Chapter 1079: The Mystery

Niu Youdao gave a cold, derisive laugh. "Shang Mirror, my ass. I was the one who gave Xiaoyue Pavilion the Shang Mirror they have. The Shang Mirror was originally in my hands."

There was an element of probing in those words. Even he could not rule out the question of how Dong Guo Haoran had obtained the Shang Mirror. After all, the mirror had appeared at precisely the time those events occurred.

Sha Rulai froze. "You gave it to them? That's not right. When Xiaoyue Pavilion founded its State, it presented the Shang Mirror to Misty Pavilion as proof that it possessed the qualifications to establish a State. I was still presiding over Misty Pavilion at the time. I personally asked Mr. Yucang where the Shang Mirror had come from. What he told me matched the classified records. He said Tong Mo had given it to Xiaoyue Pavilion as payment!"

Niu Youdao's voice sank. "Mr. Yucang said Tong Mo gave it to him?"

"Correct." Sha Rulai stared at him. "Now you're telling me you gave Mr. Yucang the mirror. Between the two of you, one person must not be telling the truth."

"Do I have any reason to lie to you about something like this? Would I not know whether I personally gave Mr. Yucang the Shang Mirror?"

"Even if you gave him a mirror, how do you know the one you gave him was genuine?"

Niu Youdao did not know whether to be angry or amused. He had personally unraveled the secret within the Shang Mirror. How could he not know whether it was genuine?

Naturally, he could not say that aloud. "The Shang Mirror was in my hands for years. How could I not know whether it was real?"

Sha Rulai looked suspicious. "Where did you get the Shang Mirror?"

"Dong Guo Haoran gave it to me. At the time, I woke after being badly wounded..." Niu Youdao recounted the circumstances under which he had met Dong Guo Haoran, including how he had followed Dong Guo Haoran's instructions and gone to Shangqing Sect. Naturally, that included Dong Guo Haoran entrusting him with the Shang Mirror.

After Niu Youdao finished, he found Sha Rulai staring at him with wide eyes. He could not help asking, "What is it?"

Sha Rulai's expression had become extraordinarily grave. "You're saying that outside that little temple, you saw a crow capable of taking human form attack you?"

"Correct. A crow filled with an evil aura. Its eyes glowed red, and it could dissolve into mist and take human form."

Two words came from Sha Rulai's mouth.

"Crow General."

Niu Youdao was not surprised by the answer. He had long harbored the same suspicion. Today merely confirmed it. He asked tentatively, "You're saying that thing was a Crow General?"

Sha Rulai's face was grim. "Gather the spirits of the dead and infuse them into crows dwelling in places rich with yin energy, then refine those crows into evil things that are neither ghosts nor demons. Such creatures are fiends. This is a secret art of the Demonic Sect. As far as I know, the only person who still knows this art is Wu Chang of Tianmo Sacred Land. The Crow Generals guarding the Wuliang Fruit inside Wuliang Garden were refined by Wu Chang himself."

"Only Wu Chang knows it?" Niu Youdao asked. "Misty Pavilion paid attention to Prince Ning. Don't tell me you never heard the old rumor from Yanjing that Prince Ning had refined a hundred thousand Crow Generals."

"A hundred thousand Crow Generals gathered into an army would be enough to sweep through the armies of every State. How could Misty Pavilion not pay attention to something that large?" Sha Rulai said. "It was fabricated. False. Didn't Shang Chaozong's side later reveal the truth as well? It was merely a lie created to keep Shang Jianxiong from laying a murderous hand on Shang Chaozong."

"Crow Generals are fiends. Driving and controlling such creatures is not so simple, much less controlling a hundred thousand of them. Even Wu Chang himself never believed that story. If it were possible, once Wu Chang refined Crow Generals on a vast scale, whose forces among the Nine Saints could surpass his? A hundred thousand Crow Generals is impossible."

Niu Youdao frowned.

Naturally, he had heard that Crow Generals were demonic creatures of the Demonic Sect. Many people in the cultivation world had probably heard the same.

But he had always suspected that the Crow General he had personally seen belonged somehow to Dong Guo Haoran's side, even though Lan Ruoting had later given the Yan court a different explanation and said the story had been fabricated solely to protect Shang Chaozong.

Niu Youdao had asked Lan Ruoting why, of all things, he had chosen to invent a lie about a hundred thousand Crow Generals.

The reason Niu Youdao had asked was simple: he had personally seen a Crow General.

Lan Ruoting's explanation had been that, on one occasion, he had accidentally overheard his teacher Luo Shaofu speaking with Prince Ning, Shang Jianbo, inside Prince Ning's residence. Their conversation had included remarks along the lines of what might be possible if one could refine a hundred thousand Crow Generals. Inspired by that, Lan Ruoting had later fabricated the rumor.

Niu Youdao had always believed Lan Ruoting was not telling the whole truth, and there had been grounds for that suspicion. Dong Guo Haoran's relationship with Zhao Xiongge was unusual, while Zhao Xiongge's connection to the Demonic Sect was itself murky. Added to that was the undeniable fact that Niu Youdao had personally seen a Crow General appear near Dong Guo Haoran.

But Sha Rulai's words now overturned Niu Youdao's original assumptions.

A hundred thousand Crow Generals could not be refined.

Which meant the direction of his old suspicions had been wrong.

After sorting through the matter in his head, Niu Youdao slowly said, "If Wu Chang is the only one capable of refining Crow Generals, and a Crow General appeared at the time of Dong Guo Haoran's death, then does that mean Dong Guo Haoran's death was connected to Wu Chang?"

Exactly.

That was precisely why Sha Rulai's expression had become so grave.

Dong Guo Haoran's death had actually become connected to Wu Chang, one of the Nine Saints?

"This is rather unbelievable," Sha Rulai said. "Forget Dong Guo Haoran. If Wu Chang wanted the entire Shangqing Sect destroyed, he would need no more than a single sentence. Why would he personally involve himself in something like this?"

Niu Youdao said, "There's also the question of why the Shang Mirror appeared in Dong Guo Haoran's hands. And what exactly did Tang Mu and the others encounter? You may not know this, but before Tang Mu died, he ordered that his death be kept secret and no mourning be announced, as though he deliberately wanted to conceal the time of his death. And Tang Mu probably did not know anything had happened to Dong Guo Haoran. Otherwise, he would never have passed the position of Sect Leader to Dong Guo Haoran."

Sha Rulai suddenly asked again, "The Shang Mirror truly was given to Mr. Yucang by you?"

"There's no point asking that again..." Niu Youdao stopped midway.

Then he seemed to understand why Sha Rulai had asked.

"Mr. Yucang didn't tell the truth, yet what he said matched Misty Pavilion's classified records!"

Sha Rulai's eyes flickered. "Someone altered the record in the classified archive!"

Emotion suddenly appeared in Niu Youdao's eyes.

One name left his mouth.

"Wu Chang?"

Sha Rulai said gravely, "An ordinary person would have no possibility of entering such a classified place and altering the records. Other than Wu Chang, I can hardly think of anyone else. Only that would reconcile what you're telling me with the archive."

The atmosphere between the two men abruptly grew heavy.

For a moment, even the matter immediately before them—Sha Huanli's abduction and what had to be done about it—was pushed aside.

"But why would Wu Chang do that?" Sha Rulai murmured to himself, unable to make sense of it.

Niu Youdao spoke slowly. "Some things don't need to be made overly complicated. We can ignore all the tangled mysteries for now and look directly at the root. At Wu Chang's present level, he lacks nothing and already possesses a body that does not age or die. If he truly is secretly arranging something, there may be only one reason."

Sha Rulai's expression shook as understanding struck him.

He spoke the words one by one.

"To stand above the Nine Saints!"

Niu Youdao let out a long breath. "It seems there may be another hidden story behind Dong Guo Haoran's death. Tang Mu placed his hopes on Dong Guo Haoran, only for Dong Guo Haoran to die as well, and the truth was buried with them. What truly happened..."

He looked at Sha Rulai. "Mr. Sha, I'm afraid you'll have to pay attention to this matter for me. If you discover anything unusual, notify me promptly. Be careful. Try not to startle the snake. If it truly was Wu Chang, and he notices we're investigating..."

Niu Youdao shook his head. "Neither of us knows what lies behind this. The consequences could be impossible to predict."

Sha Rulai nodded slightly.

After pondering for a while, he too let out a breath, as though temporarily setting the matter aside. Then he looked directly at Niu Youdao. "There is one thing you must promise me."

Seeing how serious he looked, Niu Youdao was taken aback, then laughed. "That's rather unreasonable, Mr. Sha. You haven't even told me what the matter is. How am I supposed to promise?"

A trace of melancholy appeared in Sha Rulai's expression. "You and I are both caught inside changing winds and gathering clouds. No one can say what the future will bring. Life and death may be decided from one day to the next."

"If... I mean if. If something happens to me and I die, promise me you'll take good care of Huanli."

"You don't need to spend much effort. Just find her a good family. She isn't suited to all these storms and struggles. Find an ordinary household and let her marry into it, let her live the life of an ordinary commoner."

"She doesn't need wealth or rank. Even if life is a little difficult, that's still better than losing her life. Just keep her away from this bloody wind and rain. Promise me."

Niu Youdao smiled bitterly. "Mr. Sha, I truly don't dare make that promise lightly. Between the two of us, no one knows who will die first. Your own daughter is best left for you to care for yourself."

Sha Rulai said, "Back during the Tiandu Secret Realm trial, I once considered marrying that girl to you. I thought that with your ability, you had some chance of maneuvering through danger and protecting her. But you're entangled too deeply in all of this yourself, so I had no choice but to abandon the idea."

"If you die before I do, naturally you can pretend I never said any of this. Does that make it easier?"

Niu Youdao said, "If you insist on putting it that way, what else can I say? I can only tell you that we'll see when the time comes. If matters truly reach that point, I'll do what I can."

Sha Rulai looked back at his daughter, still sitting on the ground. "I'll follow your instructions and deliver the letter to Luo Qiu. Should you leave first, or should I?"

The two could not conveniently depart together.

Niu Youdao looked back as well. "You go first. City Lord Sha still needs to remain here for a while. There are things she must cooperate with us on. I'll help persuade her."

Sha Rulai lifted a hand and beckoned.

The Scarlet Hunting Eagle resting on the mountaintop immediately spread its wings and rose. As it swept past him, Sha Rulai flashed onto its back and rode the wind into the distance.

Niu Youdao watched him go for a while, then walked back. He glanced at Xiang Ming's corpse and gestured for Hei Yun to clean the scene thoroughly.

Then Niu Youdao walked over to Sha Huanli and sat down on the ground beside her.

He sighed.

"City Lord Sha, your father's life and death now rest on a single decision from you!"

...

Daluo Sacred Land, Daluo Sacred Hall.

Sha Rulai stood alone in the vast, empty hall with his hands folded respectfully before him.

He waited for some time before Luo Qiu finally emerged from behind the hall at an unhurried pace, dressed in blue robes.

Sha Rulai immediately cupped his hands and bowed. "Master."

Luo Qiu gave a quiet acknowledgment and looked him up and down. "You went out?"

Sha Rulai answered respectfully, "Yes."

"I hear your daughter disappeared and you've been searching everywhere. Have you found her?"

"Master, I have. Huanli was abducted."

"Abducted?" Luo Qiu looked genuinely surprised, then gave a cold laugh. "There are still people inside Sacred Realm with so much time on their hands that they'd do something like that? Since you've confirmed she was abducted, I assume you know who did it. Who? I'd like to see who has such nerve."

Sha Rulai lowered himself slightly. "The Demon Fox race."

"Demon Foxes?" Luo Qiu frowned faintly.

"This is a family matter, and I would not normally dare disturb Master with it. If all I needed to do was find Huanli, that would be one thing. But what has happened now is beyond what this disciple dares decide alone, and I do not dare conceal it from Master."

Sha Rulai drew a letter from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

"This is a letter the Demon Foxes specifically sent to me. Master, please read it."

[End of Chapter 1079]