Chapter 1035: The Meal Deliverer

For newcomers like An Shougui and Taishu Shanhai, what had just happened felt almost dreamlike. They had barely arrived, yet such an enormous benefit had dropped into their laps. It hardly seemed real.

Once the arrangements were finished, everyone dispersed and was taken back to the same courtyard.

Huang Ban returned once more to the restricted grounds of Shouque Villa and reported to Ding Wei, "Sir, everything has been explained to them."

Ding Wei gave a soft sigh, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes without another word.

...

Back in the courtyard, the Elders of the various sects gathered together in their usual little circles.

Fuhua and the others had already formed their own group with Niu Youdao, so naturally several of them crowded into his room together.

Niu Youdao was staring blankly at the sheet listing the names of Misty Pavilion's various departments. Seeing them all arrive at once, he could only smile wryly.

Fuhua opened with a question. "Little Brother, which place are you planning to choose?"

Niu Youdao said, "We don't even know what Misty Pavilion's various departments actually do. How are we supposed to know which place is suitable? Besides, we can't all pile into the same department."

They thought about it and found that reasonable. Quan Taifeng asked curiously, "What does it mean that they're letting us choose for ourselves?"

Niu Youdao shook the sheet in his hand. "Isn't it obvious? Misty Pavilion wants to avoid suspicion, to prove it didn't deliberately arrange where each of us goes. If too many people choose the same place, they'll adjust the assignments afterward."

Lang Jingkong said, "Giving us this much authority all of a sudden has caught everyone completely unprepared. It feels like a dream."

Niu Youdao gave a derisive snort. "You don't seriously think this is a good thing, do you?"

The group fell briefly silent. Fuhua sighed. "Of course it isn't. They say only the Sacred Venerables can decide whether we live or die, but if some 'accident' happens, dying without anyone ever knowing exactly why would be perfectly normal. Do you really expect Misty Pavilion to investigate the matter thoroughly and report it upward? At most, this prevents certain people from openly killing us."

Duan Wuchang sighed. "Isn't this asking us to pull teeth from a tiger's mouth? Misty Pavilion controls far too many secrets, and its power is enormous. If the Sacred Venerables don't strip Misty Pavilion of its authority, how are we supposed to investigate anything? Aren't we just courting death?"

Niu Youdao said, "Strip it? Misty Pavilion is an organization built and run by the Sacred Venerables' own disciples and grand-disciples. They rely on those people to handle affairs every day. How are they supposed to strip everything away? With no reason, could the Nether Lord of the Northern Sea simply tell you to wipe out all the people under you in the Northern Sea? Such a huge organization isn't going to sit there collectively waiting to die. You can't dismantle something like that just because you say so."

Hong Gaitian pondered for a while. "Could both sides simply leave each other alone? If we don't investigate too seriously, wouldn't Misty Pavilion also turn a blind eye?"

Quan Taifeng scoffed. "Are you dreaming? Do you think those nine will let both sides coexist peacefully? The things we wrote down can be treated as serious or trivial. The decision lies in those nine hands. If you refuse to do the job, they can wipe out your entire sect. Where are you going to run? None of us wants trouble, but just wait and see. They'll definitely kill a chicken to warn the monkeys, forcing everyone else to risk their lives. The only question is who gets unlucky first."

Duan Wuchang sighed again. "And if they kill us, our sects can still send replacements. One fewer of us makes no difference; one more makes no difference either. That's how they're playing this, isn't it?"

Hong Gaitian grimaced. "If we actually investigate seriously, Misty Pavilion certainly won't let us off. And even if we try, each of us is weak and isolated once we enter the various departments. What can we possibly uncover?"

Niu Youdao teased, "Don't you still have the forces of the South Sea behind you to help? At the very least, they shouldn't let you be assassinated too easily. If the South Sea forces dare slack off, the things you wrote down would be enough to wipe them out too."

Hong Gaitian bared his teeth. "Who the hell knows what secrets Misty Pavilion has in its hands, or whether any of them can be used to threaten the South Sea?"

Niu Youdao chuckled. "Then there's nothing to be done. If the South Sea really committed some hidden offense serious enough to warrant extermination, and Misty Pavilion already knew yet did nothing, what was Misty Pavilion trying to hide from the Sacred Venerables? Isn't this arrangement perfectly suited to forcing Misty Pavilion to deal with those problems now?"

Quan Taifeng's expression twitched. "Ruthless. They're not only rectifying Misty Pavilion, they're dragging every major sect out into the sun as well. Do we still have any road of retreat? Aren't they roasting us over a fire?"

Niu Youdao said, "If you have the nerve, try going through the motions and see what happens. The chicken they kill to warn the monkeys may well be you."

Quan Taifeng snorted. "Little Brother, don't make fun of me as though this has nothing to do with you. Do you have any good ideas? No one here is an outsider. We're all your sworn elder brothers. If you have a plan, bring it out and let everyone consider it."

Niu Youdao said, "The larger situation is forcing everyone's hand. We all have to move with the tide. What solution could I possibly have? Besides, I didn't really write anything down."

The whole group stared at him in speechless silence.

Fuhua suddenly burst into tinkling laughter, her body trembling with mirth. She jabbed one pointed finger into Niu Youdao's shoulder. "Don't forget they can send replacements! If you dare not do your utmost, do you think those nine won't find some excuse to deal with you? If you really try that, I suspect you'll be the chicken they kill to warn the monkeys!"

Niu Youdao sighed miserably. "You hit the point exactly. That's what I'm worried about. So what solution could I possibly have? Gentlemen, there's no use thinking too far ahead right now. We should worry instead about what we're going to hand in three days from now." He shook the sheet in his hand.

There was nothing any of them could do for the moment, so one after another they took their leave.

As Niu Youdao saw them to the door, he suddenly called out, "Brother Quan."

Everyone turned back. Niu Youdao explained, "A small private matter."

Fuhua teased him, "Little Brother, if you've thought of some solution, remember to discuss it with Elder Sister."

Niu Youdao cupped his hands and bowed, looking as though he were begging her to spare him.

Fuhua giggled and left with the people from the Four Seas.

Quan Taifeng returned to the room, clearly harboring the same suspicion as Fuhua. He immediately leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Did you think of something?"

"You're overthinking it. Brother, please sit. Something suddenly came to mind, and I wanted to ask you about it." Niu Youdao sat down and gestured for him to do the same.

Quan Taifeng sat beside him, puzzled. "What is it?"

Niu Youdao asked, "Feng Guan'er. You should know her, shouldn't you?"

"Feng Guan'er?" Quan Taifeng froze, then nodded. "Of course. She's the granddaughter of Lingxiao Pavilion's former Sect Leader. She's not even a cultivator. You're in Sacred Realm and don't know whether you'll live or die, yet you're asking about her?"

Niu Youdao said, "Isn't she Luo Zhao's wife? Luo Zhao fled to the State of Qin. Why didn't she go with him? Did your people detain her?"

Quan Taifeng immediately became wary and looked him up and down. "Little Brother, let me put the ugly words first. Our sworn-brother bond is one thing, and our personal friendship is another. But if this concerns affairs of state, you'd better not try any crooked schemes through me."

Niu Youdao said, "What are you imagining? If this involved some interest or secret between our two states, would you tell me anyway?"

That was true, but Quan Taifeng remained confused. "No, seriously. Why are you suddenly asking about her? I can't make sense of it."

"She just came to mind, so I'm asking."

"Don't give me that. I doubt the two of you even know each other. Why would she suddenly come to mind?"

Niu Youdao was surprised in turn. "You don't know that she knows me?"

Quan Taifeng stared. "You two know each other?"

Niu Youdao said, "When the armies were fighting and Yan forces entered Song territory, I captured her. She was held at Maolu Villa for a while. She never mentioned it?"

Quan Taifeng went blank. He remembered now that Feng Guan'er had indeed disappeared for a period back then, and considerable manpower had been mobilized to search for her. So she had fallen into Niu Youdao's hands. After a long moment, he slowly shook his head. "She never said. We asked her afterward, but she refused to say where she'd been no matter what. She really fell into your hands? That girl is quite a beauty. If you're still thinking about her after all this time... don't tell me you did something improper to her?"

Niu Youdao looked thoughtful, more or less understanding why Feng Guan'er had kept silent. "You're imagining things. During the war, that woman was afraid she might become a hostage Yan could use to threaten her husband while he commanded the fighting. She refused to reveal her identity no matter what. Only after Yan and Song stopped fighting did she finally admit who she was. I respected her for that. I was wondering how she's doing now."

Was that really all? Quan Taifeng still had doubts, but after thinking it over, he saw little harm in answering. "It wasn't that Luo Zhao refused to take her to Qin. He repudiated her in order to make a clean break with his ties to Song. Their relationship used to be quite good. I truly never expected Luo Zhao to be that kind of man. The moment he saw he had no future left in Song, he cast aside the wife of his youth. As for anything else, I haven't paid much attention, so I don't know the details."

"Repudiated her?" Niu Youdao was surprised and fell silent.

Seeing there was nothing else, Quan Taifeng took his leave.

Afterward, Niu Youdao pushed away the stray thoughts, took out the sheet listing Misty Pavilion's departments again, laid it on the table, and resumed studying it.

Qin Guan edged closer and tentatively asked, "Elder, have you decided which department to choose?"

"I haven't the slightest clue." Niu Youdao shook his head.

At first, everyone from the various sects confined inside the courtyard had felt almost stunned by the enormous favor that had fallen from the sky. Once they recovered, all of them realized this was no good thing at all. The atmosphere in the courtyard grew increasingly oppressive.

...

The next day, the man responsible for delivering meals arrived at the usual time.

Food and drink for the people from the various sects were prepared for them. On that front, Misty Pavilion did not make anyone worry and had assigned personnel specifically to handle it.

As usual, Ke Dingjie went to the door to receive the food box. Unexpectedly, after glancing into the room, the Misty Pavilion man carrying it suddenly called inside, "Today's meal is important. Elder Niu needs to come receive it personally."

Ke Dingjie froze.

Inside, Niu Youdao had been staring at the sheet on the table, still thinking. He too turned around in surprise.

The man holding the food box gave him a slight nod in greeting.

Niu Youdao had no idea what this meant, but he still went to the doorway and cupped his hands. "Thank you for the trouble."

The man offered the food box with both hands. As Niu Youdao reached to take it, he froze slightly. The other man had smoothly slipped something into his palm at the same time.

The moment the handoff was complete, the man turned and left.

Niu Youdao stepped outside and watched the man's departing back for a moment. Then he turned and returned inside, casually passing the food box to Ke Dingjie.

Ke Dingjie carried it to the table and set it down, muttering, "Elder, why did that man seem so strange today?"

With his back to them, Niu Youdao looked down at the object in his palm. It was a wax pellet. He carefully cracked it open and found a small ball of paper inside. Slowly, he unfolded it in his hand.

The moment he read the writing, his expression changed drastically.

[End of Chapter 1035]