Chapter 1018: Hei Yun Sounds the Alarm

There was no helping it. Chao Jing had disappeared, dead or alive unknown, and no one yet knew whether Ding Wei's judgment was right or wrong. At first glance, there were people who could prove that Chao Jing's disappearance had nothing to do with Niu Youdao.

But other matters had now come to light: the claim that Niu Youdao had known the inside story of the tempering in advance, his frequent separation from the larger group, and the fact that he had yet to kill a single Demon Fox. All of it was highly abnormal and plainly suspicious enough to warrant further investigation.

Besides, whether Chao Jing's disappearance truly had anything to do with Niu Youdao could only be determined after Niu Youdao himself was found and questioned.

The problem was that finding him would not be easy. For now, they could only search while also waiting to see whether Niu Youdao appeared at the next rendezvous point.

"Yes!" Xuan Yao's subordinate accepted the order.

A campfire was lit afterward. They had been occupied from evening until now, and night had already fallen.

With Misty Pavilion personnel staying beside them, the people undergoing the tempering did not dare make any unusual move throughout the night. The camp remained quiet.

At daybreak, Fuhua and the others were not even sure whether they were supposed to continue hunting Demon Foxes. Xuan Yao instead urged them to carry on. He did not allow the investigation to interfere with the tempering contest, but he warned them that nothing about his questioning was to be leaked. Anyone caught passing word would be severely punished.

Fuhua and the others meekly accepted the order and left. After obtaining the location where they planned to rendezvous that day, Xuan Yao took his men and resumed searching for Niu Youdao. He could not simply sit and wait; the search would continue.

...

After skimming across the swamp for some distance, Fuhua's group came upon a suitable place to land and abruptly stopped. Kunlin Shu had asked them to.

"What's wrong?" Fuhua asked after they landed.

Kunlin Shu said, "Let's split up to search. I'll check another direction. When the time comes, I'll meet you at the rendezvous point."

Fuhua's gaze flickered. She had noticed long ago that he seemed preoccupied. "Are you trying to find Niu Youdao and warn him?"

Kunlin Shu neither admitted nor denied it. He remained silent. After yesterday's questioning and everything he had witnessed, he was no fool. Naturally, he knew these people had already sold Niu Youdao out.

He himself had not betrayed Niu Youdao. Of course, what he knew was limited. He knew none of Niu Youdao's secrets, including the supposed advance knowledge of the tempering or any inside source within Sacred Realm, so there was little he could have betrayed in the first place.

No one wanted to be a servant, least of all a man who had once been proud and high-spirited. His feelings toward Niu Youdao were complicated. But that did not mean he was willing to watch Niu Youdao be betrayed like this. A proud man at heart did not want to be a traitor. He had betrayed Tianhuo Sect only because circumstances had driven him that far. Whatever else could be said, he was now one of Niu Youdao's people.

There was something else as well. To this day, even after being forced to leave Tianhuo Sect, he had never done anything to sell the sect out.

And even setting all of that aside, his junior martial sister was also his wife, and she was still at Zijin Cave. Kunlin Shu had no idea how serious Misty Pavilion's investigation of Niu Youdao was, or whether Fire Phoenix might be implicated if something happened to him.

He truly did want to find Niu Youdao and warn him: You have already been sold out. Misty Pavilion is investigating you.

Fuhua asked, "Do you blame us for betraying Niu Youdao?"

Kunlin Shu still did not answer.

A gust of wind tossed her hair. Fuhua raised a hand and tucked a loose strand behind her ear, her gaze distant. "If that's how you see it, I can't say you're wrong. But you know we had no choice. We don't even know what Misty Pavilion is investigating, or how much they already know. If Misty Pavilion had never come to us, naturally we would have helped conceal things. But once they found us, we no longer dared hide anything."

Kunlin Shu finally spoke. "Only now do I understand. So all of you followed Master Dao because he knew the inside story of the tempering, because there were benefits to be gained. When there are benefits, you follow him. The moment trouble comes, you sell him out."

Fuhua's bright eyes returned to his face. "If you put it that way, I won't deny it. But that isn't the whole reason we followed him. The way he conducts himself is worthy of respect. He deserves to be called loyal and true, and following him really does give people peace of mind. I'm a demon cultivator, and I admit I'm no good person myself... Kunlin Shu, many things cannot be decided by emotion alone. You have to understand that some matters require weighing gains against losses. Misty Pavilion is already openly investigating him. We don't know why, but if they chased all the way into the Desolate Marsh Deadlands, they must have a specific purpose. The root of the problem lies with Niu Youdao himself. If he can resolve it, naturally nothing happens. If he can't, then whether we betray him or not, he's still going to suffer. Should everyone help him conceal things and then fall with him? If we separate ourselves from the matter, at least one side can be preserved. There's no reason for everyone to be dragged down together. Don't you agree?"

Kunlin Shu said, "Don't you think you're just making excuses?"

Fuhua replied, "If you think it's an excuse, then call it an excuse. That isn't important. Selling him out was wrong. Since we've already betrayed him and already wronged him, I don't want one of his people getting into trouble as well. You're barely involved in this matter. Don't drag yourself any deeper."

"Whether I get into trouble is none of your concern."

"This swamp stretches farther than the eye can see. Where are you going to look for him alone? Misty Pavilion has people patrolling everywhere in the sky and even they can't find him. You have no clue at all. What are you going to accomplish running around like a headless fly? Don't waste the effort. If you insist on going anyway, then I have to warn you: Xuan Yao said anyone who leaks word will be severely punished. When we see Xuan Yao again, we will not conceal this for you. If we did and they later found out, you would implicate us too. So if you dare leave, I will report you to Xuan Yao!"

"You..." Kunlin Shu erupted in anger. His hands slowly curled, fingers half-clenched.

Fuhua said, "What? Misty Pavilion is already involved in our affairs. Are you planning to kill us all to silence us? And afterward, how would you explain it? If you couldn't, would you run or hide? Maybe you can hide, but can your family? You seem to have a wife as well. Wake up. Stop letting emotion dictate your actions. Under the present circumstances, the chance of you simply running into Niu Youdao is almost nonexistent. Ruining yourself over something impossible and dragging the rest of us down with you is completely unnecessary!"

Stopped in his tracks, Kunlin Shu ultimately failed to leave. By evening, he followed Fuhua and the others to the agreed rendezvous point to meet the rest of the group.

Xuan Yao and his men, having spent the day searching, returned as well. They stayed overnight in the mountain forest with everyone else, making it difficult for the group to relax.

In the blink of an eye, two days passed in much the same fashion. During the day, everyone scattered to search for their respective targets. At night, they gathered together again.

...

Niu Youdao was also spending the night in a mountain forest, but there was no group around him. He was alone. Recently, he had been traveling through the Desolate Marsh Deadlands entirely by himself.

Alone, it was not even convenient to light a fire. He hid in a secluded corner of the forest.

Without anyone trustworthy to stand guard, he could neither calmly cultivate nor fall into deep sleep. He had to remain alert to his surroundings at all times.

He sat on the ground with his back against a rock, blending into the darkness. Through gaps in the canopy, he looked up at the stars. The surroundings were still, disturbed only by the occasional chirp of insects.

A sudden rustling sound made his nerves tighten. His gaze snapped toward the source. He opened his Dharma Eye, and the fingers of one hand closed around the hilt of his sword.

After a moment, the tension eased somewhat. A black Demon Fox emerged from the grass. As it drew near, it transformed into human form and walked toward him.

It was the Demon Fox Clan Chief, Hei Yun.

Using the sword planted against the ground for a little leverage, Niu Youdao rose and rested one hand on it. "Why are you here?"

Hei Yun said, "We've noticed something."

"If something happens, just send word the way we agreed. It's better if you and I don't meet aboveground too often. If someone sees us, there will be serious trouble."

"Don't worry. I've arranged scouts all around us. If anyone approaches, we'll know."

"Better to guard against the one chance in ten thousand. Avoid this whenever possible in the future." Niu Youdao had to remind him, though now that Hei Yun was already here, there was no point dwelling on it. "What happened?"

"There's something strange with that group traveling with you. They've mixed in with people from Misty Pavilion. I don't know what it means."

"Mixed in with them?" Niu Youdao frowned. "Tell me exactly what you know."

"They don't look like the Misty Pavilion people participating in the contest. There are three large flying mounts..." Hei Yun gave him a detailed account of everything the Demon Fox race had observed. Niu Youdao questioned him closely about the details, and Hei Yun answered everything he knew. At the end, he added, "Our scouts can't get too close, so we don't know what they're doing."

Niu Youdao pondered. "They should be people from outside the competition." Both hands slowly settled atop his sword as he sank into thought. He did not know why Misty Pavilion personnel had joined that group, but the development already gave him a bad feeling.

Hei Yun asked, "Could they have discovered something?"

"With Misty Pavilion people staying among them, it would be difficult for them not to discover something. I left too many openings earlier. None of them will withstand questioning. At the very least, there's no hiding the fact that I spent most of my time away from the group."

Hei Yun looked worried. "Then what will you do? If there's danger, perhaps you shouldn't go back."

Niu Youdao shook his head. "If I don't go back, everything I've done until now will have been wasted. Every plan I made will come to nothing."

"But going back like this will be dangerous."

"Don't worry. I've considered all kinds of danger. The arrangements I made beforehand were precisely meant to deal with the openings I knew I'd leave behind. And those people don't know any of my actual secrets. What concerns me now are the two men traveling with me. What's their situation?"

"Nothing unusual. They haven't had contact with anyone from Misty Pavilion and are still following the route you arranged."

Niu Youdao nodded. "I need to leave. I can't stay here. I have to find them before Misty Pavilion does. Farewell." With that, he turned to go.

Seeing his urgency, Hei Yun reached out and stopped him. "If it's truly dangerous, don't trust to luck!"

Niu Youdao smiled faintly. "I don't blindly do things I'm not confident about. Why do you think I sought out your Demon Fox race the moment I entered the Desolate Marsh Deadlands? Once I found you, I no longer had to worry about what was behind me. So long as I'm still in the Desolate Marsh Deadlands, and so long as the Demon Fox race doesn't betray me, no matter what happens, I'm confident I can get away. Clan Chief, if this really goes wrong, I definitely won't be able to return to Misty Pavilion, and leaving Sacred Realm will be difficult as well. I may have to ask your Demon Fox race to shelter me for a while. When that happens, don't complain that I'm a burden."

[End of Chapter 1018]