Chapter 1179: Stolen from the Sacred Realm

By the time his master rose to power, Zhong Guzi had become one of the Sect Leader's trusted disciples and could already touch Zijin Cave's true secrets. That was precisely what Misty Pavilion had wanted, and it was also when he began to grow afraid.

At that point, every move his master made represented Zijin Cave as a whole. Any secret report Zhong Guzi sent might bring catastrophic disaster down upon the entire sect.

More importantly, he gradually came to understand the painstaking intent behind the way his master had tempered him. His master had actually treated him well and had even intended to pass the position of Sect Leader to him.

He truly regretted what he had done.

As disciples throughout the sect gradually began risking their lives for him and the sect's resources and support increasingly tilted in his direction, his sense of shame only deepened. His remorse grew day by day.

By that stage, he understood perfectly well what it would mean for Zijin Cave if he truly became Sect Leader. Misty Pavilion would not care whether Zijin Cave's disciples lived or died. There was no telling what they might use Zijin Cave to do, and sooner or later they inevitably would.

Looking back from that point, all the anxieties and grasping calculations of his youth seemed ignorant and laughable beyond belief.

So he made a major decision.

He deliberately disgraced himself after drinking and violated a female disciple of the sect, thereby losing the position of Sect Leader.

Misty Pavilion was furious when it learned what had happened. But the offense had already been committed, and because Zhong Guzi still possessed value, there was little they could do to him.

He failed to become Sect Leader and was reduced to an Elder of Zijin Cave, yet his usefulness to Misty Pavilion had still increased compared with before. Their exploitation of him only intensified.

After experiencing several matters, Zhong Guzi gradually sensed that some orders might not even have come from Misty Pavilion as a whole. He could not tell whether they were Misty Pavilion's decisions or merely the decisions of certain people within it, using his influence over Zijin Cave to carry out things that could never see the light of day.

As the demands continued without end, he realized disaster would come sooner or later, and might even implicate all of Zijin Cave.

So he made another major decision.

Under pressure from Misty Pavilion, during one particularly dangerous sect operation, Zhong Guzi volunteered to lead the mission. He did not draw on anyone else's strength, only the forces belonging to his own faction.

The result was catastrophic.

His losses were so heavy that his entire faction within Zijin Cave was nearly wiped out.

Zhong Guzi himself almost died. He returned gravely wounded and required a long period of recuperation before recovering.

After that, almost all the power he had built inside the sect was gone. He lost his voice in Zijin Cave's internal affairs, which also meant he had lost the value Misty Pavilion most wanted from him.

That near-annihilation left him even more disheartened.

He knew exactly how many disciples' lives he had sacrificed in order to break free of Misty Pavilion's control.

He had originally intended to use that opportunity to die as well and end everything once and for all. But one of his own disciples risked his life and saved him.

Afterward, during the internal struggles among the sect's factions, Zhong Guzi used that earlier defeat as an excuse to keep placing himself at a disadvantage. Again and again, he allowed himself to lose until he could no longer build another faction of his own.

At last, Misty Pavilion could no longer force him.

He understood too clearly that if he ever rebuilt his power base, then as long as he remained their master, the disciples beneath him would once again become easy targets for Misty Pavilion's control.

He did not want them to repeat the same path.

And so matters continued until he entered Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion.

After the Goldenwing Misty Pavilion used to contact him died of old age, they unexpectedly never sent another one.

Zhong Guzi had not been in contact with Misty Pavilion for many years. It was not as Gong Lince had suspected, that he might have been using Ju An beside him to pass messages.

A life spanning more than a century had been compressed into a few short paragraphs.

A hundred years of vicissitudes. A hundred years of danger, struggle, and hidden conflict.

All of it had finally contracted into this Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion, where Zhong Guzi had withdrawn in silence.

Niu Youdao could only sigh as he listened.

At last he understood why, among Zijin Cave's venerable elders, Zhong Guzi alone had no faction of his own within the sect.

So this was the reason.

Gong Lince had fallen silent as well.

It turned out Zhong Guzi had not lacked the ability to become Sect Leader. He had abandoned the position himself.

Otherwise, Gong Lince's own master would never have become Sect Leader, and Gong Lince's entire fate would have been rewritten.

Put another way, had Zhong Guzi not voluntarily given up the position back then, today's Sect Leader seat might never have fallen to Gong Lince.

He believed Zhong Guzi's account.

The near-total destruction of Zhong Guzi's faction had occurred because he had sacrificed it for the sect.

At a time when everyone else wanted to preserve their own strength, Zhong Guzi had stepped forward without regard for the cost and led his disciples directly into danger.

The enormous sacrifice he made in that battle was precisely why his prestige inside Zijin Cave had become so great.

Who would dare bully Zhong Guzi merely because he no longer possessed a faction of his own?

He had rendered tremendous merit for Zijin Cave through that sacrifice.

And afterward, he had possessed every opportunity to use that reputation and rebuild his strength.

So it was not that Zhong Guzi had been unable to rise again.

He had deliberately made himself powerless in order to shake off the threat Misty Pavilion posed to Zijin Cave.

After recounting the hurried sweep of his past, Zhong Guzi finally fell silent.

Niu Youdao sighed. "One false step becomes an age-old regret; look back, and a hundred years have passed."

Zhong Guzi said, "That is roughly what happened. If the Sect Leader wishes to enforce sect law, I will not resist. I am willing to accept the punishment."

"However, it would be inappropriate for the sect itself to kill me. That could easily draw Misty Pavilion's suspicion."

"Allow me to take my own life instead. That way I will not bring further trouble to the sect. I brewed this bitter wine myself. Better that I carry it away myself."

"There is one more thing. Ju An and the others have nothing whatsoever to do with Misty Pavilion. They are innocent."

"At this point, there is no reason for me to lie, much less any reason to shield Misty Pavilion."

"I am a man already at death's door. Misty Pavilion has nothing left it can give me."

"I have lived until now only because the disciples beneath me traded their lives for mine."

"The reason I have delayed death for so long was simply that I wanted to look after the disciples and grand-disciples below for a little longer, to give the dead some sort of accounting. Perhaps that was also only a way to comfort myself."

"After I die, I hope Sect Leader will not make things difficult for Ju An and the others."

"They do not fight for power or profit, and they have done nothing wrong."

"Give them a road to live."

Gong Lince was silent.

A traitor who had willingly paid such a terrible price to protect Zijin Cave.

How was he, as Sect Leader, supposed to judge such a man?

After hesitating again and again, Gong Lince turned toward Niu Youdao. "I wonder what Elder Niu's opinion is?"

Niu Youdao chuckled. "Don't call me that. What Elder Niu is there anymore?"

"I can no longer show myself publicly. As far as Zijin Cave is concerned, Elder Niu is already a thing of the past."

"Besides, you and I both understand the truth. I entered Zijin Cave because it benefited both sides. My joining the sect was never entirely sincere."

"But the matter of kneeling and acknowledging a master cannot be denied."

"You ask for my opinion. Do I really need to say which side I'll stand on?"

Gong Lince snorted coldly.

He discovered yet again that this fellow was truly no good man. Whether Gong Lince was a good man or a bad man seemed entirely to depend on what came out of Niu Youdao's mouth.

Zhong Guzi, however, looked somewhat surprised by those words. He stared at Niu Youdao. "Then why did you deliberately come here and expose me?"

Before Niu Youdao could answer, Gong Lince cut in. "He said that since the two of you have been master and disciple, he wanted to give you one chance."

"I would also like to know what exactly he means by that."

Zhong Guzi frowned. "Give me one chance?"

Niu Youdao said, "I only wanted to know which side Master truly stands on."

"Once I knew, this disciple could decide what choice to make."

He reached into his sleeve, took out a stone, and sent it floating forward with spiritual power.

The stone slowly drifted toward Zhong Guzi.

The instant Gong Lince saw it, his pupils contracted.

He abruptly turned toward Niu Youdao.

At last he understood what Niu Youdao had meant by giving Zhong Guzi one chance.

Zhong Guzi watched the stone stop in midair before his chest.

He could see nothing unusual about it and asked suspiciously, "A stone? Don't tell me you're asking this old man to smash himself to death with it."

"Listen to you. I never realized Master knew how to joke."

Niu Youdao chuckled.

The palm he had extended suddenly curled into a claw.

Crack!

The outer shell of the floating stone shattered in midair.

Inside was something pulsing with writhing red light like a beating heart, releasing a faint, mysterious fragrance.

"What is this?" Zhong Guzi asked in confusion.

He did not recognize it either.

Gong Lince's expression twitched.

He did recognize it.

And precisely because he knew what it was worth, the impulse to reach out and seize it almost flashed through him.

But it was only a fleeting thought.

Leaving aside whether he could actually snatch it away, he had no way to make such a move.

If he attacked and someone outside discovered the commotion, then even the fruit he himself had already received might become impossible to swallow.

The thing that truly disturbed his composure was how casually the fellow before him treated something so priceless.

He was handing out one after another as though they were worthless cabbages.

Was there any need to be this generous?

Still, Gong Lince had now confirmed one thing.

It truly was very possible, just as Niu Youdao had claimed, that he had plucked every fruit from the tree.

Niu Youdao said softly, "I brought it out of the Sacred Realm."

"A Wuliang Fruit."

"A filial gift for Master."

"What?"

Zhong Guzi was badly startled.

After remaining calm for so many years, he finally lost his composure.

He had always sat like a stone statue, barely moving anything except his mouth and eyes.

Now, at last, he reached out.

He snatched the object into his hand and began examining it.

Seeing the fruit stem, he confirmed that it truly was a fruit.

He turned it over again and again before raising his head. "Where did you get this?"

Gong Lince answered for him. "He already told you. From the Sacred Realm. Where else could it have come from?"

"Stolen from the Sacred Realm."

"Stolen... stolen..." Zhong Guzi was almost incoherent. "Something this important... how could it possibly be stolen so easily?"

Gong Lince said, "Zijin Cave brought him into the sect and invited trouble on itself. The Nine Saints brought him into the Sacred Realm and lifted a stone only to drop it on their own feet. What's so impossible about it?"

"Martial Uncle truly accepted a fine disciple. It's almost a pity he never became a thief."

He suddenly looked at Niu Youdao. "Junior Brother Niu, I just remembered something. Back then there was a rumor that you stole the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit from the Great Snowy Mountains."

"Don't tell me that really was you."

Niu Youdao turned his head. "Sect Leader Gong, are you praising me or insulting me?"

"You haven't exactly received few benefits from me, have you?"

"Zijin Cave has taken advantage of me at every turn. You haven't suffered any losses."

Gong Lince's face soured.

Zhong Guzi's expression had turned grave. "If something this important has disappeared from the Sacred Realm, how could the Nine Saints possibly let the matter rest?"

Niu Youdao chuckled. "Master is worrying too much."

"Besides, what does it matter to you whether the Nine Saints let it rest?"

"You're a man already at death's door. Do you still need to fear them?"

"Living a while longer is better than dying early, isn't it?"

"This fruit is especially suitable for you."

"If Sect Leader uses his, he'll have to hide somewhere and enter seclusion in secret. You don't need to do that."

"You already spend all your time hidden inside Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion. No one will suspect anything."

Then he turned toward Gong Lince. "Sect Leader, according to sect rules, a traitor like my master is hardly suitable to keep around Zijin Cave anyway."

"His lifespan has reached its end. Just treat him as though he has passed away."

"Of course, first let him remain inside Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion until he breaks through to the Nascent Soul Realm."

"As for the resources needed for the breakthrough, find some way to provide them quietly."

"You control the resources of all Zijin Cave. That shouldn't be difficult for you, so long as you avoid attracting attention."

"Afterward, I'll take Master away."

Gong Lince raised his brows. "A man of Zijin Cave becomes a Nascent Soul Realm expert, and then you take him away?"

"You certainly dream beautifully."

Niu Youdao looked surprised. "What else am I supposed to do?"

"His lifespan is already nearly exhausted. If he continues remaining inside Zijin Cave after that, does that make any sense?"

"Aren't you afraid?"

[End of Chapter 1179]