Chapter 1364: Strike the Mountain to Frighten the Tiger

The reason they needed to prepare for an early withdrawal was to prevent anything from happening to Lan Ming.

At present, Lan Ming still could not be allowed to fall into the Nine Saints' hands.

With Zhuge Chi's strength, even if an accident occurred, Misty Pavilion could not hold him unless one of the Nine Saints personally arrived.

Messages took time to travel back and forth. The Nine Saints could not arrive that quickly. Besides, Yan Zhutian had been arranged as support.

Lan Ming, however, was easier to put in danger.

Once Lan Ming was captured, Shao Pingbo would be in trouble.

If Shao Pingbo went down, Jia Wuqun would be exposed.

Protected layer after layer, Niu Youdao himself would only be traced at the very end.

Of course, he could also silence Lan Ming permanently.

But he still did not know how many people on Lan Ming's side were aware of Lan Ming's connection with Shao Pingbo, so it would be unwise to act rashly.

What Niu Youdao wanted now was to force Lan Ming to flee.

Once Lan Ming fled, the situation on his side would become much clearer.

Anyone involved in the secret and aware of the truth would have to run as well.

Yun Ji gave a sound of acknowledgment, turned, and went to carry out the order.

Hai Wuji, who had overheard everything, watched her leave with flickering eyes.

Then he looked back at Niu Youdao opposite him.

Niu Youdao slowly placed a stone and asked, "If Your Majesty's son were to plot rebellion, would Your Majesty spare him?"

Hai Wuji fell silent for a moment.

At this point there was no need for false sentiment.

He placed a stone of his own. "Kill without mercy!"

Niu Youdao burst out laughing. "Exactly. Even Your Majesty understands something so simple, yet those people from the sects cower and hesitate. Truly laughable."

That was easy enough to say.

How could Baichuan Valley fail to understand the principle?

The problem was what would happen afterward if Baichuan Valley got Lan Daolin's son killed.

He was Lan Daolin's own flesh and blood.

If it had been merely a disciple, matters would have been easier.

But once blood ties were involved, Baichuan Valley could hardly avoid misgivings.

Hai Wuji had no idea what exactly was being arranged.

In the end, he could not resist testing, "What exactly is Sir having Zhuge do?"

Niu Youdao said, "Once Zhuge Chi returns, it's unlikely he'll hide it from Your Majesty."

The implication was obvious.

Ask Zhuge Chi yourself when he comes back.

Hearing that, Hai Wuji secretly relaxed.

If he would still be allowed to see Zhuge Chi afterward, then they probably did not intend to kill him.

He played another stone.

Unexpectedly, Niu Youdao followed with a question that made his heart jump. "Does Your Majesty think I should kill you?"

Hai Wuji's nerves tightened.

He studied the man opposite him, but Niu Youdao looked perfectly calm, revealing nothing.

Hai Wuji swallowed. "Sir holds the knife and chopping block; I am the fish and meat. What is there for Sir to feel uneasy about?"

He was reminding Niu Youdao that keeping him alive was precisely how Zhuge Chi was restrained.

Kill him, and Zhuge Chi might no longer be controllable.

Niu Youdao smiled. "Your Majesty is indeed a man who understands the situation. But you still make me uneasy."

Niu Youdao said, "Your Majesty wants to restore your state. I don't object. But one must distinguish whose world that restoration takes place in: the world of the Nine Saints, or the world of people like us."

Hai Wuji hurriedly said, "With matters already at this point, does Sir still not believe me? I have nowhere else to go. Naturally, I will follow Sir and the others to the death!"

Niu Youdao gently placed another stone. "I'm afraid that may not be so."

Hai Wuji said, "I harbor absolutely no divided loyalty!"

Niu Youdao said, "Under the Nine Saints, the Eight State-Protecting Divine Artifacts are the foundation of state legitimacy. Yet Your Majesty still clings tightly to the Stellar Command Token, what is also called the Shang Command Token. What exactly are you intending? If Zhuge Chi is someone who might betray me at any moment, what use is there in keeping him?"

Hai Wuji's heart lurched.

Now he understood.

He had wondered why a man like this would suddenly have the leisure to sit here and play Go with him.

So Niu Youdao had come for Zhao's State-Protecting Divine Artifact.

Handing over the Stellar Command Token was an extraordinarily difficult choice.

After hesitating again and again, Hai Wuji finally said, "Once Zhuge Chi returns safely, I am willing to present the Shang Command Token to Sir."

Niu Youdao pointed at the board, signaling for him to play. "What difference does it make whether Zhuge Chi returns or not? If he returns and I break my word, neither of you will survive anyway. I don't like bloodshed, but what I hate most is grass atop a wall, bending whichever way the wind blows. I don't like forcing people. A game of Go is itself a process of making choices. Once the game is finished, we'll see the result."

Hai Wuji stared down at the board.

He understood.

The other man was giving him only the length of this one game to decide.

His body stiffened.

Tap, tap.

Niu Youdao lightly tapped the table with one finger. "Your Majesty, it's your move."

Hai Wuji raised his eyes and looked at him.

With difficulty, he said, "I am willing to present the Shang Command Token to Sir!"

Niu Youdao smiled and lifted his chin. "No hurry. Finish the game first."

Hai Wuji picked up a stone and slowly placed it.

His mouth seemed filled with bitterness.

Never had he imagined that Zhao's State-Protecting Divine Artifact would leave his hands in such a relaxed setting.

The man opposite him had not moved from his seat or raised his voice. With a few mild words, he had taken away Hai Wuji's most precious treasure as lightly as if plucking a feather.

The bitterness in Hai Wuji's heart was beyond expression.

Yun Ji returned while the conversation was still going on and heard the latter part.

She muttered inwardly.

So that's why he suddenly had the leisure to come play Go with a deposed emperor.

He came to rob the man of his treasure.

And he even managed to rob him so politely.

At least his table manners are elegant.

When the game ended, Niu Youdao stood. "Your Majesty let me win. I'm tired. I'll go rest first."

As he turned away, he shot Yun Ji a look.

Hai Wuji truly had let him win.

Or perhaps Hai Wuji's thoughts had simply never been on the board.

He had lost miserably.

Hai Wuji rose and cupped his hands in farewell.

Afterward, under Yun Ji's questioning, he revealed the hidden location of the Stellar Command Token.

Less than half a day later, Yun Ji returned from outside and entered the room where Niu Youdao was temporarily staying.

She placed an ancient-looking command token in his hand.

Whether the object was genuinely old was something Niu Youdao could judge at a glance.

He listened to the sound of its material, then studied the patterns carved across its surface.

He had seen the shapes of the recesses on the golden pyramid before.

Whether the patterns would match was not something that could deceive his eye.

Turning the object over in his hands, Niu Youdao smiled. "It should be genuine."

Yun Ji said, "Why not simply force him to hand it over? Was all this polite effort really necessary?"

Niu Youdao shook his head. "If the methods were too harsh and made him feel unsafe, he might not have handed it over easily. And if we beat him half to death, how would we explain it to Zhuge Chi afterward? Better not create that kind of trouble. Zhuge Chi is still useful to us.

"Besides, I promised Zhuge Chi I wouldn't touch Hai Wuji. I ought to keep my word.

"Now we've obtained what we wanted and cut off Hai Wuji's thoughts of relying on the Nine Saints. We no longer need to worry about him coaxing Zhuge Chi into doing something either. At the same time, I've honored my promise to Zhuge Chi. Isn't it better when everyone resolves a troublesome matter pleasantly and in harmony? There is no need to make everything so blood-soaked."

The corner of Yun Ji's mouth twitched. "You really have far too many ghostly schemes in that head of yours."

She was not being coy.

She was thinking back over everything that had happened.

From the moment they realized Zhuge Chi was about to be found by Misty Pavilion, Niu Youdao had immediately reached toward Shao Pingbo and forced Lan Ming into the open.

Then he rescued Zhuge Chi.

Now he had deliberately exposed Zhuge Chi again.

And in front of her, almost effortlessly, he had just taken possession of the Stellar Command Token.

She still had no idea what else he intended to stir up afterward.

Even while staying beside Niu Youdao, Yun Ji still found many matters shrouded in mist, impossible to see through clearly.

All she knew was that everything seemed to be part of this man's calculations.

The chain of methods and the depth of his planning made her heart pound.

She suddenly felt fortunate that she had not continued opposing him back then.

Otherwise, she might never even have known how he played her to death.

"You've spent too long around Hongniang. You're starting to sound more and more like her," Niu Youdao said.

...

Inside a room, Yan Zhutian read the secret letter from Niu Youdao and fell into thought.

After destroying the letter, he summoned a disciple, secretly gave several instructions, then left.

...

Li Zhengfa was waiting anxiously in his room and had still not received Yin Rushu's reply.

He could not understand why the response was taking so long.

The delay tormented him.

What he did not know was that Yin Rushu was having an equally difficult time making a decision.

Before the reply arrived, however, another piece of news came instead.

A disciple knocked and entered. "Elder, Junior Brother Yan is missing."

"What?" Li Zhengfa was startled.

A sense that something had gone wrong immediately rose inside him.

He hurriedly asked, "How could he suddenly disappear?"

The so-called Junior Brother Yan was precisely the disciple who had observed that the person making contact was connected with Ban Hai, Chief Steward of Boundless Pavilion.

The disciple replied, "I don't know. No one has seen him for an entire day."

Just then, another man entered and presented a secret letter. "Elder, a secret letter from the Sect Leader!"

Li Zhengfa waved at the first disciple. "Then hurry and find him!"

Only after the disciple left to obey did Li Zhengfa accept the secret letter and read it.

The moment he finished, his teeth began to ache.

Yin Rushu had not scolded him much.

This was not the time for scolding.

The Sect Leader's decision was to conceal half and report half.

What did that mean?

The discovery of Zhuge Chi could be reported.

The fact that Zhuge Chi had dealings with Boundless Pavilion could also be reported.

But Lan Ming was not to be mentioned.

Let the Sacred Realm investigate on its own.

If they found Lan Ming themselves, so be it.

If they failed to find him, Baichuan Valley would pretend not to know.

Under no circumstances were they to reveal the secret.

Had this letter arrived earlier, Li Zhengfa might have considered it an unavoidable but workable solution.

Now, however, Junior Brother Yan's sudden disappearance had stretched every string in his heart taut.

Whether to follow Yin Rushu's plan could wait.

The immediate priority was finding the missing man.

Yet by dusk, there was still no trace of him.

His room was empty.

The disciples hidden outside the inn had not seen him leave either.

Li Zhengfa grew increasingly anxious.

How could a person simply disappear?

If he had encountered danger, surely there should have been some sound of fighting.

Worse still, that disciple knew the person who had dealt with Ban Hai might be Lan Ming.

Why had he vanished at precisely this moment?

There were only two possibilities.

Either he had quietly left on his own, or someone else now controlled his life.

Why would he leave secretly?

Under normal circumstances, there was no reason for him to disappear without saying a word.

That meant there had to be a problem.

Could he have been an agent planted by Misty Pavilion or some other faction?

If someone had secretly acted against him instead, who had done it?

Li Zhengfa had no idea.

But the man had disappeared inside Boundless Pavilion.

Li Zhengfa could already sense that it was no longer safe to remain here.

If their movements had been exposed and Lan Ming had discovered them, the consequences were easy to imagine.

Li Zhengfa made an immediate decision.

Leave.

He did not dare remain even another moment.

The instant he stepped out of Heavenly Lake Inn, he summoned all the disciples and ordered an immediate withdrawal.

Once they had escaped Boundless Pavilion, he quickly used the channel connecting them with the Sacred Realm and urgently reported the full situation to Du Wuxu.

Because of Junior Brother Yan's disappearance, Li Zhengfa no longer dared use Yin Rushu's plan of half concealment.

At this point he could not afford to care about so much.

He would survive one pass before worrying about the next.

The sect's problems could come later.

First he had to defuse the danger that might be descending on his own head.

[End of Chapter 1364]