Chapter 1169: A Request

The Shopkeeper said, "Are you sick in the head? I already told you he's dead beyond any possibility of being more dead. Why are you still rambling about it?"

Shao Pingbo cupped his hands. "Sir, I am not making trouble without reason. Niu Youdao is no ordinary man. I have watched him all the way to where he is today, and I have yet to see anyone truly stop him. He must never be underestimated. Everyone who underestimated him has already fallen at his feet. By the time they regretted it, it was too late!"

"Sir, this man is a monster of his generation. He has crossed the troubled age unhindered. There is no possible way he would be killed so easily!"

"Sir, once he escapes, once he casts off every shackle, once he is given the chance to stir up wind and waves, what awaits us will be a storm of terrifying scale. By then, I fear we will regret it beyond recovery."

"Sir, I am not trying to frighten you with empty alarm. This matter is too serious. We have no choice but to be cautious!"

The Shopkeeper clasped both hands behind his back. "From the sound of you, even his death isn't enough. If he turns into a ghost, you still won't let him go?"

Far from backing down, Shao Pingbo only grew more anxious. He seemed to believe a feigned death would be even more dangerous than Niu Youdao remaining alive. He bit down on the point and refused to release it. "Sir, I only want to know whether the corpse was confirmed. If the corpse was never confirmed, then suspicion cannot be ruled out!"

The Shopkeeper looked up at the sky and chuckled. "So in your eyes, everyone inside the Sacred Realm is useless? They can't even tell whether a man is truly dead?"

"Niu Youdao was chased down by assassins. Numerous Demon Fox Bureau personnel witnessed the scene with their own eyes. They personally saw Niu Youdao die beneath a Heavenly Sword Talisman. How could there be any mistake?"

"You, an ordinary mortal, have never experienced the power of a Heavenly Sword Talisman, so naturally you don't understand its weight. Ridiculous!"

Shao Pingbo earnestly argued, "I truly have no qualification to experience the power of a Heavenly Sword Talisman. But as far as I know, during Yan and Zhao's decisive battle at Jiao Lake, so many experts from Zhao's three great sects besieged Niu Youdao with Heavenly Sword Talismans and still failed to kill him. Why was one strike enough to kill him in that Desolate Marsh Deadlands?"

The Shopkeeper said, "At Jiao Lake, Niu Youdao himself carried quite a few Heavenly Sword Talismans and used them to resist. Their powers countered each other, which was how he escaped disaster. Shao Pingbo, what do Zhao's three great sects amount to? Are they even worthy of being compared with the people inside the Sacred Realm?"

He freed one hand and pointed a finger at Shao Pingbo's nose. "And let me tell you this: stop making an issue of the corpse. Niu Youdao was assassinated in full view of everyone. Nor was the corpse's face destroyed beyond recognition. The grievous wound was on his back, not his face. His features were perfectly clear. It was unquestionably him!"

"You don't understand a damned thing about what happens inside the Sacred Realm. It isn't as simple as you imagine. Niu Youdao was an inspector there, personally appointed by sacred decree. An inspector appointed by the Sacred Venerables was assassinated. Do you think they could simply bury him after some casual report from below?"

"Naturally the body had to be brought back for examination and verification. It was checked repeatedly. The dead man was Niu Youdao. Even distinguishing bodily marks beneath Niu Youdao's clothing were verified. I went to see the corpse myself. There was no mistake!"

Shao Pingbo remained suspicious. "The people inside the Sacred Realm even knew the distinguishing marks beneath Niu Youdao's clothes?"

The Shopkeeper took on the mocking air of someone teaching an ignorant child. "The inspectors from the various sects were not allowed to bring any outside object into the Sacred Realm. Even every layer of their clothing was replaced. They stripped publicly to change. The distinguishing marks on Niu Youdao's body were seen with people's own eyes."

He raised a hand and drew a line across Shao Pingbo's chest. "For example, there was a conspicuous scar here on his chest, left by an old wound. It was one of the identifying marks checked during the examination of the corpse."

"Could a scar like that be fabricated on the spot? Are the examination methods of cultivators truly so worthless in your eyes?"

"What's more, Niu Youdao's death alarmed the Nine Saints enough for all of them to come in person. His corpse was personally inspected by the Nine Saints. Don't tell me the eyes of so many cultivators are all inferior to yours alone. Who do you think you are?"

With matters explained to this extent, the evidence was ironclad.

Shao Pingbo had nothing left to say.

For a moment, he looked lost, almost dazed. He murmured to himself, "Dead... Niu Youdao died just like that... How could he simply die like that?"

The Shopkeeper chuckled. "He brought death on himself. You could also say the Nine Saints forced him to his death."

Shao Pingbo came back to himself. "What does Sir mean by that?"

The Shopkeeper said, "I told you already, matters inside the Sacred Realm are not as simple as you imagine. You think being an inspector is some easy position? Those inspectors are nothing more than knives in the hands of the Nine Saints. Useful, they use them. Useless, they discard them."

"You should have heard what happened to the earlier batch of inspectors sent in from outside. A group of them were killed. Same principle."

"Niu Youdao and the others could not simply keep drifting along forever. They must have realized that too. If they could not produce anything useful, or rather, if their inspections could not produce the results the Nine Saints wanted, they would die."

"What kind of place is the Sacred Realm? Every faction is entrenched there. It isn't like the outside, where one can toss things around at will. Finding anything useful is extremely difficult. So in order to survive, those people touched something they should never have touched."

"Someone capable of mobilizing a group of men inside the Sacred Realm and using several large flying mounts to chase down Niu Youdao could hardly be an ordinary figure."

"At the time, Niu Youdao seemed to have obtained some evidence harmful to someone. He provoked a person he should never have provoked, and that was what brought death down upon him."

Shao Pingbo fell silent.

The Shopkeeper said, "In the future, if there is nothing truly important, don't bother me again over this kind of nonsense."

With that, he turned to leave.

"Sir, please wait." Shao Pingbo hurriedly stopped him. "There is one more matter for which I ask your help."

The Shopkeeper stopped and said coldly, "What is it?"

"Huyan Wuhen!" Shao Pingbo said. "This man is the greatest threat to Jin's army. With the all-pervasive network in Sir's hands, if Sir were willing to help, eliminating Huyan Wuhen surely would not be difficult!"

The Shopkeeper sneered. "You certainly have plenty of business. Great matters and small, you've already started ordering me around for all of them."

"What, do you intend to use the leverage in your hands to threaten me for the rest of my life? I'm warning you: know when to stop. If you force me too far, it won't do you any good!"

Shao Pingbo hurriedly bowed with cupped hands. "I would not dare! I am sincerely asking Sir for assistance."

The Shopkeeper said disdainfully, "Why should I help you?"

Shao Pingbo replied, "Why did Sir spend so much effort cultivating Hong Yunfa as an asset? No matter how capable Sir may be, you still need people beneath you to handle affairs—especially those affairs that must be done in secret."

"I may not know the depths of the Sacred Realm, nor do I understand the internal workings of Misty Pavilion, but no organization can exist without restraints and rules. There must always be times when it is inconvenient for Sir to use Misty Pavilion's own personnel."

"That Hong Yunfa had to die, yet his death still drew an investigation, is lesson enough."

"Sir, consider this: if Jin can sweep away Qi and Wei, and I can be put to use by Sir, then in the future, anywhere across the Western Three States, whatever business Sir wishes handled will require only one instruction to me. There would be no need to stir forces that might attract suspicion."

The Shopkeeper said evenly, "If Jin truly comes to control the territory of the Western Three States, there will be plenty of people above you in rank and position. I could use any one of them. Why would I have to choose you?"

Shao Pingbo replied, "Sir speaks reasonably. Above there is Qiyun Sect; below there is the Jin emperor, Taishu Xiong. But is it truly suitable for Sir to approach them directly?"

"Would you act in the name of the Sacred Realm, or in the name of Misty Pavilion? If you can use either of those names, then the matter can hardly be called Sir's private affair."

"And if you try to use those names to handle secret private business, even putting aside whether the matter might be exposed, does Sir truly think either of them would dare secretly cause trouble for you behind Misty Pavilion's back?"

"Whether Qiyun Sect or Taishu Xiong, given their present position, neither has any reason to risk committing a great taboo for Sir. Between Sir and Misty Pavilion, which side would they choose? There is no need to think about it."

"Of course, there are also the hundred officials to use. But officials restrain one another, scheme against one another, and fight among themselves. To drag them in rashly might hurt Sir rather than help."

"I am different. Though insignificant, I have some confidence in my own ability and can maneuver among them. So long as Sir is willing to support me, I will not disappoint you!"

The Shopkeeper fell silent for a moment and looked Shao Pingbo up and down.

He had to admit the man before him truly possessed ability. That had already been proven through event after event.

More importantly, Shao Pingbo did not fear Misty Pavilion's pressure.

Of course, even more importantly, Shao Pingbo really did hold leverage over him.

Seeing that the other man seemed moved, Shao Pingbo bowed deeply with cupped hands. "I, Shao Pingbo, may have little talent, but I am willing to serve Sir like a dog or horse."

The Shopkeeper did not agree directly. Instead, he said slowly, "Killing Huyan Wuhen is not so easy."

"Huyan Wuhen's steward, Zha Hu, once lost to Ximen Qingkong, but that defeat was something he deliberately sought. His position on the Golden Core Ranking kept falling afterward, and now he is not even in the Top Ten."

"But if they truly fought for their lives, even Ximen Qingkong might not be his match."

"A man with cultivation like that willingly serves as Huyan Wuhen's hound and stays almost constantly at his side. With him there, any simple assassination is impossible unless a large number of experts are assembled for a siege."

"Huyan Wuhen's guards are formidable in their own right, and he remains inside a great army. Merely getting close is difficult. A forced assassination has no chance of success."

Shao Pingbo said, "If it cannot be done openly, then it can be done in secret."

The Shopkeeper said, "Isn't Gao Pin already holding the advantage? Hasn't he already forced Huyan Wuhen to retreat step by step?"

"That advantage is only temporary," Shao Pingbo replied. "How can a mere group of hostages bear the weight of a state's destruction?"

"At present, they are merely making it difficult for Wei's people to reach a decision. Once Qi itself is placed in danger, Huyan Wuhen has spent his life crossing battlefields and makes decisions of life and death without hesitation. A man who would not blink at rivers of blood and fields of corpses—do you think he will suddenly become softhearted?"

"'Yan has Shanming; Qi has Wuhen.' Great reputations are not won by empty men. I fear Gao Pin may not be Huyan Wuhen's match!"

The Shopkeeper slowly said, "Zha Hu personally trained seven servants. Every one of them is utterly loyal, and every one is an expert."

"Those men have complete control over Huyan Wuhen's food, drink, and daily living. They allow no outsider to lay a hand on any of it."

"Secret assassination is impossible. Think about it: who knows how many people inside and outside the Qi court have wanted Huyan Wuhen dead over the years? If killing him were truly so easy, how could Huyan Wuhen have survived until today?"

Shao Pingbo asked, "Even the hidden power of Misty Pavilion cannot do it?"

The Shopkeeper slowly shook his head. "If Misty Pavilion openly wanted Huyan Wuhen dead, killing him would naturally be no problem."

"But if assassination methods are used, we still face the same problems I just described. We cannot exactly commit murder in public, can we?"

"Without an order from those above Misty Pavilion, who would dare do such a thing? If I forced people to act, when everything came apart afterward, would you be able to escape responsibility—or would I?"

[End of Chapter 1169]