Failing to Recognize Jade Set in Gold

It's over! Xu Yitian and Chen Guishuo sighed in their hearts. They should have been relieved to hear they were being released, but Niu Youdao's words made their spirits plummet. They didn't need to guess; Song Yanqing must have caved and confessed everything, otherwise, how would Niu Youdao know such details?

Song Yanqing revealing this secret meant Niu Youdao now had leverage over the Shangqing Sect. Both of them had no idea how they would report this to Tang Susu, and feared she would be enraged.

Yuan Gang's blade flashed, slicing through Chen Guishuo's ropes. He then kicked Chen Guishuo in the back, sending him tumbling down the steps.

As Chen Guishuo scrambled to his feet and looked back, his pupils contracted sharply, his face filled with terror. He saw a cold glint flash across Xu Yitian's neck, and hot blood sprayed out.

After slitting Xu Yitian's throat, Yuan Gang kicked the wide-eyed Xu Yitian, who was gurgling blood bubbles, down the steps as well.

Seeing Xu Yitian twitching at his feet, Chen Guishuo's Adam's apple bobbed. He didn't dare to make any rash moves. Niu Youdao's strength was evident, and he himself was injured. In such a situation, trying to escape was impossible.

Niu Youdao, leaning on his sword with both hands in front of him, remained expressionless. He didn't ask Yuan Gang why he killed Xu Yitian, nor did he even glance at Yuan Gang's actions.

Yuan Gang, however, gave him an explanation, "Take this message back: one person is enough!"

Niu Youdao remained silent, not even blinking. Ever since he heard the personal guards recounting the battle on the mountainside, he had already formed a guess. He knew Monkey too well; Xu Yitian's death was merely confirmation of a judgment he had made. Xu Yitian had killed so many personal guards, Monkey wouldn't let him leave alive!

"Scram!" Yuan Gang shouted at Chen Guishuo below.

Chen Guishuo didn't dare to linger. With permission granted, he immediately turned and quickly descended the mountain.

Niu Youdao's expression was calm. He raised the sword in his hand, turned, and entered the temple to look around...

Due to limited conditions, it was inconvenient to carry the bodies of over thirty personal guards. The current situation also made it difficult to return them to their hometowns one by one. As the saying goes, "Green hills everywhere bury loyal bones." The group chose a place with good feng shui and water nearby in the mountain forest, dug graves on the spot, and buried the fallen personal guards one by one.

With many hands working together, the process was swift. Some people chopped wood to make tombstones, carved inscriptions on them, and then hammered them into the ground in front of each grave.

While everyone was busy, Shang Shuqing found the people involved in the incident and inquired again about the specific events. Upon learning that Guan Tie had asked Yuan Gang to stay before he died, she asked further details about Yuan Gang's actions at the time.

With a slight grasp of the situation, Shang Shuqing fell into thought.

Once all the fallen personal guards were settled, Shang Chaozong called Shang Shuqing over. Together, they offered toasts, burned incense, and bid farewell. The incense was obtained from the temple.

After all the rituals were completed, dusk had fallen. The group dispersed one by one. Some stood guard, others returned to the temple to rest. In any case, everyone was in a somber mood, having lost over thirty elites before even reaching their fiefdom.

Just as Shang Chaozong, Lan Ruoting, and Shang Shuqing returned to the temple entrance, a personal guard rushed over and reported to Shang Chaozong, "Your Highness, Yuan Gang has gone to the brothers' graveyard."

Shang Chaozong nodded, not thinking much of it. Just as he was about to enter the temple, Shang Shuqing said, "Brother, I'm going back to the graveyard."

Shang Chaozong turned his head and sighed, "So many brothers have died, everyone is feeling down. It's best to keep some things in your heart. Think about how to arrange for their families instead; that's the best course of action. Don't overemphasize superficial formalities. They're all old brothers, they understand. We're not familiar with the situation here, and it's not appropriate for you, a woman, to be out alone and vulnerable. Don't overthink it, go back and rest, get enough energy. We have to travel early tomorrow morning."

Shang Shuqing knew he had misunderstood her intention, thinking she wanted to guard the graves. "Brother, I'm going to see Yuan Gang. Perhaps I can help persuade him to stay!"

"Hmm?" Shang Chaozong slowly turned around, and Lan Ruoting also turned to look at her, both with puzzled expressions.

Shang Shuqing nodded to them, then quickly turned and walked away, her graceful figure gliding down the mountain.

"What does Qing'er mean? Can she really persuade Yuan Gang to stay?" Shang Chaozong asked Lan Ruoting, turning back.

Lan Ruoting shook his head, "It's unlikely. Yuan Gang clearly follows Niu Youdao's lead. Although Niu Youdao is Mr. Dongguo's disciple, he hasn't received Mr. Dongguo's teachings. His mindset is no different from other cultivators, and he probably doesn't want to get involved in trouble. However, the County Princess is intelligent and wouldn't speak without reason. Since she said this, there must be a reason. Your Highness might as well wait and see!"

The sky was half dark, and in the green mountains, new graves lay in rows.

Yuan Gang wandered around the vicinity for a while, picked a bunch of wildflowers, tied them into a beautiful, vibrant bouquet, and carried it to the new graves. Guan Tie's tombstone was at the very front, easy to find. Yuan Gang walked up, bent down, and placed the bouquet neatly in front of the tombstone. He then stood straight, quietly gazing at the name on the tombstone, his eyes seeming a little distant, lost in thought.

A slight rustling sound of someone pushing through the grass could be heard. Yuan Gang suddenly turned, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his dagger. He then saw Shang Shuqing, wearing a gauze hat, and his tense, leopard-like state slowly relaxed. His fingers moved away from the dagger.

Shang Shuqing stopped beside him and looked at the bouquet in front of the tombstone. "This is the first time I've seen a ceremony of offering flowers at a tombstone."

Yuan Gang said indifferently, "There's no ceremony."

Looking at the sky, Shang Shuqing didn't intend to beat around the bush. "Guan Tie hoped Brother Yuan would stay before he died. Brother Yuan has never given an answer. Can you give him one now?"

Yuan Gang's expression was calm. "We are not on the same path. I cannot stay."

Shang Shuqing: "Why can't you stay?"

Yuan Gang: "Because Daoist Master won't stay."

This left Shang Shuqing feeling a bit helpless. "He's a cultivator. My brother and I are in a difficult situation, and no cultivator dares to associate with us, or they will be jointly suppressed by other cultivators. Moreover, he has already offended the Song family. If he has a fixed target, the Song family will deal with him harshly. We can understand if he doesn't want to stay, but you and the pháp sư are different. If you stay, no one will deliberately target you, and the Song family won't notice you. Brother Yuan, my brother greatly admires you. He has good judgment about people like you. We siblings can't offer much now, only our sincere hearts. My brother and I sincerely invite you to stay. I believe this is also what Guan Tie would have wanted."

Yuan Gang: "I know what you siblings are thinking. You think Daoist Master's cultivation is not high, but you have eyes but cannot see jade inlaid with gold. For your situation, Daoist Master is more important than his cultivation. You are trying to persuade the wrong person!"

Shang Shuqing said with interest, "I'd like to hear more!"

Unexpectedly, Yuan Gang's expression was blank. "If Daoist Master stays, I stay. If Daoist Master leaves, I leave!"

So all her words were in vain. Shang Shuqing gave a wry smile. "Then how can we make the pháp sư stay?" She had no confidence in getting Niu Youdao to stay.

Yuan Gang said calmly, "Daoist Master used to say a sentence... 'Wandering the martial world, whether by wind or by rain!'"

Shang Shuqing was stunned for a moment, then understood the meaning. There weren't many things Niu Youdao cared about, but she sensed a glimmer of hope from his words. Otherwise, he wouldn't have mentioned Niu Youdao's past. It seemed her judgment was correct, and she became somewhat excited. "What could make Daoist Master pull over his horse in the martial world?"

Yuan Gang was silent for a long time, then finally looked at Guan Tie's tombstone and said, "Daoist Master is more interested in matters of cultivation!" With that, he immediately turned and strode away, unwilling to say another word. He had already done things he shouldn't have today and said things he shouldn't have, putting Daoist Master in trouble.

Shang Shuqing turned and watched him go. Her bright eyes under the gauze hat sparkled, revealing an excited expression. She had found Niu Youdao unreliable in the past, saying nothing concrete and being impossible to influence. Yuan Gang's words had pointed her in the right direction...

Inside Nanshan Temple, it was mealtime, but Shang Shuqing was nowhere to be seen. Food had already been laid out on the table. Shang Chaozong, who was sitting cross-legged, asked Lan Ruoting, who was sitting opposite him, "Why isn't Qing'er back yet?"

Lan Ruoting shook his head slightly and gestured, "Your Highness, please eat first. The food will be kept warm for the County Princess. Don't worry about her; someone is keeping an eye on her, and they'll report any issues immediately."

Just as he finished speaking, a personal guard entered from outside and cupped his hands to report, "Your Highness, the County Princess sent word, asking Your Highness and Mr. Lan to eat first and not wait for her."

Shang Chaozong frowned. "Does the County Princess have something important to do?"

The personal guard replied, "I don't know. I only know she went to the pháp sư's side."

Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting exchanged glances...

Inside, a dim oil lamp cast its glow. Niu Youdao sat cross-legged on a mat, a small table before him holding a plate. On the plate was a large chunk of meat, a sizable piece of lean meat steaming hot, said to be from a wild boar killed not long ago.

"Sigh!" Niu Youdao poked at it a few times with his chopsticks, unable to help but sigh. Boiled meat with plain water again, and such a massive lump. How was he supposed to eat this!

Of course, he had to admit that Shang Chaozong and his group hadn't mistreated him in terms of food. They always gave him the best. In the beginning, whenever they encountered conditions to eat meat on the road, the personal guards below would first serve him the largest piece of fatty meat. A white, glistening mass of fat that made people's eyes water and stomachs churn. But he could understand. For those people, for the starving common folk in these chaotic times, for a group of warriors with immense physical exertion, this was definitely a good thing. Giving you the fattiest meat meant they were treating you exceptionally well.

But he couldn't enjoy it. Afterward, he had instructed them that he didn't eat fatty meat, only lean meat. This large piece before him was one of the results.

It was lean meat, yes, but couldn't you at least cut it into smaller pieces and prepare it more finely? Such a huge chunk, simply boiled in water with a sprinkle of salt and served? He truly couldn't compliment the culinary arts of this era. For him, even a simple dish of tofu mixed with scallions would be better than this.

This was not the first time he had told himself, internally, that once things stabilized, he absolutely had to improve his diet.