Chapter 1145: Use His Own Spear Against His Shield!

Ao Feng's expression twitched slightly. After hearing this much, how could he fail to understand why this fellow had brought in a whole group of so-called inspectors? Niu Youdao was using the inspection authority personally granted by the Nine Saints to break the rules the Nine Saints themselves had laid down for Wuliang Garden.

Use his own spear against his shield! This bastard really was capable of something like that. Just as he had said: the best way to deal with rules was to use the rules themselves.

And it was true. Without relying on his status as an inspector, Niu Youdao probably could not even have entered Wuliang Garden, much less taken control of everyone inside.

If he truly pulled this off, the Nine Saints would have picked up a rock only to drop it on their own feet. Ao Feng could not imagine what they would think if they ever learned the truth.

Ao Feng asked, "So the inspectors from the eight sects are in on this with you? Afterward, each of them gets a share of the benefits too?"

"Are you joking?" Niu Youdao said. "How could I possibly let anyone else know about something like this? At present, only the two of us here know. The fewer people who know, the better. Those inspectors from the eight sects, do you think every one of them would dare do this? Would I dare tell them?"

Ao Feng asked, "Once the matter comes to light, won't they be unable to clear themselves?"

"You still have the leisure to worry about that?" Niu Youdao said. "What's there for them to clear? As long as everything goes smoothly, who will know when the fruits were switched? You heard the excuse I used at the gate for coming inside to investigate."

Ao Feng froze, then abruptly understood. Wuliang Garden had an inside traitor who had intended to coordinate with people outside and steal the Wuliang Fruit. The fruits could very well have been switched by that traitor during the great fire.

He clicked his tongue twice. Sure enough, an ill-intentioned visitor never came without purpose. Every step before and after this had been part of Niu Youdao's calculations.

Then another problem occurred to him. "You used that excuse to get inside. If you don't produce any result afterward, how are you going to answer for it?"

"You don't need to worry about that," Niu Youdao said. "I value my own life. I naturally have a way to deal with it."

"How can I not worry? My own life is tied up in this too. How can I not ask clearly?"

"Time is running short. Stop wandering off into irrelevant questions. What you need to remember now is this: once you receive the signal, you will have at most a quarter of an hour. You must act as quickly as possible."

Ao Feng was startled. "Only a quarter of an hour?"

"How long do you want? An hour? Two hours? Half a day? Do you think that's realistic? A quarter of an hour is all I can give you. Replacing twelve fruits won't take much. A quarter of an hour is enough." Niu Youdao eyed him. "Don't tell me you hid the things I gave you somewhere so troublesome that getting them out will take time. If you did, then while you still have time now, go dig them out first."

"That's not the problem. Would I dare hide things like those all over Wuliang Garden? They're hidden where I live. I can retrieve them at any time."

"Then there is no problem. A quarter of an hour is enough. You've seen the fakes. I already prepared the attachment points for you. Fixing them onto the branches will be easy. The moment you remove a fruit, put the replacement back in the exact same place. Remember, it must go in the original position."

"You don't need to tell me that."

"There's one more point. You must move quickly. There is no fixed answer for how long the skulls from the Crow Generals' former bodies can affect them. Too many uncertain factors exist. Mr. Ao, I would rather we fail to obtain the fruits than have you lose your life over them. Keeping yourself alive comes first. If we fail this time, we can think of another method later. Once your life is gone, there is no next chance. In short, the moment you notice anything wrong, stop immediately and withdraw. Do not get greedy!"

Ao Feng's expression changed again. "You can't even be certain how long they'll be affected? You have so little confidence in something this dangerous, and you still fucking dare send me to do it?"

Niu Youdao had discussed this point with Zhao Xiongge as well. When a Crow General had only just been refined, the remains of the body it possessed in life exerted a stronger influence, and the effect lasted longer. More than ten years had passed since these remains were left behind. The influence was still there, but even Zhao Xiongge could not say exactly how long it would last. He only knew it should affect them for a short while.

"We've already come this far, and now you're afraid of the wolf ahead and the tiger behind. What do you want me to do?" Niu Youdao said. "It isn't as frightening as you're imagining. We may not know exactly how long the effect will last, but before it fades you'll be able to sense something abnormal. The moment you notice anything wrong, stop and withdraw. There won't be a problem. Mr. Ao, I cannot possibly harm you now. Harming you brings me no benefit."

That much was true. Ao Feng fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Once I have the fruits, how do I get out?"

"As long as everything goes smoothly, no one will notice anything wrong. Don't you get one period of leave every year? Just leave naturally when your leave comes."

Ao Feng asked, "How many fruits do I get?"

"How many do you think?" Niu Youdao replied. "Take what belongs to you. I have no reason to deceive you. You get one!"

Ao Feng exploded. "I'm taking this enormous risk and doing all this work, and you only give me one?"

"How many do you want? After you leave this place, will you be able to show your face for a very long time? Don't forget, you'll have to hide with the Demon Foxes. Even the cultivation resources supplied to you for free will have to reach you through them. What do you want to do with a pile of Wuliang Fruits on your body, invite disaster upon yourself? One is enough to make you. Achieving your own goal is enough. What would you do with more?"

"Let me ask you something. Do you have a power of your own? Do you plan to carry a heap of Wuliang Fruits around and fight the Nine Saints single-handedly? Can you beat them? Each of us needs only one. The rest must go to other people. If today's operation succeeds, it won't be because the two of us did everything. Other people have been paying a price in silence behind the scenes, and afterward someone will still have to find a way to provide you with the cultivation resources needed for your breakthrough. You don't seriously think swallowing one fruit settles everything, do you? Do I need to explain the logic any further?"

"The goods aren't even in hand yet, and you're already going to quarrel with me over an unequal split? Mr. Ao, I won't feed you comforting lies. One fruit. You get exactly one. Not a single fruit more. There is no room for negotiation!"

Ao Feng looked thoroughly disgusted. Today he had truly learned something. Somehow, this bastard could make everything he said sound reasonable.

Then again, Niu Youdao's unequivocal insistence on only one fruit actually reassured him somewhat. Still, Ao Feng could not simply lower his head like an old ox, do all the hard work, and say nothing. He had to show at least some dissatisfaction, if only to make clear how much he was putting on the line.

"Ah. Once I do this, I'll have completely betrayed my master's sect." He turned his head toward the statue of Du Wuxu.

"Hey!" Niu Youdao waved a hand in front of his face and pulled his gaze back. "Spare me that act. What kind of rotten sect is that? They harvest the disciples beneath them like chives, cutting one crop after another. How many generations have they gone through by the time they reached you and your master? You've wanted to rebel for a long time. It's only because you lacked the strength that you never dared. If you're truly so loyal to your sect, then what was that business in the Desolate Marsh Deadlands where you killed and robbed people behind your sect's back? And now your conscience suddenly wakes up?"

He had not left Ao Feng the slightest face.

Ao Feng finally muttered, "Sooner or later, you're going to get me killed."

"We're all gambling with our lives. Spare me the useless sentimentality. Business matters. There are still details I need to explain. Otherwise, when this is investigated afterward, your story won't line up and you'll have trouble clearing yourself..."

Wuxu Tower was one of the nine guard towers arrayed around the Wuliang Fruit tree, each used as a rotating guard post.

Ke Dingjie arrived with one of the Wuxu Sacred Land men who had deliberately been left available earlier, a trusted subordinate of that contingent's deacon.

At Ke Dingjie's request, they entered Wuxu Tower through the rear rather than the front. That too had been Niu Youdao's instruction. He did not want the other eight contingents to notice them.

The moment they entered, all three men inside appeared. The leader of the shift looked at the deacon's subordinate and asked heavily, "Who is he? Why did you bring him here? There was a great deal of commotion outside just now. What happened?"

They had noticed the disturbance earlier and badly wanted to see what was happening, but their duty prevented them from abandoning their post.

The deacon's trusted subordinate looked rather helpless. "He's one of the inspectors sent by the Sacred Venerables. He wants you to go answer some questions."

The shift leader frowned. "Answer questions? About what? We're on duty. We can't leave our post."

Ke Dingjie immediately cut in. "By decree of the Sacred Venerables, we are investigating the arson at Wuliang Garden. Everyone must accept investigation. Not a single person can be omitted."

The shift leader said, "Our duty forbids us from abandoning our post. Forgive us for being unable to comply."

"The arson itself was not the true objective," Ke Dingjie said. "The root of the matter is that someone coveted the Wuliang Fruit. According to the clues we've obtained, there is an inside traitor in Wuliang Garden coordinating with people outside. Put differently, those assigned to guard the Wuliang Fruit are the most suspicious of all. Everyone else could theoretically be left uninvestigated, but you cannot!"

Ke Dingjie himself could never have come up with words like these. He was merely speaking according to Elder Niu's instructions.

He had already witnessed Elder Niu's methods. This time, he and Qin Guan had begun full of confidence, believing they were following Elder Niu to handle a major case. Yet as Elder Niu's arrangements unfolded before their eyes, both men gradually began to feel something was wrong.

Why did it increasingly seem as though their Elder was deliberately moving the fruit guards away?

The three men on duty exchanged looks. The leader frowned. "We cannot leave our post without authorization. Shouldn't we first ask our deacon?"

"Your deacon is currently not permitted to make unauthorized contact with anyone else."

The shift leader's voice sank. "What does that mean?"

The deacon's trusted subordinate sighed. "The inspectors have temporarily isolated and placed the deacon under control."

Even the deacon had been detained? The shift leader froze. "But we still can't simply leave. If we go, what happens to the guard duty?" He looked back toward the Wuliang Fruit tree.

"The three of you have already left your positions together to come see me, and nothing happened, did it?" Ke Dingjie said. "Don't worry. Being temporarily one guard post short won't cause a problem. We inspectors know what is important too. Nine contingents take turns guarding the fruit. One temporarily absent contingent won't affect the overall defense."

The shift leader immediately looked toward the deacon's trusted subordinate, plainly asking for his opinion.

The man gave a slight nod. "The deacon instructed us to cooperate with the inspection."

The shift leader said, "Then I'll go inform the other contingents first."

Ke Dingjie immediately stretched out an arm and blocked him. "No. Until the truth is known, everyone guarding the Wuliang Fruit is under suspicion. No one may collude on testimony. Sir, I advise you not to burden yourself with the suspicion of collusion. Otherwise, things will become very troublesome."

He turned and extended a hand toward the rear exit. "Leave by the back. For now, the other guards cannot know what is happening. When their turn comes, they will naturally be told."

[End of Chapter 1145]