He hadn't mentioned what they would be doing early in the morning, so Yuan Gang only learned that Lan Ruo Ting's plan had succeeded when dawn broke. Yuan Gang couldn't stand this sort of business. They approached Chao Zong's courtyard.
As if they knew Feng Ru Nan might come out early. Feng Ru Nan opened the door to her room and was just about to step towards the courtyard entrance when Niu You Dao appeared.
"Eeeh!" Niu You Dao feigned fright and looked at Feng Ru Nan with surprise. Then, glancing at the house and smiling, he cupped his hands and asked:
"Princess, did you rest well last night?"
Feng Ru Nan immediately flushed with embarrassment, a rare sight for her. Her face turned as red as a baboon's rear. However, she replied fiercely:
"None of your business."
Hearing the commotion, Chao Zong stepped out of the house, but upon seeing the uninvited guests, he immediately darted back inside.
Niu You Dao had, in fact, already noticed everything, but he sighed and said: "Ah. I was afraid you'd beat our prince again. That's why I've been standing by the door all this time." — he hinted that he knew she had come on her own initiative.
Feng Ru Nan gritted her teeth and spat:
"Shameless scoundrel!"
Niu You Dao honestly replied:
"Princess, I assure you, no one slipped you any medicine this time."
Feng Ru Nan's expression shifted. She wished she could grab a sword and cut him in half right now.
"It seems the princess isn't pleased to see me." — Niu You Dao turned to Yuan Gang and waved his hand:
"Let's go. It seems the acupuncture needles for treatment are no longer needed."
Feng Ru Nan glared at him: "I could tear you into a thousand pieces!" Only then did she suppress her rage and grit her teeth, saying: "Stop!"
In the end, she bowed and apologized!
Niu You Dao left with a satisfied expression.
As he walked past Yuan Gang, the latter said to him: "She'll constantly hate you like this."
"So what? Why should she constantly shout at me? Now she'll know better." — Niu You Dao replied with a smile and added: "It's better for her to shout like this than to stay silent and harbor all her resentment. That would be truly dangerous."
At breakfast, Niu You Dao noticed that the number of people had increased by two. Feng Ru Nan and Bai Yao joined them for breakfast.
The moment Feng Ru Nan saw Niu You Dao, she immediately blushed. Clearly, she felt awkward.
Having already teased Feng Ru Nan, he now chose another target. Looking at Chao Zong, he said: "Prince, were you not beaten yesterday?"
At this unexpected question, Lan Ruo Ting clamped his mouth shut, while Shu Qing couldn't help but burst into laughter. Bai Yao's lips twisted into a smile as he, too, grinned.
Feng Ru Nan pretended not to hear. She merely clutched a piece of bread tightly, then kicked Chao Zong under the table.
Just as Chao Zong awkwardly tried to say something, a person rushed in and reported:
"Prince, there's a person named Wei Duo outside. He says he is a disciple of the Supreme Purity Sect and has come to see his master."
Several people looked at Niu You Dao.
Niu You Dao frowned: "Wei Duo?" He remembered him. He seemed to be Tang Mu's chief disciple.
Tu Han had said that this disciple, though he stuttered, was kind and respectful to his masters.
Niu You Dao hadn't paid much attention to Wei Duo before. He had seen him when Tang Su Su had nearly killed him with a palm strike. But why had he sought him out?
"I don't want to see him! Tell him I've severed all ties with the Supreme Purity Sect." — Niu You Dao replied.
Chao Zong waved his hand, signaling for the message to be relayed.
Afterward, Bai Yao suddenly spoke up: "Something recently happened at the Supreme Purity Sect."
Everyone immediately looked at him, and Niu You Dao asked: "What happened, if I may ask?" — by his calculations, the Supreme Purity Sect should have already been annihilated, and this one must have survived by sheer luck.
Bai Yao continued: "We recently received news from the Supreme Purity Sect. They announced a list of disciples who had offended their masters. Among them was the son of the Chief Justice, Song Jiu Ming, Song Shu. It's said he attempted to take a fellow disciple's life. It was also mentioned that he conspired with the Liuxiang Sect to launch a surprise attack on the Supreme Purity Sect. Had the exiled disciple Zhao Xiong Ge from Werewolf Ridge not intervened at the crucial moment, the sect would have been annihilated. What has become of the sect now is still unknown.
*They survived? They weren't annihilated?* Niu You Dao froze.
He had heard of Zhao Xiong Ge; Tu Han had mentioned him. He had even told him that if anything happened, he should seek out Zhao Xiong Ge on Werewolf Ridge. Zhao Xiong Ge would help. But if the sect hadn't been annihilated, why had this Wei Duo rushed over?
Feng Ru Nan couldn't help but ask:
"Zhao Xiong Ge, the one ranked 9th on the Dan List?"
Bai Yao slowly bit into his bread: "That's him."
Feng Ru Nan was curious:
"If he's such a first-rate master, why did the Supreme Purity Sect expel him?"
Bai Yao: "They say he was once their most promising disciple. Only, one day he fell in love with a sorceress from the Devil Sect. That's why his masters expelled him from the sect. All sorts of rumors circulated about him, but it's unlikely they were all true."
As they were talking, another person arrived:
"Prince. That Wei Duo says he won't leave until he sees his master."
"Tsk. Let him come." — Niu You Dao said, annoyed. In truth, he was curious himself about what Wei Duo wanted, given that the sect hadn't been annihilated.
Not long after, Wei Duo was led in. He had been waiting outside.
Niu You Dao put down his bread and went outside. The others also followed him to observe.
Outside stood a young man of good build. From his appearance, one could immediately tell he was an honest and righteous person.
As soon as Niu You Dao stepped out, he and Wei Duo immediately began sizing each other up. Niu You Dao had grown considerably and matured over the years, while Wei Duo hadn't changed at all. Though they had only met a couple of times, they both recognized each other.
Niu You Dao, leaning on his sword, indifferently said:
"Why were you looking for me?"
Wei Duo seemed agitated, and cupping his hands, he bowed:
"Di...di...disciple greets the Se...Sect Head! Disciple is late, pl...please forgive me, Se...Sect Head!" — saying this, he fell to his knees, his eyes red. He was on the verge of tears.
Niu You Dao was startled by such a greeting. "What's going on?"
Aside from Chao Zong and the others, Bai Yao and Feng Ru Nan were surprised. "Sect Head? Whose Sect Head?"
Niu You Dao: "I told your brother that nothing connects me to the Supreme Purity Sect anymore. You shouldn't greet me like this. Tell me why you've come, otherwise I don't have time to just talk with you."
"The Se...Sect Head was wrong...wronged. They shouldn't...shouldn't...have d-done thaaat.that. I con...con...constantly...resisted...they...they pun...punished...punished me on the back...back...back of the mountain... I...I...I didn't know...they'd...act...act...act like this...towards the Se...Sect Head." Wei Duo replied, stuttering.
Niu You Dao stood there, looking at the sky one moment, then at the ground the next. He was tired of listening to him.
The others were also tired of listening, but they eventually understood. Bai Yao and Feng Ru Nan realized what had happened. It seemed Niu You Dao was supposed to become the head of the Supreme Purity Sect, but someone didn't want him as the head. That's why he had been sent away and secretly marked for death. He must have had a truly difficult time.
"Alright, alright. I understand you. I believe this doesn't concern you. However, nothing connects me to the Supreme Purity Sect anymore. You should go back." — Niu You Dao waved his hand, signaling Wei Duo to leave.
Wei Duo seemed agitated:
"We...we'll go...go together. I'll res...res...restore justice for the Sect Head!"
Niu You Dao kept waving his hand: "No need. I don't want to. Leave."
Wei Duo: "Then I...I...I'll stay and pro...pro...protect the Sect Head!"
Is this a joke? How could Niu You Dao keep an unknown person by his side? How could he know this wasn't another Song Yang Qing? So he shouted: "Get lost!"
Wei Duo shook his head:
"I won't leave!"
Niu You Dao furrowed his brow:
"This isn't the Supreme Purity Sect. You won't be allowed to act wildly here. Believe it or not, I'll kill you otherwise!"
Wei Duo shook his head: "Disciple...Disciple of Dong Guo Hao Ran wouldn't...wouldn't...wouldn't do that to me!"
Niu You Dao felt no particular sympathy for him, nor was there anything he couldn't bring himself to do. So he wasn't inclined to be polite to him. However, the mention of his master, Dong Guo Hao Ran, affected him. Therefore, he shouted, waving his hand:
"Guards, escort him out!"
Several bodyguards came, but Wei Duo refused to leave. In the end, they forcibly escorted him out. Wei Duo didn't dare use force and left, shouting *Sect Head!*
"What a lunatic!" — Niu You Dao muttered and returned to his residence.
Immediately, a person came and said:
"Master, that person has knelt outside the door and said he won't stand until Master agrees."
"Where did this fool come from!" Niu You Dao said, sneering maliciously:
"He loves kneeling, so let him kneel. He'll leave on his own eventually."
The next day, early in the morning, Niu You Dao opened his door and noticed a silhouette.
The female silhouette turned and said with a smile:
"Lord Dao, good morning!"
Niu You Dao stepped out: "Why has the esteemed princess come so early in the morning?"
Shu Qing replied:
"Lord Dao previously mentioned that you couldn't tie your hair into a topknot. So I came to help."
Niu You Dao said with a forced smile: "How could I possibly ask the princess to tie my hair into a topknot?"
Shu Qing turned and left. However, she soon returned with a chair and placed it under the awning, gesturing for Niu You Dao to sit on it.
As the saying goes, expect no good if someone flatters or caters to you without reason! Niu You Dao, nonetheless, calmly walked over and sat down on the chair. He was, after all, curious what this girl wanted. What demon possessed her?
Shu Qing took a comb and began to comb his hair. Meanwhile, Yuan Gang stood nearby with a calm expression, watching them.