Nearly another month passed in the blink of an eye, and Niu Youdao became increasingly aware that he was under house arrest. Just as Song Yanqing had said, he could only stroll around inside and outside the courtyard and was not allowed to take even one step down the mountain. The claim that he was new to the sect and must not wander around was, in his view, purely an excuse. If it were merely a sect rule, would they really need to send people to take turns guarding him outside?
He was certain there was something wrong with the whole affair, but he knew far too little about it to sort out the clues. He had no idea what was really going on.
This was not a place where a little boy like him could act recklessly. All he could do was patiently take things one step at a time and see how they unfolded. The only thing he could decide for himself was to cultivate and wait for the unknown puzzle to be unraveled one day.
The stars glittered across the night sky. No one slept on the couch inside the room; instead, someone was standing upside down on the floor beside it.
Bare-chested, Niu Youdao held a sword with its tip planted on the ground and used its straight blade to support himself upside down. His arm trembled faintly as he struggled to control his balance. When that arm could hold on no longer, he switched hands in midair and grasped the hilt with the other. His body swayed violently several times before he fought to steady it again. He was not merely training his arm strength. It could also be said that he was training delicate force—the delicate force needed to maintain his balance, coordinating every muscle and every part of his body. There was far more to it than met the eye.
More importantly, he was training sword intent, training his body, mind, and sword to act as one. In other words, he was cultivating the state of unity between man and sword. Once he reached that state, wielding the sword in his hand would naturally become free and fluid, and he would be able to control it with ease down to the finest detail.
This was a special sword-training method of Supreme Unity, and its mental cultivation method was called the 'Chaos Green Lotus Intent.' Standing upside down like this would inevitably send blood rushing backward into his head. After a little while, it would naturally leave him muddled and dazed. He stood upside down like a lotus bud; once his cultivation succeeded, he would bloom.
The difficulty of cultivating it in the early stages was obvious. But once he could control it with ease, he would be able to sense every change in the parts of the sword bearing force, bringing him indescribable benefits when he actually wielded a sword in the future.
Being able to hold a sword and stand upside down after barely more than a month might seem unremarkable, but in truth, his progress was astonishingly fast. When Niu Youdao had cultivated it before, it had taken him more than a year to reach this level. However, he had already experienced it once. Experience and insight were often the most precious things of all. He had the feeling and experience, knew what to do, and knew how to train. He had skipped the period of groping his way forward, so his cultivation was more than twice as effective.
After holding on for only about half an hour, Niu Youdao was already drenched in sweat. His face was flushed red, and droplets fell from the top of his head, flowed down the hand gripping the sword, and ran along the blade, soaking a large patch of the floor.
In the end, his body began to shake violently. No matter how much cultivation experience he had, his arm strength was still limited, and he could not hold on for long. He had no choice but to bend at the waist and put both feet on the ground. Leaning on the sword, he took several deep breaths and stood quietly for a while, allowing his body to recover.
He did not dare let the sword make too much noise in case it alerted the people outside. He gently returned it to its scabbard, pulled over a towel to wipe the sweat from his body, put on his clothes, and moved his limbs a little. Then he sat cross-legged on the couch and quickly entered a state of oblivion, forgetting his physical fatigue as he breathed in and out according to the Qi Cultivation method...
The sky began to brighten, and dawn slowly broke.
Compared with when he had first begun more than a month ago, Niu Youdao, seated cross-legged on the couch, now breathed with far greater depth and length. His inhalations surged like rivers pouring into his five viscera and six bowels, while his exhalations came slowly, like unraveling silk from its cocoon, as though filtering something bit by bit.
As dawn passed, the sky grew bright. The blazing sun leaped over the horizon, radiating ten thousand rays of golden light as it gradually rose higher. The moment all things awakened also caused Niu Youdao to gradually feel a trace of restlessness. Knowing that the best period for cultivating in a selfless state had passed, he slowly ended his practice and opened his eyes.
After getting off the couch, he moved his limbs a little. The fatigue brought by standing upside down the previous night had already vanished, leaving him refreshed and clear-headed.
It was not that he could no longer cultivate once the best period for cultivating in a selfless state had passed. Rather, the body of a young boy had not yet fully matured and was still in its vigorous growth period. This was the age when people were naturally the most active, and innate habits were difficult to change. His vital energy was also most easily influenced by the seasons and times of Heaven and Earth. It was enough to seize the best period for cultivation; there was no need to demand too much of himself or force the issue. Besides, food would be delivered at set times outside. If he kept his door shut and never came out, he might arouse suspicion.
Why would a wild village boy know how to cultivate? Moreover, he did not know what attitude the Shangqing Sect truly held toward him. It was better not to reveal certain things. He had no ability to protect himself at all right now, and it was better to have one thing less to worry about than one more. He would wait until he understood the situation before making a decision.
A mountain spring had been diverted through the courtyard. After washing up, Niu Youdao opened the courtyard gate and came out at his usual time. The person who had spent the night sitting cross-legged beneath the peach tree was Xu Yitian.
Hearing the gate open, Xu Yitian turned his head for a look and slowly stood up.
Niu Youdao walked over and saluted him. The two exchanged only a few words before Chen Guishuo came up the mountain carrying a food box, here to take over the shift.
Xu Yitian left and would return at lunchtime. Chen Guishuo would come again for the evening meal. In short, the two took turns standing guard and delivering his food.
With the Shangqing Sect showing him such importance, if Niu Youdao still could not see that something was wrong, then he, Daoist Master, would have spent all those years wandering the martial world for nothing.
Knowing was one thing, but Niu Youdao did not point it out. He opened the food box and quickly ate breakfast.
He was diligent as well. After eating, he washed the bowls and chopsticks and returned them, placing them in the food box beneath the peach tree. Chen Guishuo would naturally take them away later.
"Senior Brother Chen, bring me a recliner when you come back." Niu Youdao made the request as he set down the food box. Ever since he had gone to Shangqing Palace and refused the 'excessive' request, Song Yanqing's attitude had clearly improved. He had said that Niu Youdao should ask for anything he needed and that he would agree if he could.
Chen Guishuo, who had plucked a peach blossom and was holding it beneath his nose to inhale its fragrance, turned around when he heard this. He gave a strange cry and laughed. "Why would a little boy like you need a recliner? Where did you grow such lazy bones?"
Niu Youdao pointed beneath the peach tree. "Put it there. The senior brothers are sitting out in the open air on the bare ground. I'd feel bad about it too."
Chen Guishuo suddenly understood. So Niu Youdao had been using his own name to prepare it for them. He immediately patted Niu Youdao on the shoulder and praised him. "Now that's thoughtful. Fine, I'll get one for you when I come back."
Niu Youdao gave him a radiant smile, then glanced at the beautiful mountain scenery all around them. "Senior Brother, this really is a wonderful place. I imagine our Shangqing Sect must rank among the renowned great sects of the cultivation world, right?"
Only when Chen Guishuo was around would he ask such things. He had clearly sensed that the Shangqing Sect seemed to be hiding something from him.
Song Yanqing did not come often, and he was somewhat moody, making him difficult to deal with. Xu Yitian's lips were sealed; no matter what Niu Youdao asked, he refused to say anything. Only Chen Guishuo could not keep his mouth shut. Recently, Niu Youdao had already coaxed quite a few things out of him. They were all trivial matters, however, and whenever the subject touched on anything related to Niu Youdao, Chen Guishuo immediately avoided it.
"Heh-heh!" Chen Guishuo laughed and modestly held back for a moment. But after giving it some thought, he shook his head. "Forget it. There's no harm in telling you. Our Shangqing Sect was glorious in its early years—the number one sect in the Yan Kingdom. Its founding Patriarch was the Imperial Advisor of the Yan Kingdom..."
After a long-winded bout of self-praise, the gist was that after the Wu Kingdom unified the world, it collapsed again, leaving the realm divided among rival powers. The descendants of Shang Song, who had once dominated the world, went through many twists and turns before establishing the Yan Kingdom. The Patriarch of the Shangqing Sect had been a great meritorious official and was conferred the title of Imperial Advisor. That was also the Shangqing Sect's most glorious period. At its peak, the sect had more than ten thousand disciples. Later, however, it gradually declined for various reasons, and now the Shangqing Sect had only a few hundred disciples.
As for the Shangqing Sect's current standing and rank in the cultivation world, Chen Guishuo simply skipped over it, seemingly unwilling to say. Niu Youdao could figure it out with a little thought. It was probably too embarrassing to mention.
Seeing that he did not want to discuss it further, Niu Youdao changed the subject. "Oh? Senior Brother Song used to come every few days, but it seems like I haven't seen him for quite a while. I really miss him."
Chen Guishuo gave a snigger when he heard this. "Senior Sister Tang is known as the number-one beauty of Ziyun Commandery, and good things are just around the corner. How could Senior Brother Song not be more attentive..." He seemed to realize what he was saying, spat dismissively, and waved his hand. "Why am I telling a little brat like you this? You wouldn't understand even if I did."
Niu Youdao blinked and pretended to be displeased. "Why wouldn't I understand? Is Senior Brother Song going to marry Senior Sister Tang?"
"Oh, aren't you clever for your age!" Chen Guishuo burst out laughing and patted him on the shoulder. "If nothing unexpected happens, Senior Sister Tang should be the next Sect Master. Just wait to drink the wedding wine."
Niu Youdao was rather curious about Song Yanqing as well. He had noticed that Chen Guishuo and Xu Yitian did not show Song Yanqing the respect one would show a senior brother. There was a kind of obsequiousness to it. He deliberately provoked him with his words. "Are you afraid of Senior Brother Song because he's going to become the Sect Master's husband?"
Chen Guishuo glared at him. "You little imp, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Niu Youdao said, "Am I wrong? Is it because he's an Inner Sect Disciple, while you and Senior Brother Xu aren't? I've been wondering about that too. You and Senior Brother Xu don't seem any less capable than Senior Brother Song, so why can he be an Inner Sect Disciple while you and Senior Brother Xu still haven't become Inner Sect Disciples?"
At this, Chen Guishuo seemed somewhat melancholy as well. He lowered himself and leaned against the peach tree, sitting on its gnarled roots. "Junior Brother, some things aren't necessarily decided by ability. Background is important too..."
A note of disappointment showed in his words. He roughly revealed a little of Song Yanqing's background. Song Yanqing's father, Song Shu, was the Personal Disciple of Elder Tang Susu. More importantly, Song Yanqing's grandfather, Song Jiuming, was Grand Secretary Tong Mo's trusted confidant. He enjoyed Tong Mo's deep trust and held one of the Imperial Court's Nine Ministers posts—that of Minister of Justice. After Song Yanqing's father, Song Shu, left the Shangqing Sect, he stayed at Song Jiuming's side as a mage and personal attendant. In this era, it was perfectly normal for an Imperial Court official to have a mage protecting him.
Of course, that Minister of Justice had more than one son, more than one grandson, and more than one mage attendant. But having one's own biological son serve as one's mage protector naturally inspired greater trust. And with the Shangqing Sect now in decline, it relied entirely on Song Shu to use the Song Family's power to protect it. Most of its cultivation resources also depended on the Song Family's channels. If the Song Family had not shielded it, the Shangqing Sect would likely have been wiped out by other cultivation sects long ago. Under such circumstances, even if Song Yanqing's aptitude were poor, would arranging an Inner Sect Disciple identity for him really be a problem?
Niu Youdao suddenly understood. Grand Secretary was effectively a kingdom's prime minister, while Song Yanqing's grandfather was the prime minister's trusted confidant. The position of Minister of Justice was equivalent to holding the kingdom's entire judicial authority. No wonder.
"Ah, you wouldn't understand even if I told you all this." Chen Guishuo waved his hand with a hint of self-mockery.
Before you continue