Chapter 1342: Kindred in Stench

Shao Pingbo stared at the scenery reflected in the pond and shot a cold sidelong glance at them. "Courage has nothing to do with it. I was forced here by you."

Jia Wuqun wrote on Yuan Cong's back.

Yuan Cong relayed his words. "If my lord truly did not want to come, none of those matters would have been enough to kill you. I could not have forced you."

Shao Pingbo studied Yuan Cong, who was speaking in Jia Wuqun's place, for a moment longer. "You didn't lure me here to kill me?"

"Lord Shao came bearing the title of an envoy of Jin. How would I dare murder an envoy without cause?"

"Since I'm already here, can you tell me why you tried to harm me before?"

"I harmed you deliberately. It was a test. If my lord couldn't survive such a minor calamity, then dead was dead. How would you have been qualified to stand here, much less discuss all beneath Heaven with me?"

Shao Pingbo's eyes flickered. He understood the meaning and raised a brow slightly. "Discuss all beneath Heaven?"

Jia Wuqun nodded.

Yuan Cong continued for him. "Ever since my lord was in Beizhou, Jia has paid attention to you. With ambitions such as yours, are you truly willing to spend your life as nothing more than a schoolteacher?"

Shao Pingbo neither confirmed nor denied it. His voice was cool and detached. "What is there to discuss?"

Jia Wuqun wrote another line.

"Until the Nine Saints fall, all beneath Heaven will know no peace!"

The words were like a stone splitting the sky.

Shao Pingbo was visibly shaken. He turned sharply to face Jia Wuqun and looked him up and down.

"What are you trying to do?"

Jia Wuqun remained completely composed.

"Among the true heroes beneath Heaven, there are only my lord and Jia. If you and I join hands, there is much we can accomplish!"

Shao Pingbo's heart jumped violently, though he showed little of it. "You're merely an ordinary mortal, yet you dare contend with the Nine Saints? As far as I know, Mr. Jia has never possessed much ambition. Why have such grand aspirations suddenly appeared?"

Jia Wuqun opened his mouth and pointed at the place where his tongue should have been.

Then he resumed writing on Yuan Cong's back.

"If I do not avenge this, I swear I am no man! My lord stands alone, isolated and without support. Jia is willing to lend you strength."

The vengeance of a severed tongue.

Shao Pingbo's gaze flickered again. He seemed to understand.

"How do you intend to help me?"

"If my lord wishes one day to take Song, Jia is willing to lend a hand."

On that point, Shao Pingbo did not doubt Jia Wuqun's ability. The offer moved him somewhat.

Still, he sneered. "And with just you, you think you can contend with the Nine Saints?"

"If we never put forth our full strength and try, how will we know it cannot be done? If you and I join hands, great affairs may be expected."

Shao Pingbo probed, "What do you want me to do?"

"I want to know who the person behind my lord is. The one from Misty Pavilion."

Shao Pingbo's heart tightened. "There is no one from Misty Pavilion. Mr. Jia is imagining things."

"If my lord behaves like this, there is little point in continuing. Do you truly want me to make public what I wrote in that letter?"

Shao Pingbo's expression chilled. "You're threatening me?"

"This is not a threat. I have no interest in all beneath Heaven. I only want to bring down the Nine Saints. The person behind my lord must hold no low position in Misty Pavilion. I need to use him to find someone."

Shao Pingbo frowned. "Find whom?"

"Zhuge Chi, former Chief Steward of the Inner Palace of Zhao. He is a Nascent Soul cultivator. The Nine Saints have already woven their net, and he could be captured at any time. I need to extricate Zhuge Chi."

"A Nascent Soul cultivator?" Shao Pingbo was startled. He had heard nothing of this. He studied Jia Wuqun again. "How do you know?"

"My operations within the cultivation world run far deeper than you imagine."

Yuan Cong, who was speaking on Jia Wuqun's behalf, felt speechless inside.

His eyes drifted briefly toward a pavilion not far away.

Someone stood there.

It was none other than Niu Youdao.

Disguised behind a false face, Niu Youdao stood atop the pavilion watching the two men speaking beside the pond.

Yun Ji, also disguised and dressed as a man, came up onto the pavilion and stopped beside him at the railing. Following his gaze, she looked toward the pond and asked calmly, "Will Shao Pingbo agree?"

Niu Youdao said, "The strength Jia Wuqun has displayed is exactly what Shao Pingbo needs. It can guarantee his safety, let him manage his own affairs with peace of mind, solve his worries, and even bring the person behind him under control. With so many benefits, why wouldn't he agree? The two are kindred in stench. Great affairs may indeed be possible. They should hit it off immediately."

Yun Ji asked, "Can he trust Jia Wuqun?"

"Whether he trusts him doesn't matter. Don't expect a man like that to trust anyone easily. He only needs to feel secure.

"So long as Jia Wuqun becomes involved in the matter, Shao Pingbo will believe he also holds something over Jia Wuqun, that Jia Wuqun won't dare do anything to him, and that he can make use of Jia Wuqun in return. Then he'll do it.

"Don't forget Jia Wuqun has also killed people from Misty Pavilion. And in fact, that's exactly how things stand. Jia Wuqun does not dare betray him."

Yun Ji gave a cold laugh. "One of them has secretly done things he cannot let see daylight with a traitor inside Misty Pavilion. The other killed Misty Pavilion's people and likewise can't let it see daylight. They really are kindred in stench."

She turned and looked at him. "Haven't you always been wary of Shao Pingbo? You still dare put this kind of leverage in his hands?"

Niu Youdao said, "Once he learns I'm still alive, do you think I'll care about this leverage anymore?

"My arrangements in the mortal world are already complete. Do you think he still qualifies to be my opponent?

"I need him now, so I'll use him. That's all.

"He doesn't have the qualifications to leave the board. If he jumps off it, he's out of the game."

The banquet at the Zi Residence was lavish.

After host and guests had enjoyed themselves, Shao Pingbo took his wife and departed.

On the way back to Jin's diplomatic residence, Taishu Huan'er noticed that her husband's expression inside the swaying carriage was unusually grave.

She tried asking, "What's wrong?"

Shao Pingbo took her soft hand in his and shook his head. "Nothing."

Deep within the inner residence of the Zi household, Jia Wuqun returned after seeing off the guests and came to Niu Youdao, who was idly playing with Jia Wuqun's writing board.

Jia Wuqun wrote on Yuan Cong's back.

But Yuan Cong did not speak immediately.

Instead, he gave a small cough.

Niu Youdao, who had been sitting, looked up.

Seeing who it was, he suddenly looked slightly guilty and hurried to his feet.

Both Yun Ji and Jia Wuqun showed traces of surprise.

They had both noticed the abnormality.

Only then did Yuan Cong relay Jia Wuqun's words. "Fortunately, I did not fail the mission. He has agreed to join hands with me."

Niu Youdao smiled. "A trifling matter. Naturally, Mr. Jia could handle it. The outcome was within expectations.

"There are too many eyes and ears here, so it isn't convenient for me to remain long. I'll take my leave and await Mr. Jia's good news."

He cupped his hands in farewell, placing particular emphasis on the gesture toward Yuan Cong.

Then he waved to indicate there was no need to see him off.

With that, he turned and left with Yun Ji.

When they passed Wei Duo, Niu Youdao merely looked at him twice. From beginning to end, he had not spoken a single word to Wei Duo during this visit.

Jia Wuqun watched them leave, complexity in his eyes.

Some of what he had said had not merely been meant for Shao Pingbo.

The task he had just asked Shao Pingbo to perform made Jia Wuqun feel more clearly than ever that Nanzhou truly had already begun crossing hands with the Sacred Realm.

A mere Nanzhou possessed strength and methods like this.

He found it almost impossible to believe.

...

Niu Youdao returned to Nanzhou.

Shao Pingbo, however, did not hurry to leave. He remained in the Song capital for several days and personally visited the learned scholar Fang Changqu several times.

Fang Changqu refused to leave with him.

He said Shao Pingbo had killed his elder brother and murdered his mother, making him a man without virtue. Fang Changqu was unwilling to follow such a man.

Shao Pingbo no longer cared about those accusations.

In the end, Jia Wuqun still helped.

How could a learned scholar such as Fang Changqu resist the power of Song's Chancellor?

For all his learning, Fang Changqu was not some true sage completely free of private desires. He had a family to support.

In the end, he had no choice but to yield.

...

After returning to the Jin capital, Shao Pingbo went home, bathed, changed clothes, and washed away the dust of travel.

Then he shut himself inside his study.

Standing before a map, he stared at the location of the Boundless Desert and estimated something for a while.

Then he pulled a cord on the wall.

A bell rang outside the study.

Before long, Shao Sansheng strode in. "What are your orders, Eldest Young Master?"

"Send word to the Shopkeeper. Tell him that three days from now, in the afternoon, I'll meet him on the island at the center of Wolf Lake, twenty li south of the city. If he doesn't come, he'll regret it."

Shao Sansheng hesitated briefly.

Seeing that Shao Pingbo had already made up his mind, he ultimately accepted the order.

"Yes."

As agreed, three days later, under the blazing midday sun, a disguised Shao Pingbo appeared on the shore of Wolf Lake, twenty li south of the city.

He had brought no unnecessary attendants.

Only one guard accompanied him.

At the lakeshore, he found an old fisherman, tossed him money, and boarded the boat alone, leaving the guard behind on shore.

The small skiff rocked gently across the water until it reached the island in the lake's center.

After disembarking, Shao Pingbo walked slowly along a forest path with his hands behind his back.

The surroundings were quiet and secluded.

Several simple pavilions stood on the island. It had originally been one of the places where wealthy households came for leisure. Since the war began, however, people had consciously restrained such entertainments, leaving the island unusually peaceful.

Shao Pingbo entered one of the pavilions, brushed the dust from a bench, and slowly sat.

He also removed the false face he had been wearing.

While he waited quietly for the person who had been summoned to the meeting, the old fisherman who had ferried him over suddenly appeared again.

Carrying a bamboo pole over one shoulder, the man walked directly into the pavilion and placed a gourd on the stone table.

Shao Pingbo narrowed his eyes at him.

The fisherman explained, "I saw that Sir came alone and wasn't carrying anything with you. I was afraid you might grow thirsty, so I brought some water for you."

Shao Pingbo's gaze fell on the false face he had removed.

Then he suddenly laughed and shook his head slightly. "Every time the Shopkeeper appears, he comes and goes like a ghost. I never expected to trouble you to personally ferry me across the lake."

The fisherman raised his face.

His eyes were cold.

At last he spoke in his former voice. "I think you've grown tired of living!"

Shao Pingbo remained calm. "Does the Shopkeeper intend to kill me? Don't forget. The moment I die, your secret will no longer remain secret."

"Is that so?"

The fisherman sneered and struck without warning.

In an instant, one hand locked around Shao Pingbo's throat.

The other produced a red pill.

"You ungrateful thing. Swallow this. Once you've tasted what it does, you'll naturally become obedient!"

With his throat clenched and his body almost lifted from the ground, Shao Pingbo involuntarily opened his mouth.

The false face in his hand slipped free and fell to the floor.

The fisherman's eyes suddenly flashed.

He whipped his head around.

A hand had already settled on his shoulder.

It made his entire body unable to exert strength.

A low shout came from behind him.

"Let go!"

The arm on his shoulder shook.

A tremendous force poured straight through his body and into his fingers.

His grip opened involuntarily, releasing Shao Pingbo.

"Cough... cough..."

Shao Pingbo clutched his throat and coughed repeatedly.

Bang!

In the next instant, the fisherman was swept away by a palm strike.

Crack!

He smashed through a tree hard enough to break it and crashed to the ground.

He immediately rolled over and sprang back to his feet.

When he looked up again, he discovered that the man who had injured him so easily was none other than the guard who had escorted Shao Pingbo to the lakeshore.

Shock and suspicion filled his eyes.

He had no idea who the other man was.

But one thing was obvious.

This guard's strength was far beyond his own.

The fisherman reacted without hesitation.

He flashed away, trying to escape.

Whoosh!

The guard shot after him instantly and appeared beside him in the blink of an eye.

The fisherman's face changed in horror.

Bang!

Another palm struck his chest.

He spat blood and flew backward, crashing to the ground and rolling several times as he coughed up blood without stopping.

Inside the pavilion, Shao Pingbo had already recovered his breath.

He stood quietly, watching everything unfold.

[End of Chapter 1342]