Chapter 1012: Show Some Sincerity

Chao Jing had no idea where he was. He only knew that he had fallen into the hands of the Demon Foxes.

Glowing pearls illuminated an underground chamber. Chao Jing and his two disciples were all hanging there, with an underground lake behind them. Water seeped from the stone ceiling above the lake and dripped like rain, each drop echoing through the cavern.

All three were in miserable shape, covered in blood and wounds after being harshly interrogated by the Demon Foxes. They were not hanging very high, but only the tips of their toes could barely touch the ground.

After their capture, quite a few Demon Fox vertical eyes had been found on them. The consequences were easy to imagine. The Demon Foxes were enraged, and the three had been abused accordingly.

Chao Jing, however, was a hard man. No matter how severely the Demon Foxes tortured him, he refused to confess a thing.

What puzzled him was that the Demon Foxes were interrogating him about Niu Youdao. They had even asked about Niu Youdao's visit to Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm. Chao Jing had no idea how they knew about it.

His refusal to talk was not because he wanted to protect Niu Youdao. He simply knew that even if he confessed, he would not survive.

If he kept silent, the other side might spare his life while searching for answers. Perhaps they would keep him alive a little longer. Perhaps an opportunity to escape might appear.

As for Xu Huo and the other Myriad Beasts Sect disciple, torturing them was pointless. The two knew very little, and they knew absolutely nothing about Niu Youdao and Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm.

Once further torture failed to produce anything, the Demon Foxes stopped and simply left all three hanging there.

No one paid them any attention for a long time. Chao Jing had no idea what the foxes were waiting for.

It was only through this ordeal that he learned there were actually Demon Foxes capable of taking human form.

Watching the two old men murmuring near the tunnel entrance ahead, Chao Jing swallowed and called out, "We can discuss cooperation."

The two old men, who had been assigned to range about and provide support where needed, were the same sickle-wielding Elder and ghost-head-saber Elder who had fought Niu Youdao earlier. Hearing him, they turned, exchanged a look, and walked over together.

The ghost-head-saber Elder asked, "Cooperation? What kind of cooperation?"

Chao Jing's arms had long since gone numb from hanging. "Anything, as long as you let me go. Whatever kind of cooperation you think is acceptable, whatever arrangement would make you feel secure, I'll cooperate. I'll do anything, as long as you spare me."

"Fine. Start by honestly answering the questions we've already asked you."

"I can do that, but how do I know you won't go back on your word? Let me confirm that I'll be safe first, and I'll definitely tell you. Ah..." His body jerked and a muffled groan of pain escaped him.

The ghost-head-saber Elder had thrust a finger into one of his wounds and bored it around. He pulled the finger out, put it to his mouth, and sucked the blood from it, licking it with evident relish.

Suddenly, a tok-tok sound came from deeper in the passage. Footsteps were approaching through the tunnel. Chao Jing, his face twisted with pain, opened his eyes and looked over. That tok-tok rhythm seemed strangely familiar.

A man emerged. It was the black Demon Fox man. Behind him came another figure, walking with a sword used like a staff. The tok-tok sound was the sword striking the ground as he walked. That distinctive, almost trademark way of moving could belong to only one person.

Niu Youdao.

"Elder Niu!" Xu Huo cried out in delight.

Chao Jing was surprised as well. He had not expected Niu Youdao to appear here. Uncertain what to make of it, he remembered that the Demon Foxes had been interrogating him about Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm and asking questions that could harm Niu Youdao. A spark of hope rekindled in him. He immediately called, "Brother, I'm here!"

Niu Youdao approached with a raised brow. "How did you end up making them look like this?"

The black Demon Fox man replied, "They killed so many of my clansmen. Did you expect me to entertain them politely?"

"Reasonable." Niu Youdao gave a small nod, showing that he understood. He walked up to the three hanging men, planted both hands atop the sword before him, and looked them over. "The three of you have suffered."

Chao Jing asked, "Brother, how did you get here?"

"You disappeared, and everyone suspects I did it. Tell me, am I not being wronged? I had no choice but to come looking for you so I could clear my name."

So Niu Youdao had come looking for him. How he had managed to find him did not seem important; if anything, it proved the bastard was capable. Chao Jing's desire to survive grew even stronger. "Good. As long as I can get back, I'll definitely prove your innocence."

"No need. It's a trivial matter. If I couldn't even handle something this small after all these years, wouldn't I have spent them for nothing? Don't worry. I'll prove it myself."

Chao Jing glanced at the Demon Foxes watching him. "Brother, talk to them. If you can get me out of here, I'll reward you generously."

"I've already pleaded with them on your behalf. They refuse to release you."

"Brother, think of another way." Chao Jing struggled in his bonds, then suddenly lowered his voice. "Come closer. I need to tell you something."

Niu Youdao glanced left and right at the Demon Foxes, then stepped closer and turned an ear toward him.

Still hanging, Chao Jing strained to lower his head and bring his mouth as close to Niu Youdao's ear as possible. He whispered, "I don't know where they heard about your trip to Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm. They've been torturing and interrogating me about it, but I haven't told them a single word."

Niu Youdao, head still tilted, gave an "Oh?" Then he turned and looked Chao Jing directly in the eyes. "You're already in this state, and you're still threatening me?"

Chao Jing was horrified. "Brother, I absolutely didn't mean that! Please, think of a way to save me."

"You didn't? Then how are we settling the account from the night before last?" Niu Youdao tugged at the red robe he was wearing, reminding him.

Chao Jing hurriedly cried, "Brother, I was wrong. A great man doesn't hold a petty man's faults against him. I acted on impulse. I meant you no harm. Brother, if I can get out of here, from now on I, Chao Jing, will follow your lead in everything! Please save me."

"These are my clothes." Niu Youdao raised a hand and idly flicked at the bloodied, tattered robe Chao Jing was wearing. "Save you? If I hadn't saved you, do you think you'd still be alive? They kept you alive because they were waiting for me. I told them not to kill you yet. You couldn't simply die like that. After all these years, I've kept you in mind. No matter what, I had to come see you one last time and settle what needed settling. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to answer to myself."

All three hanging men went still at once and stared at him.

Chao Jing's eyes slowly widened. He seemed to understand something. The mere fact that Niu Youdao could appear here so calmly already said a great deal.

He should have realized it earlier. But until now he had been consumed by the desperate desire to survive. Even when doubts arose, he refused to think too deeply about them, wanting only to grasp at the last straw that might save his life. Now Niu Youdao had put things so plainly that Chao Jing could no longer keep dreaming.

"Niu Youdao, you actually dare collude with the Demon Foxes!" Chao Jing shouted furiously. At last he understood why he had fallen into the foxes' trap. Niu Youdao had been behind it.

Niu Youdao reached out, caught Chao Jing by the beard, and began tugging at it idly. "'Collude' sounds so ugly. Of course, if you insist on calling it collusion, I don't mind. If we're really talking about colluding, I've only just started colluding with them. You and I, on the other hand, have been colluding for a long time. Elder Chao, you are a dignified Elder of Myriad Beasts Sect, yet you can collude with outsiders behind Myriad Beasts Sect's back. What standing do you have to condemn me?"

As he spoke, he began plucking Chao Jing's beard one hair at a time, almost as though carefully selecting each one. "And another thing. Are you dreaming? You've fallen into my hands and you still dare shout at me? Beg me. You should be begging me. Beg until I'm happy, until I'm no longer angry, and naturally I'll let you go."

His beard was being ripped out strand by strand, yet Chao Jing barely registered the pain. The suffering in his body and heart was far greater than anything caused by a few beard hairs.

If Niu Youdao wanted to amuse himself by plucking them, Chao Jing simply ignored it. In a grief-stricken voice he asked, "Niu Youdao, is this just because I threatened you the night before last?"

"There's no point saying so much. I'll ask you only one thing: do you know you were wrong?" At that moment, Niu Youdao's gaze was clear and earnest.

"I..." Chao Jing faltered. His voice trembled. "I was wrong... What difference does admitting it make?"

"If you know you were wrong, then you should admit your fault. Isn't that so?"

"What exactly do you want? Killing a man is no more than taking his head. If you want to kill or carve me up, do as you please—just give me a clean death!"

"If you refuse to admit your fault, refuse to submit to me, how can I dare leave you alive?"

Both Myriad Beasts Sect disciples looked eagerly at Chao Jing, hoping he would sincerely admit defeat.

The black Demon Fox man and the others were also watching Niu Youdao curiously, wondering why he kept circling around the point.

Chao Jing drew a deep breath. "Fine. As long as you spare my life, I promise to submit to you. Whatever I need to do to put you at ease, whatever conditions or demands you have, name them."

Niu Youdao said, "That's more like it. Matters should be open to discussion. Of course, words alone are useless. You'll have to show some sincerity."

His tone and manner truly did sound as though there was room to negotiate. A thread of hope rose in all three prisoners.

Chao Jing asked uncertainly, "What kind of sincerity do you want?"

"Please let the three of them down first." Niu Youdao turned and gestured with one hand.

The black Demon Fox man nodded. Curious to see what Niu Youdao intended, he glanced back and gave a grunt of assent.

The two old men standing guard immediately untied the suspension ropes from the stone wall. No one knew what the ropes were made of; they looked as though they had been woven from thin vines.

The ropes slackened, and all three prisoners dropped to the ground. Fortunately, they had not been hanging very high. Even so, they had suffered greatly and were weak. The moment they landed, all three collapsed. They struggled back upright and sat panting on the ground, their arms so numb from being suspended for so long that they could not move them.

Scrape, scrape. Niu Youdao's sword sheath traced three words into the ground:

Black Peony!

Everyone looked puzzled, unable to understand what it meant.

After finishing the words, Niu Youdao drew the sword back and planted it before himself. He tipped his chin toward the writing. "Recognize it? Show some sincerity. Kowtow to her and admit your wrong."

Kowtow and apologize to those three words? Chao Jing demanded, "Niu Youdao, what do you mean?"

"Looks like you truly don't know." Niu Youdao gestured toward the black Demon Fox man. "This is the Clan Chief of the Demon Fox race. Can't you see he's black from head to toe?"

And then? Chao Jing and his two disciples had no idea where this was going. They waited for Niu Youdao to continue.

The black Demon Fox man stared coldly at Niu Youdao, equally unsure why he had suddenly been dragged into this.

Niu Youdao said, "How many members of the Demon Fox race have you killed? Some deeds carry a price. I'm helping you—helping you wash away the blood debt on your hands. Kowtow and apologize. Show some sincerity. Once this side is satisfied, I'll have an easier time speaking on your behalf."

The three men looked at the black Demon Fox man. He was indeed entirely black. Then they looked at the words "Black Peony" on the ground and seemed to understand something.

[End of Chapter 1012]