Chapter 1036: The Confidential Document

Niu Youdao's first reaction after looking up was to stride quickly out of the room.

Ke Dingjie and Qin Guan both turned to watch him, unsure what had happened.

Clenching the paper ball in his palm, Niu Youdao swept his gaze around, trying to find the man who had just delivered the meal. But there was already no trace of him.

Going out to search was impossible. The entire courtyard was sealed tight, and no one was allowed to leave. In the end, Niu Youdao returned to the room.

Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie came over. The latter asked, "Elder, what happened?"

"Nothing." Niu Youdao shook his head. "I just thought that man seemed a little strange."

Qin Guan nodded. "He did seem strange."

Niu Youdao sat back down and asked thoughtfully, "Ke Dingjie, you said he seemed strange today. Today? You've seen him before?"

Ke Dingjie said, "Elder, he's one of the people who takes turns delivering meals and water here and handling miscellaneous chores. As long as the sect people are staying in this courtyard, he comes almost every day. Haven't you seen him before?"

Niu Youdao shook his head. "I really never paid attention."

That was no empty claim. Whenever mealtime came, Qin Guan or Ke Dingjie usually received things outside the door. The delivery people had never entered the room, so Niu Youdao truly had not noticed them.

Qin Guan said, "We'll pay more attention next time. Elder, eat something." He pointed toward the food boxes already set out on the table.

"You two eat." Niu Youdao waved a hand. He had no appetite. He did not forget to add, "That man is strange. Keep an eye on him. The moment you see him come again, tell me immediately. I want to make contact and see what's going on."

"Yes!" both men answered. They went to the table and made do with the meal.

Niu Youdao sat in his chair, clearly turning something over in his mind, the ball of paper tightening and loosening in his palm.

Who had sent it?

He could be certain the meal deliverer was only an errand runner and absolutely could not be the person behind it. Some of the things involved were not matters an ordinary meal deliverer could possibly know.

The contents of the paper touched on one of Niu Youdao's own secrets—a secret from the Tiandu Secret Realm that could never see daylight.

The secret itself had been reduced to only a few terse sentences on the paper.

A Misty Pavilion man had lost an outfit inside the Tiandu Secret Realm. When the various sects surrounded Niu Youdao after he fled into the river, Misty Pavilion personnel had appeared at the scene. Yet the note stated explicitly that no Misty Pavilion personnel had ever gone to that location.

The final sentence told him that if he needed anything, he could contact the person who had sent the message. Within the limits of their ability, they would help Niu Youdao.

How was he supposed to have any appetite after learning that someone else had hold of something this deadly?

Back when he entered the Tiandu Secret Realm, there had been matters where he was simply driven beyond any other choice and forced to take risks. At the time, he had been cornered with no road left. Unless he exhausted every possible method of preserving his life, he would have had little chance of surviving.

That was why, the moment he entered the secret realm, he stole an outfit from Misty Pavilion. He had prepared it as a last resort so that, if he encountered mortal danger, he could impersonate one of Misty Pavilion's people and escape.

As the years passed, everyone gradually formed their own style of doing things, usually without even realizing it.

This was Niu Youdao's style as well.

The more dangerous the situation, the harder he tried to leave himself some final road of retreat, a lifeline to be used only when there was no other choice. It was the same when he entered the Desolate Marsh Deadlands and went to every possible length to establish a connection with the Demon Fox race. If everything went wrong, he could flee into Demon Fox territory, preserve his useful life, and wait for a chance to rise again.

When the various sects had hunted and surrounded him inside the Tiandu Secret Realm, he had used that Misty Pavilion outfit to escape.

By all logic, those pursuing him at the time should not have found the appearance of a Misty Pavilion man particularly noteworthy. Seeing a Misty Pavilion person was hardly something they would report to Misty Pavilion afterward. There would have been no reason to do so.

That was why Niu Youdao had felt reasonably safe using the disguise.

The sect cultivators who saw the supposed Misty Pavilion man could not know for certain that Niu Youdao was impersonating one. Only someone who possessed the full picture—someone who knew a Misty Pavilion outfit had gone missing—could suspect an impostor. And only then could they begin suspecting Niu Youdao.

More importantly, the note said that no Misty Pavilion personnel had gone anywhere near the place where the sects surrounded him.

That meant whoever wrote this possessed a complete grasp of Misty Pavilion's deployments inside the Tiandu Secret Realm. The person most likely to possess information at that level could only be someone within Misty Pavilion itself.

There were only a few lines on the paper, but they were concise and precise. Even without direct evidence, they were more than enough to identify who had impersonated a Misty Pavilion cultivator.

Now Niu Youdao could at least be certain of one thing: this letter had almost certainly come from someone connected to Misty Pavilion.

What he could not understand was why they had chosen to warn him only now.

The events in the Tiandu Secret Realm had happened so long ago. This could not possibly be something they had only just discovered. Whoever was behind the message must have known for a long time and simply kept the matter secret all these years.

So much time had passed that Niu Youdao had believed the danger was already behind him. Who could have imagined that it had long since become leverage in someone else's hand?

Why not reveal it earlier? Why not later? Why choose this exact moment?

The answer was obvious enough: the person behind this had a purpose now. They believed the time had come.

But what time?

Right in front of him was the sudden arrangement for representatives of the major sects to enter Misty Pavilion's departments and conduct inspections. It was difficult not to suspect the message was connected to that.

Niu Youdao did not want to be led around by the nose.

For a moment, he wanted to report the letter directly to Misty Pavilion and have them investigate it. He wanted to flip the entire table over.

But he did not dare act recklessly.

Setting aside what punishment awaited him if his impersonation of Misty Pavilion personnel came to light, there was at least one thing he could be sure of: even if he reported the matter, he might not be able to harm the person behind it at all.

The meal deliverer was obviously not the mastermind. He did not possess that kind of power. And if the hidden party dared do this, then they would not have left an easy trail for Misty Pavilion to follow back to them. Without such precautions, sending this letter would have been the same as asking for trouble.

There was another problem. Niu Youdao had been planning something for a long time, and exposing this matter now would interfere with that plan.

What puzzled him even more was that the other side had chosen this moment to warn him, yet had not actually told him to do anything. Instead, they had offered to help him.

People always said Misty Pavilion held countless secrets from across the world in its hands. Today, Niu Youdao had finally experienced what that meant and understood it all the more keenly.

Lost in thought, he rose without realizing it and began pacing the room.

Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie, having finished their simple meal, did not disturb him. They packed the dishes back into the food box, and Qin Guan carried it outside. He only needed to hand it to the guards at the courtyard entrance.

Both men could see that something was wrong with Niu Youdao. They had never seen Elder Niu so unsettled before.

Late that night, Niu Youdao stood in the courtyard looking up at the stars. Suddenly, he let out a long breath.

He had made his decision.

...

The next day, Fuhua and the others came over again to bother him, asking whether he had decided which department to choose.

"I still have no clue. I haven't decided." Niu Youdao spread his hands helplessly.

After they left and mealtime drew near, the news Niu Youdao had been waiting for finally came.

At the door, Ke Dingjie suddenly turned and reported, "Elder, the man who delivered yesterday's meal is here."

Niu Youdao's eyes flashed. He rose and waved for Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie to remain inside while he went to the doorway himself.

Sure enough, the same man from yesterday had arrived.

Niu Youdao waited at the door.

After delivering meals to the other rooms one by one, the man finally approached with the food box. Seeing Niu Youdao waiting at the doorway, he smiled and greeted him. "Elder Niu."

"Thank you for the trouble." Niu Youdao cupped his hands, then took the food box the man offered and casually asked in a low voice, "Nothing for me today?"

The man likewise lowered his voice. "No. If you need any help, just say so. If it's within my ability, I'll do my best. If I can't handle it, I'll report upward and let those above decide what to do."

Niu Youdao opened the food box, as though merely checking what the meal contained. In reality, he quietly said, "I want to meet the person behind you."

The man replied, "Do you think I could possibly know who that is? I'm only running errands and carrying out instructions. Truthfully, I'd like to know who it is too."

Niu Youdao lifted the second tier of the food box. "May I ask your honored name?"

"Chang Qingshan."

Niu Youdao said, "I want a map of Sacred Realm, along with the locations of Misty Pavilion's various departments inside Sacred Realm and the scope of their responsibilities. Any problem with that?"

Chang Qingshan said, "Easy enough. I'll put it in the food box and bring it tomorrow." Then he raised his voice. "Elder Niu, enjoy your meal. I'll take my leave."

"I won't see you out." Niu Youdao carried the food box back inside.

Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie looked at one another, unable to tell what the two men had been murmuring about at the doorway. They only knew something felt wrong.

...

The people from the various sects gathered here were penned inside the courtyard almost like livestock. They had nothing else to do. Occasionally they visited one another, chatted, and asked what departments others were considering. Another dull day passed like that.

At mealtime the following day, Chang Qingshan came again. As before, Niu Youdao personally went to receive the food box.

Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie watched carefully, trying to spot anything unusual. This time, however, Chang Qingshan and Niu Youdao merely exchanged polite greetings. They said almost nothing.

At the dining table, Niu Youdao ate slowly. After the other two finished, he said, "Go outside and keep watch."

"Yes!" The two accepted the order and left.

Niu Youdao remained at the table, watching the doorway. Slowly, he set down his chopsticks.

Then he reached toward the side table and picked up the lid of the food box, which he had casually placed upside down there after opening it earlier. When he turned the lid over, a folded confidential document was revealed, stuck flat against its inner surface.

He pulled it free, rolled it once, and slipped it into his sleeve.

Afterward, he tidied the table, packed the food box, carried it to the door, and handed it to Qin Guan to send away. He also reminded both men, "Stay outside and keep watch. Don't disturb me. If anyone comes, warn me immediately."

"Yes!" the two answered. They had no idea what he intended to do, but obeyed.

Niu Youdao shut the door and windows, walked over to the couch, swept one sleeve across its surface, and pulled the document from his sleeve.

He spread it open on the couch.

There was a map of Sacred Realm, along with the information he had requested on Misty Pavilion's various departments.

Niu Youdao sat down cross-legged and began examining it carefully.

It was the final day, so inevitably people came to bother him. Just as he was engrossed in the material, a sudden knock sounded at the door.

Knock, knock.

Qin Guan's voice came from outside. "Elder, Elder Fuhua and the others request an audience."

"This new door really is an eyesore," Hong Gaitian's amused voice added from outside.

Niu Youdao quickly folded the materials roughly, turned sideways, and stuffed them beneath the bedding on the couch. Then he settled cross-legged and answered calmly, "Invite them in."

The door creaked open, followed by a burst of footsteps. As usual, the visitors were none other than Fuhua and the others who often came over to mingle with him.

The moment they entered, they discovered Niu Youdao sitting cross-legged on the couch in apparent meditation.

Fuhua immediately asked, "Little Brother, have you decided which department you're choosing?"

Niu Youdao lowered his feet, stood, and shook his head. "Not yet."

Fuhua stared. "And you still have the mind to sit here cultivating? This is the last day."

Niu Youdao said, "There's nothing wrong with emptying the mind for a while, then sorting through everything again. Have all of you chosen?"

The others stood around with their hands behind their backs, arms folded, or hands on their hips. One by one, they shook their heads helplessly.

Quan Taifeng said, "How are we supposed to choose? We don't understand the situation. We know almost nothing about Misty Pavilion's internal affairs. We have no idea where would be suitable. Choose left and we're afraid of running into trouble. Choose right and we're afraid of running into trouble. We can't make up our minds."

He pointed around at everyone, then at Niu Youdao. "We go out often, either to discuss things or ask other people for information. You're the only one hiding in your room like some sheltered young lady, barely stepping outside. Yet you look perfectly calm. Have you thought of something?"

Hong Gaitian added, "Exactly. Little Brother, if you've got any good ideas, let everyone know in time."

[End of Chapter 1036]