Chapter 1180: Settling a Private Grudge Under Cover of Public Duty

Gong Lince was left speechless.

That truly was a major problem.

Even so, he did not yield easily. "Zijin Cave can arrange a secret place for him."

Niu Youdao said, "And how exactly will you arrange it?"

"Do you think Misty Pavilion planted only one informant inside Zijin Cave?"

"Sect Leader, there are far more than one or two Misty Pavilion agents inside this sect."

"Their identities are often people you would never expect."

"Can you guarantee that none of the people you send to make those arrangements are Misty Pavilion's spies?"

"This is not the sort of matter Misty Pavilion can simply close one eye to and ignore."

"Are you truly willing to risk bringing annihilation down on Zijin Cave?"

Gong Lince could not help glancing at Zhong Guzi.

If even this man had been a Misty Pavilion spy, Gong Lince truly could not guarantee anyone else.

For a moment, Niu Youdao had left him with nothing to say.

Niu Youdao continued, "If you leave the arrangements to me, it will be different."

"While I was inside the Sacred Realm, I already investigated the backgrounds of the people around me."

"I know clearly who belongs to Misty Pavilion and who does not."

"I can avoid the danger."

"After Master breaks through, Zijin Cave can arrange a funeral, bury him promptly, and leave the rest to me."

"A Supreme Elder of Zijin Cave has reached the end of his lifespan and passed away. No one will suspect a thing."

"And I am dead too."

"If Master and I stay together, who would suspect anything?"

"Two dead men together. Who would ever think of looking for us, right?"

Gong Lince raised his brows. "Fake his death?"

Niu Youdao said, "What else? Do you want him to actually die?"

That was not what Gong Lince had meant at all.

He sneered. "The disciple faked his death to escape, and now the master is going to fake his death to escape as well."

"You two truly come from the same lineage. You really do have the fate of master and disciple."

"Uh..." Niu Youdao froze.

Put that way, it did sound rather true.

Even Zhong Guzi's mouth twitched slightly.

Niu Youdao sighed. "Sect Leader, there's no need for sarcasm. I'm doing this for everyone's good."

"You heard Master's painstaking intentions toward Zijin Cave yourself."

"If anything happens to Zijin Cave in the future, could Master truly stand by and ignore it?"

"We're all in the same boat now."

"Whether Zijin Cave makes the arrangements for him or he leaves with me, what's the difference?"

There was an enormous difference.

Gong Lince sneered inwardly.

He had already seen through Niu Youdao's intentions.

The fellow plainly wanted to tie a Nascent Soul Realm fighter to his own side.

The logic was obvious.

After Zhong Guzi broke through and faked his death, how could he possibly run around freely?

Once he left Zijin Cave's control and followed Niu Youdao, he would inevitably fall under Niu Youdao's influence.

No matter how strong Zhong Guzi became, he would not dare casually contact outsiders.

With no faction of his own at his side, everything he knew about the outside world would depend on what Niu Youdao told him.

What Niu Youdao wanted him to know, he would know.

What Niu Youdao did not want him to know, he would not.

Still, Gong Lince did not expose this directly.

Because Niu Youdao did have a point.

There were some things Misty Pavilion might close one eye to and pretend not to see.

There were other things it could never tolerate.

No one knew how deeply Misty Pavilion had infiltrated Zijin Cave.

If Zhong Guzi continued remaining here after breaking through, it truly could bring enormous trouble.

More importantly, Gong Lince himself had already received a Wuliang Fruit.

He had absolutely no desire to take a risk so uncontrollable.

Zhong Guzi had been quite excited when he first received the Wuliang Fruit.

But as the two men beside him continued discussing matters over his head, they forcibly dragged him back to reality.

The more he listened, the more wrong the conversation felt.

He was still sitting here perfectly alive, yet these two fellows were already going back and forth arranging his funeral as if there were no need to ask his opinion at all.

They had completely ignored him.

At last Zhong Guzi could not help speaking. "This old man has not agreed to anything yet."

"And we do not even know whether this fruit truly works."

"Yet the two of you have already begun arranging how I am supposed to die?"

Gong Lince realized their behavior had indeed been somewhat discourteous.

He bowed his head slightly in apology.

Niu Youdao, however, immediately turned the argument back on Zhong Guzi. "Master, whether there is any need to arrange your funeral naturally depends on whether the fruit works."

"But if you remain inside Zijin Cave afterward, it will truly be far too dangerous."

"I don't imagine you wish to stay here and implicate Zijin Cave."

"Before the former State of Zhao fell, Qiyun Sect experts launched a night raid on the Zhao imperial palace."

"Three venerable experts disappeared without a trace."

"That alone aroused the Nine Saints' suspicion."

"Zhuge Chi, the chief eunuch serving Hai Wuji, was suspected by the Nine Saints of having broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm."

"They have now ordered a secret search for him throughout the world."

"That is the precedent right before our eyes."

"Master, you, I, and Sect Leader are the only three people in all Zijin Cave who know the secret before us."

"Only between the three of us can we safely coordinate matters."

"Outside Zijin Cave, looking across the entire world, the safest place for you is still with this disciple."

Zhong Guzi turned toward Gong Lince. "Sect Leader also received a Wuliang Fruit?"

Niu Youdao immediately answered on Gong Lince's behalf, without the slightest attempt to conceal it. "He took one last night."

"It should still be on him now."

Gong Lince glanced at him, plainly blaming him for speaking unnecessarily.

Zhong Guzi then asked, "I wonder how Sect Leader intends to deal with me."

Gong Lince was silent for a moment. "Martial Uncle, now that the truth has been explained clearly, and matters have already reached this point, there is little meaning in pursuing punishment further."

"Let your merits and faults offset one another."

Zhong Guzi looked back toward Niu Youdao and lifted the fruit in his hand. "Whoever eats this fruit will have completely placed himself in opposition to the Nine Saints."

"After that, he'll have no choice but to join you in wallowing in the mire. Is that it?"

"Master, that's not how you should put it. This is your disciple's filial devotion."

"And besides..." Niu Youdao jerked his chin toward Gong Lince.

"At this point, you don't have much choice about eating it anyway."

"If you refuse, Sect Leader will probably be the first person who won't let you off."

Gong Lince ignored Niu Youdao's words and stared intently at Zhong Guzi's reaction.

At this point, he truly feared Zhong Guzi might suddenly become stubborn.

Zhong Guzi said slowly, "You worry too much."

"A man who is about to die fears death only because he has no choice."

"Now that I have seen this thing, I want to live again."

"Such an object is something I have dreamed of all my life, and now it has been delivered into my hands for nothing."

"How could I possibly pass up the chance to try it?"

"How is it used?"

Niu Youdao immediately rose, stepped forward, bent down, and began explaining and demonstrating how to use it.

Gong Lince stretched his neck forward as well.

Eyes wide and ears pricked, he watched and listened carefully.

He had no idea how to use the fruit either.

He was learning on the spot.

Once Zhong Guzi had received a clear explanation, he nodded.

Then he suddenly reached out with one hand.

A box from the corner of the hall flew into his grasp.

He opened it, placed the Wuliang Fruit inside, and shut the lid.

The red light vanished inside the box.

A Wuliang Fruit was not something one could simply consume the moment it came into one's hands.

At the very least, one needed a quiet environment, ample time, and freedom from disturbance.

Until every preparation and instruction had been arranged properly, it was not suitable to act rashly.

With the matter here settled, Gong Lince stood beside Niu Youdao and looked back toward the root carving.

"What about that thing?"

"How are you getting out?"

"And where are you going?"

Niu Youdao said, "Easy."

"Just say Master didn't like it."

"I'm planning to make a trip to Maolu Annex anyway. Have Hongniang come over and move the carving there."

"As for leaving the sect, haven't you already ordered them to depart within three days?"

"When the time comes, I'll mix in among them and leave together."

"You only need to provide a little cover."

"Don't look at me like that. I know what you're about to say."

"Before I met you last night, I had already met Hongniang."

"She already knows I'm still alive."

"Don't worry. When I go to Maolu Annex now, I won't let anyone else see me."

"I need to meet Hongniang and personally arrange the next stage of the plan."

Gong Lince said, "Be extremely careful. It would be best if nothing happens."

Niu Youdao said, "Nothing will happen on my side."

"The issue is yours."

"The Sacred Realm ordered Zijin Cave to send replacement inspectors. Have you decided who will lead them in?"

At the mention of this, Gong Lince looked troubled. "Even you died inside. Who would willingly go now?"

"No one wants to go."

"Every one of them is searching for excuses to push the matter away."

"I haven't been able to make a decision yet."

Niu Youdao said, "Want me to give you an idea?"

This fellow did have a great many methods.

Gong Lince looked him up and down. "Let's hear it first."

Niu Youdao said, "I think Yan Li is the most suitable person to lead the group into the Sacred Realm."

Yan Li's recent behavior had already angered him considerably.

Even after Niu Youdao's supposed death, Yan Li still insisted on making trouble for the people of Maolu Villa.

If he remained outside, he would probably keep looking for chances to harass Maolu Villa merely to recover his lost face.

Fine.

Then send him straight into the Sacred Realm and let him spend his days frightened and suffering.

One of Gong Lince's brows twitched. "He's suitable?"

"What exactly makes him suitable?"

"I think you're using public business to settle a private grudge."

Zhong Guzi's gaze shifted faintly.

He knew Yan Li had repeatedly opposed Maolu Annex.

He too suspected Niu Youdao was settling a private grudge.

Niu Youdao said, "You're overthinking it."

"The man who enjoys using public business to settle private grudges is Yan Li."

"Don't lump me together with him."

Gong Lince said, "At this point, I have no need to circle around the matter with you."

"Yan Li is one of my people."

"I cannot send him into that kind of danger."

"I will decide who goes."

"You don't need to concern yourself with it."

Niu Youdao found this strange. "Then what about the Tiandu Secret Realm?"

"Wasn't that dangerous too?"

Gong Lince replied, "Wasn't that because of you?"

"To protect you and ensure your safety inside the Tiandu Secret Realm, I was worried someone else might harbor selfish intentions."

"For the sake of certainty, I could only send one of my trusted men."

"He took an enormous risk to help protect you."

"I don't understand you two."

"You used to get along perfectly well. Was a minor matter truly worth turning the relationship into this kind of mutual hostility?"

Niu Youdao said, "Sect Leader, get one thing straight."

"I'm not the one who refuses to let him go."

"He's the one who refuses to let me go."

Gong Lince said, "And don't you know why?"

"What was wrong with letting him place a few of his people in Beizhou?"

"If the people beneath him can't find any road upward, why would they continue following him?"

"You killed the first group he sent."

"He treated it as though you hadn't known and actually believed the nonsense you fed him, accepting that it was an accidental killing."

"He let it go."

"For the second group, he notified you in advance."

"And you still refused to spare them."

"You killed them anyway."

"That was openly slapping him across the face."

"How could he possibly be happy?"

"How was he supposed to face the disciples beneath him afterward?"

"Put yourself in his place and see how you'd feel."

Niu Youdao waved a hand. "Enough."

"Our principles differ."

"Everything involving Beizhou is already in the past. There's no point bringing it up."

"Sect Leader, there is a reason I want Yan Li sent into the Sacred Realm."

"Precisely because he is your trusted man, he needs to go."

Gong Lince frowned.

Considering that Niu Youdao had spent a long period inside the Sacred Realm, he wondered whether there was some hidden reason.

"What do you mean?"

Niu Youdao said, "We've come this far. We cannot simply abandon everything inside the Sacred Realm."

"You know I still have contacts inside."

"For future operations to remain convenient, we must have someone of our own stationed there."

"That means placing someone reliable inside."

"By rights, I'd be more comfortable using one of my own people."

"Unfortunately, the people of Maolu Villa cannot represent Zijin Cave and enter."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't be suggesting this."

Gong Lince's voice sank. "What exactly do you want him to do once he's inside?"

Zhong Guzi also listened more carefully.

Niu Youdao said, "How would I know what will happen now?"

"He only needs to be activated when the time comes."

"A man without distant foresight will soon have worries close at hand."

"We have to make arrangements in advance."

"Sect Leader, if you send someone else in and later need to use him for something secret, can you truly trust that person?"

"Would you dare use him?"

Gong Lince fell silent.

Only after a long while did he slowly say, "This is difficult."

"If I truly send Yan Li in, we cannot tell him our real purpose beforehand."

"And everyone knows Yan Li is one of my people."

"If I won't even protect one of my own, what will the people below think of me?"

"A minor matter!" Niu Youdao waved a hand as though it were nothing.

"I have a plan to offer Sect Leader."

"Draw lots."

"Perfectly fair and impartial."

"If Yan Li draws the lot, he will have nothing to say."

Gong Lince asked, "You mean tampering with the draw?"

Niu Youdao leaned in with an almost furtive air. "This method might be a problem if we used it on someone else."

"Other people might suspect the draw was rigged, and that could expose us."

"But Yan Li is different."

"Yan Li is your trusted man."

"No matter what, he would never suspect that you personally rigged the draw against him."

"Once the result comes out, Yan Li will have no choice but to accept it."

"And everyone else will praise Sect Leader for being fair and impartial."

"Sect Leader, this one method solves several problems at once."

[End of Chapter 1180]