Chapter 974: Sect Leader, Elder Niu Is Back

Gong Lince paced alone through the covered walkway of a waterside pavilion, thinking deeply.

He was different from the other Elders. He was the man at the head of the sect and had to consider what consequences this affair might bring upon Zijin Cave afterward.

As the saying goes, once a forest grows large, every kind of bird can be found in it. In a sect this large, internal struggles for power were unavoidable.

In that respect, he was actually no different from the other Elders.

The difference was that he had already emerged victorious from those struggles. He now governed the whole of Zijin Cave, and his responsibilities could no longer remain at the level of the role he once occupied. Everyone was watching to see whether he was truly fit to sit in the position of Sect Leader.

As he paced, he was both thinking and waiting for news from the Maolu Annex.

The disciple sent to investigate the course of events returned and hurried into the covered walkway. "Sect Leader, Elder Mo has already taken Yuan Gang into custody..." He then gave a full account of what he had learned.

After hearing it, Gong Lince let out a breath of relief and even showed a faint smile. Mo Lingxue had handled the matter well. Resolving everything without bloodshed was the best possible outcome. It gave the sect's disciples an explanation without allowing the conflict to expand. At a time like this, a bloody clash with the Maolu Annex would have been anything but good. If word spread outside, the forces aligned with Niu Youdao might undergo some unpredictable upheaval, making the eventual takeover of those forces much more troublesome. A peaceful ending was best.

"Mm. I understand." Gong Lince waved a hand, dismissing the disciple.

Before long, Elder Mo Lingxue arrived to report back. She informed him that the matter had been handled and that Yuan Gang had successfully been brought out of the Maolu Annex and confined.

"You did well. Junior Sister, you've worked hard," Gong Lince praised.

Mo Lingxue gave a bitter smile. "It was only luck. I merely thought I would try persuading him. I didn't expect it to work. Speaking of which, although that man is impulsive, I still admire him. He truly is a man. On the way back, I kept wondering: if we were placed in the same situation, would any of us willingly sacrifice ourselves the way he did?"

Gong Lince fell silent and did not answer the question. Any answer he gave would probably lack conviction, so he simply changed the subject. "I heard that when the incident occurred, Hongniang had Ju An notify Elder Zhong. Did anyone from Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion come over afterward or do anything?"

Mo Lingxue shook her head. "I was watching that side too. From beginning to end, there was no movement from Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion. Elder Zhong gave no response at all."

Gong Lince nodded faintly. "With people moving against the Maolu Annex at a time like this, Elder Zhong certainly can't be pleased. But Elder Zhong is Elder Zhong. He still considers matters from Zijin Cave's position and keeps the sect's greater interests in mind. He did not make things difficult for us."

The disturbance had been quelled, but Gong Lince did not relax his vigilance. He arranged for people to keep a close watch on the Maolu Annex, preventing any further trouble from arising.

Still, now that the situation had settled, he had the attention to deal with other matters. He once again went to meet the several honored guests inside the sect. It would not do to leave them waiting too long.

Yucang, Sect Leader of Xiaoyue Pavilion in the State of Qin; Guan Jitai, Sect Leader of Lingxiao Pavilion in the State of Song; Qu Fan, Sect Leader of Blood God Hall; and Wu Chengyu, Sect Leader of Heaven-Splitting Palace once again met with Gong Lince.

Gong Lince had not invited them. They had requested to come on their own initiative, and their reason was connected to Niu Youdao's departure for Sacred Realm.

Once Niu Youdao was gone, if he failed to return, there was a strong possibility that Zijin Cave would take over the forces under his control. Qin, or more precisely Xiaoyue Pavilion, could not stubbornly pin all its hopes on Niu Youdao definitely coming back. It naturally had to prepare another hand.

Put plainly, the newly established State of Qin needed a stable environment in which to build its foundation, while Zijin Cave currently wielded enormous influence over Yan's military.

Yucang's former friendship with Niu Youdao was one matter. The reality he now faced was another. Indeed, precisely because of his relationship with Niu Youdao, Yucang worried that Zijin Cave might think too much into his position. He had come specifically to resolve that concern and prevent any misunderstanding.

While Niu Youdao had been present, Yucang had acted as though nothing were happening. The moment Niu Youdao left, Yucang immediately made his move.

The badly weakened State of Song was here for much the same reason. Earlier, because of Hui Qingping, Niu Youdao had mobilized troops on a large scale and left Song extremely nervous. Song's three major sects feared that after Zijin Cave took over Niu Youdao's forces, it might make some move to prove it had gained control of that strength. For purposes of deterrence, such a move was entirely possible.

Looking at the lands around Yan, Song was relatively weak and therefore the best target to strike. Song's three major sects had no choice but to guard against danger before it arose and come reason things through with Zijin Cave.

Their basic argument was that Yan itself was hardly in good condition now and should not give the State of Han an opportunity to take advantage.

Invoking Han served one purpose, but they also hoped to keep Yan stable enough that Han would not dare act rashly, thereby buying Song more time to catch its breath.

Whether Yucang or the Sect Leaders of Song's three major sects, all of them understood one thing: so long as Zijin Cave currently kept its troops still, Yan's side would have no ability to stir up trouble.

In the end, all of them were simply planning ahead and guarding against danger before it arose.

While these major figures were "eating, drinking, and chatting" within the heart of Zijin Cave, the large flying mounts patrolling in shifts above the sect turned toward one direction and went out to meet something approaching.

Two large passenger-carrying flying mounts were coming from the east. The patrolling personnel naturally did not dare be careless. They quickly moved to intercept and inspect them, unwilling to let outsiders intrude into the sect grounds without authorization.

Only then did they discover that the arrivals were people from the Eastern Sea, and the person leading them here was none other than Elder Niu Youdao of Zijin Cave.

The inspecting disciples were astonished. Had Elder Niu not gone to Sacred Realm?

With Niu Youdao vouching for the visitors, they were immediately allowed through.

The two large flying mounts from the Eastern Sea circled above Zijin Cave's main hall. Before parting, Niu Youdao once again invited his escorts to stay. "You've come all this way. Why not allow Niu to show you some hospitality as your host?"

"We appreciate Elder Niu's kindness, but it truly would not be appropriate. Elder Niu understands the reason. We have already delivered you safely. We ought to obey the Great Sage's orders and return as quickly as possible to report." The leading Eastern Sea demon cultivator declined politely.

After such a long journey, it was not that they did not want to rest. Rather, once the Great Sage of the Eastern Sea learned the circumstances under which Niu Youdao had left Sacred Realm, he discovered that even Niu Youdao himself had no idea what was going on. The situation felt uncertain, and the Great Sage had no desire to become too deeply involved. He intended to keep some distance. Sending people to escort Niu Youdao back this far was already an act of considerable goodwill.

Of course, it was also because Niu Youdao had personally asked to borrow a flying mount. Given Niu Youdao's present status, refusing him outright would have been difficult.

The Great Sage of the Eastern Sea himself had escorted Niu Youdao until they were near the mainland, then taken his leave and returned. The rest of the journey had been handed over to his subordinates. Niu Youdao was not yet important enough to merit having the Great Sage of the Eastern Sea personally escort him all the way home.

"In that case, I won't insist. I wish all of you a smooth journey. Please convey my thanks to the Great Sage."

"Certainly. We'll pass on your words. Elder Niu, take care."

After exchanging courtesies, Niu Youdao leapt down and flew straight toward the sect's main hall. He was, after all, an Elder of Zijin Cave. Now that he had returned, and since this return was no small matter, it was only proper to inform the sect first.

The two escorting flying mounts climbed back into the sky and swiftly departed under the watch of Zijin Cave's large flying mounts.

Drifting down outside the sect's main hall, Niu Youdao let out a breath of relief. He had finally returned.

Seeing the Zijin Cave disciples around him staring in astonishment, he could not help laughing himself. Never mind everyone else. Even he had never expected to return so quickly.

He called out, "Where's the Sect Leader? Go announce me!"

The tone and manner were still unmistakably those of Elder Niu. He did not treat himself as an outsider in the slightest.

At his shout, a Zijin Cave disciple finally snapped out of his daze and hurried away at a run.

In the sect's guest hall, Gong Lince was chatting and laughing with the several honored guests. His mood truly was quite good. Holding such influence over Yan and having others come seeking favors from him naturally felt pleasant.

A disciple hurried in, went to Gong Lince's side, bent down, and reported urgently, "Sect Leader, Elder Niu is back."

Gong Lince had been about to raise his cup. He froze on the spot, the cup suspended stiffly in his hand.

Yucang, Guan Jitai, Qu Fan, and Wu Chengyu were equally dumbfounded, as though all four suspected they had heard wrongly.

Gong Lince slowly turned his head. "Who's back?"

The disciple muttered inwardly that Zijin Cave only had one Elder Niu, did it not? Still, he reorganized his sentence and reported with absolute clarity, "Elder Niu has returned from Sacred Realm and requests an audience with Sect Leader. He is outside the main hall now."

Gong Lince finally seemed to wake up. He shot to his feet and turned around. "You're certain you didn't see wrongly? It really is Elder Niu?"

Yucang and the other three slowly rose as well, disbelief covering their faces.

The disciple said, "How could this disciple mistake Elder Niu? If it weren't Elder Niu, he couldn't have passed the inspection by the guard disciples and reached the main hall."

Without another word, Gong Lince immediately turned and strode away. Yucang and the other four hurried after him.

After only a few steps, however, Gong Lince suddenly frowned and stopped.

At first, he had been thinking only about Sacred Realm and wondering how Niu Youdao had returned so quickly. Now he abruptly remembered what had just happened at the Maolu Annex.

Niu Youdao had returned at precisely this moment. Could it be because he had somehow learned about the Maolu Annex and found a way back?

But after thinking about it, that made no sense. The matter at the Maolu Annex had only happened and been dealt with today. The journey back from Sacred Realm was long. The timing did not match.

Yet precisely because he remembered what had happened at the Maolu Annex, Niu Youdao's sudden return at this exact moment was damnably troublesome. The very thought made Gong Lince's teeth ache. How was he supposed to explain it? There was no way to explain it!

Thinking of Niu Youdao's talent for unreasonable pestering, Sect Leader Gong instantly felt as though his head had split into two. The principal party had returned, and he suddenly had no idea how the Maolu Annex affair could now be brought to a close.

"Brother Gong, what's wrong?" Yucang asked after catching up.

Gong Lince turned his head and saw all four had followed him. He immediately turned back with a smile. "Gentlemen, please return to the guest courtyard and rest. Gong has a family matter to deal with first."

The four hesitated. They wanted to see Niu Youdao too and learn what exactly had happened inside Sacred Realm.

But Gong Lince had already left after dropping those words. When the four tried to follow again, Zijin Cave disciples stepped forward to stop them and firmly invited them elsewhere. It was hardly appropriate for the four of them to make trouble inside Zijin Cave.

...

"What? Niu Youdao is back?" Fu Junrang, seated cross-legged in meditation, abruptly opened his eyes. His face was full of astonishment. "How long has he even been in Sacred Realm? How could he possibly be back already?"

His disciple replied, "Master, there's no mistake. Elder Niu really has returned. He's waiting outside the council hall now. This disciple saw him personally, and many others did too."

"He's back..." Fu Junrang quickly rose.

He paced in thought for a moment, then abruptly stopped and gave a low, cold laugh. "Good. It's good that he's back. Didn't the Sect Leader want to protect Yan Li? Now let's see how they clean this up! The hard case is back. Guan Qingya's position as Deacon probably can't be saved. Your opportunity has come."

He turned his head and reminded his own disciple.

The disciple's face immediately lit with delight. He bowed with cupped hands. "This disciple will follow Master's instructions in everything!"

"Come. Let's go take a look!" Fu Junrang waved a hand and strode out.

[End of Chapter 974]