Chapter 949: Brothers in Misfortune

Zijin Cave had its own standards of hospitality, but the moment the conversation turned to the war that was about to erupt, Gong Lince became expressionless.

He knew the three visitors had also come hoping to sound out Zijin Cave's true intentions. Naturally, he would not let them learn what his side was planning.

After talking at length and getting nothing from him, Guan Jitai asked, "Brother Gong, you know Yan's situation as well as we do. Is it really worth both sides suffering losses over one woman?"

Gong Lince said, "If it isn't worth it, then simply hand her over. Why waste so much breath here?"

Guan Jitai replied, "Of course our three sects would be happy to avoid a war. But no matter how far Hui Qingping has fallen, she was once Empress of Song. If we hand Song's former Empress over to you, where are our three sects supposed to put our faces?"

Gong Lince said at an unhurried pace, "That isn't something I need to worry about."

Qu Fan gave a cold chuckle. "Brother Gong, we've said every pleasant thing there is to say, yet you won't give us the slightest face."

Gong Lince shook his head and sighed. "Brother Qu, there's little point saying that. When Song's army invaded Yan, Yan's three major sects sought all of you out and pleaded with you every possible way. We were even willing to swallow humiliation and compromise. May I ask whether the three of you gave me the slightest bit of face then? Face is something people give each other!"

That truly left the three visitors somewhat speechless, but they were not about to give up easily. Wu Chengyu said, "How can a struggle over interests be mentioned in the same breath as this? For dignified Zijin Cave to pay such a price over an unrelated woman—what do you gain from it?"

Gong Lince said, "The matter is already before us. Why can't the two be compared? Back then, the three of you left me no road of retreat whatsoever. Today, I've at least left the three of you one. Whether you want war or peace is entirely up to you!"

Even Gong Lince himself found those words satisfying.

Only now, with matters having reached this stage, did he realize that Niu Youdao had truly allowed him to put on quite a show of strength. Not only had the Sect Leaders of Song's three major sects come asking him for a favor, even the Sect Leaders of Xiaoyao Palace and Lingjian Mountain had previously come to persuade him.

The feeling of being this forceful was rather pleasant. It also made him truly understand that Zijin Cave's strength today was no longer what it had once been. It had already reached the point where others had to swallow humiliation and compromise before it.

Guan Jitai said, "What I find strange is this: when did Niu Youdao become the one in charge of Zijin Cave? Since when has his word been final? Don't tell me Zijin Cave has already fallen under Niu Youdao's control, and Brother Gong has become nothing more than decoration."

Gong Lince said disdainfully, "I'm not a three-year-old child. Provocation and sowing discord won't work on me. I might as well speak plainly. You all know Niu Youdao was placed on the Sacred Realm list. This time he truly has been wronged. He asked us to help save his sworn elder sister. Zijin Cave agreed, which can be considered granting him this wish."

He raised one finger and waved it toward the three men. "There's no point saying more. If you want to stop the war, hand her over. Of course, if Song is willing to cede the territory of several prefectures to us, I'm not such an unreasonable man that I would refuse. If matters can end peacefully, that would be better for everyone."

...

The Maolu Annex had a guest as well. Another of Niu Youdao's sworn brothers had arrived: Quan Taifeng, an Elder of Lingxiao Pavilion.

Naturally, Quan Taifeng had come with his Sect Leader this time. His Sect Leader went to see Gong Lince, while he came to the Maolu Annex to reminisce with Niu Youdao.

Reminiscing was only the pretext. The one who tied the bell must untie it. His real purpose was to see whether he could break the deadlock over the looming war from Niu Youdao's side.

Regardless of whether either man had taken their sworn brotherhood seriously back then, that relationship did exist. When trouble arose, it truly was easier for them to speak than for strangers. At the very least, they were old acquaintances.

Host and guest alike avoided mentioning the unpleasant matters of the past. Niu Youdao was exceedingly warm, calling him "Big Brother" with every other breath and entertaining him with fine wine and good dishes.

Since he had come all this way, Quan Taifeng naturally did not mind tasting the food and wine, but that was not his objective. After they had reminisced for a while, he still turned to the real subject and asked Niu Youdao to give him face on account of their relationship and let the matter end here.

Niu Youdao naturally answered by speaking of Hui Qingping's life and death.

They went back and forth until Quan Taifeng finally put down his chopsticks. "Little Brother, how about this? We each take one step back. I guarantee Hui Qingping's safety. I guarantee Song will not touch so much as one hair on her head. You call off the troops as well, and we let this matter turn the page. That way, you preserve Hui Qingping's life and fulfill your sworn bond with her, while Song preserves its face and both states avoid the losses of war. Why not?"

Niu Youdao put down his chopsticks as well. "Big Brother, it's not that I refuse to give you face. If this had been earlier, I definitely would have agreed. But now, I truly have no way to."

Quan Taifeng hesitated. "Do you mean the matter is no longer yours to decide, and Zijin Cave has taken complete control? If that's really the case, I don't think so. The Shang faction listens to you. As long as the Shang faction's troops stand down, Zijin Cave's forces alone can't start a war between states. In the end, they'll have no choice but to retreat in the face of difficulty."

Niu Youdao shook his head. "Big Brother, that's not what I mean."

Quan Taifeng did not understand. "Then why?"

Niu Youdao sighed. "Big Brother, I'm going to Sacred Realm. Whether I can return alive is still unknown. If I never come back, will those promises you've given me still mean anything? Perhaps Big Brother will say you'll definitely keep your word, but will Song ever give Big Sister her freedom? If you can give her freedom, what difference does it make to release her now? At the end of the day, perhaps she can escape death, but she cannot escape punishment. If Big Sister loses her freedom for the rest of her life, what meaning is there in merely staying alive? I don't want to boast about how much I value loyalty and affection. I only hope that before I leave, I can restore Big Sister's freedom. Let me die with peace of mind, if nothing else. Big Brother, please grant me this."

Listening from the side, Guan Fangyi felt her heart grow heavy. Master Dao's journey truly did carry unknowable fortune and disaster. That was Sacred Realm. If anything happened to him there, no one could save him, nor did anyone possess the ability to save him.

Quan Taifeng was affected by the words as well. "Little Brother, you've always had great fortune and a hard life. Even the Tiandu Secret Realm couldn't do anything to you. Nothing will happen. As for me, I'm unlucky this time too. Sacred Realm has fallen on my head as well. Your old brother will accompany you through the hardship."

Niu Youdao froze, then said unhappily, "Big Brother, are you amusing yourself at my expense? I've seen the Sacred Realm list. If your name were on it, do you think I wouldn't remember? You weren't there at all."

Quan Taifeng sighed repeatedly. "You don't know what happened. After Song finished fighting Yan, we fought Han as well. You know how difficult those wars were for Song. We suffered terrible losses. Several of the senior brothers ahead of me were badly wounded. After the fighting stopped, they all remained in convalescence. The sect communicated with Misty Pavilion, and Misty Pavilion agreed to replace them."

Niu Youdao stared at him. "The Han-Song war ended quite a while ago. Their injuries still haven't healed?"

"They suffered serious wounds for the sect, so naturally they deserve proper consideration. Besides, with injuries, who can say how quickly recovery should take? They might relapse as well..." Quan Taifeng paused there, apparently realizing he should not say too much. He downed a mouthful of wine, waved a hand, and said, "Ah, forget it. In short, I'm the unlucky one."

Niu Youdao more or less understood the unspoken difficulty behind those words.

The men who were supposed to go probably did not want to. They were using their injuries as an excuse, exactly like what Niu Youdao himself had suggested at Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion. A man could simply injure himself. That talk of a possible relapse might even mean someone was deliberately making sure the injury never quite healed. But once there was a perfectly legitimate reason and even Misty Pavilion had approved the substitution, what could Lingxiao Pavilion say internally?

From another perspective, the fact that Lingxiao Pavilion had been able to push Quan Taifeng out instead was related to his standing within the sect. Put simply, he could not outmaneuver those senior brothers who were convalescing.

At the side, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Guan Fangyi's mouth. So the two brothers in misfortune had ended up together.

"Oh, then you really are unlucky. You've suffered, Big Brother. Come, let's drink." Niu Youdao raised his cup in sympathy. After touching cups and drinking with him, he could not resist asking, "Big Brother, what exactly is this Sacred Realm tempering supposed to involve? How long will it last? If you know anything, give your little brother a hint so I can at least prepare myself mentally."

"Ah!" Quan Taifeng kept sighing. "You ask me, but who am I supposed to ask? Who the hell knows what they're up to? Fine, they want to do this tempering, so be it. We submitted the lists exactly as they required and thought that would be the end of it. Who could have imagined they'd suddenly pull something like this? Then, of all people, I just had to be the one it landed on. I don't know what kind of cursed luck I've run into. Even this kind of damned bizarre affair can find me, and I never provoked anyone! Tell me, how can they say one thing and then change it afterward? If people like us end up caught by something like this, what is it if not rotten luck?"

His words and tone were filled with bottled-up grievances that had found nowhere else to go. Niu Youdao's question had drawn all of them out.

"Ah!" Niu Youdao sighed as well. "Exactly. The two of us really are unlucky. Big Brother, once we enter Sacred Realm, let's look after each other."

"Ah, of course..." Quan Taifeng got halfway through the words before suddenly freezing. He seemed to realize the conversation had wandered too far from the real reason he had come. He lifted his eyes again. "Little Brother, I've come all the way to your door. You ought to look after me now too!"

Niu Youdao shook his head and refused. "Big Brother, I already said it. It's not that I refuse to give you face. This concerns Big Sister's life, death, and dignity. How can you ask me to agree? Let's not mention this matter again. If we say too much, we'll only damage the bond between brothers."

What damned bond? Quan Taifeng muttered inwardly. He clicked his tongue. "Little Brother, it's not that I'm heartless. It's only that making such a huge mobilization over one Hui Qingping, going so far as to risk a great war and enormous losses, feels wrong no matter how I think about it. Is this truly for Hui Qingping? Isn't she just an excuse?"

Niu Youdao said, "I've told you, and you don't believe me. Then there's no point saying more. Whether my intentions are genuine or false, time will prove it. I'll leave these words here today: no matter what Big Brother thinks of me, if what happened to Big Sister today ever happened to Big Brother instead, as your sworn brother I would likewise be duty-bound to act. That's all there is to say. No more. Drink!" He raised his cup again.

...

Such large and unusual movements in Yan could not be hidden from the eyes and ears of the other states.

The abnormal reaction drew intense attention and vigilance from every quarter. All sides sent additional spies and concentrated their intelligence efforts on finding out exactly what had happened.

Within the imperial palace of Jin, Taishu Xiong and Shao Pingbo walked beside a lake as they spoke. Both ruler and subject were worried.

Everything had been proceeding normally, only for a matter like this to suddenly emerge. It truly gave both men a headache.

Jin's secret plan for war against Wei had already been suspended because they feared Misty Pavilion might once again freeze interstate warfare. Their plan had been to wait until the people from the various states who were participating in the tempering had entered Sacred Realm. Who would have thought: The tree may wish for stillness, but the wind will not cease! Yan had suddenly started making a huge commotion again, giving them no choice but to worry.

If Misty Pavilion once again froze all warfare, then who knew how long Jin would have to wait before it could send troops against Wei? Sacred Realm's tempering had not been given any time limit either.

While all the powers were watching developments with intense attention, the gates of Song's imperial prison opened with a clang.

Before long, the deposed Empress Hui Qingping was brought outside.

The moment she left the prison, Hui Qingping saw a familiar face standing outside with a smile, hands cupped in greeting.

It was Quan Taifeng, Elder of Lingxiao Pavilion.

[End of Chapter 949]