Although he quickly circulated his energy to suppress the choking fit, he seemed to cough even harder, as if he were about to cough up his lungs.
Coughing, Niu Youdao pointed at himself and waved to the others, indicating that he was done for and could no longer keep them company. He left his seat at once and walked away coughing.
He just ran off? The others looked at each other, speechless.
Shang Shuqing fell silent. After hearing Yuan Gang put it that way, she had still wanted to ask Niu Youdao to sing that song, but he had not given her the chance to open her mouth.
Watching Niu Youdao's retreating back, the corner of Yuan Gang's mouth twitched. Others might not know, but how could he not know what Daoist Master was like? He was using his coughing as an excuse to slip away. Yuan Gang had wanted to turn the tables on Daoist Master, but Daoist Master was still Daoist Master—he did not even need an explanation. He had simply rolled downhill with the situation and left!
He had failed to set his trap and had only made a fool of himself. Yuan Gang was speechless as well. He said nothing and did not bid the others farewell, merely turning around and striding away with his sword as if they were strangers.
Shang Chaozong and the other two soon realized what had happened. Niu Youdao had used the opportunity to slip away!
Looking at the wine and dishes on the table, which Niu Youdao had sprayed all over, Lan Ruoting shook his head. "The lyrics are indeed excellent. I wonder who was telling the truth."
Shang Chaozong snorted coldly. "Do you really need to ask whose words you find more credible?"
Shang Shuqing moved lightly on lotus steps and turned to the railing, gazing at the surging Great River beneath the moonlight. She slowly recited, "The mighty Yangtze flows eastward, its waves washing away heroes. Right and wrong, success and failure, all vanish in a turn of the head. Green Mountain remains as ever; how many sunsets have reddened it... What a line—'Green Mountain remains as ever; how many sunsets have reddened it'... 'When sober, I sit only before the flowers; drunk, I sleep beneath the flowers!' One is bold and weathered, the other poetic and pastoral, yet both reveal a disdain for worldly fame and profit. It is possible they came from the same person! It is just that he still refuses to open his heart, deliberately keeping his distance from us. Brother, I fear we will not be able to keep this man. Sooner or later, he may part ways with us!"
An unhappy look crossed Shang Chaozong's face. "Following us is dangerous. Wanting to protect himself is only natural!"
Lan Ruoting sighed. "No matter what, his intention to leave at least proves one thing: he was not sent by an outside faction with ill intentions!"
Inside the tent, Niu Youdao sat cross-legged on a felt mat, meditating.
The tent flap lifted, and Yuan Gang entered. He asked indifferently, "Was the late-night snack good?"
"What could be good about it? Besides steaming, boiling, and roasting, it was still steaming, boiling, and roasting. The cooking here is far too limited. Once we settle down, this has to be dealt with!" At that, Niu Youdao opened his eyes and cast him a sidelong look, saying irritably, "Monkey, you're something else—your elbow is sticking out!"
And you have the nerve to say that? Yuan Gang gave him a contemptuous look, too lazy to argue over that unreliable business. He planted the Precious Sword, sheath and all, in front of him, then turned and sat down on the felt mat spread out opposite them. "Daoist Master, we're not far from Nanshan Temple now. Are you sure someone will make a move against you at Nanshan Temple?"
Niu Youdao immediately put the earlier incident behind him as well. The little clash between the two of them had not been worth mentioning at all. After pondering briefly, he said, "If Tu Han hadn't reminded me, I probably wouldn't have thought of it. Since Tu Han gave the warning, and with that forged letter, there's an eighty-to-ninety percent chance it's true. If they plan to strike me at Nanshan Temple, there are only two possibilities. Either people from the Shangqing Sect are hiding in Nanshan Temple to attack me, or someone else intends to attack me there."
Yuan Gang asked directly, "What do you plan to do?"
Niu Youdao said, "First of all, I'm not tired of living yet, and I don't want to die. Ideally, we should make the Shangqing Sect believe they've dealt with me. That would cut off the possibility of them continuing to keep their eyes on me, allowing us to leave at our leisure and buy time to improve our strength. Even if the Shangqing Sect later discovers that I'm still alive, we'll have built up enough strength that we won't need to fear them. This is the safest method. Otherwise, once we're entangled with experts from the Shangqing Sect, things could become very dangerous. We don't know the people or the terrain here, so we're at a considerable disadvantage. That's also why I've hesitated to leave this group. Shang Chaozong may be useless in other respects, but he's still a Prince. Unless some important figure gives the order, the Shangqing Sect wouldn't dare openly attack his troops!"
The two had worked together for many years and understood each other perfectly. By this point, Yuan Gang roughly understood what Niu Youdao wanted to do. He asked, "Substitute the plum for the peach?"
Niu Youdao nodded. "That way, the two possibilities at Nanshan Temple lead to two different outcomes. If people from the Shangqing Sect attack me, they'll most likely recognize me, and substituting the plum for the peach won't work. They'll still come after me afterward. If they aren't from the Shangqing Sect, we can successfully deceive everyone and slip through the net!"
Yuan Gang asked, "What's the specific plan?"
Niu Youdao said, "We have to choose someone from these five hundred people. Find someone whose general build resembles mine. You'll find a way to alter his appearance and send him to Nanshan Temple. If they aren't from the Shangqing Sect, then upon seeing the messenger carrying the letter and pretending to be me, they'll surely strike with lethal force. Once the man dies and the killer believes he's succeeded, Shang Chaozong's troops will certainly go looking for their own man. We can use the opportunity to break away quickly. If they are from the Shangqing Sect, they won't strike and alert us. If you see the man come out safely, immediately send a distress signal to draw Shang Chaozong's troops over. First, we'll try to have his troops tie down the killer. Second, we'll draw the killer's attention so he won't learn our whereabouts right away. We can use the opportunity to slip away! No matter which outcome we get, there's no need for us to risk our lives for those siblings. The moment the fire is lit, we leave!"
Yuan Gang nodded. "Understood. I'll handle it. You keep Shang Chaozong and the others steady!"
Niu Youdao sighed. "Wasn't I just trying to keep them steady? Why did you have to make trouble?"
Yuan Gang turned his head away, lay down on the felt mat, and closed his eyes to sleep, pretending he had heard nothing...
At dawn the next day, Yuan Gang brought water and prepared everything Niu Youdao needed for his morning wash.
While washing outside the tent, Niu Youdao looked around restlessly as people and horses hurried about. He turned back and asked, "What's going on?"
Yuan Gang said, "I heard a few words. They're going into the mountains to cut timber and build Wooden Rafts to cross the river."
"Oh!" Niu Youdao looked around.
After washing, Niu Youdao wandered about. When he saw Shang Chaozong and the others pointing toward the river from the slope beside it, he went over of his own accord. "Prince, with this much commotion, are you building Wooden Rafts to cross the river?"
The others turned around and greeted him in turn. Lan Ruoting smiled. "Yes. It would be easy enough if only people had to cross, but with so many horses, it won't be convenient without building at least a hundred rafts."
Niu Youdao peered upstream and downstream, then asked curiously, "Are there no bridges upstream or downstream?"
Lan Ruoting said, "Master, you may not know this, but Feng Lingbo, Governor of Guangyi Commandery, has amassed troops to make himself powerful. To guard against the Imperial Court's army, he strictly controls the ships traveling along the river. As for the bridges, some were burned and others destroyed. Going around would take too long, so we can only build Wooden Rafts to cross the river."
"Amassed troops to make himself powerful?" Niu Youdao walked between them and gazed at the indistinct scenery on the opposite bank. "A mere commandery governor dares to resist the Imperial Court's army? Is this Feng Lingbo really that formidable?"
The siblings, Shang Chaozong and Shang Shuqing, exchanged a glance. He did not even know this? They wondered whether Niu Youdao was pretending not to know.
Lan Ruoting smiled and stroked his beard. "Naturally, one commandery cannot oppose the entire Imperial Court. However, the Imperial Court is currently facing an enemy army at its borders and cannot afford to provoke internal chaos. Feng Lingbo does indeed possess considerable strength. Not only does he have a cultivation sect backing him, he also commands a hundred thousand elite troops. His eldest son, Feng Ruoyi, and second son, Feng Ruojie, are both battle-hardened generals. Even his daughter, Feng Ruonan, is a female general no less capable than any man. Feng Lingbo has two sons and a daughter serving as generals, and after defeating the Imperial Court's punitive armies several times, he forced the Imperial Court to appease him for the time being, afraid to push him into outright rebellion. Besides, Guangyi Commandery lies in a land of fish and rice, with a mild climate, abundant grain, and a naturally large population. It gave Feng Lingbo all the conditions he needed to establish himself independently, which was why he dared resist while the Imperial Court faced troubles both within and without!"
Even the governor of a single commandery dared to amass troops and make himself powerful. It seemed the Yan Kingdom had no shortage of troubles! Niu Youdao looked thoughtful and muttered, "Feng Ruonan..."
He remembered something. Back when he had just left Xiaomiao Village and drifted down the river, he had encountered a female general who had called out for him to seek refuge in Guangyi Commandery. He remembered that the token she had shot to him bore a phoenix, along with the character "man."
Hearing him murmur, Lan Ruoting tentatively asked, "Master, do you know Feng Lingbo's daughter, Feng Ruonan?"
"Heh heh!" Niu Youdao chuckled and shook his head.
Just then, a sudden commotion erupted at the temporary camp behind them. Shang Chaozong whipped around and shouted, "What's going on?"
Niu Youdao glanced back and saw Yuan Gang surrounded by a crowd. His brows shifted slightly.
The others hurried over. Centurion Guan Tie pushed through the crowd, and the people surrounding them parted. Seeing that Yuan Gang had evidently clashed with his personal guards, Shang Chaozong shouted again, "What's going on?"
Yuan Gang stood rooted to the spot without moving, his expressionless face unchanged. Opposite him, another centurion, Chen Shulin, pointed at Yuan Gang angrily. "Prince, he said the men of our Yingyang and Wulie Guards are good-for-nothings!"
Everyone's eyes quickly turned toward Yuan Gang. Shang Shuqing felt secretly puzzled. Yuan Gang was absolutely not the sort to meddle in affairs. How could he have said something like that?
Shang Chaozong asked, "Brother Yuan, is that true?"
Yuan Gang remained unmoved. "I said it."
Those words stirred everyone's anger even further. The people around them all wore furious expressions, and even Shang Chaozong's face darkened. Lan Ruoting and Shang Shuqing exchanged a glance.
Niu Youdao, who carried his sword in one hand and used it as a crutch wherever he went, leaned on it and called out carelessly, "Monkey, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Yuan Gang said calmly, "It wasn't nonsense. It was simply the truth. If anyone refuses to accept it, they can test themselves against me!"
The guards of both units immediately rubbed their fists, clearly preparing to give Yuan Gang a vicious beating.
Shang Chaozong's spirits rose. He had taken to Yuan Gang at first sight. He believed he could not have misjudged the air about Yuan Gang, and he had long wanted to test his abilities. Now that the opportunity had presented itself, he could not help shouting, "Good! Which brother will come out and play a round with Brother Yuan?"
"Me!"
"I'll do it!"
"Prince, let me!"
A crowd jostled to volunteer. In the end, Centurion Chen Shulin shouted over the others' objections and stepped forward himself.
Before you continue