Chapter 1019: Interrogation

Hearing him put it that way, Hei Yun realized there was indeed some sense to it. He had seen for himself how Niu Youdao could travel beneath the swamp, so he lowered the arm barring his way and laughed. "I wouldn't mind. It's plenty of you humans who look down on us for being demons. As long as you don't mind us, stay as long as you like. We won't let you go hungry."

Niu Youdao smiled. "What is a human? What is a demon? Without humans, where would demons come from?" With that, he flashed away.

Hei Yun stood frozen by those words. Before Shang Song opened the passage between the two realms, before humans entered this world, the Demon Fox race had never known there was such a thing as being called demons, much less any distinction between human and demon. Only after humans arrived had the foxes gradually and unconsciously accepted the label of "demon" for themselves.

Looking back now, the Demon Fox race of old had been much like the humans of the mortal world. Faced with all the living creatures of this world, they had simply regarded themselves as the foxes of this world.

Hei Yun slowly turned to look in the direction Niu Youdao had disappeared. His gaze was complicated. In those few words, he had felt something plain and genuine: recognition without affectation, posturing, or hypocrisy. After so many years of the Demon Fox race being suppressed...

Niu Youdao raced through the night beneath the stars, flying over the boundless swamp without daring to delay. He had to find Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie before Misty Pavilion did.

He had not been worried before. Now the situation had changed. He had never expected Misty Pavilion to intervene.

If Misty Pavilion did not find Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie, there should be no problem. But if the two fell into Misty Pavilion's hands, there were some questions they might not know how to answer. Once Misty Pavilion frightened them into panic, there was no telling what they might say.

They might not dare admit that they had killed Misty Pavilion personnel, but if their answers conflicted with the story he was now preparing, all his arrangements would be wasted.

He had never expected something like this to happen and had therefore made no preparations with the two of them for such questioning.

What puzzled him was why Misty Pavilion personnel were mixed in with the people undergoing the tempering at this particular time. Was this happening to every group, or only to theirs?

Whatever the answer, he needed to close the gaps on his side in advance. There was nothing wrong with guarding against trouble before it happened.

When he had first entered the Desolate Marsh Deadlands, he had possessed no favorable conditions at all. To achieve his objective, he had acted somewhat regardless of the consequences and inevitably left openings behind. Now that he had created better conditions for himself, he was doing everything possible to patch those flaws.

The stars shifted across the sky. Night passed and gave way to daylight.

The blazing sun sank westward and night returned. Once the darkness had passed, light came again.

Along the way, apart from occasionally stopping to recover the spiritual power he had consumed, Niu Youdao pressed forward almost without rest.

Fortunately, he was not searching blindly. He had already mapped out a route for Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie, and with the Demon Fox race helping him, he could head almost directly toward them.

By mid-afternoon, Niu Youdao intercepted the two with precision along their route.

All three were dressed in red, making them conspicuous.

Seeing Niu Youdao on a grassy rise ahead, smiling as he leaned on his sword in that unmistakable posture of his, Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie were overjoyed. After wandering through the endless Desolate Marsh Deadlands with unease gnawing at them, they hurried over and saluted. "Elder!"

They had not seen Niu Youdao for so long that both had been deeply unsettled. What if they never saw him again? Now that he had appeared, their directionless hearts finally settled.

Niu Youdao raised a hand to excuse the formalities and immediately asked, "Did you encounter anyone from Misty Pavilion along the way?"

The Demon Fox race's reports naturally came with some delay, so he had to ask directly.

The two froze, not understanding what he meant, then answered together, "No."

Niu Youdao relaxed slightly and swept a glance around.

Qin Guan asked, "Elder, we haven't found any trace of Chao Jing and the others. Did you find anything?"

"No." Niu Youdao's answer was simple and direct. He pointed toward a wooded hill in the distance. "This isn't a place to talk. We're too conspicuous standing here. Follow me."

The three flew off in succession and soon disappeared into the woods.

As usual, Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie first searched the small wooded hill rising abruptly from the swamp. Once they had confirmed nothing was wrong, they returned to report.

After the routine check, Ke Dingjie sighed. "We've been running around for all these days without seeing a trace of them. Who knows whether Elder Chao returned on his own? If he didn't, something probably really did happen."

Niu Youdao waved the matter aside. "Forget him. Chao Jing's disappearance had nothing to do with us in the first place. I've done everything I could to look for him, so my conscience is clear. Let people misunderstand however they like. There's something else I need to tell you. While I was searching, I spotted the people from our group and discovered that Misty Pavilion had found them and is now staying with them. I was afraid you might run into them without knowing anything, so I didn't show myself. I came to warn you first so you'll be prepared."

Both men's hearts jumped. Qin Guan asked nervously, "Why would Misty Pavilion go looking for them? Elder, could they have discovered that some Misty Pavilion people are missing?"

"Don't panic. The dead can't testify. There were no witnesses and there's no evidence. They can't pin that account on us." Niu Youdao took out a pouch and tossed it to them. "Divide what's inside between the two of you."

Neither knew what it contained. They opened the pouch and discovered a number of Demon Fox vertical eyes.

Both men stared at each other. Ke Dingjie asked suspiciously, "Elder, you hunted Demon Foxes?" The meaning behind his question was obvious: hadn't Niu Youdao specifically forbidden them from offending the Demon Fox race?

"I didn't hunt them. I robbed them from someone else. Of course, that's not what we tell anyone. We say we hunted them ourselves. As long as you do exactly what I'm about to tell you, there won't be any problem. So listen carefully and remember every word..."

Niu Youdao gave them a meticulous set of instructions, then made both men repeat their answers back to him. Only when he was satisfied did he finally sit down.

He was exhausted. For the past two days, in order to find them before anyone else did, he had spent almost all his time racing about. The drain on his spiritual power had not been light. He was genuinely tired, both physically and mentally. The moment he sat down, he entered meditative breathing to recover.

Now that he had people to stand guard, he could finally restore himself in peace.

After getting through the night, the three set out again. Once more, they wandered at an unhurried pace across the vast Desolate Marsh Deadlands, heading directly for the place where they were supposed to rejoin the larger group.

To ensure that he would have ample spiritual power if he needed to deal with Misty Pavilion personnel, Niu Youdao took frequent breaks along the way and repeatedly rested to recover.

By the time they reached the destination, night had already fallen. Firelight glowed from within the woods, and the three headed toward it.

When they arrived, they found the people of Xiaoyue Pavilion, Lingxiao Pavilion, and the Four Seas gathered together exactly as expected.

At the sight of Niu Youdao returning, people from the various factions rose one after another, all of them unusually quiet.

Niu Youdao's gaze immediately fixed on the Misty Pavilion personnel. His face showed open surprise, as though he had no idea what was happening.

Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie exchanged a furtive glance. Elder Niu had been right. Misty Pavilion people really were here.

Xuan Yao and the others also rose from beside the campfire.

Kunlin Shu suddenly stepped forward and landed beside Niu Youdao. "Master Dao..."

He had barely gotten the words out when one of Xuan Yao's men flashed over at a gesture, blocked him from saying anything more, and led him away.

Niu Youdao studied everyone's reactions. Kunlin Shu's obvious desire to warn him made one thing especially clear: these Misty Pavilion people very likely really had come because of him. As for why, he was still trying to work it out.

Xuan Yao had already approached with several men. He examined Niu Youdao impassively. "You're Niu Youdao?"

Niu Youdao cupped his hands. "I am. May I ask which honored personage of Misty Pavilion I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"Xuan Yao, one of Misty Pavilion's stewards. I came under the authority of Mr. Ding, who is currently presiding over Misty Pavilion's affairs. I hope you'll cooperate with us." After speaking, he gestured without waiting for Niu Youdao to agree.

Two men immediately stepped forward and took Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie away separately for questioning. The pair kept looking back at Niu Youdao every few steps.

"Come with me." Xuan Yao dropped the words and turned away.

Niu Youdao was in no position to refuse and followed. At the same time, he noticed three Misty Pavilion men closing in around him, boxing him into the center as though guarding against escape. His vigilance rose quietly.

He glanced toward the people from the various factions by the fire and found that all those familiar faces seemed vaguely guilty, none willing to meet his gaze directly.

Xuan Yao led him to the campfire, stopped, and turned. Standing with his hands behind his back, he looked Niu Youdao up and down before suddenly asking, "Where did Chao Jing go?"

Niu Youdao looked surprised. "I don't know. He suddenly disappeared. I've spent these past days searching for him too."

"Did you find him?"

"No. Steward Xuan, did you come here because of this?"

"I'm the one asking questions, not you. Answer truthfully. If you dare conceal or falsify anything, you will bear the consequences yourself."

"I wouldn't dare. Whatever Steward Xuan asks, if I know it, I'll answer without reservation."

"I hear you wanted to kill Chao Jing."

"I did have that thought earlier. He knew a little of my private business. But after Taishu Shancheng exposed the matter, I abandoned the idea."

"Does Chao Jing's sudden disappearance have anything to do with you?" Seeing Niu Youdao about to answer, Xuan Yao raised a hand to stop him. "Don't worry. Misty Pavilion has no interest in your private grudges. We're only verifying the situation with you. If it was related to you, admit it freely. No one here will hold you responsible. If anyone wants to settle accounts with you, it would be Myriad Beasts Sect. Misty Pavilion won't interfere. Go on."

"Steward Xuan, Heaven and Earth are my witness. I did once think of killing Chao Jing, but his disappearance truly has nothing to do with me."

"Is that so?" Xuan Yao sneered. "Chao Jing has a grandson named Chao Shenghuai. Have you done anything to him?"

The matter of Chao Shenghuai had weighed on Niu Youdao's mind for some time. After entering Sacred Realm, he had no knowledge of the situation outside and did not know whether the operation had succeeded. He had been worried something might go wrong.

Now, hearing Xuan Yao ask this question, his heart finally settled. It seemed the operation had succeeded.

Internally relieved, he let hesitation show on his face and remained silent for a while.

"Hm?" Xuan Yao gave a low, commanding sound of inquiry.

Niu Youdao sighed. "I wouldn't dare lie in front of Steward Xuan. To tell you the truth, during the brief time I previously left Sacred Realm and returned to Zijin Cave, I did arrange for people to assassinate Chao Shenghuai. Whether they succeeded, I don't know. This is also a private grudge between us. Misty Pavilion wouldn't punish me over that, would it?"

[End of Chapter 1019]