Chapter 1032: Brought In as Replacements

Inside a hollowed-out mountain riddled with tunnels in every direction, Niu Youdao, Taishu Xun, Taishu Li, and Ao Feng emerged from one of the cave mouths.

It would be more accurate to say they were escorted out under guard.

The four had been interrogated once again, this time confined separately and questioned separately.

Niu Youdao had little trouble. He repeated the same old account. Whenever the questions reached later events, he claimed ignorance and pushed everything onto Ao Feng, leaving Ao Feng to find his own way through it.

During the several days Niu Youdao had been detained, he had only been questioned on the first day. After that, he had spent his time alone in his cell, sitting cross-legged in meditation.

He had separated himself cleanly from the affair and thrown the rest onto Ao Feng's shoulders. He was not worried about himself. He was worried about Ao Feng and whether the man could withstand the investigation.

The problem was that Niu Youdao did not know Ao Feng's exact movements during the period in the Desolate Marsh Deadlands. He worried that Ao Feng might be unable to make the timing and his whereabouts fit together convincingly. Still, judging from how Ao Feng had performed immediately after leaving the Desolate Marsh Deadlands, Niu Youdao believed the man possessed the ability to handle the questioning. The only danger was some hard contradiction that could not be explained away.

Now, seeing Ao Feng released together with the rest of them, Niu Youdao knew he had managed to pass.

After leaving the cave, Niu Youdao glanced back. He could tell only that this was probably some Misty Pavilion facility. He had no idea where it was.

Ao Feng beside him suddenly quickened his pace and walked away. Niu Youdao turned to look and saw a man standing beneath a large tree not far from the cave entrance. The man's bearing was extraordinary. Hands behind his back, he was staring coldly at Ao Feng.

Ao Feng hurried over and saluted with conspicuous respect. They were too far away for Niu Youdao to hear what the two said.

While Niu Youdao was still wondering who the man beneath the tree might be, someone behind him suddenly spoke. "That is Ao Feng's master, Ye Nian. Heh. Ye Nian came personally to collect him. Looks like Ao Feng's testimony caused quite a disturbance."

The speaker's tone carried obvious schadenfreude.

Niu Youdao turned. It was none other than Xuan Yao.

Their gazes met. A mocking smile appeared on Xuan Yao's face. He raised a hand and patted Niu Youdao twice on the chest. "Niu Youdao, there's still plenty of time ahead. We'll have many chances to meet again."

The words were pregnant with meaning.

Taishu Xun and Taishu Li had no idea what he meant. Niu Youdao understood perfectly well. Xuan Yao had failed to vent his anger this time. Sooner or later, he intended to settle the account.

Niu Youdao cupped his hands respectfully. "I hope Steward Xuan will look after me in the future."

Xuan Yao waved one hand.

Someone behind him came over and tossed the three men's weapons back to them.

"Take them back!" Xuan Yao ordered.

Two large flying mounts came over and carried Niu Youdao, Taishu Xun, and Taishu Li away.

Ao Feng was not included. The contest was over, and Misty Pavilion personnel who had taken part naturally had their own destinations. They would no longer continue mixing with the sect cultivators undergoing the tempering.

Before rising into the air, Niu Youdao paid particular attention to Ye Nian. The man's attitude did not seem pleasant at all. He appeared to be berating Ao Feng so harshly that Ao Feng could not lift his head.

...

Niu Youdao returned to Shouque Villa. Taishu Xun and Taishu Li naturally returned with him.

They were brought back to the same courtyard where they had stayed before.

The moment word spread that Niu Youdao had returned, the courtyard became lively. People poured out one after another to see him.

Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie, who had spent the past several days worrying, finally let out the breath they had been holding. They hurried over and saluted. "Elder!"

Niu Youdao asked in return, "Nothing happened?"

The two knew what he meant. They answered together, "Everything is fine."

Fuhua and the others also hurried over soon afterward.

Shen Yidu of Xiaoyue Pavilion merely watched from a distance. This time he did not come over to flatter Niu Youdao. Misty Pavilion had already established that Niu Youdao knew nothing about any inside information, so Shen no longer had much reason to fawn over him. Add in the unpleasantness over the pledge he had been forced to write, and his pride made it difficult for him to approach.

Quan Taifeng was the first to ask, "Little Brother, they didn't make things difficult for you, did they?"

Niu Youdao chuckled. "Misty Pavilion isn't so inhuman that it refuses to listen to reason at all. They investigated the matter and established that it had nothing to do with me. I only went to cooperate with the verification. Why would they make things difficult for me? Don't worry. I'm fine. Perfectly fine."

Whether he was truly perfectly fine was something only he knew.

"Good. As long as you're fine." Fuhua nodded with a smile. The others likewise looked pleased for him.

Niu Youdao glanced toward the Misty Pavilion guards not far away, then asked everyone, "Has the next stage of the tempering begun?" He had been detained for several days and knew nothing about what had happened here.

At that, everyone's expressions once again filled with uncertainty about the future.

Fuhua shook her head. "Ever since we came back, they've kept us confined here without any movement at all. We have no idea what the next stage will be."

Everyone understood the implication. The tempering was probably far from over. Misty Pavilion was unlikely to let them go so easily. Something else almost certainly lay ahead.

Niu Youdao pondered briefly. "Then all we can do is take things one step at a time."

Everyone smiled bitterly. They had originally believed this fellow knew inside information and had followed him stubbornly. Who could have imagined they had misunderstood him from the beginning?

By now, the cultivators from the surrounding sects could all see it clearly. During this tempering, these people had gradually formed their own group without quite realizing it.

Taishu Xun and Taishu Li soon discovered that almost no one welcomed them. Wherever they went, people refused even to look at them properly. Instead, the two heard plenty of disdainful snorts.

They understood why. Many sects might dislike Qiyun Sect, but no sect tolerated subordinates betraying their own people. If this were not a place where no one dared create trouble, the two of them would probably have suffered plenty of humiliation already.

Knowing they were in the wrong and having no face to argue, the pair could only retreat dejectedly to their room.

A group was still gathered in the courtyard talking when Hong Gaitian suddenly gave an "Eh?"

Everyone followed his gaze and saw another group of unfamiliar faces in red entering the courtyard.

For some people, they were not unfamiliar at all. They were merely new faces in this particular place.

Qiyun Sect Elder Taishu Shanhai, Myriad Beasts Sect Elder An Shougui, Tiannü Sect Elder Qi Bisang, and several others were all well known. The newly arrived disciples from the various sects might not be recognized, but most of the Elders were.

Judging from the situation, the six sects that had been nearly wiped out during the tempering had sent in new people.

What was going on?

Niu Youdao recognized almost none of them. He asked someone beside him, "They look unfamiliar. Who are they?"

"Qiyun Sect Elder Taishu Shanhai..." Lang Jingkong quietly introduced them one by one.

Niu Youdao gave a soft "Oh," still unable to understand what this meant.

The new arrivals all looked unhappy. When they saw the group gathered in the courtyard, they immediately walked over. Myriad Beasts Sect Elder An Shougui in particular had a clear target. He went straight toward Quan Taifeng. The two were familiar with one another and were both Elders from sects of the State of Song.

The two groups stopped facing one another and exchanged courteous greetings. Whatever else might be going on, the formalities were not neglected.

Afterward, An Shougui immediately asked Quan Taifeng, "Brother Quan, did something happen during the tempering?"

Everyone looked at one another.

Quan Taifeng said, "How could nothing happen during a tempering like this? But tell me first, why are all of you here?"

An Shougui replied, "People from Misty Pavilion suddenly came to us and said our people had died during the tempering. They ordered us to come in as replacements."

Everyone exchanged looks again.

They could actually send replacements into this tempering?

Quan Taifeng sighed. "So that's what happened. Brother An, as for what exactly went wrong..." He gave a dry chuckle and glanced toward Taishu Shanhai. It was awkward to explain with the man standing right there.

Everyone immediately understood. Misty Pavilion had apparently brought these people in without telling them a single detail about what had happened.

Taishu Shanhai sensed that something was wrong. He had noticed that everyone kept looking at him strangely.

Even when he first met the other replacement groups, he had already sensed something unusual. The other sects had all been told their previous participants had died. Only Qiyun Sect had been told that its people had committed an offense and been executed.

There was another discrepancy. Every other sect had been allowed to send in three replacements. Qiyun Sect had sent only him.

He truly could not understand what had happened.

An Shougui frowned. "Brother Quan, why are you being so evasive?"

Quan Taifeng said awkwardly, "We'll talk about it later."

There were some things he found difficult to say not merely because Taishu Shanhai was present. Niu Youdao was another problem. Taishu Shancheng had previously exposed the secret dealings between Niu Youdao and Chao Jing. How was Quan Taifeng supposed to discuss that openly?

An Shougui hesitated, then said, "We've been here for a little while. The moment we arrived, they made us write some things..." He looked around at the others. "When all of you first came here, did Misty Pavilion also make you write something?"

The expressions of the original tempering participants instantly turned strange. Everyone immediately understood what he was asking about.

Quan Taifeng waved the subject away. "Don't even mention it. We know exactly what they made you write. Every one of us wrote it. Refusing wasn't an option. Not a single person escaped."

Hearing that everyone had written the same thing, the replacement Elders immediately relaxed.

Better for everyone to suffer equally than for some to be singled out.

The arrival of these replacements drew people from the other sects over as well.

All the commotion even brought Taishu Xun and Taishu Li, who had been hiding in their room, to the doorway to take a look. When they saw Taishu Shanhai, both panicked. Going over to greet him seemed wrong. Not going seemed equally wrong. In the end, the two stood beneath the eaves and waited.

The conversation here remained vague and unclear. Taishu Shanhai was about to seek out his own people and ask what had happened when he spotted the two disciples. He immediately asked everyone to make way, pushed through the crowd, and hurried toward them.

The earlier participants watched him go with complicated expressions.

Meanwhile, An Shougui and the other replacements began greeting people from their own sects and associated factions.

Niu Youdao noticed certain people pulling An Shougui aside and whispering furtively to him, occasionally glancing in Niu Youdao's direction.

Niu Youdao gave a cold laugh. He knew some people harbored bad intentions and were probably complaining about him.

He did not care. Without proof or evidence, what difference did their complaints make?

Saying he was tired, he took Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie and returned to his room first.

...

Inside Qiyun Sect's room, Taishu Shanhai questioned the two disciples and listened to their account.

The instant he understood what had happened, he shot to his feet and seized Taishu Xun by the front of his clothes. His eyes blazed with fury. "You actually dared betray an Elder of your own sect! You..."

He was so enraged he could barely finish the sentence.

At last, he understood why he had been brought inside as a replacement, and the realization nearly made him explode with anger.

Terrified, Taishu Li dropped to his knees with a thump. "Third Uncle, we had no choice! We were thinking of the sect too. Misty Pavilion said that if they uncovered the truth, they would flatten Qiyun Sect and wash the Taishu clan in blood!"

Taishu Xun hurriedly defended himself as well. "Third Uncle, if you don't believe us, you can ask anyone else. At first, we denied everything to the death. We were prepared to die if necessary and share Sixth Uncle's fate. Our own deaths wouldn't have mattered, but the entire sect was threatened. Which was more important? We had no choice but to make an ignoble compromise in order to survive."

"Hmph!" Taishu Shanhai shoved him away.

Taishu Xun staggered several steps before regaining his balance, then dropped to his knees as well.

Taishu Shanhai's chest rose and fell heavily as he stared coldly at the pair, his anger still difficult to extinguish.

Under ordinary circumstances, he might have split the two alive where they knelt. But this was not a place where he could act recklessly. He did not dare kill people casually here. Besides, he needed the cooperation of the only two men who knew what had happened.

"People of Qiyun Sect, get the hell out here!"

A furious shout suddenly came from outside.

It was Myriad Beasts Sect Elder An Shougui.

[End of Chapter 1032]