Chapter 1482: Spy Exposed

After returning to Ice and Snow Pavilion, Chuan Ying immediately contacted his wife and daughter.

He discovered they were perfectly fine.

Nothing had happened to them on the road to Star-Plucking City.

Naturally, Niu Youdao would never do something that could easily expose Sha Huanli.

Only then did Chuan Ying realize the mysterious man had bluffed him.

For a moment, he felt the urge to send word to Wu Chang.

But after thinking it over again and again, he ultimately did not dare.

Once Wu Chang discovered that Chuan Ying had been exposed, Chuan Ying would lose his value.

The consequences scarcely needed imagining.

That left him trapped in bitter torment.

He discovered that once a person took the wrong road, if he lacked the courage to bear responsibility for the mistake, one wrong choice after another would keep waiting ahead...

The appearance of the Youthful-Countenance Pill also caused Niu Youdao to alter his plan.

The problem lay in Chuan Ying’s craving for the pills and the consequences that might arise if his true appearance were revealed.

This was another advantage of Niu Youdao having come personally.

He could change the plan at any time and make the decision on the spot.

As for refining the Youthful-Countenance Pills, Niu Youdao secretly contacted Yan Zhutian and gave him the refining method.

With alchemy being Ling Sect’s specialty, they were certainly more capable than anyone else.

Niu Youdao deliberately emphasized that the method was Wu Chang’s secret art.

After a warning like that, Yan Zhutian would naturally understand the need for secrecy.

He could judge how to arrange the matter himself. There was no need for further discussion.

There was another advantage to giving the task to Ling Sect.

Ling Sect was located inside Qi.

Qi was still engulfed in war, and death had become commonplace.

Gathering enough blood essence to refine ten Youthful-Countenance Pills should not be difficult.

The key was how Yan Zhutian chose to do it.

Niu Youdao did not specifically warn him not to kill innocents or anything of the sort.

Some things did not need to be said.

Ten Youthful-Countenance Pills meant more than a hundred lives, perhaps even more.

So long as Yan Zhutian possessed the slightest conscience, he would know not to slaughter innocent people and would know how the matter ought to be handled.

If Yan Zhutian insisted on taking the convenient route instead, Niu Youdao would not know and would not ask about the process unless it created trouble...

When the box was opened and ten crystalline, beautiful pink pills appeared before him, Niu Youdao stared at them for a while, then slowly closed the lid.

Sitting opposite him, Lü Wushuang saw that he appeared to have truly made up his mind.

She warned him again. “Using Wu Chang to eliminate the old demoness won’t be easy.”

“Among the other Eight Saints, the old demoness is the only one who can directly break Wu Chang’s Boundless Demon Domain.”

“Wu Chang cannot trap her at all.”

Niu Youdao stroked the box on the table. “Since fire-aspect arts can counter the old demoness, we might as well let my people join forces with Wu Chang and see what happens.”

Lü Wushuang said, “I already told you. What happened with Yuan Se should be a warning.”

“We nearly suffered complete annihilation.”

“Without absolute confidence, you cannot act rashly.”

“And now you want to take another dangerous gamble.”

“You’re putting your own people at risk. Aren’t you afraid you’ll lose everything?”

Niu Youdao said, “I know it’s dangerous, but we still have to try.”

“No matter how it turns out, even if there are sacrifices, it will still benefit the overall situation.”

He had not wanted the Holy Rakshasa to take risks either.

Yet earlier, he had still lured several Sacred Venerables into the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm, nearly causing the Holy Rakshasa’s death.

This time was the same.

He knew it was dangerous.

He still had to try.

Things had already developed to this point.

They were already directly opposing the Five Sacred Venerables.

Without clashing with the Five Sacred Venerables head-on, there was no way to resolve the fundamental problem.

At this stage, as they neared the end, Niu Youdao could already imagine that people on his side would inevitably be sacrificed in the final struggle.

There was no possibility of bringing down the Five Sacred Venerables peacefully and safely.

Seeing his decision was made, Lü Wushuang said no more.

She changed the subject instead. “I haven’t seen Hongniang for quite a while.”

Niu Youdao did not hide it from her. “Hongniang is in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.”

A bitter smile appeared on Lü Wushuang’s face.

She had never imagined the treasure the Nine Saints had guarded for so many years would end up benefiting this side.

Who could have imagined that the plan to order the sects to send inspectors into the Sacred Realm would actually allow a thief with heaven-reaching methods to slip inside and steal from Wuliang Garden without anyone realizing it?

Niu Youdao also had something to ask her. “Demon Ridge sent word about Feng Guan’er. How do you plan to deal with her?”

Lü Wushuang slowly sipped her tea. “Some matters are best handled by leaving them there and waiting.”

Niu Youdao fell silent...

Nearly a month later, the three met again in the gorge of wind and snow.

Looking at the ten Youthful-Countenance Pills inside the box, Chuan Ying felt both joy and worry.

He was delighted that the other side truly could obtain a large quantity of the pills for him.

What worried him was the task they wanted him to carry out.

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

It was no different from asking him to go to his death.

When he remained silent for a long time, Niu Youdao said, “Don’t worry. These are only for you to look at.”

“After the matter is done, there will be more.”

Chuan Ying wore a miserable expression. “How can you expect me to dare face Granny Xue?”

Niu Youdao said, “If you refuse to face her, I’ll expose this matter and force you to face her anyway. The result will be the same.”

“As long as you do exactly as I say, there is still hope of preserving your life.”

Chuan Ying looked exhausted and gave a bitter laugh. “It seems I have no choice.”

Niu Youdao said, “You have no choice.”

“Since I found you for something like this, I won’t give you room to waver.”

“If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for becoming possessed by greed and involving yourself from the beginning.”

...

At Xianyin Mountain, inside the eerie underground hall, Hei Shi arrived and presented a secret letter with both hands.

“Yin Ji has written again. She is once more asking to meet you.”

Although Wu Chang was supposedly holding position at Qiyun Sect, he had not remained there the entire time.

He had slipped away in secret and left the affairs there for Hei Shi to handle.

Wu Chang accepted the letter and read it.

Hei Shi noticed that the savage dragon tattoo on Wu Chang’s arm seemed almost complete.

After finishing the letter, Wu Chang fell silent.

...

At Ice and Snow Sacred Land, Chuan Ying and his wife arrived at the ice palace carrying their child.

They had been summoned there.

Granny Xue said she missed the child.

“No need for formalities, no need.”

The moment they met, Granny Xue cheerfully took the child from Xue Luo’er’s arms and began teasing her.

Husband and wife watched Granny Xue walk back and forth holding the child.

They too seemed quite happy.

Bai Wuya, standing nearby, suddenly walked up to Chuan Ying and abruptly asked, “Do you know Yipin Hall?”

Xue Luo’er looked puzzled, not understanding why he would ask such a thing.

Chuan Ying’s gaze, however, flickered guiltily for an instant.

He gave a bitter laugh inwardly.

From the moment he was summoned here, he had known what was about to happen.

Yipin Hall was a shop near Ice and Snow Pavilion.

It was also the secret channel he used to communicate with Wu Chang’s side.

Chuan Ying had always known Ice and Snow Sacred Land would never completely trust him, so he had been extremely cautious whenever he made contact in the past.

This time, however, he had deliberately revealed a flaw.

It would have been stranger if they had failed to discover it.

On the surface, he forced himself to remain calm. “Uncle is referring to the shop near Ice and Snow Pavilion?”

Bai Wuya nodded. “What is your relationship with that shop?”

Chuan Ying looked surprised. “No particular relationship. I merely know the shopkeeper.”

Bai Wuya took a secret letter from his sleeve and handed it to him.

At the same time, he gestured with one hand.

A man who had been tortured beyond recognition was dragged into the ice palace and thrown onto the floor like a dead dog.

It was the shopkeeper of Yipin Hall.

He had been secretly captured.

The shopkeeper raised his eyes and looked at Chuan Ying, then lowered his head in shame.

Clearly, he had failed to withstand the torture and had confessed.

One glance was enough for Chuan Ying to recognize him.

Then he looked at the letter in his hand.

It was indeed one he had written.

The contents reported various matters concerning Ice and Snow Pavilion, including inquiries into Granny Xue’s movements.

Inwardly, he still smiled bitterly.

On the surface, however, he simply stood there stunned.

Granny Xue behaved as though she had seen nothing.

Holding the child, she paced back and forth, completely focused on playing with her.

Xue Luo’er was no fool.

Realizing something was wrong, she stared fixedly at her husband.

Bai Wuya said, “Chuan Ying, don’t you intend to explain?”

Chuan Ying gave a bitter smile. “Things have already reached this point. Is there still any need to explain?”

Bai Wuya said, “Since you admit it readily, let us all be direct.”

“He says you regularly went to Yipin Hall to collect medicine.”

“What medicine?”

“Did Wu Chang use medicine to control you?”

The shopkeeper on the floor had only been responsible for transferring items and did not know what pills they contained.

Chuan Ying silently nodded. “Yes.”

“But I don’t know what the medicine actually is.”

“I only know that once its effect wears off, life becomes worse than death.”

Bai Wuya said, “In other words, you deliberately approached Xue’er under orders?”

Chuan Ying looked toward Xue Luo’er, whose lips were pressed tightly together.

Bitterness filled his mouth. “Luo’er, in the beginning I truly did approach you deliberately.”

“But now, whether you believe me or not, I genuinely regard you as my wife.”

“I have absolutely no divided heart toward you or our daughter.”

“I truly regret what I did.”

“But I had no way to escape Wu Chang’s control.”

Tears flowed down Xue Luo’er’s face.

She had never imagined the husband she loved most was actually a spy sent by someone else.

Choking back sobs, she asked, “Then why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Chuan Ying answered miserably, “I didn’t dare.”

“I was afraid of dying myself, and I was also afraid of losing you and our daughter!”

That, at least, was the truth.

Xue Luo’er raised her sleeve and wiped away her tears.

Then she suddenly hurried to Granny Xue, dropped to her knees with a thud, and kowtowed.

“Grandmother, please show mercy.”

Granny Xue, still amusing the child in her arms, glanced at the kneeling woman and sighed.

“Girl, if I kill him, will you hate me for the rest of your life?”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

Xue Luo’er shook her head through her tears and kowtowed again. “Grandmother, please show mercy and spare his life.”

Granny Xue said, “Girl, whether I spare him or not depends on him.”

“He is a spy sent by someone else. He came here to harm our family.”

“If his crimes are unforgivable, how can you ask me to spare him?”

“If I casually let him go, how am I supposed to command respect from everyone else?”

Chuan Ying immediately hurried forward as well.

He dropped to his knees beside Xue Luo’er and kowtowed. “Grandmother, after approaching Luo’er, I truly never did anything harmful to you or to her.”

“Grandmother, please investigate clearly.”

Granny Xue chuckled. “Wu Chang sent you here, yet never told you to do anything harmful to our family?”

Chuan Ying hurriedly raised his head. “Grandmother, when I was first ordered to approach Luo’er, the target wasn’t Ice and Snow Sacred Land.”

“It was Niu Youdao.”

“It truly had nothing to do with Ice and Snow Sacred Land.”

“Niu Youdao?”

Even as shrewd as Granny Xue was, she could not help freezing.

She exchanged a glance with Bai Wuya, then frowned slightly.

“You mean that Niu Youdao who was assassinated in the Sacred Realm?”

Chuan Ying nodded quickly. “Yes. Him.”

Granny Xue became even more puzzled. “Wu Chang had you approach Luo’er because of Niu Youdao?”

“Are you joking with me, or have I become muddle-headed in my old age?”

“Why can’t I understand what you mean?”

Chuan Ying explained, “Grandmother, it was to win Niu Youdao’s trust.”

“Niu Youdao and Linghu Qiu of Tiandi Sect are sworn brothers.”

“When Niu Youdao entered the Sacred Realm for training, Wu Chang feared he might encounter danger.”

“On the surface, he wanted me to use Luo’er’s identity and background to protect Niu Youdao.”

“In truth, Wu Chang intended to protect him secretly from behind the scenes...”

Chuan Ying then recounted how he had obtained a letter from Linghu Qiu and used it to contact Niu Youdao.

Granny Xue and Bai Wuya looked at one another.

Neither had imagined such a convoluted story lay behind the affair.

Granny Xue became even more baffled. “For someone as insignificant as Niu Youdao, Wu Chang actually went to this much trouble and had you approach Luo’er to win his trust?”

“Why?”

Chuan Ying shook his head. “I don’t know the details either.”

“It seemed Niu Youdao had some way to contact someone among the Demon Fox Clan.”

[End of Chapter 1482]