Chapter 37: He Stays, and I Stay |
It was over! Su Yi Tian and Cheng Gui Shuo breathed sighs of relief when they learned they would be released. As for Song Yang Qing, they knew he was finished. Why else would Niu You Dao have spoken to them that way?
Song Yang Qing had revealed the secret. This meant that Niu You Dao held a trump card against the Supreme Purity Sect. And now, how were the two of them supposed to explain all this to Tang Su Su? What would she do to them in her rage!
Yuan Gang drew his dagger and, after slicing Cheng Gui Shuo's ropes, kicked him in the back, sending him tumbling down the steps. When Cheng Gui Shuo finally stopped, he turned, narrowed his eyes, and looked back. His entire face was gripped by fear, for he saw blood pouring from Su Yi Tian's neck.
Yuan Gang slit Su Yi Tian's throat with his blade, whispered something to him, his eyes wide, and then kicked him as well.
Watching Su Yi Tian convulsing in his death throes, Cheng Gui Shuo dared not do a thing. Even if he wanted to run, he couldn't.
Niu You Dao, leaning on his sword as a staff, watched Su Yi Tian with a stony face. He paid no mind to Yuan Gang's actions, nor did he even look at him.
Yuan Gang replied, "One is enough!"
Niu You Dao remained silent. He looked down and saw the many slain warriors of Shang Chao Zong on the mountainside. He surmised that Su Yi Tian must have killed most of them. And knowing Yuan Gang, he definitely wouldn't have let Su Yi Tian go after he had taken so many lives!
"Get out!" Yuan Gang yelled at Cheng Gui Shuo.
Niu You Dao was composed. He turned and looked at the monastery...
Under these circumstances, it was impractical to carry around over thirty deceased bodyguards, and equally inconvenient to send them one by one back to their hometowns. Therefore, everyone decided that the mountain forest would be their tomb. They found an auspicious spot according to Feng Shui and began to dig graves there.
There were many people, so everything was done quickly. Some chopped wood to make grave markers, others engraved names upon them. Thus, many graves appeared.
While everyone was occupied, Shu Qing found people who had been at the battle site and questioned them in detail about what had happened. She learned how Guan Tie had died and that he had asked Yuan Gang to stay. Upon hearing the news, Shu Qing fell into contemplation.
When all the deceased were buried, Shang Chao Zong called Shu Qing, and they all drank wine in honor of their fallen brothers. They also lit memorial candles they had brought from the temple.
As soon as the ceremony ended, dusk began to fall. Many people started to disperse. Some went to the temple to rest, others stood guard, but everyone's spirits were low. They had not yet reached the lands granted to them, but they had already lost more than thirty brothers.
Shang Chao Zong, Lan Ruo Ting, and Shu Qing were just returning to the temple gates when a bodyguard approached and reported:
"Prince, Yuan Gang has gone to the graves of our brothers."
Shang Chao Zong nodded and, after a moment's thought, headed inside the temple. Only Shu Qing said, "Brother, I'm going to the graves of our brothers."
Shang Chao Zong sighed and said, "So many brothers have died; everyone's spirits are low. Some things are best remembered privately. Some wish to pay their respects informally; there's no need to disturb them. Besides, why would you go there alone? Let's return to the temple, we need to rest and rejuvenate our spirits. We leave early tomorrow morning."
Shu Qing knew her brother hadn't understood her, so she replied:
"Brother, I'm going to Yuan Gang to persuade him to stay. Who knows, I just might succeed!"
"Hmm?" Shang Chao Zong turned and looked at Lan Ruo Ting. They exchanged questioning glances.
Shu Qing nodded to both of them, turned quickly, and departed, her graceful silhouette descending the mountain.
"What does Shu Qing want? Could she really persuade Yuan Gang to stay?" Shang Chao Zong looked at Lan Ruo Ting.
Lan Ruo Ting shook his head:
"It's difficult to persuade Yuan Gang. He seems to follow Niu You Dao. And Niu You Dao, though Master Dong Guo's disciple, did not inherit Master Dong Guo's teachings. Most likely, like all other cultivators, he won't seek out hardship. However, the Princess is also intelligent; she doesn't speak idly. She must have a reason for speaking this way!"
It was already dusk. In the mountain forest, there was a place where clusters of mounds with inscriptions could be seen.
Yuan Gang walked in that direction, plucking flowers along the way, gathering them into a bouquet. Guan Tie's grave was the very first, and it was easy to find. Yuan Gang approached it, bent down, and placed the flowers there. Then he stood up again, ramrod straight. He gazed at the grave. It was unclear what he was thinking.
Soft footsteps could be heard. Yuan Gang sharply turned and subconsciously reached for the dagger at his hip. In the end, he saw Shu Qing in a hat, and his tense, cheetah-like body relaxed. He also removed his hand from the knife.
Shu Qing approached him and, looking at the flowers resting on the grave, said:
"Flowers on a grave are a first for me."
Yuan Gang replied indifferently, "Nothing to it."
Noting his mood, Shu Qing did not beat around the bush and got straight to the point: "Guan Tie asked Brother Yuan to stay before his death. Brother Yuan remained silent throughout, but can Brother Yuan answer now?"
Yuan Gang calmly replied, "We walk different paths; I cannot stay."
Shu Qing: "Why can't you?"
Yuan Gang: "Because Lord Dao cannot."
At these words, Shu Qing felt a pang of helplessness:
"He... is a cultivator. And given our situation as brother and sister, no cultivator would want to join us. Otherwise, other cultivators would start to pressure us. Moreover, he has just offended the Song family, and now the Song family will be hunting him. He won't want to stay with us, and we understand that. But your situation is different. No one is hunting you. Brother Yuan, my brother admires you, and he is never wrong about people. I know my brother and I have nothing material to offer, but we sincerely invite you to join us. I also hope, just as Brother Guan Tie did."
Yuan Gang:
"I know what you're thinking. You think Lord Dao's cultivation isn't high. But you don't see the whole picture; you value the golden setting over the jade itself. To you, Lord Dao is important. You've missed the point!"
Shu Qing asked with interest, "I would like to know more!"
But Yuan Gang, with a stony expression, said, "If Lord Dao stays, I stay; if he leaves, I leave!"
Hearing it so directly, Shu Qing smiled bitterly: "Then, how can we persuade the master to stay?" She had no confidence at all when it came to Niu You Dao.
Yuan Gang said indifferently, "Lord Dao always used to say one phrase—'A free horse loves both the wind and the rain!'"
Shu Qing froze. She seemed to understand what Yuan Gang meant. Little could stop Niu You Dao. However, after Yuan Gang's words, hope stirred within her, otherwise Niu You Dao's loyal aide wouldn't have said such a thing. She asked excitedly, "I don't know what could make a free horse stay?"
Yuan Gang remained silent for a long time, then, gazing at Guan Tie's grave, he muttered a single thing:
"Lord Dao is more interested in cultivation!"
Having said this, he turned and left. He had no intention of speaking further. In truth, he had already done what he shouldn't have and said what he shouldn't have said. Perhaps this would bring trouble upon Lord Dao.
Shu Qing also turned, and beneath the bamboo hat, Shu Qing's agitated face could be seen. Before this, she had understood that Niu You Dao was a man whose every move was hard to fathom, and whose destination was never clear. But Yuan Gang's words pointed her in a direction...
Inside the Southern Mountain Monastery, everything was already laid out on the table. Only Shu Qing was nowhere to be seen. Shang Chao Zong, seated at the table, asked Lan Ruo Ting:
"Why hasn't Shu Qing returned yet?"
Lan Ruo Ting shook his head slightly and, waving his hand, said:
"Prince, eat first. Once the Princess arrives, her food can be warmed up again. Don't worry, she's being watched. If anything happens, we'll be informed immediately."
As they were conversing, a bodyguard entered. He clasped his hands and reported, "Prince, the Princess requested that you and Master Lan dine and not wait for her."
Shang Chao Zong knitted his brows: "What happened to the Princess?"
The bodyguard replied, "I don't know, I only know she headed towards the Master."
Shang Chao Zong and Lan Ruo Ting exchanged glances.
Inside a room, candles flickered. Niu You Dao sat on a meditation mat, a table before him. On the table, a large piece of meat was boiling in a pot. This piece of meat he had acquired thanks to a boar hunt.
"Ah!" Niu You Dao picked up his chopsticks and stirred the meat, unable to help but sigh. He added more water. The meat still wasn't cooked, so he had to wait!
Of course, he couldn't deny the fact that he had been treated well throughout the journey with Shang Chao Zong. The best of everything was offered to him every time. From the very first, the soldiers constantly presented him with the largest and fattiest cut. Only later did they notice that the fatty meat nauseated Niu You Dao. However, he understood the common soldiers. They thought that fatty cuts of meat were quite substantial and yielded rich broth. And in these turbulent times, when the common people starved, such a piece of meat would definitely be the lot of the wealthy. If they gave you their best, it was proper to accept it.
Only, he had insistently requested not to be given fatty meat, but lean meat. Now, one such piece lay before him.
Lean meat was still lean meat. Whether you sliced it thin or boiled it in a large piece, the soup would still not be rich. All he could do was sprinkle salt on the meat and enjoy what he had. Unlike his previous life.
He had told himself countless times that as soon as his situation stabilized, he would resolve the issue of his diet.