Thus, from the standpoint of authority, every word Niu Wudao had said stood on solid ground.
Gong Chao's brow twitched. Smiling, he said, "By the way, I should let the Dongshan Prefect know that besides escorting the clerks Long and Qi into Dongshan, I've come for another matter. I've heard that the speed at which the wish-clouds gather has slowed considerably in Fengle, Jingshan, and Anlu, the three cities under Dongshan Prefecture. A prefecture's governance hinges above all on tax revenue. The wish-clouds are gathering more slowly in all three cities under Dongshan; this is no small matter. I wonder if Prefect Xu has any advice for me?"
Wary of Huang Kai, he hadn't wanted to make things difficult for Xu Yi. At the very least, he'd intended to follow Cao Neng's example and never put himself on the front lines. Now, though, he had Qi Huan and Long Yu—two fine spears he could wield.
He could stay hidden behind the scenes and plan for the future.
But times had changed, and some things had to be turned on their heads.
He was no fool; he could see clearly that Niu Wudao had come to seek out Xu Yi not to follow procedure, but to provoke him.
Niu Wudao had bared his blade in the open. Gong Chao immediately had backing, and he too drew the hidden sword he'd kept behind his back.
Huang Kai was certainly fearsome, but Niu Wudao and the forces behind him were no small matter either. Besides, with Niu Wudao and his people standing at the front, even if Huang Kai wanted to find fault, he'd have to get past Niu Wudao first.
Xu Yi said, "I haven't heard anything about this yet. Once I've investigated and confirmed the facts, I'll report back to the