Chapter 1259: Wuliang Fruits, All Distributed!

Shan Hailong froze. The other man had struck the truth. When he abandoned Black Peony and married Jin Jue's daughter, he had naturally presented himself to Jin Feng as the wronged party.

But how could he possibly admit that now? He smiled bitterly. "My wife knows a little about the matter. I never intended to speak much of it with her."

Niu Youdao stared at him.

Whether what this man said was true or false, Niu Youdao had his own judgment.

He knew perfectly well whether Black Peony had been wanton by nature.

She had not.

At most, she had possessed the ordinary needs of a woman.

It was true that she had once been willing to undress before him, but that had nothing to do with promiscuity. She had simply wanted to find another man after years of drifting, or perhaps, having finally reached shore after wandering without rest, she had wanted Niu Youdao to become someone she could rely upon.

Duan Hu and the others all knew exactly what had happened with Chao Jing.

His wife had been humiliated, yet Shan Hailong had not dared seek revenge against Chao Jing—or rather, he had never possessed the ability to do so. Instead, the incident became Shan Hailong's excuse for casting Black Peony aside.

He claimed he could not accept what had happened.

Black Peony's chastity had been stained through no fault of her own, yet she had nothing she could say against him and could only accept the result.

Whether it was Shan Hailong or Chao Jing, Black Peony had never even wanted to mention their names.

There was no possibility she would later have gone back to this man to demand money.

Under Niu Youdao's steady gaze, Shan Hailong grew uncomfortable from head to toe.

The fist Niu Youdao had clenched behind his back gradually loosened.

Suddenly, he raised one hand and patted Shan Hailong on the shoulder.

"Forget it. It's all in the past. Live your life well."

Shan Hailong visibly relaxed. He forced a smile and deliberately adopted an easy tone. "Yes. It's all in the past. I don't wish to speak of it much either."

"Go back."

Niu Youdao turned and walked away.

He had originally intended to avenge Black Peony.

He had originally intended to settle accounts with this man.

But after meeting him in person, the whole thing suddenly felt tasteless.

This man might be a cultivator, but he was ordinary to the point of banality.

He had neither the blood to gamble his life nor the ability or ambition to strive upward through his own strength.

There was nothing frightening about him at all.

He survived timidly by slandering a woman.

Niu Youdao had not merely said he would forget it.

He truly let Shan Hailong go.

Because he suddenly felt that killing a man like this would be almost laughable.

The fellow did not even possess the qualifications to anger Niu Youdao enough to make him kill.

To kill a man like this would almost be an insult to Black Peony.

Now Niu Youdao vaguely understood something else.

Back when Black Peony and Shan Hailong were still husband and wife, and Shan Hailong found a better place to go, why had Duan Hu and the others refused to follow him and instead accepted a woman like Black Peony as their leader?

He could even imagine that, back when they were all one group, if Black Peony had not been there, Duan Hu and the others might never have associated with Shan Hailong at all.

Black Peony had not possessed any great ability either.

She had been ordinary too.

Yet years ago in Star-Plucking City, while so many independent cultivators loitered outside the inns searching for opportunity, Black Peony, equally desperate for an opening and short on money besides, had dared spend the money to stay inside the inn, find Niu Youdao, and plead with him.

When Niu Youdao made an unreasonable demand, she had dared overrule the objections of her companions and throw down a large sum to satisfy him.

For their little group at the time, that money truly had been a considerable fortune.

Had most other independent cultivators been asked to pay that amount when they had no clear idea what they were buying, many would probably have decided they were being cheated.

At least Duan Hu and the others had opposed it at the time.

Like most independent cultivators, they had believed it might be the wrong choice.

Later, while escaping from Qi, Black Peony had ignored Niu Youdao's instructions and made another wrong choice.

She had willingly placed herself in danger, hoping to lure the pursuers away from him.

In the end, it cost her life.

One could even say she had brought about her own death.

Looking at the different choices once made by a husband and wife, Niu Youdao could no longer say who had been right and who had been wrong.

Shan Hailong had probably relied on Black Peony to establish himself within their old group.

After leaving that group, he relied on Jin Jue's daughter.

Through her, he relied on Jin Jue.

And now, perhaps, he was preparing to rely on his own daughter as well.

But at least Shan Hailong was still alive and well.

Black Peony was dead.

Between the choices husband and wife had made, who had been right and who had been wrong?

At the very least, Niu Youdao now understood one thing.

Black Peony had been right not to mention this man's name.

Not because she hated him.

Because he was not worth mentioning.

When Shan Hailong returned to the others, Niu Youdao's interruption had already drained away his desire to continue ingratiating himself.

Just as he was about to leave, a disciple hurried to the foot of the steps.

"Mr. Shan, the Supreme Elder asks you to go see him."

Shan Hailong paused, then nodded. "All right."

He temporarily parted from his wife and daughter and climbed the steps again.

When he entered the main hall, Wen Hua stood quietly inside.

Shan Hailong stepped forward and saluted.

Wen Hua lifted one hand slightly to spare him the formalities and asked directly, "I heard Mr. Wu invited you to serve as his guide for a while?"

"Yes."

"What did he say to you?"

Shan Hailong had no wish to mention that his former wife had come up. "Nothing much. He only asked me to introduce some of the scenery."

Wen Hua studied him. "You didn't say anything that angered him, did you?"

Shan Hailong hurriedly replied, "How would I dare? He is the Supreme Elder's honored guest. I would never behave rudely."

Wen Hua nodded slightly. "Good. Best that you didn't. Don't bring trouble onto yourself. Understand?"

"Yes!" Shan Hailong answered, then ventured, "Supreme Elder, may I ask who exactly this Mr. Wu is?"

How could Wen Hua possibly reveal Niu Youdao's identity?

He frowned. "If he did not wish to tell you, then don't ask."

"For Xian'er's sake, this old man will remind you of one thing. Remember it well: that man is absolutely someone you cannot afford to offend. If you meet him again, avoid him whenever possible."

"You do not possess that kind of strength."

"You think that because Xi Haitang exchanged a few words with you, Myriad Beasts Sect will suddenly take you seriously?"

"If they truly did start taking you seriously, that would be when your trouble began."

"Remember this. Stop pushing yourself forward every time you see someone important."

"The waters of the cultivation world run deep. You don't have the ability to wade into them, much less understand them. Take one wrong step and you'll drown!"

Even this man was warning him like this.

Shan Hailong suddenly remembered what Niu Youdao had said:

Do you believe that even if I acted against you here, Wen Hua would not say much?

A chill went through his heart.

He bowed. "Thank you for the Supreme Elder's warning. I understand."

Wen Hua said, "If there is nothing important, don't leave the sect grounds."

"Keeping yourself out of trouble means keeping Xian'er out of trouble as well. Remember that."

He still worried Niu Youdao might move against Shan Hailong.

If something truly happened to this man, his precious disciple would certainly refuse to let it go. How could Wen Hua stop his disciple from avenging her father's death?

But if he did not stop her, how could she possibly be Niu Youdao's match?

So long as Shan Hailong stayed obediently inside Tianxing Sect, he would at least be relatively safe.

"Yes!"

Wen Hua waved a hand, dismissing him.

...

Several days later, somewhere within the State of Qi, Niu Youdao, Wen Hua, and Yan Zhutian, Sect Leader of Ling Sect, sat together at a table aboard a boat drifting along a river.

Yan Zhutian reached into his sleeve and took out a small, narrow box of fragrant wood. He pushed it toward Niu Youdao.

One glance at the size of the box was enough to make Niu Youdao dissatisfied.

He picked it up and slid open the lid.

Only three wax pellets lay inside.

He immediately clicked his tongue. "Sect Leader Yan truly is generous. Only three?"

He had asked Yan Zhutian for Heavenly Succor Pills.

Yan Zhutian had agreed readily enough and handed them over without fuss, but the quantity was far too small.

Yan Zhutian said, "Who carries a pile of these things around for no reason? They're inconvenient to keep on one's person. I only had three with me. Contact me later and I'll give you more."

Niu Youdao said, "One hundred."

Yan Zhutian shook his head. "It's not that I refuse to give them to you. But if too many disappear at once, it will easily draw suspicion. Fifty. That amount will be easier for me to arrange."

"Fine. I won't make things difficult for you." Niu Youdao looked thoroughly resigned.

"Hmph!" Wen Hua, sitting beside them, shot him a sidelong glance and gave a cold laugh.

Previously, Niu Youdao had asked Wen Hua for thirty Heavenly Sword Talismans.

And after obtaining them, he had apparently realized something.

Before leaving Tianxing Sect, he had pestered Xi Haitang for one hundred million gold coins as well.

Naturally, Xi Haitang refused.

Gold coins were hardly blank paper one could hand over on demand.

But Niu Youdao had his own argument.

At present, he could not openly step forward to make money.

Yucang's side had also suffered disaster, so collecting more money from the liquor formula was no longer convenient.

What was he supposed to do?

There really were expenses he had to cover.

And once his existence was exposed, Xi Haitang would be implicated as well.

Myriad Beasts Sect held a monopoly business serving cultivators beneath Heaven and truly was wealthy.

In the end, Xi Haitang took out the ten million gold notes he happened to have on him. He had not carried one hundred million in cash, so the rest would be supplied later through other arrangements.

After putting away the wooden box, Niu Youdao added, "Right. I also need a batch of Spirit Essence Pills."

Yan Zhutian asked, "How many?"

"Enough for four or five people to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm."

Yan Zhutian frowned. "That will be difficult."

"It isn't that I cannot produce them. The Misty Pavilion watches the supply too closely."

"Spirit Seeds gathered from the Tiandu Secret Realm are a necessary ingredient in refining Spirit Essence Pills. The amount supplied is controlled by the Misty Pavilion."

"Beyond what must be handed over to the Misty Pavilion, the quantity released into the cultivation world is fixed."

"If I suddenly took out enough for several people at once, it would certainly arouse suspicion."

"Unless I supplied them gradually."

Niu Youdao silently calculated.

Whether Ao Feng could escape remained uncertain.

There was no hurry regarding the Sacred Realm side.

Zhao Xiongge did not yet know when he would use his Wuliang Fruit.

Niu Youdao himself and Guan Fangyi had not yet reached the point where they could break through.

As for the other recipients, each had a powerful sect to conceal what they were doing and did not need Niu Youdao to arrange the resources personally.

After thinking it through, he nodded slightly. "Fine. Supply them gradually."

Once the remaining details had been settled, the three men parted ways.

Niu Youdao slipped into a stretch of mountains and met Yun Ji, who had been waiting there.

He called, "Come. Back to Nanzhou!"

The two mounted a flying mount and soared into the sky.

By this point, almost all the Wuliang Fruits in Niu Youdao's hands had been distributed.

Yin Ji, the former Chief of the Demon Fox clan, had used one.

He had also gifted one to the Demon Fox clan.

One had been reserved for Sha Rulai, and another for Ao Feng.

Guan Fangyi, Gong Lince, Zhong Guzi, Zhao Xiongge, Xi Haitang, Wen Hua, and Yan Zhutian had each received one.

The final fruit was naturally reserved for Niu Youdao himself.

No one else around him received one.

Giving Yuan Gang one would have been useless; otherwise, Niu Youdao certainly would have given him one.

There were simply too few fruits available.

He could only choose carefully where to place them.

At present, only the fruit reserved for Ao Feng remained uncertain.

No one knew whether Ao Feng would ultimately be able to escape.

If he could not, then that fruit would have to be reassigned.

...

After flying across countless mountains and rivers, Niu Youdao finally returned to the prefectural capital of Nanzhou.

Having gone many days without seeing him, Guan Fangyi learned that Niu Youdao had returned and immediately lost all interest in staying shut inside her cultivation chamber.

Her restless nature could no longer be suppressed.

She came straight out.

"Oh? So where did you run off to carouse this time? Had your fun and finally decided to come back..."

The moment she saw him, the barbed remarks began pouring out.

Clearly, she was still displeased that Niu Youdao had gone off without taking her along.

Niu Youdao reached into his sleeve, felt around, then casually dumped a pile of objects onto the table.

"Will these shut you up?"

[End of Chapter 1259]