Chapter 1053: Master Dao's Secret Letter

At the same moment Yuan Gang's expression changed sharply, he folded the letter, swiftly looked around, then turned and strode back inside. Only after shutting the door did he begin reading it carefully.

Once he had grasped what the letter contained, Yuan Gang quickly opened the door again and called, "Duan Hu!"

Duan Hu appeared almost at once and hurried over to salute him. "Master Yuan."

Yuan Gang asked, "Where's Hongniang?"

Duan Hu was taken aback. "She should be at home. I'll go ask."

"Find her. Tell her to come see me immediately."

"Yes!" Duan Hu accepted the order and left.

...

"Is it true?" In a small courtyard within the Maolu Annex, Fire Phoenix gripped Guan Fangyi by both arms, unable to believe what she had heard. "Sister Hong, how could you have news from inside Sacred Realm? You aren't just saying something nice to comfort me, are you?"

Guan Fangyi caught her arms in return and said earnestly, "It's absolutely true. The news came from Tianhuo Sect. Misty Pavilion told them to send another disciple inside as a replacement. They said Kunlin Shu is no longer one of Tianhuo Sect's people but Master Dao's man, and that Kunlin Shu is to temper himself at Master Dao's side while Tianhuo Sect sends someone else to fill the vacancy. Sister, Kunlin Shu has broken away from Tianhuo Sect and is now following Master Dao. With Master Dao looking after him, he won't be alone and helpless anymore. You should be able to stop worrying now, shouldn't you?"

Fire Phoenix immediately burst into tears of joy. She nodded again and again, choking out, "Thank Master Dao. Thank Master Dao!"

If Niu Youdao had been present, she might well have knelt before him in gratitude.

Her senior brother was considered a traitor. Once inside Sacred Realm, he should have been isolated and without support. Fire Phoenix had repeatedly begged Niu Youdao beforehand to look after Kunlin Shu, and Niu Youdao had given her an unmistakable promise.

But she also knew Sacred Realm was hardly a place where Niu Youdao could simply have his way. For things to reach this point showed how much thought and effort Master Dao must have spent. More importantly, it proved that her senior brother was still alive and well.

The heart that had been hanging in suspense could finally settle for a while. How could she not be happy and grateful?

Guan Fangyi wore a delighted smile as well. She was equally pleased.

Master Dao could already move things around inside Sacred Realm, had managed to pull Kunlin Shu over to his side, and could even stir up trouble there. Clearly, he was still full of life.

As for exactly whom Master Dao had gotten killed, Guan Fangyi did not care in the slightest.

In her view, anyone Master Dao personally moved to kill must have deserved it. So long as Master Dao himself was all right, nothing else mattered much.

In short, every scrap of news they had received pointed to one conclusion: Master Dao had apparently carved out room to maneuver inside Sacred Realm.

She was happy not only because Niu Youdao was still alive and well, but because he could still make trouble. That bad man truly delighted her. He was outrageous. Even after running all the way into Sacred Realm, he still refused to behave and had actually dared stir things up there.

The moment Guan Fangyi received the news about Kunlin Shu, she had hurried over at once to share the joy with Fire Phoenix.

While the two women were still celebrating, someone arrived.

"Hongniang." Duan Hu came in at a brisk pace. He entered the courtyard, invited Guan Fangyi aside, and said quietly, "Master Yuan wants you to go over immediately."

"Immediately?" Guan Fangyi raised an eyebrow, plainly dissatisfied with Yuan Gang summoning her back and forth like a servant. "What happened?"

Duan Hu remained polite. "That I don't know."

"Fine. I understand." Guan Fangyi gave him a displeased look, returned to Fire Phoenix, and reassured her with a few more words before following Duan Hu away.

When the two arrived at Yuan Gang's residence, Yuan Gang was standing ramrod straight beneath the eaves, feet planted apart, waiting for them.

As Guan Fangyi approached, Yuan Gang waved one hand, signaling Duan Hu to remain in the courtyard and keep watch so no one came close.

Duan Hu stopped and began watching the surroundings.

Guan Fangyi climbed the steps with graceful, measured strides and said coolly, "You were in such a hurry. What is it?"

On the surface, the two had never gotten along particularly well.

Yuan Gang said nothing. He turned and entered the room, waiting for her to follow.

The moment Guan Fangyi stepped inside, Yuan Gang moved over and shut the door.

The room dimmed.

Guan Fangyi spun around warily and warned him, "Monkey, a lone man and woman behind a closed door? Why are you shutting it? Aren't you afraid I'll ruin your reputation?"

Yuan Gang could not be bothered wasting words with her. He pulled a letter from his sleeve and lowered his voice. "Master Dao sent a letter."

"Uh..." Guan Fangyi's surprise was immediate. She snatched the letter from his hand and spread it open. One look left her confused. "Master Dao is inside Sacred Realm. How did he send you a letter? And anyway, is this really his handwriting?"

She knew Niu Youdao's writing.

Even the special letters he wrote Yuan Gang used a distinctive hand she had seen before. Master Dao's handwriting was actually quite elegant.

But the script before her was wild dragons and dancing phoenixes, almost like ghost-drawn talismans.

What was this mess?

Yuan Gang took the letter back. "It's Master Dao's letter. No mistake. This is his cursive hand. I know it very well."

"Cursive?" Guan Fangyi looked doubtful. "What kind of nonsense is that?"

Yuan Gang's expression remained grave. "You don't need to understand what it is. You only need to know that if Master Dao is using this kind of writing to contact me, it's because he wants to prevent the letter from being deciphered. This is for absolute secrecy. Master Dao said there is something the two of us must work together on."

Hearing that, and knowing Yuan Gang was not a man who casually lied, Guan Fangyi immediately realized the matter was serious.

Master Dao had apparently established a communication route between Sacred Realm and the outside world.

Her expression turned solemn. "What does the letter say? What does he want us to do?"

Yuan Gang said, "Master Dao wants us to find absolutely reliable people and send them to Star-Plucking City to keep close watch on the movements of City Lord Sha Huanli. Once we're certain we can do it without leaking the slightest word, Yun Ji is to make the move and abduct Sha Huanli!"

"What? Abduct Sha Huanli..." Guan Fangyi was so startled her voice rose. This was playing rather too big.

"Keep your voice down!" Yuan Gang warned sternly.

Guan Fangyi immediately covered her mouth, repeatedly signaling that she understood her mistake. She also glanced carefully around, knowing she had lost control for a moment.

Yuan Gang continued, "Master Dao said this matter must not be known by too many people. Yun Ji alone is enough to make the move. There won't be a problem. What we need to do is make absolutely certain nothing goes wrong and no information leaks."

Guan Fangyi looked uncertain. "Sha Huanli is Sha Rulai's biological daughter. Why would Master Dao, from inside Sacred Realm, order us to abduct Sha Huanli outside? Could it be... has Master Dao come into conflict with Sha Rulai inside Sacred Realm?"

"I don't know. The letter doesn't explain much. But since Master Dao gave this order, he must have his reasons. He would never have us take this kind of risk lightly unless he had made some major decision. We do as he says."

Guan Fangyi nodded, then asked, "There looked to be quite a lot written on that letter. Is that all Master Dao told us?"

"There are a few other things. He wants us to gather the situation outside, compile it into brief reports, and send those to him regularly together with updates on Sha Huanli. That way he can understand what's happening outside and judge how far he can go with his actions inside Sacred Realm."

"Regularly?" Guan Fangyi tested the word. "Meaning Master Dao has established a communication channel between Sacred Realm and the outside?"

"Looks that way. The letter tells me to go to a designated place and collect the Goldenwing we'll use for contact. From now on, whenever anything happens, we can send messages directly by Goldenwing. He also specifically warned us not to try tracing where the Goldenwing goes or who it's communicating with. We are to abandon that thought entirely. He said we won't discover anything and may instead bring down a silencing death upon ourselves. I am simply to correspond with him directly."

Guan Fangyi clicked her tongue softly. "Looks like someone inside Sacred Realm has secretly joined hands with Master Dao. Otherwise, messages could never pass the Sacred Realm entrance."

"That isn't our concern. Right now, immediately arrange reliable people to go to Star-Plucking City. I'm going to make contact and collect the Goldenwing."

"All right." Guan Fangyi nodded.

When the two opened the door and came out, Guan Fangyi returned to her side of the annex while Yuan Gang headed to the rear mountain, requisitioned a large flying mount, and departed.

The two people who normally did not get along had needed only one letter from Niu Youdao before joining hands without the slightest disagreement and moving at once.

...

Xuan Yao was released from prison.

He had originally been meant to stay only three days. Considering what followed afterward, Ding Wei kept him confined somewhat longer and had him questioned several more times.

After leaving prison and recovering his spiritual power, Xuan Yao learned that Ding Wei was not in Wentian City. The first thing he did was wash and bathe.

The moment he came out after bathing, he found Huang Ban waiting outside.

The two nodded in greeting and went together to a pavilion chamber, where they sat down.

They remained silent for a while.

Once tea was served, Huang Ban lifted his cup in a gesture that was almost an apology. "Brother Xuan, I had no choice about keeping you locked up so long."

Xuan Yao shook his head. "It had nothing to do with you. I know it was Mr. Ding's decision. At a time like this, avoiding suspicion for a while was appropriate."

Huang Ban smiled bitterly. "It's good that Brother Xuan understands. Mr. Ding had no choice but to suspend your duties temporarily as well."

Xuan Yao's expression was flat. "Having you replace me is fine too."

Huang Ban heard the trace of dissatisfaction hidden beneath the words. He sighed. "Brother Xuan, don't misunderstand. If I had any choice, you couldn't beat me into taking charge of Wentian City. You've gained some peace and quiet, but I've gained a mountain of trouble."

Xuan Yao looked mildly surprised. "What happened?"

Huang Ban groaned. "You don't know. Lately, those sect inspectors have been acting like mad dogs. One after another, they're filing complaints with the Sacred Venerables, saying we're deliberately making things difficult for them, refusing them proper respect, even implying that we're disregarding the Sacred Venerables. My head feels twice its normal size. Every day I'm answering questions from above. If Mr. Ding weren't holding things up for me, I'd be coughing blood by now."

"That's happening?" Xuan Yao gave a cold snort. "Looks like every last one of them has grown bold. Do they really think we can't deal with them?" Then his brow furrowed. "They were behaving themselves before and suddenly started acting up. Niu Youdao probably incited them."

Huang Ban sighed. "Whether Niu Youdao stirred them up or not hardly matters now. They've all seen the Sacred Venerables' attitude. Their courage has swollen."

Xuan Yao slowly turned his teacup in his hands and shook his head. "If you ask me, Mr. Ding had too many misgivings from the beginning. When we were choosing personnel for this tempering, we should have done what I suggested and selected some of the informants we'd planted inside the various sects. Then we'd know at any time what those people were doing behind our backs."

Huang Ban lightly tapped the tabletop. "Brother, Mr. Ding's concerns weren't without reason. Misty Pavilion's informants planted inside the sects may be secret, but the Sacred Venerables almost certainly have the lists. Who can guarantee they wouldn't compare names? If they asked about it later, how would Mr. Ding explain himself?"

Xuan Yao's eyes narrowed. "Meaning the moment word of the tempering came down, Mr. Ding already guessed it was aimed at rectifying Misty Pavilion?"

Huang Ban said, "He stands closest to heavenly might. Mr. Ding has his own difficulties. Some things are better treated as though you don't know them."

Xuan Yao drank his tea in silence for a while, then asked, "Among all the sects, the one making the most noise must be Niu Youdao, right?"

Huang Ban waved a hand. "Niu Youdao has actually behaved himself lately. He hasn't submitted a single further report. It's the other seven factions that keep jumping around without end, making trouble where there isn't any and hunting for faults wherever they can find them. The inspection has only just begun, so we all have to restrain ourselves for now. We can't strike back. If we beat them bloody the moment they arrive, it would look like deliberate provocation and make the Sacred Venerables lose face."

[End of Chapter 1053]