Chapter 1046: Turned Away at the Door

"Yes." Xuan Yao nodded. After thinking for a moment, he added, "More precisely... according to the Demon Fox Bureau, it should have been around two hours before dawn today. Not long after the messenger Goldenwing returned, it set out again."

Ding Wei stepped closer to the cell, suspicion showing on his face. "Other than your matter, what else could he possibly have to report? If he was going to submit reports one after another, what was there that couldn't have been included in the first one? Why disturb the Sacred Venerable repeatedly? Something must have happened afterward. Did you people do something else to him?"

"We didn't do anything..." Xuan Yao began to defend himself, then suddenly hesitated, unease and uncertainty appearing in his expression. He had thought of something and did not know whether he should say it.

Ding Wei guessed as much and said heavily, "Speak."

Xuan Yao hesitated. "Mr. Ding, after we first discovered he had submitted a report, Demon Fox Bureau Deacon Long Fanhai took food and wine over to visit him, hoping to find out why he had reported upward. At the time, Niu Youdao put a charge on Long Fanhai's head. He said Long Fanhai was trying to pry into the contents of his communications with the Sacred Venerable and that he would report the matter truthfully to the Sacred Venerable."

Ding Wei's expression changed slightly. He snapped, "Idiots! What are you people doing? Who told you to probe correspondence with a Sacred Venerable?"

Xuan Yao hurriedly defended himself. "Mr. Ding, it wasn't like that..." But this was precisely the kind of ambiguous matter that became difficult to explain once spoken aloud. In the end, all he could do was recount Long Fanhai's report in detail and let Ding Wei judge for himself. He concluded by emphasizing, "Niu Youdao said at the time that he was only joking..."

"Joking? I hope it was a joke. I hope it has nothing to do with this!" Ding Wei gave a cold snort, threw down the words, and turned away.

"Mr. Ding! Mr. Ding..." Xuan Yao gripped the bars and called after him several times, but Ding Wei never looked back.

Unease immediately filled Xuan Yao's heart.

After leaving the dungeon, Ding Wei at once summoned Demon Fox Bureau Deacon Long Fanhai and questioned him about the matter in detail.

Once Long Fanhai understood what Ding Wei suspected, cold sweat broke out across his entire body.

When Ding Wei learned that Xuan Yao had been the one who sent Long Fanhai to sound Niu Youdao out, anger rose in him.

Xuan Yao had actually concealed that part from him.

Strictly speaking, what they had done was perfectly ordinary and hardly counted as a serious offense. They had not intended to spy on a Sacred Venerable. They merely wanted to know what Niu Youdao had reported, so Long Fanhai had brought food and wine over and tried to feel him out.

But the matter had brushed against the issue of probing a Sacred Venerable's correspondence.

Could that really be explained cleanly?

The people handling it probably had never imagined such consequences beforehand. Yet if someone deliberately elevated the matter and framed it in the worst possible light, it would no longer be a trivial issue.

Trying to pry into a Sacred Venerable's correspondence?

That was no different from being tired of living.

If Niu Youdao had truly put that charge into a report, it would make the Sacred Venerable extraordinarily sensitive. It had already touched the Sacred Venerables' reverse scale.

Someone dared pry into their private communications?

How could that possibly be tolerated?

For now, they did not know whether Niu Youdao's second report concerned this matter.

If it did, then Xuan Yao, who had instructed Long Fanhai, would be in serious trouble.

And once Long Fanhai implicated Xuan Yao, even Ding Wei would not be able to protect him.

Worse, if the matter reached Xuan Yao, Ding Wei's trusted subordinate, how could no one question Ding Wei's own intentions?

Kill Long Fanhai to silence him?

If Long Fanhai had lived perfectly well until now only to suddenly die at this exact moment, did they really think the Sacred Venerables were fools?

Do that, and it would be like getting yellow mud in your crotch—whether it was shit or not, it would look like shit.

Ding Wei paced back and forth across the hall for a while, then stopped in front of Long Fanhai and stared directly into his eyes. "How many people were present when you had that conversation?"

Long Fanhai raised a hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "There should have been five or six."

Ding Wei's temper flared. "Five or six? Which was it?"

Long Fanhai forced himself to calm down and think. "Six. Niu Youdao had two people with him. I had four attendants."

Ding Wei said, "You went to visit one Niu Youdao. Why did you need to bring that many people?"

Long Fanhai had no answer.

When nothing had gone wrong, everything had seemed reasonable.

Now that trouble had appeared, everything suddenly looked wrong.

What could he possibly say?

Ding Wei continued, "Can you guarantee those four men will bite down and never loosen their mouths?"

Long Fanhai hurriedly said, "Mr. Ding, rest assured. Niu Youdao's people's testimony cannot be trusted. As for my four men, I'll make sure they keep their mouths shut."

Ding Wei asked, "How exactly do you intend to make them keep their mouths shut?"

Long Fanhai said, "This subordinate will make them disappear."

"Bullshit!" Even the ordinarily well-mannered Ding Wei cursed aloud. "Silence them now? Do you think everyone else is an idiot? Do you believe a Sacred Venerable might personally drag you in for interrogation? Are you certain you can withstand the heavenly might of a Sacred Venerable?"

Long Fanhai panicked. "Mr. Ding, then what should I do?"

Ding Wei said, "Do those four attendants know Xuan Yao ordered you to sound Niu Youdao out?"

Long Fanhai immediately assured him, "They don't. When this subordinate handles affairs, how could I go around broadcasting a superior's private instructions?"

Ding Wei raised a hand and placed it on Long Fanhai's shoulder. "If Niu Youdao's second report had nothing to do with this, then forget it. But if it did, you know what you should say, don't you? Let me remind you of one thing: if Xuan Yao gets into trouble, you, the man who carried out the matter, won't escape either."

Long Fanhai's heart jolted.

He understood exactly what Ding Wei meant.

Even if he confessed that Xuan Yao had ordered it, Long Fanhai himself would still be guilty. And even if he somehow survived the investigation, the man standing before him would never let him off afterward.

His voice trembled. "This matter had nothing to do with Steward Xuan. I became curious on my own and tried to find out."

Ding Wei looked rather pleased.

He patted Long Fanhai's shoulder. "If this matter passes smoothly, I guarantee you a promising future. If something unexpected happens, don't worry. Someone will look after your family in the mortal world."

Long Fanhai jerked in shock and stared at him with wide eyes.

He had believed the matter of his mortal family was well hidden.

He had never imagined Ding Wei already knew about them.

But he should have thought more carefully.

Ding Wei was currently presiding over Misty Pavilion. If he could not control Long Fanhai, why would he ever use him?

Under Ding Wei's narrowed gaze, Long Fanhai lowered his head bleakly. "This subordinate was careless. When Steward Xuan told me Niu Youdao was no easy opponent, I should have been on guard. When Niu Youdao started throwing accusations around, I should have become alert. I should have struck first and disposed of him before he had another chance to cause trouble."

Ding Wei said, "There's no point saying that now. If you touch him at this moment and the Sacred Venerable's thunderous fury descends, not one person previously involved will escape. He stayed one step ahead of you at every turn. If you're a step slow, then you bear the consequences of being a step slow. Perhaps we're overthinking things. For now, steady yourself. Don't reveal anything unusual. Don't act recklessly. Understand?"

"Yes!"

Ding Wei waved a hand.

Long Fanhai cupped his hands, backed away, then turned and left.

Ding Wei slowly walked outside. Standing beneath the eaves of the hall, he murmured to himself, "Stirring wind and rain outside was one thing. You actually dared stir things up inside Sacred Realm too. You've got quite some nerve. I truly underestimated you."

After leaving, Long Fanhai walked for some distance in a daze.

Once he regained a little clarity, his pace suddenly quickened.

...

Someone knocked on the gate of Niu Youdao's courtyard at the Demon Fox Bureau.

Kunlin Shu had arrived.

The gate opened only a crack, and Qin Guan poked his head out.

One glance showed him Taishu Shanhai and the others standing outside as well.

Kunlin Shu said, "I want to see Master Dao. Please announce me."

He had not wanted to come.

But after Taishu Shanhai and the others discussed the matter, Niu Youdao's phrase "people about to die" had left them deeply unsettled. They eventually turned their attention to Kunlin Shu and pushed him forward as the first probe.

Lu Yao, speaking as Tianhuo Sect's Elder, had pressured him into it, leaving Kunlin Shu no choice but to comply.

Qin Guan swept his gaze over the group outside, then smiled apologetically. "Brother Kun, I'm sorry. Elder has important matters to attend to and isn't seeing guests right now. Please go back."

Kunlin Shu looked over his shoulder at the others, then said, "I'll only see him once. I won't take much of his time."

Qin Guan quickly lowered his voice. "Elder said he's trying to think of a way. He asks you to endure things for a little longer."

Qin Guan himself had no idea what Niu Youdao meant by that. He was merely repeating the instructions he had been given.

Then, returning to a normal voice, he said, "Please go back."

Bang!

He shut the gate directly.

Kunlin Shu stared at the closed door for a moment, then slowly descended the steps and returned to An Shougui's side. "Elder, Master Dao refuses to see me. There's nothing I can do."

"'Master Dao,' 'Master Dao'—you call him awfully affectionately." An Shougui gave a cold snort. "So this is the master you've chosen? Looks to me like he doesn't care whether you live or die either."

He turned toward the others. "That man is putting on airs. What are we still standing here for? Are we supposed to kneel down and beg him? Let's go."

He was the first to leave.

The others followed, their interest gone.

Kunlin Shu remained silent.

He had long since grown accustomed to the torment of being caught between two sides and quietly followed along.

They had only gone a few steps when the people ahead suddenly stopped.

Kunlin Shu looked up and saw Demon Fox Bureau Deacon Long Fanhai approaching with two food boxes in his hands.

The group moved aside to let him pass.

As Long Fanhai went by, he asked, "Why are all of you blocking the way here?"

This time he had brought no attendants at all.

He was even carrying the food himself.

No one knew how to answer.

Long Fanhai had originally intended to rebuke them, but Niu Youdao's precedent had left him wary of provoking these inspectors. After saying his piece, he simply continued on.

When he reached the steps before the closed gate, Long Fanhai tilted his head toward Qu Lingkun, who had cupped his hands in greeting.

Qu Lingkun immediately hurried up the steps and knocked.

"Elder Niu! Elder Niu! The Deacon is here. Open the gate!"

After a short wait, the gate opened.

Qin Guan poked his head out and smiled apologetically. "Brother Qu, you heard it yourself just now. Elder isn't seeing guests."

Qu Lingkun looked back at Long Fanhai, clearly asking what to do.

Long Fanhai spoke personally, smiling. "Tell Brother Niu I'm here. I've prepared good wine and dishes and would like to drink with him properly."

He lifted the two food boxes in his hands for emphasis.

Long Fanhai had no intention of simply sitting back and waiting for disaster.

After thinking it over, he had concluded that if trouble truly came, the one who tied the bell had to be the one to untie it.

He had decided to make another effort through Niu Youdao himself.

Qin Guan said, "I'm sorry. Elder said he won't see anyone!"

His head withdrew.

Bang!

The gate shut again.

Qu Lingkun stared in disbelief.

He had never expected Niu Youdao to be this arrogant.

The man was living on Demon Fox Bureau territory, yet he actually refused to give the Demon Fox Bureau's own deacon any face.

How could a mere gate stop Long Fanhai?

Niu Youdao had been given face and thrown it away.

Qu Lingkun expected Long Fanhai to lose his temper.

But when he turned around, Long Fanhai's face had turned ugly, and a dispirited look gradually settled over him.

Like a man leaving a funeral, he slowly turned around.

Then he slowly walked away.

Qu Lingkun was astonished to the extreme.

What was going on?

He did not know Ding Wei had already warned Long Fanhai not to act rashly.

Under the circumstances, Long Fanhai did not dare force his way inside.

After being turned away at the door, Long Fanhai more or less understood the situation.

Nine times out of ten, Niu Youdao's second Goldenwing report had indeed accused him.

His final shred of hope collapsed.

Even more astonished were Taishu Shanhai and the others, who were watching from nearby.

They stared as Long Fanhai passed them in dejection, visibly dispirited.

Every one of them was stunned.

What was going on?

[End of Chapter 1046]