Chapter 943: A Last-Ditch Struggle

Everyone was speechless. A few faces twitched, while Sect Leader Gong let out a long, heavy breath.

Elder Yin Yide shook his head helplessly. "Well, no need to ask. That fellow has run to Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion to complain again. Is there anything he won't complain about? Does a mouse have to take a piss and he'll run tattling over that too?"

Gong Lince kept a straight face. "This isn't a small matter. It's just that the fellow is being a little ridiculous."

Fu Junrang sighed repeatedly. "Senior Martial Uncle Zhong doesn't have much lifespan left. Does that disciple of his have any conscience at all? Is this any way to work his own master to death? Doesn't he know he ought to conserve him a little?"

Mo Lingxue said, "Looks like he misunderstood and thought we were trying to harm him. Really, he ran off before he even finished listening."

Yan Li said, "I reckon the first person he suspected was me." He had the feeling that if this matter was not explained clearly, Niu Youdao would absolutely fight him to the bitter end.

Gong Lince said, "Enough useless talk. We weren't the ones who harmed him. Right and wrong can be explained clearly. Elder Zhong has summoned us. Let's go."

With considerable helplessness, the group headed together for Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion in the rear mountains. When they arrived, the doors that remained shut year-round were wide open, and Ju An stood on the steps with cupped hands to receive the guests.

Only after entering Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion did they discover that they were not the only ones summoned. The two Supreme Elders Chun Xinliang and Tu Kuai had also been called over.

Zhong Guzi sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, motionless as a stone carving. Chun Xinliang and Tu Kuai sat cross-legged on the floor to his left and right, both staring coldly at the approaching group.

Niu Youdao sat cross-legged off to one side. When he saw them enter, his expression soured at once. He turned his head away, plainly unhappy with them.

"Greetings, three Supreme Elders!" Gong Lince and the others cupped their hands and bowed together.

Chun Xinliang said mildly, "Sit."

"Yes!" Gong Lince and the others sat in a row facing them. Each glanced at Niu Youdao, inwardly conceding defeat before this man. He had not even figured out what was going on before running straight here to complain. He truly was like a hedgehog—touch him even slightly and he would come tattling.

Zhong Guzi slowly opened his eyes. A sharp light suddenly gleamed in his aged gaze as it swept across the row of people opposite him. His displeasure was obvious, but his weathered voice remained calm. "Ordinarily, we old fellows need do nothing, yet the sect still supports us with its full resources. By rights, we ought to be content. Under sect rules, every generation has its own responsibilities. Since we have already retired, we should not meddle in affairs unnecessarily. But we are still disciples of Zijin Cave. We cannot turn a blind eye to everything either. Sect Leader, do you consider what I have said appropriate?"

Gong Lince hurriedly piled on a smile. "Elder Zhong speaks too gravely. The Supreme Elders still devote themselves wholeheartedly to the sect. Whenever the sect has need, none of you has ever refused, and you have always supported and assisted us. If there are places where we have fallen short, the Supreme Elders are experienced veterans and pillars of the sect. It is only proper that you correct and oversee us."

True to his name, Tu Kuai had no patience for circling around the matter. He barked directly, "Fellow disciples ought to help one another. Why are you secretly plotting against one of your own?"

Gong Lince cupped his hands toward him. "Elder Tu, among fellow disciples, and especially among the Elders, differences of opinion are inevitable, and disputes sometimes arise. But to call it plotting against one of our own is rather too serious."

Tu Kuai pointed at Niu Youdao. "Niu Youdao's name was added to the list for Sacred Realm. Was that your doing?"

His disciple Mo Lingxue said, "Master, it truly had nothing to do with us. Sacred Realm itself changed the list. Sacred Realm personally added Junior Brother Niu's name and specifically designated him to participate. We absolutely did not plot against him."

Tu Kuai said, "I refuse to believe Sacred Realm doesn't know he's an Elder of Zijin Cave. There are so many people in Zijin Cave. Why add his name of all people?"

Mo Lingxue sighed. "Master, Zijin Cave's list isn't the only one that changed. The lists of all the sects were altered. It wasn't only Zijin Cave that had one disciple crossed off and one Elder added. The same happened to the other sects as well. Sacred Realm personally designated one Elder from every sect to participate."

At those words, Niu Youdao, who had been staring up at the ceiling beams, froze. He slowly turned his head toward her.

Tu Kuai and Chun Xinliang exchanged a glance. Then Tu Kuai asked, "Do you have proof?"

Mo Lingxue did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Master, would we dare spout nonsense about something like this? Once matters are finalized, even if we wanted to deceive anyone, we couldn't."

Tu Kuai tilted his head toward Niu Youdao. "But your Junior Brother doesn't believe that's what happened. Since everyone is here today, we have to get to the bottom of this and give him a proper explanation."

He seemed to be speaking on Niu Youdao's behalf, but the words were really for Zhong Guzi. Put plainly, he was trying to help Gong Lince and the others clear up the misunderstanding.

At this point Gong Lince moved. He took a list from his sleeve and held it out with both hands. Under the guidance of his spiritual power, the list floated slowly toward Tu Kuai.

Tu Kuai caught it and examined it with a frown.

Mo Lingxue seemed afraid he might not recognize the names. After all, the older generation had withdrawn from authority long ago and had not concerned themselves with worldly affairs for years. She worried he might no longer know which listed Elders belonged to which sects. So she cupped her hands toward the three veteran Elders above them, rose, went to Tu Kuai's side, and pointed at the list as she explained, "This is an Elder of Qiyun Sect. This one is an Elder of Lingxiao Pavilion... and this is Junior Brother Niu."

After confirming the list, Tu Kuai let out a breath. Once Mo Lingxue had returned to her place, he leaned sideways toward Zhong Guzi and opened the list for him to see. "Senior Brother, look. There's no mistake. Every sect has an Elder on the list. This should be a misunderstanding."

Zhong Guzi glanced at it without examining it closely, then slowly closed his eyes again and became as motionless as a wooden statue.

Tu Kuai looked at Zhong Guzi's reaction, then waved a hand and sent the list drifting toward Niu Youdao. "Niu Youdao, you take a look too."

Niu Youdao naturally snatched the list into his hand and examined it closely. He would not have known without looking, but once he did, there really was something unusual about it. He was indeed not the only Elder. Every sect participating had an Elder on the list.

Not only that, he noticed something else: the Elders being sent by the various sects were all relatively prominent figures among their own sects' Elders.

He was no longer the man he had been in earlier years. Now that he himself was an Elder of Zijin Cave, he naturally knew something about the Elders of the various sects. If he did not even know that much, he would be blundering around blind.

That made him a little puzzled. If they truly intended to have Elder-level figures from every sect participate, Misty Pavilion could simply have said so from the beginning. Why submit the lists only to revise them afterward?

And if the lists submitted by the sects had truly displeased them, surely some word should have leaked out. At the very least, the sects could have been instructed to revise their submissions. What was the meaning of directly designating people themselves?

Seeing him frown without speaking, Tu Kuai smiled. "Niu Youdao, it seems you truly did misunderstand the Sect Leader and the others."

Niu Youdao immediately defended himself. "It wasn't me who misunderstood. They never told me any of this earlier, and they never showed me the list."

Tu Kuai at once criticized Gong Lince and the others. "Then that was your fault. What matter can't be explained clearly face-to-face? You were wrong too!"

It was entirely the tone of an elder chastising juniors: light and painless, with no real consequence.

Under ordinary circumstances, if this had only been some small grievance, the others would have let an elder's rebuke pass. But this time they simply could not accept it.

Mo Lingxue looked at Niu Youdao, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Junior Brother Niu, was it really that we didn't explain clearly? Did you give us the chance to explain? We'd barely said two sentences before you gave us a tongue-lashing, turned around, and ran straight to Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion. You didn't even give us time to explain."

Niu Youdao's brows shot up. "Senior Sister Mo, say that clearly. Don't turn black into white and reverse right and wrong. When did I give you a tongue-lashing? Which sentence of mine cursed any of you? You're making it sound as though I run wild without law or restraint inside Zijin Cave. I refuse to swallow an accusation like that. In front of the three Supreme Elders, let's put the drums and gongs face-to-face and make everything clear. Which sentence of mine cursed you? Point it out!"

"..."

Mo Lingxue was choked speechless. Thinking back over what Niu Youdao had said earlier, the implication had certainly been there, but he really did not seem to have said anything that explicitly cursed them.

Gong Lince and the others stared at Niu Youdao, each inwardly cursing him. What last-ditch struggle are you putting on now?

Tu Kuai's face darkened as he looked at his own disciple. He had misunderstood the situation and thought she had lied to his face. He glanced at the unmoving Zhong Guzi, then barked at Mo Lingxue, "What's going on?"

"No..." Seeing that her master had misunderstood, Mo Lingxue hurriedly argued with Niu Youdao. "Fine, saying you cursed us may have been going too far. But admit it yourself: did you or did you not refuse to give us a chance to explain? Hadn't we barely exchanged two sentences before you ran off? And didn't you say, 'I don't care who made it. If someone refuses to let me live comfortably, then none of you are going to live comfortably either. I'm sure as hell not going. If I'm going down, we're all going down together!'?"

Niu Youdao said, "I did say that. You'd already done something that looked like you were forcing me to my death. Am I not even allowed to say a few words?"

Mo Lingxue stared at him in disbelief and pointed at the list in his hand. "The evidence is right there in your hand. It's already proven we weren't trying to harm you, and you're still accusing us of forcing you to your death?"

Niu Youdao said, "Do you dare say none of you were dissatisfied with us? Do you dare say none of you deliberately made things difficult for me or tried to suppress me?"

Mo Lingxue was furious. "Nonsense! When did we ever make things difficult for you?"

Niu Youdao said, "Whether you did or not, everyone knows perfectly well!"

Chun Xinliang also glanced at Zhong Guzi. Seeing that his Senior Brother still showed no reaction, he suddenly barked, "Enough! You are dignified Elders of Zijin Cave, yet you keep quarreling like marketplace shrews. What kind of spectacle is this? If you have disagreements, go argue them out in the council hall. Is this a place for you to quarrel? Both sides were at fault in this matter. It ends here. No more arguing!"

It was plainly a case of giving each side fifty strokes of the board. Once this veteran Elder laid down the judgment so forcefully, both Mo Lingxue and Niu Youdao shut their mouths.

Niu Youdao now had something else to occupy him. He spread the list out again and began pondering it.

For a time, silence settled over the hall. Chun Xinliang looked left, then right. At last he leaned toward Zhong Guzi and chuckled near his ear. "Senior Brother, the matter has been cleared up now. So..."

He left the sentence hanging, waiting for Zhong Guzi to respond. But Zhong Guzi seemed asleep and said nothing at all.

Everyone knew he could not possibly have failed to hear. His attitude plainly meant: handle it yourselves.

Tu Kuai and Chun Xinliang exchanged a glance. The same thought arose in both their minds: throwing his seniority around!

Yet neither could do anything about it. Chun Xinliang had no choice but to sit upright again, clear his throat, and say, "Niu Youdao, the matter has been clarified. No one is trying to harm you. Go back. From now on, follow the rules and handle things as they should be handled. Stop disturbing your master's secluded cultivation whenever you please."

Niu Youdao looked up. "Go back? Go back where? Back to wait for death? Let me make myself clear first. I'm not going to this Sacred Realm tempering or whatever it is. Beat me to death and I still won't go. If you've got the ability, you might as well kill me first."

[End of Chapter 943]