Chapter 954: When a Man Is About to Die

Even the money already in his hand was not something Niu Youdao particularly wanted to pocket.

Xiaoyue Pavilion was not some powerless little sect. It was an organization with real ability to retaliate. Take someone's money and refuse to do the work—how could there be such an easy bargain?

More importantly, Niu Youdao knew almost nothing about the situation inside Sacred Realm. What they were supposed to be tempered in, how long the tempering would last—he knew none of it. How was he supposed to look after Qin's people?

Yet it seemed he could not refuse the money either. Yucang had forced it into his hands and would not take it back. And Yucang's promise that Qin's cultivators would all be placed under Niu Youdao's command once they entered Sacred Realm was genuinely attractive.

When facing an unknown situation, naturally the more strength one had nearby, the better. It increased one's ability to resist risk.

There were not that many people from all the states combined who were entering Sacred Realm for tempering. Having the strength of the entire Qin contingent directly supporting him could only be beneficial.

So for the time being, that was how things stood. In this vague fashion, Niu Youdao and Yucang settled several matters between them.

Yucang did not remain long. Afterward, he went to find Gong Lince again.

Once the guest had left, Niu Youdao handed the two Money House vouchers to Guan Fangyi. The woman liked managing money anyway. This too was a way of following people's hearts.

Guan Fangyi, who never thought there was such a thing as too much money, naturally accepted them with delight. "Why did Yucang suddenly insist on stuffing money into your hands?"

"Ah!" Niu Youdao sighed and explained the whole sequence of events.

After hearing the reason, Guan Fangyi hesitated as well. "Is it really appropriate to take this money?"

"If I don't come back, appropriate or not, he'll have to accept it. Hongniang, have you noticed I'm actually worth quite a lot? If I do come back..." Niu Youdao shook his head. "We'll talk about it then. No need to make things difficult over a little money."

Before long, Gong Lince sent someone with a message asking Niu Youdao to make a trip over.

At a time like this, apart from the matter of Sacred Realm, there was hardly anything else Gong Lince would summon him for. Niu Youdao did not delay and went immediately.

When the two met, Gong Lince pulled him aside for a private conversation. The location was behind the main hall, in the Sect Leader's residential quarters. He invited Niu Youdao to take tea in a quiet, elegant pavilion.

It was Niu Youdao's first time sitting in this place.

"Have you finished preparing for the journey?" Gong Lince asked as though casually. He personally poured tea for Niu Youdao. Niu Youdao tried to stop him, but Gong Lince waved him off, indicating there was no need.

Since the other man insisted on courtesy, Niu Youdao simply followed the host's lead. "There's not much to prepare. If Sacred Realm truly doesn't intend to leave us a road to survival, no amount of preparation will matter."

Gong Lince said, "We still don't understand the situation clearly. We don't know what's going on yet. Don't be too pessimistic."

Niu Youdao replied, "How much clearer does it need to be? When has anything that side arranged ever benefited the cultivators beneath Heaven? It's always been weakening or suppression. It would be strange if this time were the exception. Of course, I wouldn't call myself pessimistic either. It's simply true that no one wants to go."

Gong Lince smiled faintly and changed the subject. "Yucang has temporarily settled down here. He says he'll wait and depart together with us. The people from Tianhuo Sect are also waiting outside the mountain gate to travel with you. Both groups are connected to you. Does that mean they all think highly of you?"

The Tianhuo Sect side had come because of Kunlin Shu. Zijin Cave had originally suspected that there might be some improper connection between Niu Youdao and Tianhuo Sect. But now that Niu Youdao himself was going to Sacred Realm, there was little point pursuing that matter further, and no one in Zijin Cave mentioned it anymore.

That Niu Youdao would also be going to Sacred Realm was probably something Tianhuo Sect Leader Yuwen Yan had never anticipated at the beginning. His attempt to sow discord had therefore produced little effect.

Niu Youdao said, "What exactly do you expect me to explain? I have no need to explain anything. Think whatever you like. I don't care."

Gong Lince said, "I don't mean anything else by it. The sect does have confidence in your ability. Speaking for myself, if Sacred Realm had allowed the sects to choose which Elders would go, I might still have chosen you."

Niu Youdao raised a brow. "Is this because a man about to die no longer needs to be lied to? You're finally saying what's in your heart. You really did want to set me up, didn't you?"

Gong Lince lifted his cup in invitation and took a sip of tea. "You've misunderstood. No one knows what this Sacred Realm tempering will involve. It is full of unpredictability. In a place like Sacred Realm, what use would it be to rely on brute force to settle everything? Two or three people going in can't solve matters by force. What is needed is someone capable of responding to circumstances. Among the people of our sect, judging from the environments in which each person was tempered and grew, you emerged from especially complicated circumstances. Perhaps no one in the entire sect, myself included, can match you in that regard."

"Junior Brother, this is not flattery. These are heartfelt words after I calmed down and thought matters through carefully. This journey requires someone who can face complex situations and still control the board. After weighing the capabilities of all the sect's Elders, I still think most highly of you. Your past experience is the best proof. So if I were given another choice, I would still choose you. That is not me trying to set you up."

Niu Youdao set down his teacup and said teasingly, "Why does that sound like praise?"

"A man about to die no longer needs to be lied to." Gong Lince returned Niu Youdao's earlier words with a touch of mockery, then sighed. "Yes, I'm praising you, and yes, I think highly of you. More importantly, I want to remind you of something. Whatever you think, you are now a disciple of Zijin Cave. You must consider matters from the sect's position and in the sect's interests. On this journey, you represent Zijin Cave. You must do everything in your power. If some unexpected situation arises that could threaten Zijin Cave, you must do your utmost to dissolve any danger that might descend upon the sect."

"I'm not threatening you either. If you bring trouble down on the sect, the sect will not let you off. This is not a joke. I hope you remember it."

Niu Youdao replied indifferently, "I'm afraid someone will take advantage of my absence to pull the rug out from under me and move against my people. If anyone dares play tricks while I'm gone and cut off my road back, I can't guarantee what I might do inside Sacred Realm. But I can guarantee that none of us will have a road left to walk."

Gong Lince said, "On that point, I can give you my guarantee. As long as I'm here, I will not allow anyone to act recklessly." He gave the answer directly, without the slightest hesitation.

That decisiveness was precisely one of the things Niu Youdao appreciated most about him. Gong Lince was a man with considerable force of character. It was also one of the reasons Niu Youdao had chosen Zijin Cave in the first place.

Once he had the guarantee, Niu Youdao immediately made a concession of his own. "If I don't return this time, the people of the Maolu Annex will leave on their own. Don't make things difficult for them. Give them a road to survival. They won't involve themselves in anything afterward. As for the forces in the secular world, I'll instruct them to fully submit to Zijin Cave, and Zijin Cave can take them over smoothly. No conflict is better for everyone. Wouldn't you agree?"

Gong Lince was somewhat surprised. The proposal also left him with complicated feelings.

Taking over Niu Youdao's secular forces in their entirety was enormously tempting. Part of him almost wished Niu Youdao would simply die inside Sacred Realm. At the same time, he did not want Niu Youdao to cause trouble inside Sacred Realm and bring calamity down on Zijin Cave.

His feelings were contradictory. But there was still an order of priorities. Gong Lince nodded slightly. "If things truly reach the point you describe, then as long as your people don't make trouble and do exactly as you said, I have no reason to make things difficult for them. I can guarantee they leave safely. But if they fail to do so, if they still try to cling to the space for power you leave behind and seek profit from it, then I cannot guarantee what will happen."

Niu Youdao said, "They'll still listen to me."

"I hope so." Gong Lince nodded. Then he took a talisman from his sleeve and pushed it across the table. It was a Heavenly Sword Talisman. "Once you're inside Sacred Realm, the sect cannot give you any support. We truly have no room to interfere. The sect has so many disciples to support and enormous expenses, so what we can give you is limited. This Heavenly Sword Talisman is a gift from the sect. Keep it for self-defense."

"For me?" Niu Youdao picked up the Heavenly Sword Talisman and turned it over in his hands. With a teasing smile, he said, "Rare generosity."

Gong Lince said, "You've squandered more Heavenly Sword Talismans than I have. I shouldn't need to teach you how to use one."

Niu Youdao tucked it away without the least modesty. "No need. I have experience. I'm more practiced at controlling them than any of you, and I can draw out more of their power too."

Gong Lince said, "Anything else? If not, set out early. Tianhuo Sect isn't wrong about that. Leaving earlier reduces the chance of some accident making you late. If you arrive late for Sacred Realm, no one there will be polite with you."

"I still have a few arrangements to make. I'll leave tomorrow morning. There's enough time." Niu Youdao tossed out the words, lifted his teacup, and took another sip. Bang! He set the cup heavily back on the table, scooped up his sword, rose, and left without looking back.

Gong Lince did not look back either. He remained seated in silence, staring at the tea splashed across the tabletop from the cup's impact...

"Master Dao!"

At the Maolu Annex, Wen Mo'er, who had been pacing in the courtyard, saluted when she saw Niu Youdao return.

"Mm." Niu Youdao had already walked past her when he suddenly stopped, backed up several steps, and returned to stand in front of her.

Wen Mo'er stared in surprise, not understanding. His gaze traveled up and down her in a way that made her deeply uncomfortable. She asked weakly, "Does Master Dao have some instruction?"

Niu Youdao abruptly asked, "Is there a man you fancy?"

Wen Mo'er froze. Then her head shook like a rattle. "No."

The answer was not entirely sincere. In the hazy innocence of youth, there had once been someone, but fate had not allowed it. Later, she had entertained such thoughts about the man standing before her now. Who could have known fate would fail again? He had directly become someone of her martial-uncle generation. Their seniority no longer matched. Once missed, the opportunity was missed forever. There was no possibility left.

Niu Youdao said, "You're this beautiful, yet you've stayed single all this time. That's a waste of Heaven's gifts. You're not young anymore either. It's about time you married."

Embarrassed, Wen Mo'er said, "I don't have any such plans yet. Things are fine as they are."

Niu Youdao ignored what she said and asked only one thing. "Do you trust me?"

How was she supposed to answer that? Wen Mo'er could only force herself to say, "Naturally I trust Master Dao." She could hardly say she did not.

Niu Youdao said, "Good! Then I'll decide your lifelong matter for you. Wait for good news from me." With that, he planted his sword before him and walked away again.

"..."

Wen Mo'er stood there in a daze. You'll decide it? What was that supposed to mean? What right did you have to decide? She had not even agreed.

Her head was full of confusion. The man was about to leave for Sacred Realm, yet suddenly he had come out with something like this. She had no idea what tune he was singing.

It was not until the next day that she understood the purpose behind those words.

...

Inside the Nanzhou Governor's residence, Shang Chaozong, Meng Shanming, and Lan Ruoting gathered in one room around a table. A letter from Niu Youdao lay on the tabletop.

All three had already read its contents.

Niu Youdao's letter completely removed their worries for the future. If he failed to return, they were to submit directly to Zijin Cave and harbor no misgivings. The people of Maolu Villa would voluntarily withdraw from the board and would not create trouble for them.

[End of Chapter 954]