Chapter 1023: Skin Him Alive

Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie were a little bewildered. Hadn't Elder Niu just told them not to fuss over it? How had he turned around and started fussing over it himself?

Some principles could not be explained clearly in one or two sentences. The two of them might even be a little older than Niu Youdao, but they still had much to learn if they meant to follow him. Of course, some things could not be learned simply because one wanted to learn them.

Many people studied the same things and did the same things, yet only a handful ever distinguished themselves. The principle was the same everywhere. Some things truly did depend on talent.

Before either man could react, Niu Youdao had already turned and walked away, genuinely leaving everyone else to decide what to do just as he had said.

The two exchanged a look and hurried after him.

"Little Brother..." Shen Yidu called anxiously, but Niu Youdao did not look back. Shen swept a glance over his surroundings and immediately grew tense.

Fuhua, Duan Wuchang, Lang Jingkong, and Hong Gaitian exchanged looks. Their positions shifted, surrounding Shen Yidu.

Quan Taifeng looked back at Niu Youdao's departing figure, then at the surrounded Shen Yidu, uncertain whether he should join the encirclement.

"What are you trying to do?" Shen Yidu looked around with extreme vigilance and gave a hand signal, summoning the two Xiaoyue Pavilion disciples to his side.

In terms of numbers, however, they were obviously outmatched. Apart from Kunlin Shu, who remained seated beside the campfire, everyone else came over. Even the Lingxiao Pavilion disciples, who did not know what was happening, hurried over to see what was going on.

A crowd surrounded the three people from Xiaoyue Pavilion, and the two sides stood poised for conflict.

Hong Gaitian sighed. "Brother Shen, we don't want to do anything, but what you did really was a little excessive."

Shen Yidu flared up. "I was excessive? And what good things are the rest of you? Didn't all of you sell Niu Youdao out too?"

Quan Taifeng interjected, "Make yourself clear. I never sold him out." He still had not decided whether he should involve himself in this matter.

Lang Jingkong said, "Some things are understandable. Niu Youdao himself said he understood. At the very least, what we said was based on the truth. But inventing things from nothing is another matter. Niu Youdao had neither grievance nor enmity with you, yet you insisted on making things up that could get him killed. Put anyone in his place and they would find that difficult to accept, wouldn't they?"

Shen Yidu said angrily, "We still don't know what the truth actually is. Whether I was talking nonsense or not will have to wait until I see our Pavilion Master."

Standing with languid grace, Fuhua inspected her beautiful fingernails in the firelight. "What the truth is no longer matters. What matters is that when you didn't know the truth, you still went ahead and did it..."

Niu Youdao did not so much as glance back to see how they would deal with the matter. He went to the campfire Xiaoyue Pavilion had lit, sat down, planted his sword before him, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes in meditation. He began reviewing everything that had just happened, sorting through it again in his mind.

Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie stood guard around him, occasionally glancing toward the encirclement on the other side.

Kunlin Shu also looked over from time to time. He did not know what had happened, nor why a whole group of people had suddenly surrounded the people from Xiaoyue Pavilion.

A long while later, Qin Guan bent beside Niu Youdao and said, "Elder, Fuhua wants to see you."

Niu Youdao gave a quiet acknowledgment. He slowly opened his eyes and turned toward the smiling Fuhua approaching him.

Fuhua came to his side, swept the back of her skirt aside, and sat down beside him. Her slender hand offered him a strip of cloth. "This is Shen Yidu's twenty-million IOU. This is as far as he was willing to go. Little Brother, take a look. If you're not satisfied, we'll have to get rough with him." As she spoke, she watched his expression carefully.

Niu Youdao took the cloth and shook it open to read. It was not really a conventional IOU. It was only Shen Yidu's written pledge that after returning, he would verify the matter with Mr. Yucang. If it had not been extortion, and if Shen had indeed falsely accused Niu Youdao, he was willing to bear responsibility for the twenty million.

Niu Youdao understood perfectly well that agreeing to even this much was already Shen Yidu's greatest concession. He had been forced into it by circumstances. Before the matter was confirmed, Shen Yidu was unlikely to write outright that he owed twenty million; that would leave him no face at all. Push him harder and the only thing left would be a fight to the death.

"I've seen the sincerity of Elder Sister and my elder brothers. This matter is over. We'll leave it at this." Niu Youdao accepted it with a smile and tucked the cloth into his pouch.

"I knew Little Brother was a reasonable man." Fuhua giggled and gave his shoulder a playful, almost flirtatious thump with her delicate fist. Then she rose and returned to the encirclement. She had no desire to casually fight Shen Yidu to the death either. Xiaoyue Pavilion was not an easy faction to provoke.

Once the understanding had been communicated, the people surrounding Shen Yidu dispersed. Almost everyone came back. Only Shen Yidu remained with a dark face. Seeing that Niu Youdao had occupied his campfire and knowing he could not afford to provoke him, Shen could only sit by the fire the Misty Pavilion personnel had left behind.

After what had just happened, he understood the situation clearly. He alone was the outsider here. There had once been Chao Jing too, but Chao Jing had disappeared. Now only Shen remained. Every last one of these other bastards was Niu Youdao's sworn brother.

Writing that pledge had been humiliating, but the situation forced him to bite the bullet and do it. And this was twenty million, not some trifling sum. He did not even know how he was supposed to explain it to Mr. Yucang once he returned. Nor did he know what might happen during the rest of the tempering. For now, he could only get through one ordeal at a time. If he truly made it back, that would have to be his explanation.

What baffled him was how Niu Youdao had come through everything unharmed. The man had even drawn his sword and challenged Misty Pavilion openly, yet Misty Pavilion had actually done nothing to him?

Shen was not the only one who wanted to know why. Afterward, the others found excuses to drift toward Niu Youdao and sound him out. Niu Youdao brushed them off casually and refused to discuss the matter. He only told them that the less they knew, the better. There was no reason to invite trouble upon themselves.

Once he put it that way, everyone could only let the matter go.

Early the next morning, Niu Youdao acted as though nothing had happened. He discussed the next rendezvous point with everyone as usual. This time, he no longer took the Zijin Cave people off on their own; instead, he advanced according to the group's agreed plan.

Shen Yidu likewise behaved as though nothing had happened, though his expression was clearly unnatural.

After everyone separated, Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie discovered that their Elder was still just as he had been before. He showed no intention of hunting Demon Foxes and continued leading them around as though they were out sightseeing.

At one point, Elder Niu separated from them for a while. Neither knew what he had gone to do. In any case, when they saw him again, he brought back several Demon Fox vertical eyes and divided them between the two men. They had no idea where he had gotten them. Had he robbed someone again?

...

At Dayuan Sacred Land, Ding Wei sat behind a table in a pavilion, drinking tea as he listened to Xuan Yao's report. His brows gradually drew together.

When Xuan Yao finished, Ding Wei set down his teacup and asked heavily, "Someone from Misty Pavilion robbed him. Can that be confirmed?"

Xuan Yao hesitated. "It can't be confirmed, but he didn't seem to be lying. He also sounded quite confident. He said sooner or later he would drag out the person who robbed him, so he may already have some kind of lead."

Ding Wei rose from behind the table and paced through the pavilion for a while. Then he said doubtfully, "Who would have such nerve? Could it have been someone from our Dayuan Sacred Land?"

Xuan Yao said, "If what he said is true, it isn't impossible. He dared fall out with me, which means he must have something to rely on. If he already has a lead, he obviously wasn't willing to tell me. I didn't dare keep digging either. I was afraid of blowing the matter up until our own side had no way to step down gracefully. If one of our own people really did it, then if we deal with the matter, it can only be handled quietly. It cannot be made public, or we won't be able to explain ourselves to the other sides. That's why I came back to ask Mr. Ding to decide."

Ding Wei continued pacing. After thinking for a while, he asked slowly, "Chao Jing disappeared. Are you certain it truly had nothing to do with Niu Youdao?"

Xuan Yao replied, "It may genuinely have been a coincidence. Niu Youdao really does have proof that he had nothing to do with it. It isn't just one witness; quite a few people can testify. Unless that entire group colluded to fabricate the story, which seems unlikely. From what happened with Chao Shenghuai onward, and in his explanations of the later matters, Niu Youdao was fairly honest. The only thing he refused to cooperate on was the matter of his stolen gains. Mr. Ding, this Niu Youdao really is far too arrogant. He actually dared openly oppose people from Misty Pavilion."

"If he dares be arrogant, then he will pay the price." Ding Wei waved a hand. "He's in our hands. There will be plenty of opportunities to deal with him. He can't run, so there's no need to rush. The urgent matter right now is to determine whether the person who robbed him belongs to our side."

Xuan Yao asked, "How does Mr. Ding want to handle it?"

Ding Wei paced closer. "I don't know which fool did it. Do they not know that the Sacred Venerables are dissatisfied with Misty Pavilion and already intend to rectify it? Openly violating the rules at a time like this—how is that any different from defying a Sacred Venerable's command? What are the Sacred Venerables supposed to think? If they are truly provoked into taking hard measures, it will benefit no one. Xuan Yao, this matter shouldn't pass through anyone else's hands. You'll have to make another trip."

"Give the order, Mr. Ding."

"Go back to the Desolate Marsh Deadlands and find the people from our Dayuan Sacred Land first. Confirm whether any of our people did such a thing. If they did, leave no evidence behind. Clean it up thoroughly. After the matter is settled, I will report it to the Sacred Venerable myself." Ding Wei drew a finger across his throat.

"Yes!"

"If you confirm it had nothing to do with our people, then there's no reason for us to help someone else cover it up and get filth all over ourselves. This kind of thing can't be concealed indefinitely anyway. The more you cover it up, the bigger the problem becomes. Let Niu Youdao dig the culprit out himself. Whoever he uncovers can count themselves unlucky." Ding Wei sighed, a melancholy look crossing his face. There were some things he understood vaguely. The Sacred Venerables had already made up their minds. What was coming would come sooner or later; he simply did not know how far the upheaval would spread.

"Understood." Xuan Yao accepted the instruction, then could not help asking, "What if Niu Youdao fails to uncover anyone? What if he's only muddying the waters?" He did not want to let Niu Youdao off easily after having lost face because of him.

Ding Wei said, "Once matters in the Desolate Marsh Deadlands have come to an end, skin him alive!"

Xuan Yao smiled. "Yes. I'll return to the Desolate Marsh Deadlands at once."

...

Beside the campfire at night, the seated Niu Youdao felt around and picked up a stone. He drew out the rolled leaf hidden inside it. Shielding it from the others, he spread the leaf across his palm and quickly read what was written there.

Xuan Yao had returned to the Desolate Marsh Deadlands and made contact with the Misty Pavilion participants.

The situation was understood. Niu Youdao crushed the leaf in his hand.

His hand moved, but his eyes remained fixed on the fire as he sank silently into thought.

The three-month tempering period passed quickly. As its end drew near, the various groups estimated the remaining time and began making their way back.

[End of Chapter 1023]