Bet or Not?

What had been mentioned was none other than the hundred thousand Crow Generals.

After hearing the truth, Niu Youdao understood. The Imperial Court had originally intended to uproot Prince Ning's forces completely. Shang Chaozong had been certain to die, but Mr. Lan had deliberately spread a rumor to protect him. Seeing that Great Yan was beset by troubles within and without, tottering like a storm-tossed boat, he had realized his chance had come and added fuel to the fire, hinting that the hundred thousand Crow Generals were hidden in Cangwu County. That was what had allowed Shang Chaozong to see the light of day again and leave the prison.

He also understood why they had been unwilling to tell him the truth. If he had been a spy sent by the Imperial Court and had pried the truth out of them, then once the Imperial Court learned that the hundred thousand Crow Generals were nothing but a rumor, the consequences would have been obvious. With the lives of so many people at stake, their caution was understandable.

He could not help stealing another glance at Shang Shuqing. Just now, the other party had clearly loosened his tongue only at this woman's signal. He found that she was indeed rather interesting. After his thoughts shifted, Niu Youdao asked again, "Mr. Lan shouldn't have pointed to Cangwu County for no reason, right?"

Lan Ruoting offered an explanation. "Cangwu County's terrain is treacherous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. It will be convenient for Prince to establish a foothold there after he arrives."

Niu Youdao gave him a cold sidelong look. "Five hundred cavalry can manage on level ground, but treacherous terrain becomes a cavalryman's weak point. They won't be able to fight properly at all. So what if Cangwu County's terrain is dangerous? Can a mere five hundred men stationed there stop the Imperial Court's army? Mr. Lan, are you taking me for a gullible young fool?"

His words left Lan Ruoting somewhat awkward, and Shang Shuqing hurriedly spoke up to smooth things over. "When Father King was alive, some of his former subordinates were still lying low. They were precisely the ones placed in Cangwu County."

Niu Youdao asked, "How many are there?"

Shang Shuqing sighed softly. "Although Father King commanded Great Yan's armies while he was alive, as the saying goes, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Coupled with the current Emperor's ruthless purge, there aren't many loyal and reliable people left. Only a little over a thousand are waiting for Brother in Cangwu County. Ordinary people wouldn't dare recruit them lightly, either."

When the matter came up, Niu Youdao found it rather strange. "I've heard of Prince Ning's reputation as well. How could a famed general of the battlefield be brainless? Even if he wanted to restore the glory of the Wu Dynasty and suppress the cultivators under heaven, there was no need to say it openly. Why offend every cultivator in the world?" There was one thing he did not say aloud: if not for that, how could the mighty Marshal of the Armies have been assassinated so easily when he had a group of powerful cultivators protecting him?

Bringing this up was another awkward matter for the group. Prince Ning's principles had infringed upon the interests of all cultivators, and this Daoist Master was a cultivator himself, after all.

Shang Chaozong, who had been silently observing Niu Youdao all along, slowly said, "I'm afraid this matter cannot be separated from the current Emperor."

Niu Youdao gave an "oh" and asked, "How so?"

Lan Ruoting sighed. "The cultivators of the world, from every sect and school, need to support worldly representatives to funnel benefits to them—in other words, cultivation resources. Those representatives, however, are unwilling to remain puppets controlled by others forever. Thus, they mediate among the various sects and schools, drawing them together to restrain and suppress one another, preventing any single one from growing too powerful. Otherwise, their lives would be in danger at any moment. That is how the current balance of the world came about. In truth, none of the various Imperial Courts wishes to be held hostage by cultivators. What they think is probably much the same as Prince Ning, but no one dares show it openly. Prince Ning wasn't a fool. How could he have publicly aroused the wrath of everyone? Ultimately, someone was stirring things up behind the scenes. Back then, the late Emperor actually intended to pass the throne to Prince Ning, yet Prince Ning's extreme views suddenly came to light. Under pressure from the various cultivation powers, the late Emperor was burdened by an amount of pressure outsiders could never imagine. In the end, the late Emperor suddenly died, his death shrouded in mystery. Then came the imperial edict passing the throne to the current Emperor. There were simply too many strange twists in it!"

With that explanation, Niu Youdao understood. Put plainly, this was a struggle for imperial power.

He had no interest in the matter. He had merely wanted to learn the situation, and once he knew, he said no more. Instead, he found a map of Great Yan and spread it across the table.

Shang Chaozong watched coldly from the sidelines, wanting to see what this Daoist Master intended to do.

Shang Shuqing's eyes beneath her veil kept drifting toward Niu Youdao, carrying a trace of anticipation. She remembered Yuan Gang saying earlier that, considering their circumstances, Daoist Master himself was more important than his cultivation. She was suspicious of that claim, but she did not disbelieve it entirely. She had initially underestimated his cultivation because of his youth, only to find his first move astonishing, revealing a man who kept his depths hidden. Thus, she looked forward to seeing what he would do.

On the map, Great Yan's territory was smaller than that of the other countries. Song Kingdom lay to the east, Han Kingdom to the north, and Zhao Kingdom to the west, while the south bordered a vast sea. Cangwu County belonged to Southern Prefecture's Qingshan Commandery in Yan Kingdom. It happened to lie along Qingshan Commandery's coast, near Guangyi Commandery to the east, while a county lay between it and the west, bringing it close to Zhao Kingdom.

Southern Prefecture governed eleven commanderies. Qingshan Commandery and Guangyi Commandery both belonged to Southern Prefecture. Its Prefect of the Prefecture, Zhou Shou Xian, was a trusted minister of Yan Kingdom's current Emperor, stationed there to guard one side of the realm. He possessed considerable ability and had kept Guangyi Commandery's Prefect, Feng Lingbo, firmly suppressed...

After rambling on at length and finishing his introduction to the situation around Cangwu County, Lan Ruoting fell silent. Niu Youdao pointed at Guangyi Commandery on the map and asked, "Feng Lingbo dares to command troops independently in a mere commandery. The cultivation sect supporting him behind the scenes must be rather powerful, right?"

Lan Ruoting stroked his beard and nodded. "Indeed. The power supporting Feng Lingbo is Tianyu Sect, one of the more renowned cultivation sects in Yan Kingdom. Feng Lingbo's wife, Peng Yulan, is the daughter of Peng Youzai, Tianyu Sect's current sect master. Feng Lingbo's success in Guangyi Commandery can be called both the achievement of Peng Yulan and the reason for his downfall."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Niu Youdao asked humbly.

Lan Ruoting explained, "It was precisely because he married Peng Yulan and gained Tianyu Sect's powerful support that Feng Lingbo dared to act—and that he achieved his position today. Yet it was also because he married Peng Yulan that the other cultivation sects dared not allow Feng Lingbo to grow too powerful. They feared that once Feng Lingbo gained influence, Tianyu Sect would monopolize the greatest share of the benefits, so they suppressed him."

"I see..." Niu Youdao stroked his chin in thought. He stared at the map and pondered for quite some time before slowly asking, "I wonder what Prince intends to do after going to Cangwu County?"

Shang Chaozong said each word distinctly, "Daoist Master, this isn't a question of trust or distrust. Everything you're asking concerns people's lives. If word were to leak, who knows how many people would lose their heads." The implication was that some things were inconvenient to tell him.

Niu Youdao smiled faintly. Since the other party refused to speak, he had still been suspicious. But after hearing this, he gained a little more certainty. His finger landed on Cangwu County on the map. "It's a tiny place. Even if there are another thousand reserve troops, so what? The matter of the hundred thousand Crow Generals may deceive the Imperial Court for a time, but not forever. Once the Imperial Court takes action, Prince's small force will be utterly unable to resist. Besides, since the Imperial Court dared to let Prince come here, it must have made preparations in Cangwu County. I presume Prince has already planned a way out. There are only a few possible routes. Song Kingdom to the east is too far away, so Prince has no chance of seeking refuge there. Zhao Kingdom to the west offers some possibility, but judging from how Prince refused to let go of his anger after throwing dry rations at Niu during the journey, the chances of Prince defecting aren't high. Besides, Zhao Kingdom may not give Prince the chance to rise again. So, thinking it over..."

His finger slid downward, pointing at the sea south of Cangwu County. "The only road left is to put out to sea! Prince has operated in Cangwu County for many years, so I presume he has a way to slip away without attracting attention. Once in Cangwu County, you can act according to the circumstances. If the situation turns bad, immediately gather your men, head south through secret channels, and put out to sea! Preserve yourselves first, then plot a comeback. Am I right?"

As soon as he said this, Shang Chaozong, Lan Ruoting, and Shang Shuqing all wore looks of horror. Shang Chaozong had known nothing while he was in the prison, but outside it, Lan Ruoting and Shang Shuqing had spent a long time scheming to prepare a way out. Shang Chaozong had only learned of it later. It was a secret known by only three people, yet Niu Youdao had exposed it with a single sentence. If this truly leaked, it would cut off their final escape route.

Yuan Gang observed the three people's reactions and reckoned that Daoist Master had guessed correctly.

Niu Youdao's finger tapped Guangyi Commandery again. "Prince, in my view, there's no need to hurry to Cangwu County. Why not delay a while longer within Guangyi Commandery?"

Shang Chaozong's attitude changed in an instant. He cupped his hands and asked, "I would be grateful to hear the details!"

"If you go to Cangwu County now, there will basically be no other road left. As Prince Ning's son, no country will dare take you in lightly. Prince will have no choice but to flee south and put out to sea to avoid disaster. Once you leave, you'll be giving up your last foothold in Yan Kingdom. If Prince flees, you may well be branded a traitor, which won't help you gather the hearts of Yan Kingdom's people in the future. As long as Yan Kingdom doesn't collapse, I'm afraid Prince will have little chance of returning. And how do you know the current Emperor won't send people out to sea to search for you and continue the pursuit?" Niu Youdao pointed at Guangyi Commandery. "Feng Lingbo's independent command of troops is Prince's opportunity. You can join forces with Feng Lingbo to resist the Imperial Court!"

Shang Chaozong gave a bitter smile. "With this little strength in my hands, Feng Lingbo probably wouldn't even spare me a proper glance. How could he possibly ally with me? Besides, I'm afraid Tianyu Sect won't be pleased to see Feng Lingbo getting involved with me."

"Prince is mistaken. Your hard power is somewhat lacking, but you still possess a measure of soft power. Just the signboard of being Prince Ning's son is enough to accomplish a great deal." Niu Youdao consoled him, then revealed a sly grin. "Why don't Prince and I make a wager?"

At this, Shang Shuqing and Lan Ruoting exchanged glances. Shang Chaozong gave an "oh" and asked with interest, "What shall we wager?"

Niu Youdao smiled. "I'm willing to make a trip to Guangyi Commandery for Prince and borrow a contingent of troops from Feng Lingbo. I can guarantee that Prince will establish a secure foothold in Cangwu County. What does Prince think?"

"..." All three of them froze. Their expressions seemed to say, Are you dreaming? Forget about allying with Feng Lingbo—if he didn't drive them away, that would already be a blessing. And they expected him to lend them troops? Wasn't this a joke of unprecedented proportions? Feng Lingbo would have to be a fool and a half.

Of everyone present, only Yuan Gang remained unruffled.

Shang Shuqing spoke up. "Daoist Master, this isn't something to joke about."

Niu Youdao waved his hand. "I'm only asking whether Prince wants to bet or not."

Shang Chaozong answered decisively, "Fine! I'll bet! What are the stakes?"

Niu Youdao pointed at Yuan Gang. "If I can't borrow the troops, I'll have Monkey serve at Prince's tent and obey your orders. If I can borrow them, I'm afraid I'll have to ask Prince to suffer a small indignity."

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