Suspected Sect Master

The sword was in his hands again. He fiddled with it for a while and realized that what he had never trained in was still what he had never trained in. His wrists could barely withstand the sword's movements, and unfamiliar angles could easily injure his tendons and bones. He sheathed the longsword and flexed his wrists, pondering whether he should stretch and toughen his tendons and bones with some training. His body was still young; it was not too late to start now.

With his hands behind his back, he slowly strolled around the courtyard, keeping cultivation in mind as well. He had to gain the ability to protect himself. Otherwise, constantly being threatened with ease and always playing the turtle hiding its head would be unbearable. As the saying went, a true man could bend and stretch—he could not keep bending without ever stretching, could he?

He found a suitable room and settled down for the time being. Since he had nothing else to do, he sat cross-legged and meditated, silently practicing his former cultivation technique, "Supreme Unity." He had long since mastered this technique, and cultivating it came as naturally as lifting a finger. He had gone to such lengths to come to the Shangqing Sect because he had witnessed Dongguo Haoran's abilities and wanted to cultivate a more profound technique. However, it seemed that obtaining one would not be so easy for now, so he could only practice his own technique first and build up some ability to protect himself.

As for the origins of the "Supreme Unity" he cultivated, he had discovered the technique in an ancient tomb during an archaeological excavation underground. The tomb's master had been sitting cross-legged, holding a jade casket containing several pages of golden booklets. They recorded none other than the cultivation method of "Supreme Unity." He had then painstakingly studied it, poring over and verifying countless ancient texts for explanations, before finally achieving what came later and earning the name "Daoist Master" in the martial world.

But he had not been satisfied. The reason was simple: the contents of those few golden pages were limited. They recorded only a Qi Cultivation technique and a sword technique. Judging by the profound general principles he had deciphered from the preface, the result of mastering it should have been the ability to fly through the heavens and burrow through the earth, capable of anything. Just thinking about it was exhilarating. Yet that Qi Cultivation technique and sword technique were far from capable of reaching such a realm. They felt like nothing more than introductory material, and he believed the "Supreme Unity" he was cultivating was not complete. Thus, he had continued searching for clues to the complete "Supreme Unity." If not for that, he would not have met with disaster in the ancient tomb. After witnessing Dongguo Haoran's strength, the impact on him could be imagined. He had resolutely left that mountain village.

The days passed one after another. Although three meals a day were delivered on time, it still felt like imprisonment. Someone guarded the outside and never allowed him to take a single step beyond the courtyard gate. No one spoke to him, either, as though he had been cut off from the world.

Repeatedly asking to see Tang Mu was useless. He found this somewhat abnormal. From Dongguo Haoran's words, it was clear that he trusted Tang Mu immensely, and he was also Tang Mu's Junior Brother. Logically speaking, after Dongguo Haoran's death, Tang Mu could not possibly refuse to see him. He realized that some change he knew nothing about might have occurred, and that this was probably why the guards treated him so coldly. But he had no chance to contact anyone outside and no ability to make any moves here. He could only bide his time and wait!

With so much free time, he did not waste it. Aside from cultivating Supreme Unity, he also began tempering his body—doing splits, handstands, weighted exercises, and the like. Stretching his tendons and bones at his age was somewhat late, and he suffered plenty for it. But if he had the will, what hardship could he not endure?

Besides that, he toyed with the Bronze Mirror. Song Yanqing had once discovered it while searching him, but Song Yanqing had clearly not considered the Bronze Mirror important. Instead, he had been quite interested in the nameplate awarded by the female general who had shot the arrow. After asking about the nameplate's origins, he had tossed the unremarkable Bronze Mirror back to him and confiscated the nameplate.

Niu Youdao, however, felt that the Bronze Mirror was certainly no ordinary object. First, it looked extremely similar to the ancient bronze mirror he had seen in the ancient tomb. Second, Dongguo Haoran had said that his life had been lost over this Bronze Mirror and had instructed him to give it only to Tang Mu. How could such a mirror possibly be ordinary? Song Yanqing had probably simply been blind to its value.

But no matter how he fiddled with the Bronze Mirror, studying it whenever he had free time, he could not figure out anything...

The Shangqing Sect's main hall was called Shangqing Palace. A group of three headed straight for the main hall, where they met Luo Yuangong, Su Po, and Tang Susu.

The Shangqing Sect currently had no Sect Master, so the three of them jointly managed affairs with the Sect Master Token for the time being.

After the three disciples had paid their respects, Luo Yuangong asked, "How did the investigation go?"

The leading disciple reported, "The people of Xiaomiao Village confirmed Niu Youdao's identity. There should be no mistake. Niu Youdao left Xiaomiao Village some time ago. He disappeared on the second day after Xiaomiao Village suffered the ravages of war, so the timing matches. The people of Xiaomiao Village had also been looking for him, thinking that wild beasts had harmed him. They recognized Niu Youdao at a glance from his portrait. As for the nameplate, Junior Brother Wu went to Guangyi Commandery and found its owner. He confirmed it as well, and the matter is indeed true."

Tang Susu's face was taut as she said, "Niu Youdao does not speak like a village boy from the wilderness."

"That was investigated as well," the disciple replied. "In the early years, a down-and-out scholar once stayed in Xiaomiao Village. Niu Youdao's family had been killed in the chaos of war, leaving him alone. His household had spare rooms, so the down-and-out scholar once lived in Niu Youdao's home and taught him to read and write. Niu Youdao was one of the few literate people in the village. As for the depth of his learning, the villagers are too poorly educated to distinguish high from low. After that scholar left, his whereabouts became unknown. It would be difficult to find him now and verify this."

Luo Yuangong asked, "Could the people of Xiaomiao Village be perpetrating a deception?"

The disciple replied, "I investigated the people of Xiaomiao Village first and confirmed that they are genuine villagers of Xiaomiao Village. There can be no mistake about that."

"Then it seems there should be no problem with Niu Youdao's identity." Luo Yuangong turned to Su Po and Tang Susu.

Tang Susu said indifferently, "What if someone found a similar-looking person to impersonate Niu Youdao? It would be better to have the villagers identify him in person."

Thus, several days later, Niu Youdao finally left the Peach Blossom Spring. No one knew where he was going; they only knew that he was taken to the nearest city. He had been curious about the city's local customs, but who would have thought that he would return after walking around the city once without doing anything at all? He could not figure out what they meant by it.

After returning, he was locked back in that courtyard.

The three Elders of the Shangqing Sect, meanwhile, seemed to have become busy, constantly summoning the Shangqing Sect's Inner Sect Disciples for private discussions.

A full month later, Niu Youdao was taken out of the Peach Blossom Spring again and brought to Shangqing Palace on the cliff across from them.

Several huge bronze furnaces roasted the lofty, spacious hall until it was warm. All the Inner Sect Disciples within the sect had arrived, and many wore solemn expressions.

Niu Youdao stood in the center of the hall, looking left and right. Seeing a group of people staring at him, he was utterly baffled and had no idea what this meant.

In the end, he braced himself and said, "Before his death, my master ordered me to pay my respects to the Sect Master!"

Luo Yuangong, standing in the center of the dais, sighed and said, "You came too late. Sect Master Tang Mu has already passed away!"

"Ah!" Niu Youdao cried out involuntarily and froze. What was going on? He finally understood why Tang Mu had never come to see him. Tang Mu had kicked the bucket.

Luo Yuangong said slowly, "Since Dongguo Haoran accepted you as his disciple, summoning you here today constitutes the Shangqing Sect's formal recognition of your identity. In addition, there is something else we must ask you. If you were to become the Sect Master of the Shangqing Sect, would you be willing?"

"What?" He had been quite pleased at first, thinking that he had finally been acknowledged. But the words that followed gave Niu Youdao a fright. Thinking he had misheard, he looked around at the solemn faces and pointed at his own nose. "You want me to become the Sect Master?"

Luo Yuangong nodded, indicating that he had heard correctly.

Niu Youdao's first reaction was that there had to be a trap. Given their previous attitude toward him, there was no way they intended to let him become Sect Master. Even if it was genuine, it could not possibly be anything good. If such a good thing existed, how could it possibly be his turn? He hurriedly waved his hands and said, "That would be inappropriate, that would be inappropriate. This disciple is untalented and lacking in virtue. I cannot take on the position!"

As soon as he said this, the tension in Tang Susu's face eased considerably.

Luo Yuangong asked again, "Are you certain you do not want to become Sect Master?"

Niu Youdao continued waving his hands in refusal. "This disciple does not even know what being Sect Master entails. I truly cannot do it. Please select another person of virtue and ability."

Luo Yuangong swept his gaze across the crowd and asked loudly, "Did everyone hear that?"

The disciples replied in unison, "We heard it."

What was going on? Niu Youdao looked left and right, somewhat suspicious of the commotion.

Tang Yi, standing among the crowd, said nothing. Instead, she slowly lowered her head, seemingly somewhat afraid to meet Niu Youdao's gaze.

Luo Yuangong raised a hand toward him. "Since that is the case, you may return for now."

Song Yanqing walked up to Niu Youdao. This time, he wore a smiling expression and extended a hand toward him. "Junior Brother, thanks for the effort. Please return."

Niu Youdao looked back three times with every step, still suspicious and unable to understand what these people were plotting. He followed Song Yanqing away.

Along the way, Niu Youdao had no idea what Song Yanqing was so delighted about. He would occasionally pat Niu Youdao on the shoulder, acting extremely familiar, practically on the verge of putting an arm around him. When they reached the courtyard outside the Peach Blossom Spring on the mountain, he even said to Chen Guishuo, who was taking turns standing guard, "We are all fellow disciples now. Don't keep the door shut all the time. When there's nothing to do, you can let Junior Brother Niu out for some air. Oh, right—give Junior Brother Niu a couple of extra good dishes later, along with a jar of fine wine."

"Yes!" Chen Guishuo agreed with a grin.

Niu Youdao was delighted as well. He thought that, just as Luo Yuangong had said, his identity as a disciple of the Shangqing Sect had finally been formally recognized. He cheerfully said, "I've been at the Shangqing Sect for so long, but I still haven't properly learned my way around. I was just thinking of going down the mountain to look around and appreciate the grandeur of our Shangqing Sect." He turned and started walking away, thinking he had gained his freedom.

Song Yanqing's expression stiffened. He hurriedly reached out to stop him, pointed at the stretch of cliff outside the courtyard, and said with a smile, "Junior Brother, getting some air at the entrance is enough. Don't go wandering down the mountain. You've only just joined the sect; it's not time for you to run around yet."

"..." Niu Youdao was speechless. He slowly turned back to look at the tiny patch outside the courtyard and realized that they really had only let him out for some air.

At Shangqing Palace, a group of Inner Sect Disciples filed out. Some looked rather happy, while others appeared rather silent.

After all the disciples had left, Tang Susu spread her hands and said with a smile from inside the hall, "Well? He gave up the position of Sect Master himself."

Luo Yuangong and Su Po exchanged a sigh. Having Niu Youdao become Sect Master of the Shangqing Sect was indeed absurd, but using such a method seemed somewhat despicable as well. Anyone who was not a fool probably would not agree if asked like that. If they truly had the courage to ask him, they should try letting Niu Youdao learn the truth first.

Su Po said, "For now, he is only the suspected Sect Master. It is possible that other disciples of Dongguo survived."

Tang Susu stated firmly, "Fine! Then we will wait another three months. If there is still no news, we will do as I said."

Su Po shook his head. "What we are doing is not entirely aboveboard."

Tang Susu said gravely, "We are doing this for the good of the Shangqing Sect. Otherwise, how could the other disciples agree? Wouldn't it be a joke to let some ignorant youngster become Sect Master? Besides, we have not mistreated him. In Ziyun Commandery, who would dare claim to be more beautiful than Tang Yi? In the end, he is still the one benefiting. This way, we can give an explanation both internally and externally!"

Luo Yuangong frowned. "Will Tang Yi agree after learning about this?"

Tang Susu said solemnly, "As a disciple of the Shangqing Sect and the Sect Master's daughter, how could she not step forward and shoulder this heavy responsibility at such a crucial moment? I am not only an Elder of the Shangqing Sect but also her grandaunt. Her parents are gone, so naturally this matter will be decided by me, her elder."