep away my face so easily?" Niu Youdao stopped and offered the explanation.

Was that truly the reason? Fire Phoenix was half convinced, half doubtful.

"If you want your Senior Brother to die miserably, all you need to do is send me word. If the two of you insist on seeking death yourselves, then no amount of effort from me will help, and I won't bother wasting the thought on it." Niu Youdao threw the words back over his shoulder, then left. The door creaked shut behind him.

Fire Phoenix leaned against the wall through tear-filled eyes, staring blankly as she turned Niu Youdao's words over in her mind.

Outside the door, Niu Youdao caught the familiar scent of face powder. Turning his head, he saw Guan Fangyi tucked beside the doorway with her back against the wall, lazily waving her round fan and smiling.

She was not like before.

In earlier years Guan Fangyi had often made a fuss, cursing about how he had dragged this old lady around at his side as a hired fighter and the like.

Things were different now. No matter where Niu Youdao went, she always wanted to edge closer and see what he was up to.

Niu Youdao strolled down the steps.

Guan Fangyi pushed off the wall with the foot she had braced against it. Her skirts swayed as she hurried after him, round fan still moving. Lowering her voice, she asked, "You wouldn't say all that for no reason. What are you plotting now?"

"You heard everything. Didn't I already make myself perfectly clear?"

Guan Fangyi pursed her lips, rolled her eyes, and smacked him across the back with her round fan, plainly cursing him as hateful without saying the word.

Back when she first followed Niu Youdao, she had always lived with a vague feeling of fear and danger. Now she felt at ease. Wherever Niu Youdao was, no matter how great the storm, she was no longer afraid. Her status was also nothing like it had been when she lived at Fufang Garden in the Qi capital. She no longer needed to smile obsequiously at people, nor worry about the tangled mass of powers in the capital. Beneath Heaven today, there were not many people who dared treat her without courtesy.

And Niu Youdao had never restricted her freedom. Her life now was rather comfortable.

It was not only her. Many of the people who followed Niu Youdao shared the same feeling and state of mind.

In their eyes, Niu Youdao was their Master Dao. It was not merely a polite form of address. The fortunes, disasters, glory, and disgrace of this entire group within the cultivation world were all tied to Master Dao alone.

Just as they walked out of the small courtyard, Chen Guishuo came jogging over to report, "Master Dao, someone from Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion is here."

Once a Shangqing Sect disciple and once Niu Youdao's Senior Brother, Chen Guishuo had long since changed how he addressed him.

Whenever Chen Guishuo looked back on the past, he often sighed inwardly. When he followed Song Yanqing, Song Yanqing died and the Song clan collapsed. He ran to Beizhou, and Shao Pingbo fell as well, ending up stranded in Jin. And Shangqing Sect? It had even lost its ancestral grounds and fallen into exile in Wei.

Then look at Chen Guishuo now. Somehow, he seemed to be doing better than all the other people from Shangqing Sect. He had actually ended up living inside Zijin Cave, a place the Shangqing Sect of old could only look up to. One truly had to sigh over the tricks of fate.

"Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion..." Niu Youdao paused. He had already been in Zijin Cave for some time, yet the people of Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion had seemingly paid him no attention at all. Why had someone suddenly come looking for him now? He thought for a moment, could not make sense of it, and said with a trace of suspicion, "Invite him in."

"Yes!" Chen Guishuo hurried away.

Not long afterward, Ju An arrived carrying a wicker basket. He stepped forward and saluted Niu Youdao. "Martial Uncle."

Niu Youdao looked at what was inside the basket: a basketful of golden-skinned fruit. He asked, "What brings you here? Does Master want to see me?"

Ju An smiled. "No. Grandmaster is in secluded cultivation and will not stir without reason. I happened to see a wild fruit tree in the rear mountains just now. The fruit was fresh, a local specialty and rather rare. I assumed Martial Uncle had never tasted it, so I brought some along for you to try."

"Oh!" Niu Youdao sounded doubtful.

Ju An set down the fruit basket, respectfully took his leave, and departed.

"He came just to deliver some fruit?" Guan Fangyi muttered.

Niu Youdao reached into the basket, picked up one of the fruits, and held it beneath his nose. As he breathed in its fragrant scent, a thoughtful look gradually appeared on his face. Slowly, he turned his head and looked in the direction of Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion.

[End of Chapter 926]