That night, everyone who needed to rest had basically settled down. Niu Youdao inspected the defensive arrangements around the group. Although the five hundred men and horses were taking turns resting and standing guard, it seemed that any disturbance within several miles would have a hard time escaping their notice. Only then did he relax a little.
Inside one of the tents, a slit opened in the hanging curtain. After watching Niu Youdao's actions closely, Lan Ruoting smiled faintly and muttered to himself, "Interesting..."
After strolling around for a while, Niu Youdao returned to his tent and took out the letter. Using the light from the campfire outside, he drew Precious Sword and carefully pried open the seal with its edge. He pulled out the paper and turned it over several times. It was actually blank—not even a speck of ink could be seen.
After repeatedly examining it against the campfire outside, he held the paper beneath his nose and sniffed it over and over. In the end, he even stuck out the tip of his tongue and licked the paper all over, smacking his lips as he tasted it. He had worried that some drug might have been used to conceal the writing, but after that lick, he understood everything. As it turned out, it was a fake letter.
"The abbot of Nanshan Temple at Little South Mountain in Guangyi Commandery... Looks like Old Tu's warning wasn't baseless after all. They really do want to harm me. Do they really think I'm made of mud..." Niu Youdao muttered to himself, frowning as he pondered. If the Shangqing Sect had truly set its sights on him and kept haunting him like a restless ghost, it would probably be troublesome. After all, he still didn't know the depth of many things.
After mulling it over repeatedly, he came up with a plan. He folded the blank paper back up and put it into the envelope again...
Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, everyone ate and prepared to set out.
Some people put up the tents while others took them down. The horses were fed and brought over by others as well. Niu Youdao didn't need to handle a thing; everything was taken care of properly. Clearly, these were a group of well-trained men.
The group set out again, thundering along at full speed. Niu Youdao noticed a difference from the day before: no one was keeping him in the middle of the formation anymore.
After traveling for a while, Niu Youdao suddenly spurred his horse and galloped to the front, riding abreast with Shang Chaozong and the other two.
The three of them looked at him. Niu Youdao casually found a topic and asked, "Prince, with your status, do you really have only five hundred men and horses at your side?"
Shang Chaozong said, "Given my rank, and in the absence of an official post, ancestral regulations allow me to have only five hundred personal guards."
"Oh! So that's how it is." Niu Youdao nodded. He had only been looking for something to say. Once he finished, he stayed at the front instead of falling back. It was too unpleasant to ride behind them and eat dust.
Lan Ruoting suddenly asked, "Forgive my shallow knowledge, but may I ask the Daoist Master where the Tomb of the Wuling Heroes is located?"
"Uh..." Niu Youdao immediately realized that it was connected to his Peach Blossom Poem. He couldn't help looking toward Shang Shuqing, but with her face covered, he couldn't see her reaction. Looking would have been pointless anyway, so he gave a dry laugh and said, "I made it up."
That explanation left Lan Ruoting speechless. He then asked Niu Youdao about the Shangqing Sect. Though Niu Youdao had stayed in the Shangqing Sect for several years, he actually knew nothing about it and brushed every question aside with, "It's a long story."
In fact, everything he said was true. But to Lan Ruoting and the others, the man didn't speak a single truthful word!
By midmorning, they had crossed the mountains and passed over the wasteland. The road once again ran alongside a river. As he watched the scenery along the way, a thoughtful, reminiscent look gradually surfaced in Niu Youdao's eyes.
Only when three vigorous old trees standing side by side appeared at the foot of the mountain across the river did Niu Youdao finally confirm it: they should be close to the mountain village he had left five years ago.
The river began winding inward toward the mountains. When they were nearly at a trail leading into the mountains, Niu Youdao suddenly turned around and said, "Prince, could we stop at the fork ahead for a moment?"
They had arrived as he spoke. Shang Chaozong raised a hand, and the men and horses gradually reined in and came to a stop.
Shang Chaozong asked, "Does the Daoist Master need something?"
Niu Youdao pointed with his whip toward the side trail. "To be frank, Prince, there's a mountain village down there. It's where I came from. I left when I was young and have never returned. I'd like to go back and see how things are. It won't take too long. Could I ask you to wait for me?"
Shang Chaozong looked toward Lan Ruoting, seeking his opinion.
Lan Ruoting glanced around and smiled. "In that case, Prince, why don't we go together and see what sort of blessed land gave birth to the Daoist Master?"
Shang Chaozong understood what he meant: they wanted to take the opportunity to probe Niu Youdao's background. He nodded. "Very well!"
Niu Youdao understood perfectly, but was too lazy to explain. He replied with a smile, "It's nothing but a poor mountain hollow. I'm afraid the Prince may find it beneath him."
"Let's go!" Shang Chaozong pointed with his whip. Several scouts immediately spurred their horses ahead to investigate the route, while the others followed at an unhurried pace.
As they passed through a densely wooded stretch of mountain, some of the men on either side began stringing their bows and crossbows or gripping their weapons without needing orders, keeping a high alert on their surroundings. Niu Youdao looked back at them and could sense that they were no ordinary soldiers. They possessed an abundance of real combat experience.
"Whistle... whistle... whistle-whistle."
A birdcall suddenly came from the mountains. Niu Youdao seemed to have been jolted by electricity. He abruptly turned toward the sound and widened his eyes.
"Prince, that birdcall isn't right."
Someone among the guards suddenly issued a warning. Shang Chaozong and the others immediately reined in their horses and went on high alert.
Some of the men and horses shielded Shang Chaozong and the others, while others began hemming Niu Youdao in. Their bows and crossbows were faintly aimed at him, their eyes sharp and watchful, as if they had taken Niu Youdao for someone who had deliberately lured them into a trap. They appeared ready to attack at the slightest sign of trouble.
"Whistle-whistle... whistle-whistle."
Another faint birdcall came from the distance.
Niu Youdao immediately grew excited. He searched the surroundings with his eyes, then pursed his lips and imitated the call three times: "Whistle... whistle... whistle."
The surroundings fell silent. After waiting for a while, two more birdcalls finally came: "Whistle... whistle."
Niu Youdao's eyes lit up at once. Ignoring the threat hanging around him at any moment, he shouted angrily, "Move aside!"
Lan Ruoting was silent for a moment, then waved his hand and signaled the men and horses to make way.
Niu Youdao spurred his horse straight through. After riding a short distance, he stopped again and pursed his lips, giving another long birdcall. "Whistle..."
He then reined in and turned his horse in circles, constantly observing the surroundings.
Before long, a figure flashed through the mountain forest with a rustle. A burly young man charged to the mountainside and stopped beneath a large tree. He stared wide-eyed at Niu Youdao, completely ignoring the bows and crossbows trained on him.
Niu Youdao also examined the other man with uncertainty. The two stared at each other without end, while Shang Chaozong and the others behind them watched in confusion.
The burly young man was clearly overcome with emotion. His lips moved and trembled for a long while before he finally asked in a quavering voice, "Dao... Daoist Master, is that you?"
That long-lost form of address—"Daoist Master"—sent Niu Youdao's blood surging!
Niu Youdao clenched his fist and drew back his elbow, then suddenly pointed at him and shouted decisively in overwhelming excitement, "Monkey!"
That one word—"Monkey"—sent the burly young man's emotions completely out of control. He charged down through the thorns and leaped onto the mountain path.
Niu Youdao flipped off his horse. The two opened their arms and embraced tightly, pounding each other's backs with all their strength. They were even more passionate than a pair of lovers in the throes of romance.
Lan Ruoting and the others nearly got goosebumps from watching them. Still, they understood now. From the moment they had met him, it had been obvious that Niu Youdao was calm and composed, quite free-spirited. For him to lose control like this showed that he had encountered an old friend with whom he shared an extraordinary bond.
But the guards and men beside them did not dare relax their vigilance. They remained on high alert around the area. If they still didn't understand that the so-called birdcalls had been signals sent by someone, they would have been fools. Moreover, one thing was certain: Niu Youdao was very familiar with those birdcall signals as well.
Outsiders could never understand the loneliness shared by the two men in this world. It was a loneliness rooted in the depths of their souls, just as outsiders could never understand the bond between them.
After their emotions had finally settled, the two pushed each other away and looked one another over, their eyes brimming with far too many feelings.
Seeing Monkey's robust build—and the fact that he was actually half a head taller than himself—Niu Youdao thought of how Monkey's old nickname had come from his thin, undersized frame. He suddenly laughed so hard that he bent forward and backward.
The loss of control Monkey had shown moments before had vanished without a trace. He seemed to have returned to his former expressionless, cold demeanor. Very cool!
Some things that came from one's bones and soul simply could not be changed.
"Daoist Master, what are you laughing at?" Monkey asked.
Niu Youdao shook his head and chuckled. "Don't you think there's something wrong with your figure now?"
Monkey froze for a moment, then understood. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, showing that he found it amusing too.
Suppressing his laughter, Niu Youdao asked in puzzlement, "How did you get here? I thought I saw you flee into the passageway."
Monkey replied calmly, "Not entering the passageway might have given me a chance to live."
Niu Youdao was stunned. "What do you mean?"
Monkey said, "The entire passageway collapsed. I had nowhere to hide."
"..." Niu Youdao was speechless. He had thought the other man had simply escaped quickly, never expecting him to have suffered an even worse fate. He sighed, then jerked his chin toward the end of the mountain path and asked, "Did you also come out of Xiaomiao Village?"
Monkey nodded and asked, "Are you Niu Youdao?"
Niu Youdao grinned. "How did you know?"
Monkey said, "After waking up, I discovered that I had been shot with an arrow. Only then did I realize that the village had been looted by bandits not long before. While recovering from my injuries, I heard that someone named Niu Youdao in the village had become rather strange, going around asking the villagers questions like a fool and saying that, just like me, he seemed to remember nothing. No one in the village even knew when he had left. I realized then that it had to be you, Daoist Master. Unfortunately, my injuries were too serious at the time. It wasn't suitable for me to go looking for you, and I didn't know where to find you anyway."
Shang Chaozong and the others watched from over there. They were some distance away and couldn't hear what the two men were saying.
Niu Youdao nodded silently and raised a hand to pat Monkey on the shoulder. "I always thought you had escaped back then. I never imagined you had come here too. Otherwise, I wouldn't have left Xiaomiao Village alone."
Monkey replied with a single word: "Understood!"
That one word was enough. Niu Youdao didn't explain further. He clasped his hands behind his back and gazed across the surrounding mountains and forests, sighing with deep emotion and a hint of relief. "Luckily, I happened to pass through here this time. I thought I'd come see those villagers and repay a bit of the debt I owed them. Otherwise, who knows when we would have seen each other again? Oh, right. With your abilities, how could this mountain village have held you back? Didn't you ever think of going out to see the world? Did you get some family's girl pregnant?"
Before you continue