Yuan Fang, who was sitting on the stairs, jumped up and asked:
"Lord Dao, Lord Yuan, Chi You... who is that person? Is he a rebel?"
Yuan Gang: "Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."
"..." Yuan Fang simply smiled.
Yuan Gang: "You beat me today, did you vent all your anger now?"
How could one feel joy by beating people? Yuan Fang immediately waved his hand:
"No beating, no beating. I was helping Lord Yuan train."
Yuan Gang said in a cold tone, "Do you say something different to yourself?"
Yuan Fang immediately replied, "Not at all!"
Thus, the following days passed. Every day, Yuan Fang beat Yuan Gang, and he noticed it was quite a difficult task...
A month passed in a flash. Niu You Dao would only leave his dwelling in the morning for a walk, mostly cultivating indoors otherwise.
Over the past half-month, his channels gradually grew stronger. He once again attempted to refine the Doctrine-Transmitting Amulets within his body and temper his channels.
During this time, Shu Qing made an effort not to disturb him. She would only come to him early in the morning to comb his hair before leaving.
A strict order was issued in the village, ensuring no one disturbed his courtyard. Children were also forbidden from approaching, so as not to bother Niu You Dao.
Aside from the hour spent beating Yuan Gang, Yuan Fang spent the rest of his time cultivating.
Of the three, only Yuan Gang found meditation uninteresting. Yuan Gang thought it wasn't a suitable activity. If cultivation prolonged life, then why spend life constantly like that? He would go out for walks, and also ensure no one entered their courtyard...
"Boom!"
It was as if an earthquake had struck, shattering the tranquility. Alarm immediately spread through the village.
Niu You Dao and Yuan Fang also rushed out of their courtyard, noticing the villagers heading towards the direction of the thunderous sound.
"What happened?" Yuan Fang asked a villager.
The villager replied, surprised, "I don't know!"
Yuan Fang turned his head and saw that Niu You Dao had already flown towards the blast.
Beyond the village lay a mountain gorge. As soon as Niu You Dao arrived, he immediately saw a shattered cliff. Yuan Gang was standing right there, examining it.
Niu You Dao descended and quietly observed him.
Very soon, people from the village rushed over. They also saw Yuan Gang amidst the shattered stones.
Luo An asked, "Brother Yuan, what just happened? Did you see it?"
Yuan Gang calmly replied, "Nothing. The mountain simply collapsed."
"How could this mountain just collapse? It's as if it was struck by lightning?" Yuan Fang, standing nearby, asked in surprise. He lifted his head to look at the clear sky and whispered:
"Could it be thunder out of a clear sky?"
Niu You Dao simply gazed at Yuan Gang...
Early in the morning again, Niu You Dao sat before a mirror while Shu Qing combed his hair. Once finished, she said, "Lord Dao, all is well."
Niu You Dao rose and went to escort her out. However, once he stepped out of the courtyard, he didn't stop, but continued walking with her.
Shu Qing bowed her head and, smiling, said, "You don't need to see me off so far."
Niu You Dao gestured for her to continue. As the two walked side by side, he asked, "Is something troubling the princess?"
Usually, Shu Qing would chat constantly while combing Niu You Dao's hair, but recently she had been rather quiet.
Niu You Dao looked around: "Everything seems fine here. Most likely, something has happened in Cang Wu?"
Shu Qing: "I fear it might affect Lord Dao's cultivation."
Niu You Dao: "It will be fine if I learn something."
Shu Qing: "The plan to capture Qingshan County has been canceled. My brother is now seeking other methods to gain importance with the Heavenly Jade Sect."
Niu You Dao: "Hai Ru Yue broke her word. Won't she help the prince?"
Shu Qing sighed heavily: "My brother only just mentioned this. I sent another message and only then understood. One could say that Hai Ru Yue won't keep her word, but one also can't say it's entirely so. They simply set a condition."
Niu You Dao: "So they're not refusing, but they're putting you in a difficult position? Are they obstructing you?"
Shu Qing: "The situation is peculiar. One could say they're obstructing, but they can also be understood."
Niu You Dao asked curiously, "What is it?"
Shu Qing: "It concerns her son. Even Xiao Tian Cheng's father was ill during his lifetime, when he was the ruler of Qingzhou Province. And Hai Ru Yue's son inherited not only his father's position but also his illness. And he is even more gravely ill than his father. He is very frail. That's why the person who returned from her said that her son, Xiao Tian Cheng, might not even live to adulthood. He might not even survive this year."
Niu You Dao: "Does Hai Ru Yue want us to cure her son?"
Shu Qing: "Lord Dao sees everything clearly. That is exactly what Hai Ru Yue wants from us. And it makes sense. Currently, although she holds power in the province, if her son were to die, she would lose her power in Qingzhou Province. And then she wouldn't be able to support my brother. That's why she's asking my brother to acquire the Red Yang Fruit root from the Ice and Snow Palace and save her son. Only then will she help!"
Niu You Dao furrowed his brows. He had seen the name 'Red Yang Fruit root' in the book *Supreme Purity Notes*. It and the Ice Jade Fruit were said to be opposites, counteracting each other. One of negative polarity grew in light, while the other, of positive polarity, grew in darkness.
"What kind of illness requires the Red Yang Fruit root?" Niu You Dao asked with interest.
Shu Qing: "They say it's a congenital illness called 'Cloud Sky Slow Pulse'. The Red Yang Fruit root is needed specifically to cure the illness at its root."
Niu You Dao: "As far as I know, nine fruits can grow on that tree. One seed sprouts each year, and one fruit matures every nine years. So, one could say there is only one Red Yang Fruit per year. With the power of the Xiao family, wouldn't it be difficult to acquire this fruit from the Ice and Snow Palace?"
Shu Qing: "Of course they asked. Even Xiao Hua, during Xiao Be Shang's lifetime, requested this fruit from the Ice and Snow Palace. He even asked the Emperor of the Zhao Kingdom for help. But it was useless. They say Mother Xue eats this fruit every year and then feels well. For ordinary people, the ruler of Qingzhou Province is a high-ranking individual, but to Mother Xue, he is no different from an ant. Could Xiao Tian Cheng possibly be more important than her?"
Niu You Dao silently nodded his head.
Shu Qing pondered for a moment and finally said: "I wonder if Lord Dao knows any other methods to gain importance with the Heavenly Jade Sect?" — in truth, she had constantly wanted to ask him for help these past few days.
Niu You Dao: "I haven't thought about it yet. However, Mr. Lan and the prince came up with a good plan. By taking Qingshan County, they would kill two birds with one stone. They would both gain importance with the Heavenly Jade Sect and expand their own power. It would be a pity to discard this opportunity. It would be difficult to capture Qingshan County later."
Shu Qing: "Naturally. It's just that Hai Ru Yue refuses."
Niu You Dao calmly said, "Let me think about it." — he extended his hand, indicating she could go.
Watching her depart, Niu You Dao clasped his hands behind his back and went for a walk in the fields. While he was walking in the fields, Yuan Fang found him. He approached and said nothing, simply following him constantly.
Looking at the children playing in the fields, Niu You Dao stopped and said to Yuan Fang, who was standing behind him: "Bear. With your situation, it will be difficult to firmly establish a monastery. Would you be willing to abandon this endeavor and come with me?"
"Ah?!" Yuan Fang froze. He didn't know why Niu You Dao had suddenly asked him this. He immediately shook his head and said: "How could I do that? They came with me. They are the personal disciples of the former abbot. I promised him that I wouldn't abandon them and would look after them."
Niu You Dao stood in silence for a long time...
The next day, as Shu Qing was styling Niu You Dao's hair, she noticed two stones on the table: one yellow, one black.
After his hair was done, Niu You Dao, as usual, escorted her to the door. Before leaving, Shu Qing glanced at the stones once more, then departed with some hesitation.
After seeing her off, Niu You Dao went to the river. There, he watched the young people training.
Half an hour later, Meng Shan Ming arrived. Shu Qing had driven him, and beside him stood a large, burly man with a yellow beard.
"Master!" Meng Shan Ming greeted him.
Niu You Dao turned and, smiling, greeted him back.
Meng Shan Ming pointed to the old man standing nearby: "Master has likely not met this man before. This is the exceptional blacksmith, Gongsun Tie Niu. He encountered troubles long ago, but Ning Wang helped him then. After that, he came to live here. Since then, Mr. Gongsun has selected talented individuals and taken them as apprentices. He established a forge on the northern side of the mountain and crafts weapons for the prince, preparing for a rainy day..."
Niu You Dao listened with a smile, then they exchanged greetings with Gongsun Tie Niu.
Gongsun Tie Niu did not seem to be a very patient man. He spoke only a few sentences, then turned and, as if on urgent business, simply left.
"Mr. Gongsun is a good man, he just has a difficult temper. Master, please don't take it to heart." — Meng Shan Ming apologized for him.
"It's fine, we're not acquainted anyway." — Niu You Dao calmly replied. He looked at Shu Qing: "Princess, I'm prepared to travel to Qingzhou for the prince. I can try to resolve the issues with Hai Ru Yue there. Could you send a message to the prince, telling him not to rush into other plans?"
Shu Qing froze and tried to dissuade him: "Lord Dao, perhaps it's not worth it. Qingzhou's stance is already clear. Hai Ru Yue won't back down."
Niu You Dao: "There's no harm in trying. However, I ask the princess to keep this a secret from Monkey for now!"