Chapter 1207: You'd Better Not Make Me Draw My Sword!

Shao Pingbo lowered his gaze to the portrait again. "You mean a dead man came back to life? Do you believe such a thing exists in this world?"

"This..." Shao Sansheng could not make sense of it either.

Shao Pingbo asked, "Could the men who carried out the attack back then have filed a false report?"

Shao Sansheng shook his head. "That should be impossible. This old servant sent the Eldest Young Master's own guard detail. Every one of them was a trusted man. One or two might lie, but an entire unit could not have concealed the truth together. There should have been no mistake."

Shao Pingbo stared at the portrait. "Could it simply be someone who looks like him?"

"This old servant thought that possible as well. But some things are simply too strange. It is just like the reason the Eldest Young Master became suspicious and ordered an investigation in the first place. Why is it that no one else can persuade this man to act, yet Miss Liuer has been able to ask him to save people again and again?"

"You're right..." Shao Pingbo's brows lifted. "The body fell into the river and, conveniently, was never found. It seems there may indeed be a connection between an arrow through the heart failing to kill him and his becoming the Ghost Doctor's disciple. If that is truly what happened, this brat's fortune is enough to make others envious. It really does fit the saying: survive a great calamity, and good fortune follows. What is he trying to do by approaching Liuer now?"

Shao Sansheng ventured, "Could it be that he still cannot forget their old feelings? If that's truly the case and Prince Ying Hao Zhen learns of it, I'm afraid the Young Mistress will be in trouble."

Shao Pingbo narrowed his eyes. "The Ghost Doctor's disciple... Wuxin... the Ghost Doctor's disciple... Wuxin... Liuer married into the Qi capital, and he just happens to have taken up long-term residence in the Qi capital as well. Is that coincidence, or deliberate?"

"Miss Liuer has already had contact with him. Whether he is that man or not, the Young Mistress should know in her own heart."

Shao Pingbo said flatly, "Do you think Liuer would tell me the truth?"

Shao Sansheng fell silent. Of course she would not. As for Tan Yaoxian, it was probably not even a subject they could safely question her about.

"The Ghost Doctor's disciple?" With a few sharp movements, Shao Pingbo tore the portrait apart and tossed the pieces away. "I don't care whether he's man or ghost. He'd better not make trouble, or I won't mind killing him a second time."

Shao Sansheng reminded him not to act rashly. "Eldest Young Master, the Ghost Doctor is not someone to provoke lightly."

Shao Pingbo sneered. "So what if he's the Ghost Doctor? He's nothing but a skulking ghost who dares not show his face. He can frighten timid vermin, nothing more. Let him come out and swagger around openly and see what happens."

"Eldest Young Master, please think carefully!"

"Don't worry. Since he's become the Ghost Doctor's disciple, he still has value to us. Unless I have no other choice, I won't touch him. The greater affair comes first, and I have no energy to waste playing with him right now. Have people watch him closely. Better yet, see whether we can plant someone at his side."

"Very well. This old servant will arrange it as soon as possible."

...

Mountains and rivers stretched broad beneath the sky. A disheveled man skimmed through the air, touching down only to spring aloft again as valleys and ridges flashed beneath his feet.

"Roaaar..." A furious bellow suddenly rolled out from the mountains below.

A Golden-Furred Hou burst from a gorge. Astride it sat a man in sleek black robes, his unbound hair half white and half black, whipping wildly in the wind. His broad robe and great sleeves billowed as he rode, giving him an air of utterly carefree exhilaration.

The Golden-Furred Hou crossed mountains and ridges as though they were flat ground. Its lithe body pounced like a tiger, each effortless bound carrying it more than ten zhang. Its speed rivaled a bird in flight. When it encountered a sheer cliff, its sharp claws carried it straight up with a few scraping strokes. Even complicated terrain could not slow its charge.

Zhao Xiongge drifted down onto a mountaintop. A golden blur shot up after him and stopped abruptly at the summit, then began circling Zhao Xiongge at a slow pace.

Nantian Wufang sat astride the Golden-Furred Hou with a smiling face. "Going out to buy wine? I've got good wine at my place."

"Just going out for a look around."

Nantian Wufang bent down and stroked the Golden-Furred Hou's head. "Going out and not taking Baobao with you? What are you leaving it with me for?"

"It's inconvenient to take Baobao."

"Usually, whenever you go out without it, you come borrow a flying mount from me. This time you're taking neither. Where are you going?"

Zhao Xiongge said nothing.

Nantian Wufang swung a leg over and jumped down. Walking up to him, he asked, "Going to the State of Wei to find the Shangqing Sect?"

Zhao Xiongge drew a deep breath. "The war is going badly for Wei. The Shangqing Sect is following Xuan Wei, and they may be facing annihilation. I am a disciple of the Shangqing Sect. I cannot stand by and watch them die!"

Ever since word came that Huyan Wuhen had turned his hand against men from an allied state, Zhao Xiongge had finally been unable to sit still. The situation was already clear. Once matters reached a certain point, Qi would no longer care whether Wei lived or died.

Nantian Wufang's smile remained gentle, but his words were not. "Armies of thousands upon thousands crashing together, experts everywhere killing one another—can you save them? Even if you can, how many can you save?"

"Roaaar..." The Golden-Furred Hou seemed able to understand human speech. It bellowed at Zhao Xiongge as well, and the wind that had fallen still beneath the sound began howling around them again.

"I'll do what I can."

"Given your circumstances, you should not involve yourself in something like this."

"I meant to avoid it. But Niu Youdao is dead, and I can't simply ignore them. That fellow arranged for the Shangqing Sect to settle in Wei back then. Who would have thought he'd end up doing them a disservice? Now he's washed his hands of everything and gone, so I have no choice but to step forward and clean up after him."

Nantian Wufang said calmly, "And what if you save them? They're all people of mediocre aptitude, none fit to shoulder great responsibility. Do you really think the Shangqing Sect has any hope left in their hands?"

"So long as its incense is not extinguished, there is hope. If this generation won't do, then wait for the next. Sooner or later, someone with talent will appear."

Nantian Wufang raised a hand and patted him on the shoulder. "Aren't you also part of the Shangqing Sect's surviving incense? Niu Youdao was right about one thing. As long as either you or he remained alive, the Shangqing Sect still existed and could rise again at any time. Niu Youdao is dead. If you die too, then the Shangqing Sect truly will be finished."

"If I sit by and watch them perish, I will have no way to answer to the Shangqing Sect's generations of forebears."

"War between great armies is merciless. When the strength of states collides, corpses pile like mountains and blood runs like rivers. None of it will care who Zhao Xiongge is. Aren't you afraid of dying there?"

"You don't need to persuade me."

"I'm not persuading you. I'm stopping you."

Zhao Xiongge turned to look at him. "You want to fight me and see whether you can stop me?"

"Is that necessary? I'm only telling you this: if the war turns hopeless, they'll run on their own. They aren't stupid enough to sit there waiting to die. If you don't go, they still have a thread of hope for survival. If you do go, I guarantee not one of them will live, because... before you ever reach them, I'll have them all slaughtered."

His half-white, half-black hair streamed in the wind. Nantian Wufang leaned slightly closer, bringing his mouth beside Zhao Xiongge's ear. "You know perfectly well that if you die, if that person's last lingering concern is severed, he may strike at any moment. My entire Demonic Sect would be wiped from existence. You want to protect the Shangqing Sect. I have to protect the Demonic Sect. If you cannot stand by, neither can I. The Saintess wanted you to live well too. If you insist on throwing everything away... don't force me."

Zhao Xiongge said, "If you dare kill them, I'll kill that woman in Nanzhou."

"You know I never joke about matters like this." Nantian Wufang flashed away. The smile that seemed forever fixed on his face disappeared as he mounted the Golden-Furred Hou again. His voice suddenly rang with iron certainty. "If I do not see you at Demon Ridge within four hours, I will immediately give the order to exterminate the Shangqing Sect!"

"ROAAR!" The Golden-Furred Hou threw back its head and bellowed. The roar echoed through the mountains before it bounded downhill, carrying the black-and-white-haired man swiftly into the distance.

Zhao Xiongge stared at the drifting clouds far away and stood motionless on the mountaintop for a long, long time...

The temporary encampment of Wei's imperial court was also the central headquarters of the Wei army. Several riders arrived outside the camp.

Ximen Qingkong and Tang Yi's group had returned.

The guards at the entrance recognized them and cupped their hands. "Please wait a moment!"

Ximen Qingkong barked, "Move aside!"

"Mr. Ximen, the army has its rules. Please don't make things difficult for us!" a soldier pleaded.

Ximen Qingkong ignored him and calmly urged his horse forward. He was not simply throwing his weight around. If the guards reported their arrival first, he feared Wei's three great sects would interfere and refuse to let him inside.

A group of soldiers leveled swords and spears at him, but none dared make a rash move. They all knew his relationship with Xuan Wei. Forced backward step by step, they finally opened a path.

Even the cultivators on duty were wary. Whatever they might ordinarily think of him, Ximen Qingkong was still ranked first on the Golden Core Ranking. If it truly came to blows, boasting of a great sect's prestige would not stop the number-one expert on the ranking. They could not help being wary.

Tang Yi and the others exchanged helpless looks and followed him in.

The guards had no choice. Someone immediately ran back to report.

Ximen Qingkong rode forward at an unhurried pace, expressionless, his eyes fixed ahead as he headed directly toward the imperial banner deep within the camp. Soldiers watched him all along the way.

By the time the group reached the imperial standard, Xuan Wei had already come out after hearing the report. She stared blankly at Ximen Qingkong on horseback.

The senior figures of Wei's three great sects also emerged from the tents to either side.

Chang Linxian, Sect Leader of Lingxu Mansion, suddenly shouted, "Ximen Qingkong! This is a military camp in the middle of a war. How dare you barge in without reporting yourself!"

Whoosh! The figure on horseback suddenly became an enormous spectral blue sword that thundered straight toward Chang Linxian with lightning speed.

Everyone was shocked. Chang Linxian was caught even more completely off guard. He had never imagined Ximen Qingkong would dare attack here. In his haste, he swept both palms together, intending to clamp down on the incoming sword aura.

A gale suddenly roared.

The enormous blue sword stopped dead just as its vast point was about to strike Chang Linxian.

The radiance at the sword tip melted away, revealing Ximen Qingkong standing only a single pace in front of him. Behind Ximen Qingkong, the rest of the blue sword aura dissolved section by section into a violent wind, sending grass clippings flying, banners snapping wildly, and dust swirling through the air.

Chang Linxian's arms remained curved inward in the motion of catching the sword. He could neither continue nor comfortably lower them.

Ximen Qingkong stared at him coldly. "You'd better not make me draw my sword!"

"How dare you behave so outrageously here!" someone shouted.

Several senior elders of Lingxu Mansion appeared and instantly surrounded Ximen Qingkong.

Ximen Qingkong's hand moved like a phantom. In an instant, it closed around the hilt of the ancient broad sword on his back, his whole body poised to strike.

Many cultivators were stunned. Ximen Qingkong actually dared openly take on Wei's three great sects!

From a nearby tent, Hao Cheng had poked his head out to look. When he saw that Ximen Qingkong had returned alive, guilt and fear flashed across his face. He immediately pulled his head back and hid.

A great battle was on the verge of erupting when Xuan Wei, still shocked by Ximen Qingkong's actions, cried out urgently, "Stop! He did report himself. He informed me beforehand. I was the one who told them to come straight in!"

Xuan Wei hurried over and forced herself between the two sides. She shouted at the people from Lingxu Mansion, "The enemy is before us, and you still want to fight among yourselves? All of you, stand down!"

Then she shouted again, "Where is the Imperial Guard?"

With a clatter of movement, nearby troops rapidly assembled and closed in at the command. Bows were already drawn.

"Hmph!" Chang Linxian gave a cold snort, flicked a hand, and turned away. The people of Lingxu Mansion withdrew with him.

Xuan Wei seized Ximen Qingkong by the wrist and dragged him away by force. She pulled him into the command tent and snapped, "All of you, leave!"

After the others had withdrawn, Tang Yi came in again to pay her respects. Xuan Wei immediately demanded, "Little Sister, have you forgotten what I told you? Didn't I tell all of you not to come back?"

Tang Yi said helplessly, "Your Majesty, I couldn't stop Mr. Ximen."

Ximen Qingkong said, "This has nothing to do with Sect Leader Tang."

Xuan Wei faced him, pain written across her face. "Why did you come back? Why did you insist on coming back? They won't let you go!"

Ximen Qingkong said, "Once the war is lost, they won't care whether you live or die. They may even take their anger out on you. The enemy won't spare you either. I'll fight a way out and take you with me!"

[End of Chapter 1207]