Chapter 1244: Behind the Drunkard

The reasoning itself was sound. But the real reason Niu Youdao had ultimately refused to hand over the Shang Mirror was that he had already unlocked its secret and needed the cultivation art hidden inside.

There was no need to tell anyone that part for the time being.

Zhao Xiongge gave a couple of dismissive snorts. Forget it. The matter was long past, and seeing that this fellow was still trying to arrange a road of retreat for Shangqing Sect, Zhao Xiongge could not be bothered to keep pursuing it.

Niu Youdao, however, still had questions. "You stole the Shang Mirror from Yucang. Why were you involved in that affair in the first place?"

Zhao Xiongge said, "I already told you. Your master asked me to help."

"By then, word that the Shang Mirror had appeared had already spread. I still don't know how your master and the others learned its exact whereabouts, but from what your master said, it seemed Shang Jianbo might have known a method passed down through the Shang clan for unlocking the mirror."

"I had no idea what was hidden inside the Shang Mirror, or why Shangqing Sect was willing to take such an enormous risk for it. But I knew that if your master had come asking me for help, then the secret inside that mirror had to be important."

"When I finally moved to seize it, I discovered the people holding it were actually from Xiaoyue Pavilion."

"Before I acted, another group of mysterious people had already attacked Xiaoyue Pavilion first. I cut in midway and wounded Yucang."

"Under attack from several sides, Yucang threw out the Shang Mirror to save his life. I seized it and fled."

"The moment I took it, that group of mysterious people immediately abandoned their pursuit of Yucang and the others. Their target shifted directly to me."

"I finally managed to shake them off and reached the place we had agreed to meet. In the end, the three of us decided that your master should take the Shang Mirror away."

Niu Youdao cut in. "Three? Which three?"

Zhao Xiongge said, "Sect Leader Senior Brother Tang, your master, and me."

"Strictly speaking, none of us had exposed our identities at the time. But to be safe, we still decided to split up and escape separately."

"My cultivation was the strongest, so for the sake of the other two, I deliberately exposed my trail and drew the pursuers toward me."

Niu Youdao's expression grew grave. "So when the incident happened, the three of you senior brothers were all involved in the same affair?"

Zhao Xiongge nodded. "Once I exposed my whereabouts, the killers really did come after me. After fleeing far enough, I shook them off."

"I thought we were finally safe."

"But when I later tried to contact the others, I discovered both Senior Brother Tang and Senior Brother Dong Guo had met with disaster."

"Clearly, the people pursuing us belonged to an extremely powerful force. Even while chasing me, they still had enough strength left to move against both of them."

"Especially after word came from Shangqing Sect about the Crow General you had mentioned, I immediately realized the people pursuing us were very likely connected to Wu Chang."

"Then news arrived that Prince Ning, Shang Jianbo, had also met with disaster."

"Only then did I realize the whole thing had been a trap laid by Wu Chang."

"I'm afraid Senior Brother Tang and Senior Brother Dong Guo never knew, even at the moment of death, that the entire affair had been aimed at me."

"I was the one who got them killed."

He raised his face and released a long sigh toward the heavens.

Niu Youdao stared at him in uncertainty. "What do you mean?"

Bitterness filled Zhao Xiongge's face. "The Shang Mirror may well have been in Wu Chang's hands from the beginning."

"My ties with Shangqing Sect were never completely severed. Wu Chang must have discovered that and turned his attention toward the sect."

"I suspect he deliberately tried to force Shangqing Sect into desperate straits."

"Almost all the elite disciples who followed Senior Brother and the others were wiped out, dealing the entire Shangqing Sect a devastating blow."

"Prince Ning Shang Jianbo's destruction also severed the sect's external support."

"After forcing Shangqing Sect to the brink, Wu Chang wanted to see what I would do. He was waiting for an opportunity to use them to force me into handing over what he wanted."

Niu Youdao was startled. "Are you certain? From what I know, Shang Jianxiong and Tong Mo were the ones who used the Shang Mirror to lay a trap against Shang Jianbo."

Zhao Xiongge said, "That was only the surface. You can ignore it."

"The Nine Saints restrain one another. Wu Chang could not openly make a move, and he did not want his true purpose exposed."

"If the other eight Saints learned what he was after and began fighting him for it, even he could not bear the consequences. So naturally he had to push events from behind the scenes."

"The internal struggle within the Shang imperial clan was merely something he exploited."

"Shang Jianxiong and Tong Mo probably never even knew they were being used. Wu Chang would hardly let outsiders know."

"There are too many scattered details you don't know, but I do. Taken together, they are enough for me to make this judgment."

"I have dealt with Wu Chang for so many years. I have spent all that time on high alert against him. Whenever he makes a move, I can usually infer at least part of what he intends."

"Actually, your original choice was correct."

"You kept the Shang Mirror hidden and never let the matter surface. You also held onto your grudges and kept your distance from Shangqing Sect. To some extent, that protected you."

"But the one thing you absolutely should not have done was openly drag me to your side and force me to act."

"Of course, you managed to get yourself into such desperate straits in Jinzhou that I had no choice but to step in and help."

"On your return from Jinzhou to Nanzhou, I protected you against assassins and acted openly. With that kind of disturbance, how could Wu Chang possibly fail to notice?"

"If my guess is correct, that was the moment Wu Chang fixed his eyes on you."

"After that, he very likely planted an informant somewhere around you."

"You must be extremely careful now."

"Do not let too many people around you learn that you are still alive. Otherwise, Wu Chang will inevitably discover it."

The words jolted Niu Youdao.

He suddenly remembered something: the very journey Zhao Xiongge had just mentioned, from Jinzhou back to Nanzhou.

At the time, Hai Ruyue and her son had been poisoned. Niu Youdao had intervened and invited enormous trouble onto himself. For safety, he had no choice but to ask Zhao Xiongge to come.

Dressed in that gaudy outfit, Zhao Xiongge had escorted him back to Nanzhou and acted when they encountered danger on the road.

It was after that very incident that Baili Jie of the Misty Pavilion had suddenly appeared.

Baili Jie had found Gongsun Bu and developed him into a spy planted inside Maolu Villa.

Previously, Niu Youdao had assumed Maolu Villa's growing influence had simply attracted the Misty Pavilion's attention.

Now it seemed there had been more to it than that.

Baili Jie had not appeared earlier or later.

He had appeared immediately after Zhao Xiongge openly helped Niu Youdao.

The timing matched Zhao Xiongge's explanation perfectly.

"Wu Chang never moved against you directly because you handled matters cautiously and never gave him a suitable opportunity to exploit."

"Otherwise, there is no chance he would have restrained himself for so long."

"He knows it is difficult to pry open my mouth. If he acted rashly and made me suspicious, the entire effort would lose its value."

"Back then he captured me and used every torture imaginable. I would rather die than submit."

"After that, he knew force was useless against me. He could only use indirect methods."

"The other group of mysterious people who attacked Xiaoyue Pavilion over the Shang Mirror back then were clearly Wu Chang's men."

"How could Wu Chang not know the Shang Mirror was no longer in Yucang's hands?"

"Later, the Shang Mirror suddenly appeared in Yucang's hands again and was used to establish a state."

"Even I could see that the matter had something to do with you. How could Wu Chang possibly fail to see it?"

"I kept my distance from you, and the connection between us obviously existed only because of Shangqing Sect. Wu Chang should therefore have guessed what I cared about. His main attention ought still to have been on Shangqing Sect."

"But then Yucang produced the Shang Mirror."

"Given the Misty Pavilion's ability to penetrate everywhere, do you think Wu Chang could not discover that you gave it to him?"

"Once Wu Chang realized that the Shang Mirror from back then had never been given to Shangqing Sect at all, but had instead ended up with you, what do you think he would conclude?"

"There's no need to doubt it. A plan targeting you must have begun immediately."

"There are two things you can investigate."

Niu Youdao, who had been listening intently, asked, "Which two?"

Zhao Xiongge said, "I don't know whether Chuan Ying and Linghu Qiu knew each other before, but I can say one thing with certainty: Chuan Ying's relationship with Linghu Qiu deepened only after Wu Chang learned that the Shang Mirror had reappeared in Yucang's hands."

"Second, Chuan Ying's winning over Xue Luo'er, Pavilion Master of the Ice and Snow Pavilion, definitely happened only after it was confirmed that you would enter the Sacred Realm."

Niu Youdao fell silent.

The first point still needed verification.

The second, however, could already be reconstructed from what he knew.

After his name had been placed on the list of those entering the Sacred Realm, there had been a period outside for preparation.

Then, after entering the Sacred Realm, he had gone through one affair after another.

The hunt for Demon Foxes in the Desolate Marsh Deadlands alone had lasted a full three months.

After that, he had spent another stretch of time in Wentian City.

When he later saw Xue Luo'er again, the size of her pregnant belly gave a rough indication of the timing.

Niu Youdao slowly nodded.

He more or less understood.

But now that Chuan Ying's identity as one of Wu Chang's men had already been confirmed, whether those two points were investigated further no longer mattered much.

Zhao Xiongge continued, "When Chuan Ying entered the Sacred Realm and approached you, he could not do so with the background of Tianmo Sacred Land. That would only have aroused my suspicion."

"By marrying Xue Luo'er, however, he attached himself to Ice and Snow Sacred Land."

"With that background behind him, and considering your situation inside the Sacred Realm, the connection would naturally have held some attraction for you. It would have been very easy for him to establish friendly relations with you."

"Only no one expected that you would prove equally incapable of staying quiet and somehow manage to 'die.'"

"That move against you through Chuan Ying fell apart."

"With no other choice, they shifted the plan back toward Shangqing Sect."

"Conveniently borrowing your name, Chuan Ying then turned around and approached Tang Yi."

"I imagine the general course of events was something like that."

Niu Youdao nodded slightly.

Only today did he discover that this drunkard, apparently idling away his life at Demon Ridge, had so many affairs tangled behind him.

And he had influenced far too many people.

Tang Mu's death.

Dong Guo Haoran's death.

The near-total loss of Shangqing Sect's elite disciples and the sect's complete decline.

The tragic deaths of Prince Ning Shang Jianbo and his family.

Even Xue Luo'er's pregnancy and marriage.

And who knew what else would happen in the future?

Tracing everything back to its root, it all came from a single Demon Canon of the Demonic Sect.

Questions Niu Youdao had failed to understand during his conversation with Sha Rulai had unexpectedly found answers in this drunkard's mouth.

Yucang might not have known much at all.

And Wu Chang's deliberate help in concealing certain truths had actually been for the sake of protecting Zhao Xiongge.

More precisely, Wu Chang did not want the secret between himself and Zhao Xiongge to reveal any clues that others could easily notice.

After learning all this, Niu Youdao sighed. "I truly never expected it. You've actually spent all these years silently standing against Wu Chang, one of the Nine Saints. It seems this trip really was worth making."

Zhao Xiongge said, "What qualifications do I have to stand against him? I've merely endured and resisted as best I can."

"I'm telling you these things because I want you to understand what kind of man Wu Chang is."

"At worst, I die. He can forget about obtaining anything from me."

"But you're different. Watch yourself."

Niu Youdao smiled faintly. "You stand in the light while he hides in the dark, so your hands are tied."

"I'm different."

"Now he stands in the light, while I am in the dark."

"Since Chuan Ying has already been exposed, who will ultimately bring down whom is not yet decided."

Zhao Xiongge warned him, "Don't act recklessly."

Niu Youdao said, "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing now."

"Leave this matter to me."

"You can keep holding out. You're used to it by now anyway."

"One thing is certain: I have no intention of swallowing Wu Chang's tricks."

"I've been worrying that I couldn't find a point from which to make my move. Now one has finally appeared."

Zhao Xiongge said, "Neither you nor Wu Chang is any kind of good man. If two dogs want to bite each other, I'm not worried about you."

"I only want you to remember the promise you made me back then."

"Shangqing Sect!"

[End of Chapter 1244]