Chapter 1134: Fish and Bear's Paw Cannot Both Be Had

At dawn, the time came for the changing of the guard at the entrance to Wuliang Garden. After handing over his shift, Ao Feng picked up two more stones and took them away.

No one who saw it found the sight strange anymore. Most knew that after committing an offense and being suppressed, Ao Feng had been in a foul mood and had taken up stone carving to pass the time. A number of his carvings could even be seen displayed outside his residence.

Naturally, all of that was merely a cover. Ao Feng had no interest whatsoever in carving.

There was no choice. Since he had already begun putting on the act, he had to make it convincing. In a place like this, the slightest mishap could invite suspicion.

Of the two stones in his arms, one had once again been brought in from outside using the same method as before.

The target stone had sat outside for a long time. Several shifts had passed before he finally found an opportunity to bring it in.

Again, there had been no choice.

He was not lucky enough every time. The formation gate did not necessarily open whenever he happened to be on duty.

After he smuggled in the previous stone, he had spent shift after shift waiting in vain for another opportunity to see the formation gate open. Only this time had the chance finally come.

Bringing this stone inside had been somewhat easier than the last one. First, it was much smaller and therefore easier to carry and conceal. Second, the formation gate had opened at night this time, making discovery less likely. Finally, he now had some experience.

He returned to his quarters with complete nonchalance. The moment he stepped inside, however, he quickly shut the doors and windows.

One stone he tossed aside without care. After examining the other with spiritual power, he applied force and cracked apart the outer shell.

The counterfeit stone had looked harmless enough while intact. But the instant it broke open, the thing inside flickered with red light, and Ao Feng froze.

Wuliang Fruit?

Once he saw clearly what it was, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Panic sent him scrambling. He hurriedly used spiritual power to yank a quilt over and cover the contents.

Then he rushed to the cracks around the doors and windows and peered outside, carefully watching for any reaction.

Only after confirming there was no trouble did his pounding heart gradually settle.

He turned back toward the things hidden beneath the quilt, frowning. Wuliang Fruit? How could that be possible?

He was absolutely certain he had not seen wrong. What he had glimpsed just now had definitely been Wuliang Fruit. He had seen the real thing before and could not mistake its appearance. Yet no matter how he thought about it, the situation made no sense.

He walked over, crouched down, then quite literally lay flat on the floor like a child. Lifting one corner of the quilt, he poked his head underneath and picked up one of the "Wuliang Fruits" to examine it.

A fake was still a fake. The moment it was handled and inspected up close, the deception could not withstand scrutiny.

Yet Ao Feng, hiding beneath the quilt to block the light, could not help clicking his tongue in wonder as he turned the counterfeit object over in his hands. It was astonishingly lifelike. So long as no one picked it up for inspection, it could truly pass for the real thing.

What especially amazed him was the living luster seeping through the fake, as though the thing itself were alive. He had no idea how it had been done. He badly wanted to cut it open and see, but the counterfeit fruit had been sealed shut, and he did not dare damage it recklessly.

"He can even make something like this. That fellow really can do anything." Ao Feng muttered to himself, his face and eyes full of admiration.

He counted them while turning them over. The number exactly matched the fruit on the tree: twelve in total.

The moment he confirmed the number, Ao Feng crawled out from beneath the quilt, his expression grave. Smuggling twelve counterfeit Wuliang Fruits into Wuliang Garden made the intention obvious. They were meant to substitute the false for the real.

Creating fakes naturally meant the deception was not supposed to be discovered. That much was obvious. Otherwise there would have been no reason to go to all this trouble.

But plucking the real fruits, replacing them on the tree with counterfeits, and somehow avoiding discovery in the process—that was impossible. Ao Feng simply could not imagine what opportunity could ever allow such a substitution. Niu Youdao had never told him the specific plan, and no matter how long he thought, he could make no sense of it.

Next came another problem. Ao Feng looked around repeatedly, trying to decide where to hide the things under the quilt.

These were nothing like the skulls. Even if several skulls were discovered, by themselves they would prove nothing.

But if these things were discovered—if someone searched his quarters and found them—there would be nothing to explain. No explanation would matter.

He would be dead!

...

In the valley, at the old meeting place beneath the moonlight, Niu Youdao met Sha Rulai once again.

"I told you already. Unless there is a genuine need, we should avoid meeting as much as possible." Sha Rulai sounded somewhat displeased as he warned Niu Youdao again.

Niu Youdao smiled. "Naturally I know that. If this were not something that truly required a face-to-face meeting, I would not dare trouble Mr. Sha."

He had received word from the Demon Foxes that Ao Feng had finally found an opportunity to bring the items into Wuliang Garden. The next stage of the plan could at last begin.

That next stage required Sha Rulai's help. It could not be explained clearly through written messages, so they needed to meet in person.

Sha Rulai asked, "What is it?"

Niu Youdao said, "Has anything unusual happened outside recently?"

The information Yuan Gang and Guan Fangyi could obtain through their channels was relatively limited. Sha Rulai's channels might know more.

Since they had gone to the trouble of meeting, he might as well ask whatever needed asking. At least in person, the answers would be clearer and more detailed.

Sha Rulai said, "For now, nothing especially unusual. As for the war you asked me to keep an eye on, it's more or less what you would expect. A full-scale war is unavoidable. Oh, right. Xuan Wei of Wei has ascended the throne as Empress Regnant. That guard beside her, Ximen Qingkong, was poisoned by her husband Hao Cheng. I would guess Wei's three great sects were behind it. At present Ximen Qingkong seems to have disappeared. Whether he is alive or dead is unknown. I have left Misty Pavilion now, after all, so it would not be convenient for me to inquire too closely. I don't know many of the details."

Niu Youdao gave a slight nod. He already knew all of that. In fact, there were parts of the situation no one knew more clearly than he did.

The person who had pointed Xuan Wei toward a way out had been Niu Youdao himself. The moment he learned here that Ximen Qingkong had been poisoned, he had immediately intervened.

He had not wanted to intervene. Given his current position and the danger surrounding him, unless there was a real need, creating additional complications was unwise.

But if he did not intervene, Yuan Gang would.

Why else had Yuan Gang sent him that urgent message? Yuan Gang was a truly hot-blooded man, loyal and righteous, someone who remembered favors and repaid them. Years ago, Xuan Wei and Ximen Qingkong had shown him a small kindness. He wanted to repay it.

The reason Yuan Gang informed Niu Youdao first was precisely because he understood Niu Youdao's current circumstances and feared that acting recklessly might endanger him.

If not for that—if Yuan Gang had not needed to consider Niu Youdao's safety—he would never have dragged the matter out this long. He would probably have intervened directly already.

Once Niu Youdao understood the situation, all he could do was sigh. To accommodate Yuan Gang, he had no choice but to act. He immediately made the necessary arrangements, which were naturally far more meticulous than anything Yuan Gang would have improvised.

The only problem was that the exchange of messages had consumed several days. Niu Youdao did not know whether they would still be in time to save Ximen Qingkong's life.

Not long ago, however, he had received word from outside that Ximen Qingkong had already entered Wuxin's residence for treatment.

That was all he knew for the moment. Whether Ximen Qingkong could actually be cured remained uncertain.

Still, since Wuxin could neutralize both Red Child and Jade Corpse Poison, then so long as Ximen Qingkong had managed to reach him with even a thread of life remaining, he would probably survive.

How did Niu Youdao know Ximen Qingkong had already entered Wuxin's residence?

Probably no one understood Wuxin's every movement more clearly than he did, because Wuxin had remained under his surveillance all along. Guo Man, the woman at Wuxin's side, belonged to Niu Youdao. How could anything happening around Wuxin possibly escape his eyes?

In a sense, Wuxin had simply been unlucky. The first thing he did after coming down from the mountain was travel to Jinzhou to neutralize the Red Child poison afflicting Hai Ruyue and her son.

Niu Youdao had been present at the time. He had met Wuxin face-to-face.

What Wuxin had been thinking then, Niu Youdao did not know. But how could a man like Wuxin possibly match Niu Youdao? Wuxin was nowhere near his level. The slightest carelessness in word or action was enough to alert Niu Youdao.

Niu Youdao marked him immediately. He also immediately planted Guo Man at Wuxin's side.

To prevent leaks, and also for Guo Man's own safety, once she accepted the mission she cut off all outside contact and communicated directly with Niu Youdao's side. Not even members of Guo Man's own sect had authority to inquire after her. They did not know where she had gone.

That was simply the nature of espionage work.

And Guo Man was far from the only sect member Niu Youdao had arranged in such a manner.

In short, once Guo Man reached Wuxin's side, apart from carrying out her mission, she devoted herself entirely to serving Wuxin. Nothing else that might expose her was permitted.

Guo Man also served another purpose: keeping outsiders away.

It had not been easy to seize hold of a line leading to the Ghost Doctor. Niu Youdao was not particularly interested in Wuxin himself; the Ghost Doctor was what interested him.

Through Guo Man, he excluded the possibility of anyone else infiltrating Wuxin's side and tried to keep Wuxin within his own control.

This was also partly for Guo Man's sake. He worried her ability might be limited. If the people around Wuxin became too complicated, she might not be able to handle them.

Before long, Niu Youdao had Wuxin's background thoroughly mapped out. He knew about the messy affair between Shao Liuer and Wuxin. He knew how Yan Baoru had come to Wuxin's side. He also knew Wuxin intended to take revenge on him.

Revenge? Niu Youdao knew perfectly well, yet still made no move against him. Every one of Wuxin's movements lay within his grasp. If he wished, he could have Wuxin killed at any time.

After observing him for a while, however, Niu Youdao abandoned any idea of dealing with Wuxin. He realized Wuxin was not a treacherous or vicious man. In certain respects, he was actually very simple. He simply was not capable of truly ruthless acts.

That was why the matter of saving Ximen Qingkong had become possible.

As for this affair, Niu Youdao did not even know what to say about Yuan Gang. While laying out the plan to accommodate him, he also instructed Yuan Gang to warn Guo Man to protect herself and stay alert, because Shao Pingbo was very likely to begin formally investigating Wuxin.

There were certain principles Yuan Gang could never be made to understand fully. It was not that Niu Youdao was cold-blooded or heartless. Sometimes saving one person might end up harming others. Even if he explained it, Yuan Gang might not understand. And even if he did understand, Yuan Gang still would not stand by and do nothing. So what would be the point?

In the past, Shao Pingbo would never have paid Wuxin much attention. His focus had been elsewhere. But what did it mean that Shao Liuer had now been used to save Ximen Qingkong?

Shao Liuer had twice persuaded Wuxin to save people whom no one else could persuade him to save. Other people might not understand Shao Pingbo, but Niu Youdao did. As Shao Pingbo's opponent, he knew him too well. This would absolutely attract Shao Pingbo's attention.

Once Shao Pingbo began watching Wuxin, Wuxin's original identity would be exposed sooner or later.

So what if he was the Ghost Doctor's disciple? A man like Wuxin could never be Shao Pingbo's opponent. As for a Ghost Doctor who spent his life hiding here and there, a man like Shao Pingbo would never take him seriously.

Saving one Ximen Qingkong might end up harming Wuxin, and might even place Guo Man in danger.

Niu Youdao could not explain all of this to Sha Rulai. He only gave an involuntary sigh. "Fish and bear's paw cannot both be had. This Xuan Wei... she wants both family, state, and all beneath Heaven, and the love between man and woman as well. How could life possibly be that perfect? Sooner or later, she will bring disaster upon Ximen Qingkong!"

Sha Rulai said, "Hasn't she already?"

Niu Youdao shook his head. That was not quite what he meant.

Even if Ximen Qingkong survived this time, so what? If he refused to leave Xuan Wei, then sooner or later he would be dragged back into her vortex.

That vortex ran too deep. Ximen Qingkong stood alone, with too little strength behind him. If all he possessed was a chest full of solitary courage, climbing back out would be exceedingly difficult.

[End of Chapter 1134]