Chapter 962: Thanks from Chao Jing

As they walked, the two Zijin Cave disciples following behind Niu Youdao and maintaining their vigilance noticed something strange. Ke Dingjie moved closer to Niu Youdao's shoulder and warned him softly, "Elder, behind us..."

Niu Youdao immediately turned his head and froze. Well, look at that. Shen Yidu, Chao Jing, Fuhua, Duan Wuchang, Lang Jingkong, Hong Gaitian, and the others were all following close behind him.

He walked a little farther, then looked back again. The entire group remained inseparable from him. Niu Youdao was speechless. He had to admit defeat before their persistence, though of course he knew exactly what was on their minds.

Misty Pavilion's people led everyone into a large courtyard. There were plenty of rooms, arranged in a long rectangle around the courtyard. The buildings rose three stories high, and there were far more than twenty-eight rooms, well over a hundred in all. Misty Pavilion had temporarily emptied them for this purpose, more than enough to house everyone.

Once the whole group was inside and the headcount had been confirmed, the Misty Pavilion leader announced loudly, "All the rooms here are for you. Three people to a room, one room for each faction. Choose for yourselves. Once you've chosen, don't keep changing rooms. Until further notice, no one may leave this courtyard without permission. No one is to stir up trouble here. If anyone does, you will bear the consequences yourselves. Food and necessities will be delivered."

With a sweep of his hand, the various factions dispersed and began choosing rooms.

Niu Youdao observed the surroundings. He had been observing the whole way, and this place was no exception. Outwardly lax, inwardly vigilant, he did not dare be careless in the slightest and paid attention even to minute details.

He had also noticed Shen Yidu and the others behind him. When he stood still, they stood still as well.

Chao Jing took the two Myriad Beasts Sect disciples under him and moved beneath the eaves some distance away, deliberately avoiding any appearance of closeness. He seemed to be choosing a room, but in fact he did not move either. He was secretly watching what Niu Youdao did.

Shen Yidu and the people from the Four Seas had no need to avoid suspicion. Xiaoyue Pavilion's relationship with Niu Youdao was known to everyone; the two sides had colluded to destroy the State of Zhao together. As for the four from the Four Seas, their relationship with Niu Youdao was equally public knowledge. They were sworn siblings. No one would find it strange if they mingled together.

Only after nearly everyone else had chosen a room did Niu Youdao finally move. He selected one with almost no occupied rooms above, below, left, or right, then led the two Zijin Cave disciples over and pushed the door open.

The room was fairly clean but not large, only a single chamber. Its furnishings consisted of one couch, two chairs, and a table.

The instant Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie entered, they carefully inspected every corner of the room without leaving a blind spot. Niu Youdao smiled faintly. He knew the method well. Yuan Gang had trained them nicely. It appeared that from now on, he would not need to concern himself with such minor matters, which would save him quite a bit of effort.

To some extent, Yuan Gang understood him. He knew Niu Youdao's way of doing things and what sort of cooperation he needed.

The moment Niu Youdao had chosen his room, Shen Yidu and the others outside immediately occupied the nearest rooms around it.

Chao Jing frowned slightly. He discovered that there was no nearby room left for him. On second thought, however, that was not necessarily bad. Staying too close would make people suspect a connection between him and Niu Youdao. Earlier, he had been so anxious to get answers from Niu Youdao that his behavior had become a little too deliberate. He ought to reflect on that.

He looked around and chose a room across the courtyard, almost directly facing Niu Youdao's, so he could still keep an eye on any movement there.

Once the rooms had been chosen, Fuhua and the other three met briefly, then entered Niu Youdao's room together. They asked the two Zijin Cave disciples to step outside for a moment. Only after Niu Youdao nodded did Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie leave. The instant they stepped out, however, they discovered people from the Four Seas already guarding the doorway and preventing anyone from casually approaching.

With no outsiders left in the room, Fuhua smiled sweetly. "Little Brother, we meet again."

Niu Youdao smiled and cupped his hands. "Greetings, Big Sister, and my three elder brothers."

"Haha!" Hong Gaitian laughed loudly, stepped forward, and thumped Niu Youdao once in the chest. "You're all right, kid. Not like that bunch."

By "that bunch," he meant humans as opposed to demon cultivators, the ingrained rejection that came from the notion that those not of one's own kind must have different hearts. After speaking, he slung one arm around Niu Youdao's shoulders, looking unusually warm and delighted.

It was not only Hong Gaitian. The feeling the four had toward Niu Youdao was different this time. They had begun to treat him somewhat like one of their own. At the very least, the attitude in their words and gestures had grown considerably closer and less distant.

There was no helping it. Reputation had its influence.

When word spread that Niu Youdao had risked himself to save others during the Battle of Jiao Lake, the four might not have felt much.

When he later created such a tremendous commotion to save his sworn elder sister Hui Qingping, the four might still have dismissed it as an act put on for appearances.

Taken separately, either incident might have meant little. But when both were placed together and both had come from the same man, the impression became entirely different. The four could not help redefining Niu Youdao's character, and that was why they were showing him such warmth now.

Earlier, none of them had thought much of the sworn brotherhood with Niu Youdao. Nor had they thought his status qualified him to stand alongside them. By now, all those things had quietly been ignored in their own minds, while the fact that they were sworn siblings with Niu Youdao had instead become increasingly clear to them.

Naturally, the fact that Niu Youdao's present status had risen considerably was part of the reason, though this too was something they unconsciously ignored.

Then again, if not for that sworn brotherhood ceremony none of them had taken seriously at the time, they would not have been this close upon meeting now. Strangely enough, it did not feel awkward at all.

Niu Youdao let Hong Gaitian keep an arm around his shoulders and asked with some curiosity, "There are so many people across the Four Seas. How did Misty Pavilion just happen to pick the four of you to come to Sacred Realm together for tempering?"

Lang Jingkong shook his head. "We don't know either."

Fuhua smiled. "Little Brother, you're asking us? Shouldn't we be asking you?"

All four stared at Niu Youdao together.

Niu Youdao was speechless.

...

Chao Jing's room was almost directly opposite. The moment he entered, he opened the window. Outwardly he appeared to be paying attention to the situation in the courtyard, but in reality his attention remained fixed on Niu Youdao's side. He had seen the Four Seas group enter Niu Youdao's room and was growing anxious. He urgently wanted to find Niu Youdao and get a clear explanation of this tempering, yet he could find no opportunity to meet him privately. If he simply walked over under so many eyes, avoiding suspicion would be impossible.

He paced inside the room, hesitating and urgently considering a solution. When he finally saw the Four Seas group emerge from Niu Youdao's room, his footsteps stopped. He stroked his beard, eyes flickering faintly. A plan had formed in his mind.

He waited.

The day slowly passed. By the time evening arrived, Chao Jing, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly rose. "We have nothing else to do. Come. Follow me to visit some of the other sects. We may as well see whether we can learn anything about the situation."

"Yes!" The two Myriad Beasts Sect disciples accepted the order. On this journey, they naturally took Elder Chao's lead in everything.

One of them was his direct disciple Xu Huo, whom he had also arranged to enter the Tiandu Secret Realm back then. Xu Huo had secretly assisted Niu Youdao there under orders.

The three left their room and began visiting the nearby factions. They knocked and entered, had the accompanying disciples remain outside, and spoke privately with the other Elder about the Sacred Realm tempering.

In truth, this was only cover. There was little of substance to discuss. After leaving one room, Chao Jing took his disciples to another faction and repeated the process.

They went around and around like this. Night fell, and the lamps had already been lit for some time when Chao Jing finally arrived outside Zijin Cave's room. He had Xu Huo knock and announce them.

The door opened. Seeing Niu Youdao inside, Xu Huo cupped his hands with a smile. "Elder Niu, I am Xu Huo, a disciple of Myriad Beasts Sect. My master, Elder Chao, has come to visit!"

Xu Huo did not understand the exact nature of the relationship between Niu Youdao and his master. But during the Tiandu Secret Realm expedition, he had once received orders to cooperate secretly with Niu Youdao. He knew there had to be some hidden dealings between his master and Niu Youdao.

That was not something he needed to concern himself with. He only needed to remember one point: he was one of Chao Jing's trusted disciples, and whatever Chao Jing did would certainly be for his own benefit. If Chao Jing prospered, then naturally his disciple would rise with the tide. Xu Huo knew perfectly well what he should do.

Niu Youdao had already seen Chao Jing outside the door. Whenever he saw the man, he could not help thinking of Black Peony, and a trace of profound feeling would pass almost imperceptibly through his eyes. That memory remained lodged in his heart like a thorn. Outwardly, however, nothing showed. He rose from his chair and laughed. "So it's Elder Chao. Please, quickly, come in!"

Chao Jing stepped inside and cupped his hands. "When we parted at Myriad Beasts Sect years ago, I never expected that by the time we met again, Old Brother would already be an Elder of Zijin Cave. I never came to congratulate you. I hope Elder Niu will forgive me."

Niu Youdao said, "No need for such words. Please come in. Sit. There's no tea here, only a cup of plain water. I hope Elder Chao won't mind." As he spoke, he personally poured water for Chao Jing.

"No need for ceremony." Chao Jing waved a hand, glanced left and right, then said, "There are some matters concerning this tempering that I would like to discuss privately with Elder Niu. Would that be convenient?"

Niu Youdao understood. He turned and gestured for Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie to leave first.

Once no one else remained in the room, Niu Youdao sat down to one side and smiled. "Elder Chao truly went to a lot of trouble just to come see me. You made quite a wide circuit."

Chao Jing nodded. "Old Brother has sharp eyes. I never saw you make any move, yet nothing that happens in this courtyard escapes you."

Niu Youdao said, "The situation is unclear. Naturally, it's better to be cautious."

As he said, caution was certainly necessary. But he himself truly had not done much. Yuan Gang had simply trained Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie well. The two had remained secretly alert to everything happening inside the courtyard and reported any unusual movement to Niu Youdao in time.

Once Niu Youdao learned that Chao Jing had been visiting faction after faction and had finally come here, he naturally guessed that this room had been the real objective all along. Everything before it had merely been smoke and mirrors.

Chao Jing lowered his voice. "I came to thank you, Old Brother."

"Thank me?" Niu Youdao was somewhat surprised. He had assumed Chao Jing had come for the same reason as Fuhua and the others. He had not expected the first thing out of the man's mouth to be gratitude. Puzzled, he asked, "What are you thanking me for? Elder Chao, please explain."

Chao Jing said, "Thank you for warning me in advance. Because of that, I was able to arrange for my capable and trusted disciple Xu Huo to be included beforehand. It has made this journey much more convenient for me."

Speaking of Xu Huo, Chao Jing could not help feeling that Niu Youdao's preparations had indeed been thorough. Without Niu Youdao's advance warning, how could he possibly have brought such a reliable confidant with him into Sacred Realm?

To call it coincidence was not entirely wrong, but neither was it entirely coincidence. The outcome had arisen because of Niu Youdao's warning. The coincidental part was that when Misty Pavilion struck one name from the list of three disciples Myriad Beasts Sect had originally submitted, Xu Huo happened not to be the one removed.

One should not underestimate the value of a single trusted subordinate. At a critical moment, such a person could play an enormous role. In a place like this and under circumstances like these, Xu Huo had truly helped Chao Jing a great deal.

[End of Chapter 962]