Chapter 719: I Only Wish to Befriend Elder Chao |
Wu Lao Er took the letter and left. Niu You Dao turned and departed. Guan Fang Yi seized Chao Sheng Huai.
After this, Wu Lao Er found a disciple of the Thousand Beast Sect and indicated to whom the letter should be delivered.
However, the one who delivered it requested anonymity.
The letter for Chao Jing; ordinary disciples dared not delay its delivery. Thus, it was immediately passed to him.
At that moment, Chao Jing was conversing with some disciples. Upon receiving the letter, he casually asked, "From whom?"
The disciple politely replied, "This disciple does not know. They said it was an old friend. They did not wish to reveal themselves. They said Elder Chao would recognize it upon seeing it."
An old friend? Chao Jing was skeptical. He took the letter in his hands and withdrew. He pondered the letter for a long time.
The letter mentioned an incident that occurred in the Illusory Butterfly World. It stated that his grandson had caused a swarm of Rakshasa butterflies, leading to the deaths of many Thousand Beast Sect disciples. Fortunately, he had suppressed the matter and kept it from public knowledge.
The sender claimed that Chao Sheng Huai had revealed all of this to him, and that Chao Sheng Huai was currently in his hands.
Chao Jing sneered coldly. He wondered where such a bold fellow had emerged from, daring to play games with him.
He slowly crumpled the letter and told a disciple, "Bring Chao Sheng Huai." "Yes, Master!" The disciple departed.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he waited. The disciple soon returned and reported, "Master, Chao Sheng Huai is not here. They say he went to Wanshang City for some purchases. I have instructed the disciples who interact with him to inform him to return."
Not here? Chao Jing frowned. It seemed his grandson truly was in someone's grasp. He immediately summoned his senior disciple, Xu Huo Zhao, and secretly instructed him. He ordered him to gather men and make all preparations. The sender had told him to come to the meeting alone. But he was no fool to go unprepared.
Xu Huo Zhao left to make the arrangements. Soon, he returned, confirming everything was ready. After this, Chao Jing departed the sect alone.
The meeting place was a bit far from the sect, located in a remote gorge.
Chao Jing looked around but saw no one. He raised his head and watched as a colossal bird descended from the sky. A lone figure hovered from above, leaning on a sword, smiling as he gazed down at him.
Chao Jing frowned. "Niu You Dao! You arranged this meeting?"
He wasn't intimately acquainted with Niu You Dao, but he knew of him. After all, Niu You Dao had spent so much time in their sect. He had seen him.
Niu You Dao nodded with a smile. "I've been audacious and offended Elder Chao."
Chao Jing offered a cunning smile. He understood that Niu You Dao's visit was likely connected to the war between the Song and Yan Kingdoms. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "What are you plotting?"
Niu You Dao said, "I wander the world on horseback, making friends wherever I go. I simply wished to befriend Elder Chao."
Chao Jing chuckled stiffly. "Those who reside in the Thousand Beast Sect are our friends. You are already our friend."
Niu You Dao chuckled. "Indeed, Elder Chao speaks truly." Chao Jing said, "If we are friends, why haven't you returned my grandson to me then?"
Niu You Dao replied, "There's no rush. Once I am confident in our friendship, I will return your grandson to you unharmed."
Chao Jing stated, "If this concerns the war between the Song and Yan Kingdoms, then I am powerless in that matter."
Niu You Dao said, "I am doing everything for Elder, so that Elder will have no troubles. Elder must have seen the contents of the letter. Does Elder not wish to thank me for this?"
Chao Jing said, "A joke. Without proof, who would believe it?" Niu You Dao countered, "What if your grandson speaks of it himself?" Chao Jing replied, "Everyone will understand that he was forced to make such a statement, nothing more."
Niu You Dao smirked. "Then, in the Illusory Butterfly World, there were also other disciples of the sect present. Since they are disciples, one could call them brothers. After the incident, your grandson wanted to eliminate the witnesses. Fortunately, they fell into my hands."
Chao Jing trembled and was about to speak, but Niu You Dao cut him off. "Don't rush. Hear me out. Of course, Elder Chao could claim that they too were forced to testify. I wonder, does Elder know Cheng Ping, Gao Lan, Liu Ding An, Qiu Weng Xiang? Disciples of your sect?"
Chao Jing froze. How could he not know them? These were four disciples who had mysteriously vanished. Their disappearance had caused a stir in the sect. He just didn't know why Niu You Dao would mention them. He slowly asked, "What are you trying to say?"
Niu You Dao said, "At the time of the bird epidemic in the Thousand Beast Sect, it was said that over twenty large birds perished. However, according to the words of these four individuals, it was no epidemic at all. They claim it was a conspiracy, through which five birds were selfishly stolen! Hehe, five birds, one might say, is a small sum. But after the incident, the four witnesses were to be killed. Fortunately, by a stroke of luck, they too fell into my hands."
Chao Jing was skeptical; that incident had indeed been strange. Could there truly have been a CONSPIRACY? "I don't understand what you mean?"
Niu You Dao asked, "Didn't you orchestrate all of this?"
Chao Jing retorted angrily, "Nonsense! If I needed money, I could take it at any moment. Why would I kill so many birds? Furthermore, we investigated everything! There was no conspiracy!"
"Really?" Niu You Dao smiled slyly, then raised his head to the sky and waved his hand. From the bird circling above, another figure leapt down.
Niu You Dao began to rotate his hand, gently lowering the person towards him. Then he grabbed him by the neck and pushed the person forward. "Qiu Weng Xiang, Elder Chao, does this name sound familiar to you?"
Chao Jing scrutinized the person. To be truthful, he didn't know him, but he was familiar. Definitely a disciple of the Thousand Beast Sect.
Yet, how had this disciple ended up in Niu You Dao's hands? A chilling fear gripped Chao Jing's heart at the thought.
Qiu Weng Xiang himself was terrified. He hadn't expected to see the Elder upon descending from the bird.
"Qiu Weng Xiang, what did you do when the bird epidemic occurred in the sect? Tell Elder Chao the truth." Niu You Dao prodded him. Then he released him, demonstrating that he wasn't threatening him and that Chao Jing could take him away. After a few steps, Qiu Weng Xiang weakly sank to the ground, staring fearfully at Chao Jing.
Now, Chao Jing's imposing figure loomed large in Qiu Weng Xiang's mind. The reason he feared Chao Sheng Huai was precisely because of this Elder.
When he was seized, he himself hadn't wanted to return to the Thousand Beast Sect. However, having fallen into Niu You Dao's hands, he also understood that he had become a pawn in someone's chess game. He was no longer his own master.
And this player was now pushing him forward. Did he have any choice?
Chao Jing couldn't bear it any longer, his face turning ashen. He wasn't foolish, and he understood that something had indeed happened back then. He stated sternly, "Are you Qiu Weng Xiang?"
Qiu Weng Xiang knelt and bowed, then, looking at him with fear, replied, "Disciple Qiu Weng Xiang greets Elder Chao!"
Chao Jing demanded clearly, "What happened? Over twenty birds went missing. Tell me what's behind this!"
Qiu Weng Xiang froze. Chao Sheng Huai had wanted to kill him for this as a witness! And Elder Chao was Chao Sheng Huai's grandfather. What was he to do?
Chao Jing roared, "Tell me everything in detail!"
Qiu Weng Xiang trembled and prostrated himself on the ground, saying, "Chao Sheng Huai forced us. In Linghua Valley..." He recounted how they had done everything, how they had replaced the bird carcasses with living ones.
Chao Jing shuddered at what he heard. He recalled everything that had happened, connecting the links in a sequence. So, the carcasses had been swapped back then!
Lying on the ground, Qiu Weng Xiang continued, "This disciple did not know what Chao Sheng Huai intended from the start. Then Chao Sheng Huai deceived us into descending the mountain and tried to kill us as witnesses. When Cheng Ping, Gao Lan, Liu Ding An, and I gathered, we realized what Chao Sheng Huai had done..." He spoke of the kidnapping process, but did not mention Niu You Dao as the instigator.
As for Niu You Dao's role in this, they truly didn't know. Chao Sheng Huai couldn't tell them that he was doing all this at the behest of an outsider. Otherwise, they would never have dared to do such a thing.
The only connection to Niu You Dao was the fact that these few individuals had fallen into his hands.
Chao Jing's face darkened like a thundercloud. This matter was no longer about five missing birds, but over twenty lost birds. The price was astronomical. Because of this incident, the elders of Linghua Valley and Chuling Spirit Mountains had been removed from their posts. He never thought his own grandson would be the culprit.
"Tsk, tsk!" Niu You Dao said, shaking his head. "Brilliant!" "Truly brilliant! A single Chao Sheng Huai has turned the Thousand Beast Sect upside down. Anyone you tell would be terrified. Yet, everything went smoothly. Is a mere disciple capable of accomplishing such a thing alone? Someone must surely be backing him. Tell anyone, and they won't believe otherwise. What do you say, Elder Chao?"
Chao Jing said, trembling, "And you mean to threaten me with this? It won't work! This has nothing to do with me. The Thousand Beast Sect can investigate everything themselves!"