Niu Youdao did not tell her what they were waiting for.
The group continued on their way, passing Jinzhou and heading straight for Qingshan County.
Traveling through Yan County would have shortened the distance to Qingshan County, but just in case, the group took a detour …
After a long journey back, the county capital of Qingshan County was in sight. Niu Youdao did not enter the city, but entered the nearby forest.
The setting sun was beautiful, dyeing the forest golden. Niu Youdao stood on a hill and looked into the distance. In front of him was the county capital of Qingshan County, and behind him were the mountains and forests. It was his first time returning to the county capital of Qingshan County.
He saw a rider galloping on the official road, heading straight for the city gate. It was Duan Hu. He was ordered to find Yuan Fang and ask about the situation. If the situation was suitable, he would have Yuan Fang inform Shang Chaozong that he had returned!
After waiting for a while, a group of people galloped out from the direction of the city gate, heading straight for this place.
The large group of people arrived and entered the forest under Duan Hu's lead. Dozens of cultivators flew down from the treetops.
Shang Chaozong, Shang Shuqing, Lan Ruoting, Yuan Fang, Bai Yao, Fei Changliu, Fuyun Sect's leader, Zheng Jiuxiao, and Spirit Cultivation Mountain's leader, Xia Hua, rushed to the foot of the hill.
They looked up at the top of the hill and saw Niu Youdao standing with his sword. Under the light of the setting sun, he was shrouded in a hazy glow.
Seeing this familiar figure, especially that familiar posture of standing with his sword, Shang Chaozong and the others were visibly excited.
Niu Youdao turned around and smiled at the group at the foot of the hill. The setting sun shone on his profile, making the smile on his young face seem mysterious and reserved.
Hua la la, a group of people jumped off their horses. Shang Chaozong could not wait to rush up the mountain. He was extremely excited.
Shang Shuqing's face was filled with excitement. He looked at the people up the hill with a strange look in his eyes. Together with Lan Ruoting, he also ran up the hill.
Yuan Fang had already flown over to Niu Youdao's side. He cupped his fists in delight and said, "Daoye!"
Niu Youdao nodded his head and pushed his palms towards the few people who were rushing down the mountain, indicating that there was no need for them to come up. In a flash, he floated down.
After not seeing each other for a long time, he finally met up with the Shang siblings.
"Greetings, Prince, Princess, Mister Lan." Niu Youdao cupped his hands in greeting.
Shang Chaozong hurriedly put his hands together and said, "Daoye, why didn't you get someone to inform me of your return so that this prince can come and welcome you!"
Niu Youdao laughed and said, "For safety's sake, it's better to guard against villains than against gentlemen!"
Hearing the word 'safety', Shang Chaozong knew a thing or two about the risks of this trip. Because of this, he was so excited that he didn't know what to say. Suddenly, he lifted the hem of his robe and knelt on one knee, "Daoye, please accept this humble king's bow!"
"You can't!" Niu Youdao hurriedly supported him and looked at the group of people walking over from behind. He said in a low voice, "There are too many people here. If you have anything to say, you can say it later."
"Alright!" Shang Chaozong nodded.
Shang Shuqing's eyes were filled with anticipation. She was about to say something, but Niu Youdao only smiled and nodded at her. His attention instantly shifted away from her, causing Shang Shuqing's eyes to look slightly disappointed. Her gaze then fell on Black Peony and Lei Zongkang who were behind Niu Youdao.
Black Peony and Lei Zongkang looked at each other and were secretly surprised. They didn't expect that Daoye would have such a high prestige with the Prince of Yongping that he could make the dignified Prince Yongping kneel!
This scene made the two of them somewhat excited. It seemed that as long as they followed Daoye closely, they would have no problem establishing a foothold here. Their future was bright!
Fei Changliu and the others walked over and cupped their hands in greeting to Niu Youdao. Xia Hua asked Niu Youdao, "Why did you take so long to return?"
Niu Youdao replied, "I was delayed by some matters."
As they exchanged greetings, Bai Yao looked on coldly from the side. Although he appeared expressionless, he was actually deeply moved. 'This kid is truly extraordinary. Even the Sect Master was subdued by him. Bai Yao often brings up the topic of why he hasn't returned yet!'
In truth, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Jade School, Peng Youzai, was also here. He had been staying in Qingshan County City for some time, waiting for Niu Youdao's return. After all, some things needed to be seen with their own eyes before they could be at ease. This was an important matter for the Heavenly Jade School, so they couldn't afford to be careless!
When he heard that Niu Youdao had returned, he was anxious to meet him. However, due to his status as a representative of the Heavenly Jade School, it was inconvenient for him to come personally. Otherwise, he would be suspected of lowering his status to welcome him. After all, the Heavenly Jade School wasn't like the Celestial Retaining Sect.
Sect Master Peng Youzai wasn't the only one who came. After a discussion with the higher-ups of the school, many of them came as well. All of them wanted to see Niu Youdao with their own eyes. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Jade School had yet to see Niu Youdao return. This made the Heavenly Jade School extremely anxious. They were worried that something might have happened to Niu Youdao during his journey.
Seeing that there was no end to the chatter, Lan Ruoting interrupted, "Everyone, Daoye must be tired from his long journey. Shouldn't we talk after we return to the city?"
Niu Youdao replied, "If I show my face here in public, the Yan Imperial Court will lose face as well. It's good that everyone is aware of this matter. The situation has been stabilized with great difficulty. There's no need to shed all pretense of cordiality for the time being."
This was easy to deal with. At Shang Chaozong's command, he immediately sent someone back to the city to fetch a large carriage.
As soon as the carriage arrived, Niu Youdao entered the carriage. Everyone returned to the city.
They settled down in a garden behind the Prefectural Governor's Manor. It used to be the home of a local wealthy merchant. Before Verdant Mountain County changed hands, the wealthy merchant fled with his family, leaving the garden without an owner. The garden and the Prefectural Governor's Manor were separated by a road. After receiving news from the Heavenly Jade School that Niu Youdao might be returning, and with the arrival of Peng Youzai and the others, the Prefectural Governor's Manor sealed off the road between the two manors.
They hadn't even stopped when the Heavenly Jade School sent someone over, saying that Peng Youzai wanted to see Niu Youdao. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, they invited Niu Youdao away.
When they arrived at a courtyard, Niu Youdao met with the higher-ups of the Heavenly Jade School. Of course, they didn't say much.
After exchanging conventional greetings, Peng Youdao, who was seated at the highest seat in the hall, asked in a deep voice, "When do you intend to start brewing the wine?"
"One step at a time. There's no rush. At the very least, we have to choose the location and prepare the items." Niu Youdao advised him not to be impatient. He then asked, "Why did I hear that the military and political powers of the two counties haven't been unified yet?"
Peng Youzai replied, "Hurry up and get the wine done. As long as you see results, there won't be any problems in Broad Mountain County."
Niu Youdao nodded. He could understand. If he stripped Feng Lingbo of her authority and messed things up, he wouldn't be able to answer to Feng Lingbo.
An elder from the Heavenly Jade School, who was meeting him for the first time, asked, "Only ten thousand pots a year, and such a small pot at that. Isn't that too little? Can the quantity be increased?"
Greed could be seen everywhere. It wasn't that Niu Youdao wasn't satisfied, but the key was that this thing consumed too much food. To the commoners who didn't have enough to eat, it was simply a disaster. That was why he limited the quantity to ten thousand jars.
"There's no reason for me not to want more benefits, but this is the best we can do under the current circumstances." Niu Youdao shook his head and said, "Furthermore, there's no benefit in having a large quantity. Once the quantity is large, it'll be a lie if the price doesn't rise. Even if the price can rise, isn't the Heavenly Jade School afraid of attracting jealousy and trouble? Even if it's only ten thousand pots, I'd still advise everyone not to announce that there are ten thousand pots. As for how to justify yourself, the Heavenly Jade School should think about it carefully. "
Everyone fell silent. Peng Youzai said, "You don't have to worry about that. Just mind your own business."
After discussing the matter of the wine, Niu Youdao took his leave. As soon as he arrived at the courtyard arranged for him, Fei Changliu invited Niu Youdao to the side to talk.
"Can my Immortal Retaining Sect's disciples in Ice and Snow Pavilion withdraw?"
They were originally sent to Ice and Snow Pavilion to kill Niu Youdao, but now, at Niu Youdao's request, most of them were secretly stationed in Ice and Snow Pavilion.
"Don't withdraw for now. Continue to keep an eye on them!" Niu Youdao shook his head and changed the topic. "How's the preparation of the proof of allegiance I requested?"
The Sect Masters of the three sects waved their hands at their disciples.
Soon, thirteen wooden boxes were brought over and placed on the flower bed.
Fei Changliu personally opened one of the boxes. Inside it was Song Jiuming's severed head that had been choked by lime. "Other than the Song Shu you've designated, all thirteen heads of the Song family, including Song Jiuming and Steward Liu Lu, are here. Please verify their identities!"
"Get rid of them," Niu Youdao said indifferently. He had no intention of checking, and there was no need to do so.
He didn't know Song Jiuming and the others either. Whether it was true or not, he could ask Shang Chaozong about Chen Guishuo's information later. There was no need for him to do so. It wasn't a good thing to admire so many heads at night.
However, it was true that he had one less thing to worry about. The Song family's big trouble had finally been eliminated. As for Song Shu, who 'slipped through the net', without the Song family's influence, he didn't care about her at all. Currently, under normal circumstances, Song Shu couldn't even get close to him. If he wanted to get rid of her, it would only take a word from him.
After Niu Youdao dealt with this group of people, it was time for him to sit down with Shang Chaozong and the others.
A servant girl came in with tea. Black Peony took the initiative to receive it and placed it in front of Niu Youdao. Then, she stood behind Niu Youdao with Yuan Gang and Yuan Fang.
Duan Hu and Lei Zongkang didn't come in and stood guard outside. Because of this, Black Peony's sudden appearance once again attracted Shang Shuqing's attention.
It was also because of this that Shang Shuqing noticed that Black Peony's attitude toward Daoye seemed to be a little unusual, especially the way she looked at Daoye.
After some thoughts flashed through his mind, Shang Shuqing felt that he might be thinking too much. There was an obvious age gap between the two of them.
Black Peony, who was standing behind Niu Youdao, unintentionally met Shang Shuqing's gaze.
Shang Shuqing smiled slightly. His gaze shifted to the side and fell on the teacup in his hand.
Black Peony was also curious about this strangely ugly princess. She had attracted her attention from the moment they met. She also noticed that the way this ugly princess looked at Daoye didn't seem to be normal.
There was empathy between women. Sometimes, empathy wasn't a good thing.
After the tea was served, Niu Youdao raised the teacup and offered a toast. "I haven't congratulated the Prince for taking down Qingshan County. Congratulations!"
Shang Chaozong returned the toast and shook his head emotionally. Everything was expressed in words. He felt that some words of gratitude were too light.
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