Chapter 1047: Three Reports in Three Days

The deacon of the Demon Fox Bureau, on his own turf, had actually been turned away at the door?

Especially judging by Long Fanhai's dejected appearance, he could not have been putting on an act for their benefit. There was no need.

What they had just witnessed was genuinely difficult to believe. Whose territory was the Demon Fox Bureau, anyway? Why did it feel as though everything there had been turned upside down?

They looked at the tightly shut courtyard gate, then at Long Fanhai's lonely retreating figure, and for a long moment no one could recover.

Qu Lingkun, still standing on the steps, was equally stunned.

The others stood by the roadside looking this way and that before exchanging glances. One after another, they looked as though they wanted to say something, yet none knew what to say.

They knew perfectly well what treatment they themselves received in their respective bureaus. Getting a civil expression was already good enough. How could it compare with the Demon Fox Bureau's Long Fanhai personally carrying food and wine over and practically begging for an audience? Such a thing was unimaginable in their own bureaus.

They had first heard Kunlin Shu say that Long Fanhai brought food and wine to welcome Niu Youdao. Then they had seen Ding Wei keep Niu Youdao behind for a private conversation. Now they had personally witnessed Niu Youdao refuse to give Long Fanhai even the slightest face, practically trampling on him.

They did not know what was happening or what the real situation was.

But they had realized one thing: amid this difficult predicament, Niu Youdao had already broken open a path before any of them.

His words about "people about to die" had become a thorn lodged in their flesh. Right now, they truly wanted to sit down and have a proper talk with him.

Unfortunately, they still could not quite put aside their pride and beg. Besides, Niu Youdao had already said he would see no one. He would not even give Long Fanhai face and had gone so far as to humiliate him. Asking for an audience now seemed pointless. They would only be inviting humiliation.

"Ahem." Taishu Shanhai raised a fist to his mouth and coughed twice. Once he had everyone's attention, he said, "There's no hurry. Let's go back first and discuss it again."

Everyone seized the offered way out, murmured agreement, and left. They looked back repeatedly as they went, glancing every few steps toward the place where Niu Youdao was staying.

Kunlin Shu, trailing at the very rear, was equally astonished. He could not help turning over Qin Guan's whispered message in his mind, wondering what it meant.

Niu Youdao himself had not done anything in particular. He was sitting in the pavilion inside the courtyard, using the natural daylight to read a sheet of information Qu Lingkun had given him.

From Qu Lingkun's information, he had gained a rough understanding of how things worked. Whenever one of the Nine Sacred Lands took its rotational turn presiding over Misty Pavilion, that faction replaced the heads of the principal bureaus and departments with its own people. For example, after Ding Wei assumed control of Misty Pavilion, he had replaced the leaders of all the bureaus and departments with his own men. Long Fanhai, the deacon of the Demon Fox Bureau, had actually been in office only a short while.

Niu Youdao could understand the logic. Merely holding Misty Pavilion's command authority was useless. If Ding Wei did not replace the heads of the subordinate bureaus and departments with his own people, he would never truly be able to command them.

Footsteps approached. Niu Youdao casually lifted the map lying on the table and slid the other sheet of written information beneath it.

The map was a detailed plan of Wentian City. It did not matter if the people around him saw that; he could claim it came from the study. But written intelligence concerning Misty Pavilion was another matter. Why would something like that be lying around in the study? The explanation would not hold.

For now, he did not want anyone to know he was colluding with people inside Misty Pavilion. He was still considering what to do about the matter.

Once he finished reading the written intelligence, he would destroy it.

Qin Guan entered the pavilion with a smile. "Elder, they've all left."

Niu Youdao kept his eyes on the map and merely gave a slight nod to show he understood.

Qin Guan said nothing further. He left the pavilion and went to stand beside Ke Dingjie, who had taken a favorable position in the courtyard to keep watch.

Both men looked toward the figure in the pavilion studying the map intently, then exchanged smiles.

They had always thought Elder Niu capable before, but the feeling had never been as tangible and penetrating as it was after everything they had witnessed here.

Look at those seven factions. What had they been like before? They had wanted to cut Niu Youdao's side out entirely. And now? They were begging to make contact.

Then look at Demon Fox Bureau Deacon Long Fanhai. Elder Niu had already subdued him so thoroughly that the man did not dare show the slightest temper.

The figure bent over the table in this quiet courtyard seemed hardly ever to leave the grounds, yet somehow he appeared to grasp and tug on everything happening outside, possessed of the composure to sit steadily on the fishing terrace no matter how high the wind and waves rose.

It was not that the two men looked down on their own masters. They had met plenty of Zijin Cave Elders. But as far as they could see, finding a second person in the entire sect with this kind of nerve and these methods would probably be impossible. The thought often left the two sighing privately.

They were convinced now. After everything they had been through, they had come to admire him wholeheartedly, and their hearts were gradually settling as well. Elder Niu seemed to possess some peculiar quality. Simply seeing him there gave them an unexpected sense of security. Their earlier unease was slowly fading, replaced by growing reassurance.

...

Beneath the stars, all beauty lay veiled in haze.

Inside a pavilion, Sha Rulai pushed aside the gauze curtains, strolled onto the terrace, and casually accepted something from the person beside him.

The man who handed it over stood behind a pillar, almost completely hidden within its shadow.

Sha Rulai unfolded the paper and read it by starlight. A faint smile unexpectedly appeared on his normally expressionless face. "He really is a restless one. Two petitions in succession, and he's actually managed to make Ding Wei uneasy. Looks like we didn't misjudge him. He has nerve. Plenty of it."

He tilted his head slightly. "Help him wherever you can. Make the arrangements."

"Yes!" Wang Zun answered from the shadows. Then he hesitated. "He obviously has doubts. He keeps making requests and wants to meet you."

Sha Rulai said, "Am I someone he can meet merely because he wants to? That brat is no good thing. We don't even know whether he can get himself out yet. If I met him now, he'd be strange if he didn't drag me down with him to save himself. If he wants to meet me, he first needs to earn the right. The time isn't ripe for us to meet. You must be careful with this matter. Don't give anyone the slightest reason to suspect you."

Wang Zun understood. If he was exposed, it would effectively expose the man before him as well. Although he still did not know exactly what Sha Rulai intended, he answered, "Yes. Rest assured, sir. There won't be any problem."

His gaze suddenly shifted. An elegant female figure was approaching not far away. One look was enough to identify the woman who liked clinging to Sha Rulai. Wang Zun immediately lowered his voice. "This subordinate will withdraw."

Sha Rulai gave a quiet acknowledgment.

Wang Zun turned and swiftly disappeared.

...

"Elder!"

The latter half of the night had only just begun when Qin Guan's voice sounded outside the door.

Niu Youdao slowly ended his meditation and opened his eyes. "Come in."

Qin Guan pushed open the door, shut it behind him, and hurried to Niu Youdao. He presented a letter with both hands. "Elder, the Sacred Venerable's reply has arrived."

Niu Youdao immediately took it and looked. The paper still bore the same brief message:

The Sacred Venerable has read and is informed.

"Grind the ink!" Niu Youdao tossed out the order, lowered his feet from the couch, and began pacing the room in thought.

Qin Guan went to the desk, lit the lamp, and laid out brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Once Niu Youdao seemed to have sorted out his wording, he approached, dipped the brush in ink, and began with a formal line of respectful greeting to the Sacred Venerable.

Watching from the side, Qin Guan was thoroughly speechless. He suspected the Elder was about to petition the Sacred Venerable again, and sure enough, that was exactly what he was doing. Qin Guan simply could not understand it. What else was there left to complain about?

He racked his brains and thought again and again, yet could not imagine what else remained to report or expose.

But as he watched what Niu Youdao wrote, surprise returned. This time, he was not filing a complaint.

Reading more carefully, Qin Guan discovered that the Elder was actually offering suggestions and making requests of the Sacred Venerable.

Niu Youdao believed the current inspection system had flaws. There was nothing wrong with assigning people to inspect separate bureaus, but rigidly forbidding them from extending an investigation into related areas would create difficulties. His suggestion was that each group could continue inspecting its assigned bureau, but inspectors should not be restricted from examining other bureaus or departments when circumstances made that necessary.

For the sake of making inspections easier, he also requested that the inspectors be granted access to large flying mounts for transportation.

His final request concerned manpower. He felt he lacked enough reliable people at his side and wanted Kunlin Shu transferred from Tianhuo Sect to assist him, which would make it easier for him to act.

Naturally, he provided reasons.

First, Kunlin Shu was unwelcome among Tianhuo Sect's people and easily subjected to suppression. Rather than leave him there to create internal conflict that might affect Tianhuo Sect's inspection work, it would be better to let Kunlin Shu assist Niu Youdao and allow his own side to accomplish more.

Second, Kunlin Shu had already become Niu Youdao's man after losing to him in a duel. It was only because Niu Youdao had been obliged to honor a prior promise that Kunlin Shu had continued participating in the tempering under Tianhuo Sect's name.

For all these reasons, Niu Youdao respectfully requested the Sacred Venerable's approval.

When he finished, he set down the brush, lifted the paper, and handed it to Qin Guan. "Send it to the Sacred Venerable!"

Qin Guan took it and blew gently across the ink to dry it. Still worried, he asked, "Elder, why didn't you report all these matters together before? Is it really appropriate to disturb the Sacred Venerable over and over like this?"

"One step at a time. Naturally, there's a reason for doing things one step at a time." Niu Youdao gave only that simple answer and did not lay out his full intent.

With some matters, a hint was enough. Someone capable of understanding would understand. Someone without that aptitude could have everything explained to him in perfect clarity and still learn nothing from it.

Qin Guan nodded thoughtfully. He looked again at the contents of the petition and could not help sighing. "Elder has truly gone to a great deal of trouble for Kunlin Shu."

Now he understood the instruction Niu Youdao had previously asked him to pass along to Kunlin Shu.

Niu Youdao said, "Since he chose to follow me, I naturally can't stand by and ignore the difficult position he's in now."

Qin Guan's expression grew complicated. He was deeply moved and could sense how much thought Niu Youdao had put into protecting Kunlin Shu.

Niu Youdao then sighed. "I'm only doing what I can and leaving the rest to Heaven. For now, it's worth a try. Whether the Sacred Venerable agrees is another matter. Go. Send it as quickly as possible."

"Yes!" Qin Guan accepted the order and left.

...

"What? He sent out a third report?" Ding Wei, who had been meditating cross-legged in his room, abruptly rose when he heard the news.

Long Fanhai nodded repeatedly. "Yes! The moment this subordinate received the report from below, I didn't dare delay even a quarter hour. I came straight here to inform you."

Ding Wei's face twisted slightly. He paced back and forth. "Three reports in three days! What exactly is that fellow trying to do? What else could possibly be worth another petition?"

Long Fanhai said, "This subordinate can't understand it either. I even considered sending someone to intercept the messenger and see what he'd written, but the letter is addressed to a Sacred Venerable. I didn't dare touch it."

Ding Wei fell silent in thought.

Only after a long while did a few words emerge between his teeth.

"We've got a troublemaker on our hands!"

[End of Chapter 1047]