Chapter 1432: Loyal Heart, Martyr's Blood

Standing to one side, Guan Fangyi’s lips curled into a cold, mocking smile.

She was thoroughly displeased with how Niu Youdao could become steady and composed in an instant and immediately turn to serious business.

If that was not cold-blooded and heartless, what was?

At least as a woman, she felt deeply that Shang Shuqing had been wronged.

She was not blind. She could see that Shang Shuqing had bitten her lip until it bled.

If it had been Guan Fangyi herself, she would have wanted to tear away the last layer of pretense and expose everything openly, just to see how that fellow could continue pretending not to understand.

Of course, she also knew Shang Shuqing could never do such a thing.

That face of hers had left some measure of inferiority in Shang Shuqing’s heart. She felt she had no right to harbor desires beyond her station.

Nor did Guan Fangyi dare expose the matter for her.

She feared Shang Shuqing could not withstand Niu Youdao’s decisiveness. If Niu Youdao rejected her openly in front of everyone, that wound might remain with Shang Shuqing for the rest of her life.

Perhaps pretending not to understand, leaving everything vague and unspoken, truly was the best choice.

There were some things everyone understood. Guan Fangyi herself understood them too.

How could a man like Niu Youdao possibly take such an ugly woman?

The reasoning might be difficult to accept, but reality was reality.

Shang Shuqing did not know what major affair her face could possibly be connected to. “Sister Hong did ask me before, and I thought about it carefully. I truly cannot remember Father leaving any other clue. He only told me to go to Shangqing Sect and find Mr. Dong Guo, but Mr. Dong Guo had already passed away by then.”

Niu Youdao said, “Commandery Princess, according to what I know, Prince Ning and my master once secretly planned a major undertaking. The matter was no small thing. Given Prince Ning’s circumstances at the time, there is no possibility he failed to leave contingency arrangements. He must have told you something, and you yourself are the most crucial part of the entire matter. Prince Ning must have given you some special instruction.”

His fingers tapped lightly against the desk.

“Perhaps because the matter was too important, Prince Ning could not explain it outright until the very end, but he certainly left some kind of hint. Commandery Princess, the details—the details of what Prince Ning said to you back then. Think carefully. Was there anything you overlooked? You must think it through again.”

Shang Shuqing nodded slightly.

Under Niu Youdao’s deliberate guidance, she no longer had the attention to lose control of her emotions. He had successfully redirected her focus.

But her heart was still too unsettled to concentrate fully on memories of the past. She could only force herself to think.

No matter how hard she tried, however, she could not come up with anything useful. At last she broke the silence and shook her head. “Master Dao, regarding the matter of curing my face, Father truly gave no other instruction besides telling me to find Mr. Dong Guo at Shangqing Sect.”

Niu Youdao narrowed his eyes slightly. “How many times did Prince Ning tell you this? It concerned his daughter’s lifelong happiness. Surely he did not just mention it casually once and let it go?”

Shang Shuqing thought for a moment. “He did not mention it casually. He spoke to me about it several times, little by little, and always very earnestly. But each time the words were more or less the same. He wanted me to go to Shangqing Sect.”

Niu Youdao said, “You were a young woman. Don’t you find it strange that he wanted you to go personally to Shangqing Sect? Given Prince Ning’s relationship with Shangqing Sect, one message would have been enough to summon someone to him. Why make his daughter travel such a long road to Shangqing Sect herself?”

“Commandery Princess, there must be something strange in this. Or rather, Prince Ning was preparing for the worst. If one day he was no longer there, you were to go to Shangqing Sect and find my master. I am basically certain this was the one thing he wanted you to remember above all else. Put differently, this was Prince Ning’s contingency.”

“Commandery Princess, think carefully. There must be something hidden within those instructions. Is there anything you neglected?”

Hearing him put it that way, Shang Shuqing fell into thought.

She too could now sense something unusual. Gradually, she focused completely on memories of those years.

Guan Fangyi, standing nearby, thought it through as well.

That was right. How had she failed to hear the problem in it before?

She could not help glancing at Niu Youdao several more times. The same matter truly did yield completely different results in different hands.

Yet no matter how Shang Shuqing racked her brains, she simply could not identify anything she had overlooked. At last she raised her eyes to Niu Youdao and shook her head again.

“Don’t rush.” Niu Youdao comforted her.

He pulled the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from one end of the long desk and pushed them in front of Shang Shuqing. “Commandery Princess, you said the Prince told you the same thing several times. Why not write down each occasion when he gave you those instructions? Seeing the words on paper may be more useful than thinking without anything concrete in front of you. It may help you remember something.”

Shang Shuqing did as he said.

She lifted the brush, dipped it in ink, and carefully began to write. Every character was delicate and graceful.

Across from her, Niu Youdao reminded her, “Think slowly and write slowly. Don’t rush. If Prince Ning mentioned any person, any event, or any object, write down everything you can remember. Leave out nothing you can recall. Treat it like reconstructing a story. Record the circumstances, scenes, people, and objects as clearly as possible.”

Shang Shuqing nodded as she wrote, searching her memories with all the care she could muster.

Turning recollection into written words truly did help.

After writing for some time, she suddenly looked up and asked, “Does a sword count?”

“Anything you can remember counts. If Prince Ning mentioned it in those instructions, write it down.” Niu Youdao nodded, then abruptly paused. “What sword?”

“Mr. Dong Guo’s sword. Father gave it to me back then and told me to carry it to Shangqing Sect.”

Niu Youdao slowly stood. “The same sword you gave me when we first met?”

Shang Shuqing nodded. “Yes. Mr. Dong Guo gave his sword to Father back then...”

She had not finished when Niu Youdao slapped his forehead.

He remembered.

Whether he was blaming Shang Shuqing or himself was difficult to tell. “Commandery Princess, something that important—how did you fail to mention it before?”

Shang Shuqing immediately grew embarrassed and did not know how to explain.

When Guan Fangyi had asked her before, the question had only been whether there was some way to cure her face. Shang Shuqing had known only that she had been told to find Dong Guo Haoran. She truly had not thought of the sword.

The reason was simple enough. Neither Guan Fangyi nor Shang Shuqing had known what larger matter lay behind the question. One had asked about curing her face, and the other had answered about curing her face. Neither the question nor the answer had been complete, so neither woman could really be blamed.

Seeing Shang Shuqing’s embarrassment, as though she had done something wrong, Niu Youdao smiled bitterly and waved a hand. “Forget it. This isn’t your fault. I’m to blame too. I saw that sword with my own eyes and carried it for years, yet even I failed to remember it.”

He immediately turned to Guan Fangyi. “Where is the sword?”

Guan Fangyi had already understood. She knew he meant Niu Youdao’s old sword. “It’s still displayed in my room.”

“Bring it immediately.”

The matter plainly seemed important, so Guan Fangyi did not waste words. She turned and hurried away.

Niu Youdao sat again and smiled at the uneasy Shang Shuqing. “It’s fine. Commandery Princess, please have some tea.”

Shang Shuqing gave a soft acknowledgment, slowly sat, and took a small sip.

Then she ventured, “Master Dao, may Qing’er ask what great matter Father secretly planned that could be connected to my face?”

She did not know what important affair she might have delayed and was genuinely uneasy.

Niu Youdao stared at her face for a little longer. “Commandery Princess, the matter truly is of great consequence. Before we obtain confirmation, it would be inappropriate to tell you. But I can promise you one thing. Once the result is confirmed, even if I conceal it from everyone else, I will not conceal it from you. You will have to face this matter personally. No one but you can resolve it.”

“If nothing has gone wrong in my reasoning, then your father should have left something behind for you. Put differently, Prince Ning left you a way to remove the malignant markings on your face.”

A way to remove them?

Shang Shuqing instinctively raised a hand and touched her face.

Niu Youdao nodded and continued, “Commandery Princess, I’ll repeat what I said before. This matter is extremely serious. You cannot tell anyone about our conversation tonight. You cannot even tell the Prince and the others.”

“If this leaks because they fail to understand its weight, it will not merely cost you your life. No one in the entire Prince’s residence will survive. I’m afraid the whole of Nanzhou will run red with blood, and every power belonging to the Nanzhou faction will suffer a purge.”

“It would not be some ordinary enemy who acts. The Six Sacred Venerables themselves would be drawn here.”

“I am not trying to frighten you. Do you understand?”

After speaking, he glanced back at Yin’er, who was looking around in utter boredom.

A conversation this complicated should be beyond the glutton’s understanding.

Shang Shuqing found the warning almost impossible to believe. She had no idea what her father could possibly have plotted that would cause such enormous trouble, enough to draw the Six Sacred Venerables themselves.

After nodding slightly, she cautiously asked another question. “Master Dao, does my elder brother know that you are alive?”

Niu Youdao smiled. “Of course. Otherwise, how would your brother dare take in the people of Maolu Annex after Zijin Cave expelled them? Supreme Commander Meng and Mr. Lan know as well. Only those three.”

Then he added, “If the Commandery Princess can manage it, I suggest you spare the Prince and the others the awkwardness. Don’t let them know that you know too. Simply act as if you have no idea I’m still alive.”

“If news that I survived ever leaks, the Sacred Realm will inevitably unleash a slaughter in Nanzhou.”

Shang Shuqing nodded silently again. “Qing’er understands.”

Just then, Guan Fangyi returned as quickly as she had gone. She carried Niu Youdao’s former sword and handed it over.

Niu Youdao took the sword, rose, stepped around the long desk, and began examining it carefully.

From one end to the other, he overlooked nothing.

The treasured sword had followed him for years, yet he had never inspected it with such care.

Seeing Yin’er still tugging at Niu Youdao’s clothes and getting in the way, Shang Shuqing also rose and pulled Yin’er to her side so she would not interfere with Master Dao’s business.

All three women watched Niu Youdao’s every movement.

Yin’er merely found the way he kept turning the sword back and forth interesting.

Nothing on the exterior revealed anything unusual.

Shing!

Niu Youdao suddenly drew the sword.

He studied the gleaming blade, then his gaze stopped on the four characters engraved there.

Loyal Heart, Martyr’s Blood.

Words he had never thought deeply about before now suddenly looked extraordinarily conspicuous.

His eyes narrowed, then a faint smile appeared. “It really may be this sword. There may be something hidden inside.”

Guan Fangyi did not understand. “When you went to the Sacred Realm, this sword remained with me. I examined it many times out of boredom and never found anything unusual. Where is the problem?”

Niu Youdao said, “It remained in my hands for years. I used it against others countless times, even clashing with tremendous force, and I never found anything wrong with it either. If the Commandery Princess had not reminded me today, I’m afraid I would never have thought to examine the inscription ‘Loyal Heart, Martyr’s Blood’ itself.”

Guan Fangyi looked blank. She leaned closer and repeatedly studied the four engraved characters, but still could not see anything unusual. Suspicion filled her face.

Shang Shuqing, however, looked thoughtful. After a moment she ventured, “Master Dao, do you mean the sword will reveal the truth only in fire?”

Niu Youdao looked at her and smiled. “The Commandery Princess is clever. Straight to the heart of it.”

Shang Shuqing showed a trace of embarrassment. “Qing’er only guessed.”

Niu Youdao turned to Guan Fangyi. “Go make the preparations. Whether our guess is correct or not, one test will tell us.”

“Prepare what?” Guan Fangyi grew anxious.

Even Shang Shuqing had understood, yet she still had no idea what the two were talking about. It gave her the uncomfortable feeling that her intelligence was being crushed.

“What riddle are the two of you playing? Explain it clearly. What is going on?”

Seeing Niu Youdao’s amused, teasing expression, she immediately turned her stare toward Shang Shuqing.

Shang Shuqing looked embarrassed and tried to explain. “The four-character inscription ‘Loyal Heart, Martyr’s Blood’ has two layers of meaning on this sword. Ordinarily, it praises unwavering loyalty, which also makes the words seem natural enough that no one would think too deeply about the blade itself.”

“But if there truly is some hidden mechanism in the sword, then the original words for ‘loyal heart’ also evoke a cinnabar-red heart. That would be enough to hint that the sword itself contains some hidden secret. In that case, these four characters may well be the key to revealing it.”

“Sister Hong, put simply: under what condition would this sword take on the blood-red color suggested by a cinnabar heart?”

“When forged in fire, the blade glows red...” Guan Fangyi blurted.

Understanding dawned across her face.

[End of Chapter 1432]