Chapter 1099: Polite Refusal

This was Ao Feng's first day on gate duty since meeting Niu Youdao, and the formation gate had opened that very day. The Demon Fox race had immediately established contact with him.

That alone said a great deal about what the fire had accomplished.

One blaze had burned him out of Wuliang Garden, allowing Niu Youdao to contact him and persuade him to join in the same dirty business.

Using the fire as a pretext, Niu Youdao had then followed Ding Wei into Wuliang Garden, met him again, and openly conducted a second round of consultations under Wuliang Garden's own surveillance.

And now there was the result before him.

Ao Feng realized that Niu Youdao had put a great deal of thought into that one fire.

It was obvious the bastard had invested enormous effort into stealing the Wuliang Fruit, Ao Feng muttered inwardly.

Trapped inside Wuliang Garden, he knew nothing of the situation outside. Otherwise, he would have understood even more clearly why Niu Youdao had chosen precisely that moment to set the fire.

In any case, the more he could sense how much preparation Niu Youdao had put into the matter, the more his uneasy heart could settle.

After all, this was no ordinary undertaking. The slightest mistake would cost him his head and his life.

"Exactly," Wei Ye said, nodding with a sigh.

The beetle was already in Ao Feng's hand, but he did not dare inspect it then.

He endured until the following morning, when the next watch relieved them and he returned to his quarters. Only then did he take out the beetle he had kept trapped inside his sleeve.

He examined it from head to tail.

He had no idea how the thing hidden inside its abdomen had been inserted. The only possibility seemed to be through the rear.

Using spiritual power, he carefully forced the object out, trying not to kill the beetle.

He was worried the insect might still be needed to carry a reply.

Yet once the object had been forced from its body, the beetle kicked its legs a few times and quickly stopped moving.

It was dead.

Ao Feng could only give up on that possibility.

What came out was a tiny sealed roll of paper.

After cleaning it, he spread it open.

Dense lines of minuscule writing covered the page.

The message instructed him to establish a communication channel with the Demon Fox race and to send them the exact dates and times of his gate rotations.

When he needed to send a message, he only had to hide it inside some inconspicuous object and find a way to toss it outside.

The Demon Foxes would come to the gate to retrieve it.

Pickup would take place at night, when discovery was easier to avoid.

Naturally, Ao Feng would need to cooperate.

The Demon Foxes would come at the exact time he specified, and during that precise interval Ao Feng had to divert the attention of the other guard stationed at the entrance.

After reading the message, Ao Feng destroyed both the secret note and the dead beetle.

Shut inside his room, he let out a long breath and muttered to himself, "Then it'll have to be eight days from now..."

...

At the Demon Fox Bureau, Niu Youdao had only just returned.

He walked behind his desk, sat down, and once again took out the letter hidden in his sleeve.

This was the second time he had read it.

He had already gone through it once when he received it outside.

After reading it again, he silently leaned back in his chair, raised his head toward the ceiling, and gave a quiet sigh.

The letter was a report handwritten by Yuan Gang and relayed through Sha Rulai's side.

As usual, it summarized information gathered from the outside world.

What made Niu Youdao sigh was one particular item in the report.

Commandery Princess Shang Shuqing had a prospective marriage partner.

The man's name was Fu Junlan.

Fu Junlan's family had some old ties to the Shang clan.

The Fu family had once been a prominent household in Yanjing and had dealings with Prince Ning, Shang Jianbo, in earlier years. After Prince Ning's residence fell, the Fu family was implicated as well and declined with it.

When Shang Chaozong later rose to power in Nanzhou, the Fu family sought refuge there.

Out of consideration for the old relationship, Shang Chaozong gave them a certain amount of support, and the family gradually recovered some modest property.

Fu Junlan had met Shang Shuqing in Prince Ning's residence when they were children.

They had played together while young, so he already knew what Shang Shuqing looked like.

Because his family had fallen into decline and experienced the coldness of the world, Fu Junlan had also remained unmarried all these years.

In that sense, his fate resembled Shang Shuqing's.

No one had expected the two of them to have an opportunity to come together again after so many years.

For Fu Junlan to catch Shang Shuqing's eye could indeed be called a curious turn of fate between them.

Shang Chaozong had been cautious about the matter.

Supporting the Fu family was one thing.

Marrying off his younger sister was another.

He sent people to investigate Fu Junlan's entire history over the years and agreed only after confirming there was no cause for concern.

At present, Shang Shuqing and Fu Junlan were trying to spend time together and become acquainted.

If both sides ultimately confirmed their willingness, their two families would formally settle the marriage.

Niu Youdao had no idea what Yuan Gang thought he was doing.

More than half of what was supposed to be a brief report had been devoted to Shang Shuqing's situation.

But Niu Youdao understood what Yuan Gang meant.

He knew that, in Yuan Gang's eyes, Shang Shuqing was a good woman.

And he knew Yuan Gang had never judged whether a woman was good or bad by her appearance.

In truth, the people of Maolu Villa were not blind.

All of them could see that Shang Shuqing had feelings for Niu Youdao.

For Yuan Gang to describe the matter in such detail might well be his way of suggesting Niu Youdao consider whether he wanted to do something about it.

There was nothing the two of them could not say to one another directly.

The reason Yuan Gang had not openly urged him was because Yuan Gang knew his past.

Writing all of this out in such detail might also have been Yuan Gang's way of hoping he would let go of that past and begin again.

Whether he could let go of the past was Niu Youdao's own affair.

He would handle it himself.

There was no need for anyone else to worry about him.

He was not stupid either.

He knew Shang Shuqing's feelings for him.

He also knew perfectly well that, aside from her appearance, Shang Shuqing truly was an excellent woman.

Did her appearance matter to him?

He could not say it did not matter at all.

To some extent, it did.

But the reason he could not accept her had nothing to do with her looks.

Ever since Yuan Gang and Shang Shuqing dragged him into this muddy water, he had already stepped onto a road where he could no longer act entirely by his own will.

Saying he was afraid of harming Shang Shuqing might sound a little affected, but it was indeed the truth.

His present circumstances constantly hovered on the edge of life and death.

No matter whom he tried to love, he would only bring disaster to her.

The moment he established a relationship with any woman, people who could not get at him directly would immediately turn their attention to her and think of every possible way to use her.

Forget everyone else.

Would Ding Wei or Xuan Yao pass up such an easy opportunity to seize leverage over him?

By then, it would not only harm the woman herself.

It would drag down a whole group of people assigned to protect her.

Keeping some distance from Shang Shuqing and staying away from her was, in a certain sense, genuinely a way of protecting her.

There was no helping it.

That was simply the situation he was in.

Of course, even if all those reasons were removed, he still would not accept Shang Shuqing.

There was no other reason.

He simply did not have romantic feelings for her.

He would not marry a woman merely because he thought she was good.

He would not marry because he was moved or grateful.

If there were no feelings between man and woman, then there were none.

He had always been rational.

This was not something he could force himself into because of other people's attitudes.

Besides, no one was forcing him.

And the fact that no one tried to force him only showed that, even in other people's eyes, the two of them were not particularly well matched.

The reason he sighed was that Shang Shuqing had attended to him for so many years.

He could not help lamenting that her entire life had been ruined by that face.

He still did not understand why Prince Ning, Shang Jianbo, had chosen to turn his own daughter's face into a "Ghost Face."

Zhao Xiongge's explanation had been vague and incomplete.

He was definitely concealing something.

Some questions could not be answered for the moment.

There was no point dwelling on them endlessly.

Niu Youdao pulled two sheets of paper from the desk and wrote two letters.

One was addressed to Sha Rulai.

He asked Sha Rulai to investigate Fu Junlan's background as well.

He was worried Shang Chaozong's investigative reach might be limited.

He sincerely hoped Shang Shuqing could marry into a good household and live happily.

He did not want such a good woman to end up unfortunate.

Nor was it only a matter of Shang Shuqing herself.

Her marriage was no small affair for the entire Shang faction.

If someone with ulterior motives inserted himself into the situation and exploited it, the consequences could be disastrous.

They had to be cautious.

The second letter was a reply to Yuan Gang.

If Shang Shuqing's marriage proceeded smoothly, Niu Youdao told him to prepare a generous wedding gift on his behalf.

He had only just finished both letters when Qin Guan's voice sounded outside the door.

"Elder, distinguished guests have arrived."

Niu Youdao casually asked, "Who?"

Qin Guan replied, "The Master of Ice and Snow Pavilion and her husband have come to visit."

Chuan Ying and Xue Luo'er?

Niu Youdao froze.

Why had those two come here?

He immediately put away the letters, slipped them into his sleeve, rose, and went outside.

By the time he reached the courtyard, Xue Luo'er and Chuan Ying were already waiting.

They made a strikingly matched pair.

The man was handsome and elegant; the woman was beautiful, though her belly had grown noticeably larger again.

"Greetings, Pavilion Master. Brother Chuan." Niu Youdao walked over quickly and saluted.

Chuan Ying was warm and familiar.

He stepped forward, grasped Niu Youdao's arm, and laughed heartily. "Brother Niu, forgive us for coming unannounced and disturbing you."

Xue Luo'er wore a friendly smile, though there was still a trace of reserve in her manner.

Relatively speaking, Niu Youdao's status was still somewhat beneath her notice.

If not for her husband, she would never have lowered herself enough to personally visit an ordinary sect Elder.

"Not at all, not at all. The two of you are honored guests I couldn't invite even if I tried. Please, inside. Please."

Niu Youdao repeatedly invited them in, led them to the receiving hall, and even yielded the seats of honor to the couple.

Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie quickly served tea.

To them, the Master of Ice and Snow Pavilion and her husband were unquestionably important people.

The fact that Elder Niu had friends of this stature made them feel proud by association.

A round of polite conversation was unavoidable.

During the exchange, Xue Luo'er occasionally spoke, asking how Niu Youdao had been doing here and saying that if he encountered any difficulties, she could ask around and see whether she could help.

Niu Youdao repeatedly thanked her and said that if anything came up, he would certainly ask for assistance.

But he did not mention a single concrete problem.

He knew perfectly well that things were no longer as they had once been.

This was not a situation where one word from Xue Luo'er could solve a problem.

Under the present circumstances, even people on Ding Wei's level could sometimes do nothing.

Xue Luo'er's words carried no real weight here.

If a matter truly involved serious struggle within Sacred Realm, who would care what Xue Luo'er said?

More importantly, who would dare?

Eventually, the couple mentioned that they would soon leave Sacred Realm temporarily and return to Ice and Snow Pavilion.

Chuan Ying took the initiative to ask, "Brother Niu, since we're heading outside anyway, do you have any letters you'd like me to pass to your friends?"

Niu Youdao thought briefly, then shook his head. "No."

Chuan Ying asked, "Not even one? Do you want to send a reply to Linghu Qiu?"

Niu Youdao chuckled. "Forget it. Jin and I don't get along. Better not drag him into my troubles. There's no point sending him a letter full of empty courtesies."

No matter how warm Chuan Ying was, how forthright he appeared, or how readily he offered help, Niu Youdao politely declined every offer.

The husband and wife stayed for a while, then took their leave.

Niu Youdao saw them to the door and repeatedly waved for them to take care on the road.

Only after lowering his hand did he frown faintly again, apparently pondering something.

...

Tianmo Sacred Land.

Inside the Demon Palace carved from the body of a massive mountain, darkness hung everywhere while the repeated clang of metal against stone echoed without pause.

A tall, broad-shouldered man with sharply arched brows worked bare-armed, swinging a hammer as he carved a relief into the stone wall.

He looked like a common craftsman.

In truth, he was Wu Chang, one of the Nine Saints beneath Heaven.

Elder Hei Shi finished reporting the situation.

The hammering stopped.

Still facing the stone relief, Wu Chang slowly asked, "He refused all assistance?"

Hei Shi bent slightly. "He never refused outright, but at the very least he politely declined everything."

Wu Chang said, "Then he still doesn't trust them."

"Every sign suggests the Saintess's item is very likely in Zhao Xiongge's hands. Niu Youdao has an unusually close relationship with Zhao Xiongge."

"I don't care what method you use. You must gain his trust."

[End of Chapter 1099]