Watching Niu You Dao and Black Peony whispering, Lei Zong Kang rode at the very back, silent.
Though Niu You Dao hadn't explicitly said he was taking him, he hadn't driven him away either. So, they rode together.
“Lei, don't overthink things,” Wu San Liang said, slowly riding up to him and offering comfort.
Under the moonlight, Cui Yuan and Yao You Liang emerged from the bushes. They paused for a moment, looked back, and realizing they weren't being pursued, finally relaxed slightly and began to walk slowly.
Once they realized the danger had passed, the two men began to ponder their current predicament.
“Surely they didn't actually rob our shops?” Yao You Liang asked.
“On the one hand, nothing is impossible, but on the other, why would they bother us with such a trick?” Cui Yuan replied with a sigh.
He never imagined Niu You Dao would be so daring. Did he truly dare to return to the city and rob the three sects' shops? If he had known this earlier, would he have dared to leave the shops unsupervised?
Yao You Liang: What should we do? Will Niu You Dao truly keep this a secret? If all this comes out, then you and I will become traitors to our masters. We wouldn't be able to bear the consequences then!
Cui Yuan: What are you suggesting? Do you want to run away? If Niu You Dao truly intends to tell everyone, then no matter where you and I run, we won't escape our masters. Traitors are hunted down and killed everywhere they flee!
Yao You Liang: Then what do you propose?
Cui Yuan: I think if Niu You Dao truly wanted to kill us, he would have. Why would he beat around the bush?
Yao You Liang: Then it's quite strange that he actually let us go. He truly won't expose us?
Cui Yuan: If you don't want to live, then don't keep this a secret.
Yao You Liang immediately said in a raised voice:
“Then we need to speak clearly. If we're going to keep it secret, both of us must keep it secret. If one keeps it secret and the other doesn't, it will be useless.”
Thus, the two men walked through the Gobi Desert, whispering.
Zhaixing City.
Gao Su Cun of the Liuxiang Sect, Liao Sen of the Flowing Clouds Sect, and Wu Qian Hao of Wuyou Mountain. The three men, leading their disciples, were returning to the city. Their groups had shrunk. Fearing that Niu You Dao had deceived them again, they had left disciples to continue pursuing him towards Mountain Lake County. They absolutely could not afford to let Niu You Dao escape.
After spending over ten hours on the road, constantly tracking Niu You Dao, who had led them on a wild goose chase, their mood was, naturally, far from pleasant.
However, there was nothing for it. If they didn't exert themselves to the fullest, how would they report this upwards.
They immediately headed to the Liuxiang Sect's shop. Seeing the 'Closed' sign, Gao Su Cun unlocked the door. A group of people followed him inside. Their Little Moon Butterflies immediately began to circle, illuminating their surroundings.
On the counter sat a cage of Sniffer Birds. At that moment, they were chirping. Liao Sen and Wu Qian Hao looked at the shelves.
Gao Su Cun also noticed that the shelves were bare. Everywhere he looked, it was empty.
The others also noticed something was amiss.
Liao Sen:
“Perhaps they cleared everything out. They were leaving, after all.”
Gao Su Cun went and opened the chests, only to find them empty too. He then moved to the weapon rack and felt around, finding a long spear and a sword there. His expression turned grim.
Liao Sen and Wu Qian Hao exchanged glances, as if a realization dawned upon them. If they had hidden everything, why would they leave the spear and sword?
They didn't know that when Niu You Dao had looked at the spear and sword, he had decided to leave them behind. After all, they were inconvenient to carry.
Wu Qian Hao, pointing at the birds, said:
“What's wrong with these Sniffer Birds?”
Gao Su Cun looked at them, walked over, and furrowed his brows. He didn't understand either. Huang En Gui and Cui Yuan should have taken a Sniffer Bird with them. Why were these still reacting?
Sniffer Birds are bred by the Thousand Beast Sect.
And for each batch of birds, they use different proportions of bait, especially for different years. The Thousand Beast Sect maintains its reputation meticulously, so there shouldn't be any mistakes on their part.
Indeed, it was unclear!
Gao Su Cun ordered:
“Send the birds to inquire immediately. What is happening!”
“Understood,” a nearby disciple immediately replied.
He turned to Liao Sen and Wu Qian Hao and said gravely:
“No matter what, we'll have to go and verify everything ourselves.”
Liao Sen and Qian Hao nodded. If they didn't continue their pursuit, and if Niu You Dao managed to escape the three sects, they would simply become a laughingstock. They wouldn't be able to remain in Zhaixing City afterwards. Most likely, they'd be reassigned as gate guards for their sects.
Moreover, their disciples had gone there. They couldn't ignore their disciples either.
The two men were displeased with Gao Su Cun. After all, this was the Liuxiang Sect's affair. Why had they been dragged into it? However, there was nothing to be done. It was all because of the Song family.
Ultimately, the group went to check the Wuyou Mountain shop, and it too was empty!
After that, the shelves in the Flowing Clouds Sect's shop were also bare. They all tried to comfort themselves, thinking that the merchandise was hidden somewhere.
“They must have hidden everything.”
Gao Su Cun and Wu Qian Hao nodded:
“Perhaps.”
Only to themselves were they secretly pleased they weren't the only ones. Still, they didn't believe they had been robbed. Who in Zhaixing City would dare to rob them? Every shop in the city was under the city's protection.
However, everyone understood: “If your shop is empty and there are no sales, then what? Is the city supposed to send people to guard your property? It doesn't matter here. Neither the city nor their masters will see any logic in your affairs.”
However, they had no time for such thoughts now. All they could do was hope their disciples had hidden the merchandise well. Otherwise, if they truly ended up without the goods and Niu You Dao escaped, then they would certainly face huge problems. If they caught Niu You Dao, at least they'd have a justification. But what if they didn't?!
With no merchandise and nothing to guard, they immediately departed Zhaixing City.
Meanwhile, Niu You Dao and his group were already riding along the main road when, in the quiet of the night, a Bird King arrived.
Duan Hu extended his hand and retrieved a secret message from a bamboo tube, then placed the Bird King into a cage.
He unsealed the letter and handed it to Niu You Dao.
“Lord Dao, this must be a message from the Liuxiang Sect.”
A Little Moon Butterfly flew over to Niu You Dao. Niu You Dao looked at the contents of the letter, but understood nothing. He realized the letter was encrypted and utterly indecipherable.
“Does anyone understand this encryption?”
Duan Hu: “This must be the Liuxiang Sect's secret cipher. Only their sect can decipher it. We can't. Unless we spend a long time pondering it.”
“Nonsense!” Niu You Dao took the sheet, tore it up, and then threw it away. He wasn't interested in what was written on it. One thing was certain:
“The three sects seem to have returned to Zhaixing City and must now be chasing us.”
Black Peony asked, alarmed:
“Lord Dao, do you intend to lure them here?”
Niu You Dao: “Don't worry. They won't catch up to us. There's a significant time difference between us. Whether they come or not, that's their business.”
Outside Zhaixing City, Sniffer Birds were released. A crowd of people followed them. They emerged from the mountains, reached the stables. Over ten individuals took horses and rode on.
The stars were their cloaks, the moon their hat. Little Moon Butterflies flew before them, illuminating their path. Thus, they realized that the Sniffer Birds were flying in the same direction that Huang En Gui and the others had indicated.
“Uncle!” a sudden cry rang out.
Gao Su Cun waved his hand, and the group halted. They all raised their heads.
They saw two figures appear from behind. It was none other than Cui Yuan and Yao You Liang.
The two of them had been walking through the wilderness, but upon hearing the thud of hooves, they immediately hid in a ditch. Who knew whom they might encounter? When the group rode past them, they realized it was their own people.
The two men quickly ran up and greeted everyone.
Little Moon Butterflies circled above the two cultivators. One could now clearly see their miserable state. They were unarmed, and all their clothes were torn.
Gao Su Cun shouted: “What happened? Where is Huang En Gui?”
Cui Yuan said with a sorrowful expression:
“That Niu You Dao was no ordinary man. None of us were his match! We suffered grievous injuries, and if not for our brothers who shielded us with their lives, we wouldn't have been able to escape and report everything to you. As for Huang En Gui and the others... I fear they have already perished!”
Yao You Liang also nodded, wiping away tears.
The two men had agreed to recount things this way. For if they were to reveal they had been captured, their reputations would never recover!
Wu Qian Hao dismounted, seized Yao You Liang's wrist, and, confirming he had indeed sustained severe injuries, asked:
“What about the merchandise in the shops?”
As soon as he uttered this, Cui Yuan and Yao You Liang's hearts sank. Niu You Dao was truly insane to have dared to rob them!
Yao You Liang, wiping away tears, said in surprise:
“Uncle, they're surely in the shop!”
Wu Qian Hao angrily grabbed him by his clothes:
“There's nothing in the shop! It's all empty! Where's the merchandise?!”
Yao You Liang said, terrified:
“To catch Niu You Dao in time, we didn't manage to move the merchandise. We left everything in place. Brother said no one would dare to steal in Zhaixing City!”
“Nonsense!” Wu Qian Hao kicked him, sending him tumbling to the ground. He then walked over and struck him hard again. Yao You Liang flew back a full zhang.
He was practically losing his mind. Disciples dead, the man not captured, and now the merchandise was gone too. How were they going to report all this to their masters!
Who would take responsibility now? How would they be looked upon now?