Chapter 1254: Would You Dare Go to Your Death with This Niu?

"I still have matters to handle, so I'll go on ahead."

Niu Youdao bowed slightly to Jia Wuqun, then cupped his hands toward Yuan Cong.

"I'll have to trouble Mr. Yuan to take care along the way."

Yuan Cong gave a slight nod. "Mm."

Jia Wuqun cupped his hands and bowed deeply in farewell.

Only after watching Niu Youdao's figure disappear did he slowly straighten.

Inside, he murmured to himself:

The Prince... Wang Xiao...

A faint smile suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The three did not remain there long.

Soon afterward, they too left the area.

...

"Chief Steward Tao, please. Young Master is in the pavilion."

At the Shao Residence in the Jin capital, Shao Sansheng respectfully led Tao Lue, Chief Steward of the Inner Palace, through the grounds.

Following Shao Sansheng's gesture, Tao Lue looked ahead.

Shao Pingbo stood inside an open pavilion beside a pond, dressed in white beneath a black cloak. Frost-white hair touched both temples as he leaned against the railing and gazed pensively toward the distant sky.

Tao Lue could not help smiling and echoed Shao Sansheng's form of address with a line of praise.

"A young master like jade!"

The compliment was not undeserved.

Shao Pingbo truly had the appearance to bear such praise.

He had handsome features, a tall and elegant figure, and undeniable bearing. The frost at his temples only gave him a different sort of masculine charm.

There was a quiet, composed dignity about him.

At a glance, anyone could tell he was no ordinary son of an ordinary household.

Such bearing was not something a common family could easily cultivate.

Tao Lue spoke the compliment also because he knew this man was soon to become the Seventh Princess's husband.

Shao Sansheng naturally loved hearing it.

He smiled and once again gestured for Tao Lue to continue.

Shao Pingbo had been thinking about many things.

Not court business.

His thoughts had drifted to his family.

To his deceased mother.

To his father far away in Beizhou.

And to his younger sister in Qi.

He was going to marry the Seventh Princess.

A woman whose reputation had been stained like hers.

He wondered what his family would think once word reached them.

His younger sister was a woman herself. Naturally, her perspective would be different. Perhaps she would not think too badly of it.

But his father?

He could almost imagine the man's feelings.

Shao Pingbo was now the Shao family's only surviving son.

In his father's eyes, this marriage might well mean he had failed the ancestors of the Shao clan.

"Eldest Young Master!"

Shao Sansheng's call pulled him from his thoughts.

Seeing Tao Lue arrive, Shao Pingbo quickly turned away from the railing and hurried out of the pavilion to greet him.

"Chief Steward Tao!"

"Lord Shao." Tao Lue returned the salute courteously.

Then he beckoned a young eunuch forward.

The eunuch carried a tray bearing a medicine bottle.

Tao Lue took it and presented it.

"Lord Shao has been unwell. His Majesty sent this old servant to deliver some fine spirit pills and medicines."

That was only the excuse.

The real reason was that Taishu Xiong had noticed Shao Pingbo still showed no intention of leaving the capital and returning to the front.

So he had sent Tao Lue to probe the situation.

"Many thanks to His Majesty!"

Shao Pingbo turned toward the direction of the palace and saluted before accepting the bottle with both hands.

Then he passed it to Shao Sansheng for safekeeping.

Tao Lue smiled. "Every other time this old servant came, Lord Shao was always busy. This is the first time I've seen you so at leisure."

Shao Pingbo gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

Tao Lue glanced around. "I've been here several times, yet I've never properly looked around the Shao Residence."

A man like Tao Lue was hardly someone who wandered aimlessly out of idle curiosity.

Shao Pingbo understood at once that there were things he wanted to say.

He immediately extended a hand.

"If Chief Steward has the leisure, this Shao will accompany you for a walk."

"Good!" Tao Lue agreed cheerfully.

He gestured as well, and the two began strolling side by side.

They had not gone far when Tao Lue suddenly asked, "How are Lord Shao's injuries?"

Shao Pingbo said, "Thank you for your concern. They are no longer serious."

Tao Lue said, "Lord Shao is, after all, an official of the imperial court. Lord Zhao went somewhat too far."

"But rest assured. Blackwater Terrace is not merely ornamental."

"We'll show the Zhao Residence a little color."

"I've already ordered the boys to keep an eye on its people and prepare some trouble for the Zhao household. We will certainly help Lord Shao vent at least a little of this anger."

Shao Pingbo said, "The matter is already past. There is no need."

"Eh!" Tao Lue waved a hand. "There is. There is."

Since Tao Lue insisted, Shao Pingbo said no more.

He understood perfectly well that if Tao Lue truly meant to pursue the matter, it was probably also Taishu Xiong's intention.

A flower branch extended across the narrow path ahead.

Shao Pingbo raised a hand and brushed it aside, clearing the way for Tao Lue.

Once they reached a broader section of path, Tao Lue asked, "The war at the front remains deadlocked. When does Lord Shao plan to return?"

Shao Pingbo said, "With my health in its present state, I fear I cannot withstand the journey for some time."

"My energy is also insufficient."

"I may need to recuperate quietly for a while."

"Yes, yes. Health is important." Tao Lue chuckled.

Shao Pingbo added, "Marrying the Princess cannot be treated carelessly either. Proper preparations must be made."

"Everything else will have to wait until after the wedding."

Tao Lue smiled and nodded. "Good, good, good."

There was nothing objectionable he could say to that.

After strolling casually around the Shao Residence for a while, Tao Lue took his leave.

Once the guest had gone and the surroundings had quieted again, Shao Sansheng asked, "Should this old servant begin preparing for Eldest Young Master's departure to the front after the wedding?"

He had heard the conversation earlier.

Shao Pingbo said, "The front? I'm not going."

"I'll stay in the capital and peacefully be my imperial son-in-law."

"Ah!" Shao Sansheng stared in astonishment. "But Young Master's aspirations soar like a great swan. How could you be someone content to curl up in a little nest and enjoy comfort?"

"You'll understand later."

Shao Pingbo gave only that answer as he walked.

There were people around them.

He had no intention of saying more.

Some matters were clearest in his own heart.

The situation had changed.

Someone had fixed their attention on him.

He did not know when danger might descend.

Meanwhile, the shopkeeper behind him had withdrawn again.

Without the help of the Misty Pavilion's hidden power, Shao Pingbo possessed no force truly his own.

There were many things he could not conveniently use Blackwater Terrace to do.

As for the battlefield, Jin's grand strategy had already been established.

The Jin army was steadily accumulating an overwhelming advantage.

Barring some accident, Qi and Wei would not be able to hold out much longer.

Against absolute strength, defeat was only a matter of time.

Previously, Shao Pingbo had been eager for a rapid victory because he wanted to secure the authority he desired as quickly as possible.

But now he had set himself against the entire court.

Every official was an enemy.

Only after those men taught him a lesson had he fully understood how vast their collective power was.

When they joined hands, even the Emperor had to yield three parts.

In his present position, Shao Pingbo simply could not withstand them.

If he continued colliding head-on, even if he did not lose outright, both sides would suffer.

And who knew how long that struggle would drag on?

He charged forward at the front while people behind him stabbed knives into his back.

One blade after another.

Each cut went straight to the heart.

He had already paid a bitter price.

A powerful enemy before him.

A powerful enemy behind him.

Hidden enemies everywhere!

After lying low for so long, he had emerged again full of ambition.

Who could have imagined he would instead fall into a position where enemies surrounded him on all sides?

It was already extremely dangerous.

At any moment, he might lose the entire game.

Even Shao Pingbo himself did not understand at first how matters had come to this.

This was not the situation he wanted.

But he was a man skilled at thinking and questioning himself.

After reconsidering the board as a whole, he could only conclude that his strategy had been wrong.

It had to change.

To resist enemies without, one must first pacify within.

What he needed to do now was stabilize his rear.

First dissolve the hostility of the entire court.

Let those men lower their guard and stop targeting him.

For that purpose, he made a major strategic shift.

He decided to abandon, for now, the authority he had been fighting to seize and devote himself to being the imperial son-in-law.

Of course, that did not mean he had truly given up.

The resistance in his current path was simply too great.

He had no choice but to go around it.

He was waiting for another opportunity.

And he believed that opportunity would arrive soon.

He stood alone and weak before forces far larger than himself.

Charging them head-on had already cost him dearly.

So he adjusted rapidly.

He would use softer methods, quietly and imperceptibly, "moistening things without a sound," turning his enemies throughout the court into friends.

Then, when he moved again, perhaps half the effort would yield twice the result.

The Misty Pavilion's hidden force had failed once.

That failure frightened the hidden force itself into withdrawing, afraid of being exposed.

It also alarmed the other side into searching for whoever stood behind Shao Pingbo.

In short, because the Misty Pavilion had entered the game, Shao Pingbo and Niu Youdao reacted almost identically.

Both responded with extraordinary speed.

Both independently made major strategic adjustments.

Those two adjustments would alter the fates of many people.

And Shao Pingbo suddenly became idle.

At least in the eyes of outsiders, he began to present the image of a man who no longer wished to contend with the world.

Only the Jin Emperor, Taishu Xiong, found the change rather depressing.

This was not the Shao Pingbo he had wanted.

What use was there in recruiting a man who sought no contention with the world?

...

A guest arrived at Myriad Beasts Sect.

The visitor was Gong Lince, Sect Leader of Zijin Cave.

Xi Haitang, Sect Leader of Myriad Beasts Sect, naturally came out personally to receive him.

Once they were seated with tea and had exchanged a few polite words, Xi Haitang smiled and asked, "Brother Gong, what instructions bring you here so suddenly?"

"Instructions would be too much." Gong Lince waved a hand.

Then he glanced around and gestured.

The people who had accompanied him withdrew, leaving only one man standing behind him.

Even the Zijin Cave disciples who departed did not know who that man was.

They had only encountered him along the way, and the Sect Leader had said he was a friend.

Seeing that there was apparently something private to discuss, Xi Haitang smiled faintly and raised a hand as well.

The Myriad Beasts Sect disciples withdrew.

Gong Lince looked around once more, then suddenly lowered his voice.

"Brother Xi, let's find a private chamber."

Xi Haitang laughed. "What affair is so mysterious?"

But he knew Gong Lince had to have a reason for acting this cautiously.

He rose.

"Come with me."

He led the two men to the private cultivation chamber he used himself.

Yet seeing the unknown man still following Gong Lince, and noticing that the man's true appearance was concealed, Xi Haitang showed a hint of obstruction before they entered.

"And this gentleman is...?"

Gong Lince said, "There will be only the two of us inside the very heart of Brother Xi's heavily guarded territory. Are you still worried something might happen?"

"No need for concern."

"I guarantee you won't regret letting him in."

Xi Haitang gave a thoughtful "Oh."

Reluctantly, he allowed the man to enter.

Once inside, the stone door closed.

Xi Haitang was plainly still wary of the stranger.

The unidentified man, however, was direct.

Now that no outsiders remained, he raised a hand and tore away his false face, revealing his true appearance.

"You..." Xi Haitang sucked in a sharp breath.

The sight shocked him badly.

He pointed at the man, disbelief covering his face.

The visitor was Niu Youdao.

Gong Lince smiled. "Brother Xi, an Elder of our sect. Surely you're not unfamiliar with him."

Xi Haitang stared. "Niu Youdao? Weren't you already in the Sacred Realm..."

"Shh."

Niu Youdao placed a finger before his lips, signaling him to lower his voice.

Then he reached into his sleeve, produced a stone sphere, and crushed it on the spot.

A heart-shaped object glowing with red light appeared in his hand.

He tossed it toward Xi Haitang.

Xi Haitang did not dare catch it directly.

He used spiritual power to halt it in midair before him and examined it suspiciously.

"What is this?"

Niu Youdao enunciated each word clearly.

"A Wuliang Fruit!"

"Ah!"

Xi Haitang nearly jumped in fright.

He drew the object closer with spiritual power and inspected it.

Only after confirming there was nothing wrong did he reach out and take it.

He turned it over repeatedly in both hands.

The longer he looked, the more excited he became.

Then he looked at Niu Youdao again.

This man should have died in the Sacred Realm, yet was standing here alive.

Xi Haitang could roughly guess where the fruit had come from.

Holding it in both hands like a priceless treasure, unwilling to loosen his grip, he stepped closer and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"You stole this from the Sacred Realm?"

Niu Youdao said, "Sect Leader Xi is asking what he already knows."

"If I'd asked for one, would they have given it to me?"

"Naturally, I could only steal it."

Xi Haitang said, "Weren't you dead?"

Niu Youdao replied, "After getting my hands on something like this, how could I possibly survive unless I died?"

Xi Haitang stared at the fruit in his hands, eyes shining.

"Niu Youdao, Niu Youdao... you truly are tired of living. You even dared touch something like this."

Niu Youdao said, "If Sect Leader accepts that fruit, you'll be courting death too."

"I ask only one question."

"Would you dare go to your death with this Niu?"

[End of Chapter 1254]