Chapter 1170: Please Accept My Condolences!

Shao Pingbo asked, "With Misty Pavilion's reach penetrating everywhere, is there truly no method at all?"

"If there were a method, you would have said it long ago. Why keep asking me the same thing over and over?" the Shopkeeper replied. "Let me observe the situation first and weigh the matter. If there is news, I will notify you."

He turned to leave.

"Sir." Shao Pingbo stopped him yet again.

Meetings like this were rare. If he had the opportunity to ask questions, naturally he intended to learn as much as possible.

"You mentioned Ximen Qingkong just now. I still have not thanked Sir for your assistance last time. Allow me to offer my thanks here. In the future, I will certainly do everything in my power to repay you!"

After bowing in thanks, he continued, "However, according to Jin's scouts, Ximen Qingkong disappeared after being poisoned. I am curious. Does Sir know whether he is alive or dead, or where he went?"

The Shopkeeper said, "Isn't there a disciple of the Ghost Doctor in the Qi capital?"

Shao Pingbo asked, "Sir means the Ghost Doctor's disciple helped Ximen Qingkong?"

The Shopkeeper cast him a sidelong glance. "For that, you really have your younger sister to thank. Hao Yuntu had your sister step forward and persuade the Ghost Doctor's disciple to treat him."

"Heh. You brother and sister are quite something. One tries to kill the man, the other tries to save him. Had I known, I wouldn't have wasted my effort."

"Ximen Qingkong's poison should already have been neutralized. As for where he is currently recuperating, I don't know."

"Xuan Wei feared he might be targeted again and should have put considerable effort into concealing and protecting his location. Even Hao Yuntu probably does not know where he went. It seems he never asked."

"I have no reason to keep fixating on Ximen Qingkong either. If you want to find him, I can point you toward one road. Find Tang Yi, Sect Leader of the Shangqing Sect. If you can find her, you should be able to find Ximen Qingkong's whereabouts."

Having said all he intended to say, the Shopkeeper stopped wasting words and left.

Shao Pingbo could no longer detain him.

He could only cup his hands in farewell and watch the man disappear.

Once the Shopkeeper was gone, Shao Pingbo lowered his hands and murmured with a frown, "Liuer..."

Shao Sansheng, who had kept his distance, saw that the man had left and finally approached. "Did Eldest Young Master gain anything from this meeting?"

Shao Pingbo answered a different question instead. His eyes flickered. "This man knows a great deal about the situation in the Western Three States."

Shao Sansheng said, "Misty Pavilion has people hidden everywhere to begin with. Besides, this man was capable of deciding whether Hong Yunfa, a chief deacon of the All-Under-Heaven Money House, lived or died. His status inside Misty Pavilion cannot be low. Isn't it normal for him to know certain things?"

Shao Pingbo nodded slightly, then slowly shook his head. "You and I know too little about Misty Pavilion. We don't know whether everyone at his level can know this much, or whether it is only him..."

He fell into thought again.

Hearing that, Shao Sansheng understood where his Eldest Young Master's thoughts had turned.

Given how well he knew Shao Pingbo, he guessed Shao Pingbo was trying to infer the mysterious man's true identity.

So he waited quietly at the side and did not disturb him.

"Ah!" Coming back to himself, Shao Pingbo suddenly raised his face and let out a long sigh.

Seeing his endless melancholy, Shao Sansheng asked in confusion, "Why is Eldest Young Master so troubled?"

Shao Pingbo gave a self-mocking smile. "Niu Youdao is dead!"

"What?" Shao Sansheng stared blankly, wondering whether he had heard correctly.

Shao Pingbo sighed. "Knowing what you and I know about him, you don't dare believe it either, do you? I didn't believe it when I first heard."

"But the Shopkeeper explained it very clearly. There is no mistake. Niu Youdao provoked someone inside the Sacred Realm he should never have provoked and was killed. They still do not know who the killer was. The matter has caused quite a disturbance inside the Sacred Realm."

Shao Sansheng still found it unbelievable. "With Niu Youdao's abilities, how could he be killed so easily? Eldest Young Master, that Niu thief is cunning. Was the corpse confirmed? If it wasn't, we must be careful of a trick!"

Shao Sansheng too had become deeply wary of Niu Youdao after being driven out of Beizhou into Jin, forced to live under another's roof, and having all the power around them stripped away.

Shao Pingbo chuckled.

He found it almost amusing that this old servant's first reaction to the news of Niu Youdao's death was exactly the same as his own: there had to be a trick.

He shook his head. "There should be no mistake. There were many eyewitnesses, and the corpse was confirmed. The Sacred Realm checked it rigorously. The dead man truly was Niu Youdao."

"Really dead..." Shao Sansheng murmured.

Then he let out a breath of relief. "If that man had not died, he would inevitably have become a future calamity for Eldest Young Master. Now that he has finally met his death, at least one great worry has been removed."

"Come to think of it, when he first entered the Sacred Realm, everyone already knew the journey would be dangerous. Who would have thought he truly would not escape the calamity?"

"No wonder the Sacred Realm makes cultivators throughout the cultivation world tremble with fear. It seems ordinary people truly do not possess the fortune to endure such a place."

"Ah!" Shao Pingbo raised his face and sighed again. "Yes. He really is dead."

Hearing the tone, Shao Sansheng cautiously asked, "He is dead, yet Eldest Young Master does not seem happy. Instead, you sound regretful. Could it be sympathy between worthy rivals?"

Shao Pingbo smiled bitterly. "Sympathy between worthy rivals? What damned sympathy? Do you really think I would feel that way about him?"

"I should be happy, but for some reason I simply cannot feel happy."

"A figure like that is rarely seen in this world, yet he died to the assassination of petty men. Perhaps man's plans truly cannot outdo Heaven's, but it was still no fitting death."

"No fitting death at all."

He sighed again and again.

Shao Sansheng fell briefly silent.

He could roughly guess why Shao Pingbo was unhappy.

Eldest Young Master had repeatedly lost to Niu Youdao, yet had never received the chance to meet him in a decisive contest and defeat him.

The breath of resentment trapped in his chest could probably never be released now.

From this point onward, Shao Pingbo might have to bear the reputation of being Niu Youdao's defeated opponent forever.

Shao Sansheng thought it, but did not say it aloud.

Some words were better left unsaid.

In any case, after confirming Niu Youdao was dead, Shao Sansheng was happy.

Extremely happy.

Niu Youdao had not merely posed an enormous threat to Eldest Young Master. He had also pressed on Shao Sansheng's heart like a mountain all these years.

Now the shadow hanging over him had dispersed completely.

Eldest Young Master's greatest hidden danger was gone as well.

With Eldest Young Master's ability to devise plans and command the board, who beneath Heaven could still rival him?

At last, Eldest Young Master could stretch his hands and feet without restraint. The future seemed boundless.

Shao Pingbo suddenly said, "Didn't we hear that the Ghost Doctor's disciple has an eccentric temperament? Liuer has somehow managed to persuade him to act more than once. I keep feeling something about this isn't right..."

"Old Shao, have someone investigate in detail exactly how Liuer asked for help. And investigate that disciple of the Ghost Doctor again. Find out as much as possible..."

...

Zijin Cave abruptly grew tense.

People from Misty Pavilion had arrived.

There were three in the party.

The leader was named Yue Guangming, newly appointed deputy to Huo Kong, the new Presiding Administrator of Misty Pavilion.

Now that Huo Kong had taken control of Misty Pavilion, naturally he needed to use people he trusted. Otherwise, he would probably be afraid to do anything at all.

Misty Pavilion either remained out of sight or, once its people appeared openly at someone's door, it rarely meant anything good.

Naturally, everyone in Zijin Cave became nervous.

Sect Leader Gong Lince and the Elders were in the middle of discussing affairs.

They were talking about the war in the west and debating how to answer Wei's request for aid.

The moment they learned Misty Pavilion had arrived, they hurried out together to receive the visitors.

After greetings were exchanged, Gong Lince invited Yue Guangming inside.

Yue Guangming raised one hand to stop him. "No need for the trouble. I came only to inform Zijin Cave of one matter."

"Select three replacement personnel to take over from Niu Youdao and go to the Sacred Realm, where they will continue carrying out the duties of inspectors."

What?

The upper ranks of Zijin Cave were shocked and looked at one another.

Gong Lince cupped his hands. "Mr. Yue, did Elder Niu of our sect commit some offense inside the Sacred Realm and receive judgment?"

Yue Guangming fell silent briefly. "He committed no offense and received no judgment."

Gong Lince asked, "Then why are replacements needed? Everyone in our sect regards Elder Niu as sharp-minded and capable. None among us can surpass him. He is the best possible choice for inspector."

Yue Guangming stated it directly. "Niu Youdao is dead!"

"Ah!"

Everyone's hearts lurched.

What they had feared had truly come.

After his surprise, Elder Yan Li's mouth curled into a strange smile.

Inside, he felt delighted.

That dog had finally met retribution!

Gong Lince steadied himself. "If he did not receive judgment, then how did he die?"

The matter had not yet fully settled, and Yue Guangming did not want to say too much. "I don't know either. Once your people go, naturally they'll learn what happened."

"There is no need to decide the replacements this instant. Choose them yourselves. I will give you three days. Three days from now, Misty Pavilion will send someone to collect them."

"Did everyone hear clearly?"

He had only stopped here along the way.

The affair inside the Sacred Realm was not yet over, and Huo Kong could not conveniently leave the Realm to go personally to Tiandu Peak, so he had sent this newly appointed deputy to take charge there instead.

Later, Yue Guangming would send personnel withdrawing from Tiandu Peak to stop by Zijin Cave and escort the replacement inspectors into the Sacred Realm to fulfill the order.

There was no way to refuse, and no one dared defy the command.

Gong Lince could only cup his hands. "Yes!"

Yue Guangming did not remain long.

He turned and left with his people.

The group that watched them depart fell into silence afterward.

Some sighed repeatedly.

Elder Yan Li suddenly said, "Sect Leader, before Niu Youdao left, he stated clearly that if he could not return alive, the people of Maolu Annex would leave Zijin Cave."

"Now matters have come to this point. It is no longer suitable for outsiders to remain in Zijin Cave. We should ask them to leave."

Maolu Annex had once made him lose face badly.

Now that the pillar supporting Maolu Annex was gone, naturally he wanted to return the humiliation.

Elder Fu Junrang glanced at him sideways. "At a time like this, you still have the mind to worry about that?"

Yan Li stood stiffly and said nothing.

He knew all the other Elders were afraid they might be chosen to replace Niu Youdao and enter the Sacred Realm.

He, however, was not especially worried.

He belonged to the Sect Leader's side. Surely the Sect Leader would favor him.

"Ah!" Gong Lince sighed. "There is no avoiding it. They've given us only three days. We should discuss the candidates."

He turned and walked away.

The others followed him back into the great hall.

No one wanted to go.

Even Niu Youdao had died inside the Sacred Realm. Who else would dare enter?

They still had three days to delay.

With everyone pushing the responsibility back and forth, no decision could be reached for the moment.

Not long after the Elders dispersed, news of Niu Youdao's death spread through Zijin Cave.

Everywhere, disciples gathered in small groups to discuss it.

At Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion, Ju An learned the news and informed Zhong Guzi.

Zhong Guzi merely opened his eyes, gave a sigh, then closed them again without saying anything more.

Ju An afterward hurried toward Maolu Annex to see what was happening there.

Before he even reached the entrance, he saw Elder Yan Li leading a group of men straight into the compound.

Ju An had learned the news from his wife, Wen Mo'er.

Wen Mo'er had already gone to see Guan Fangyi and told her Niu Youdao was dead.

The news struck Guan Fangyi like a thunderbolt.

She stood frozen in place, unable to speak for a very long time.

Old Six Xu and the others nearby all wore grave expressions.

Every one of them understood that with Niu Youdao dead, all their futures had suddenly become uncertain.

They still had not managed to accept the reality when misfortune came on top of misfortune.

Yan Li arrived with his people.

The moment he saw Guan Fangyi, he said expressionlessly, "It seems you've already heard. Please accept my condolences!"

Guan Fangyi slowly turned her head toward him.

Her eyes were already red.

She did not speak.

She had even forgotten the most basic courtesy.

[End of Chapter 1170]