得寸進尺

 having received a tsun, advance on chi (arr. in the meaning: insatiable, greedy, raking hands; no matter how much you give, he is not enough; to be greedy, dig into it cf. give him a finger - he will take his whole hand off)

It's over! Xiu Yi Tian and Cheng Gui Shuo breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that they would be released. As for Song Yang Qing, they understood that it was all over with him. Would Niu Yu Tao say so to them then?

Song Yang Qing revealed a secret. This means that Niu Yu Tao has a trump card against a sect of higher purity. And how do they two now tell Tan Su Su all this? What will she do with them in a fit of anger!

Yuan Gan took out a dagger and, cutting the ropes from Cheng Gui Shuo, kicked him in the back, causing him to roll somersaults from the stairs. And when Cheng Gui Shuo stopped, he turned and, squinting his eyes, looked back. His whole face was seized with fear. After all, he saw how Xiu Yi Tian is bleeding from his neck.

Yuan Gan cut the neck of Xiu Yi Tian with a knife and whispered something to him. Then kicked him with his foot.

Seeing Xu Yi Tian jerking in convulsions, Cheng Gui Shuo did not dare to do anything. Even if he wants to run away, he cannot.

 And Niu Yu Tao, leaning on his sword like a staff, with a stone face, looked at Xiu Yi Tian. He did not even attach importance to the Yuan Gan act and did not look at it at all.

And Yuan Gan answered him: "One is enough!"

Niu Yu Tao was still silent. He looked down and saw the many killed Chao Zong warriors on the side of the mountain. He guessed it was Xiu Yi Tian who killed most of them. And knew why Yuan Gan would not let Xiu Yi Tian go, who took so many lives with him!

"Go!" Yuan Gan shouted to Cheng Gui Shuo.

Cheng Gui Shuo did not dare to stay. Once allowed, then immediately, you need to leave this place.

Niu Yu Tao was calm. He turned and looked at this monastery ...

In such circ.u.mstances, it was inconvenient to carry more than 30 dead bodyguards with you, and it was also awkward to send them one by one to their homeland. Therefore, everyone decided that the mountain forest would be their grave. They found a pleasant place on Feng Shui and began to dig graves there.

There were many people, so they did everything quickly. Someone chopped wood, making funeral steles from them, someone engraved the names on them. So many graves appeared.

While everyone was busy, Shu Qing found people who were at the scene of the battle and questioned them more about what had happened. So she found out how Guang Te died, and that he asked Yuan Gan to stay. Upon learning the news, Shu Qing was lost in thought.

When all the dead were buried, Chao Zong called Shu Qing, and they all drank wine in honor of the deceased brothers. They also lit candles that brought from the temple.

As soon as the ceremony was over, it began to get dark. Many people started to disperse. Who went to the temple to rest, who stood guard, but everyone had a bad mood. They have not yet reached the lands granted to them, but have already lost more than 30 brothers.

Chao Zong, Lan Jo Ting, Shu Qing were just returning to the temple gates, as one bodyguard came up and reported:

"Prince, Yuan Gan, went to the ma.s.s graves."

Chao Zong nodded his head, and, for a moment, think, then went inside the temple. Only Shu Qing said: "Brother, I'll go to the ma.s.s graves."

Chao Zong said with a sigh: "So many brothers died, everyone's mood fell. Some things are well remembered. Some want to express their respect unofficially, do not bother them. Especially why do you need to go there alone? We return to the temple. You need to relax and strengthen your spirit. And tomorrow early in the morning, we will leave."

Shu Qing knew that her brother did not understand her, so she replied:

"Brother, I'm going to Yuan Gan to convince him to stay. Who knows, maybe I can do it!"

"M?" Chao Zong turned and looked at Lan Jo Ting. They doubted it.

Shu Qing nodded to both and quickly turned around and left. Her graceful silhouette began to descend from the mountain.

"What does Qing want? Can she convince Yuan Gan to stay?" Chao Zong looked at Lan Jo Ting.

Lan Jo Ting shook his head:

"It's hard to convince Yuan Gan. He seems to be following Niu Yu Tao. And Niu Yu Tao, although the student of Mr. Dong Guo, but he did not receive the teachings of Mr. Dong Guo. Most likely, he, like all other cultivators, will not look for burdens for himself. However, the princess is also smart, and she does not throw words into the wind. She must have reason to say so!"

It was already getting dark. And in the mountain forest, there was one place where one could see heaps of mounds with inscriptions.

Yuan Gan walked this way and picked flowers along the way, picking up a bouquet. The grave of Guang Te was the very first, and it was easy to find. Yuan Gan went up to it and bent down to put flowers there. Then he stood up again, straightening up. He looked at the coffin. It was unclear what he was thinking.

One could hear a slight sound of footsteps. Yuan Gan turned sharply and unconsciously felt for a dagger near his thigh. In the end, he saw Shu Qing in the hat, and his tense, like a cheetah, body relaxed. He also removed his hand from the knife.

Shu Qing went up to him and, looking at the flowers lying on the grave, said:

 "Flowers on the grave, I first see."

Yuan Gang indifferently answered: "Nothing."

Looking at his mood, Shu Qing did not go in a roundabout way and got down to business:  "Guang Te before death asked Brother Yuan to stay. Brother Yuan was consistently silent, but now can brother answer?"

Yuan Gan calmly answered: "We are not the same people. I can't stay."

Shan Shu Qing: "Why you can't?"

Yuan Gan: "Because Lord Tao cannot."

From these words, Shu Qing felt helpless:

"He is the cultivator. And in our situation - brother and sister, none of the cultivators will want to join us. Otherwise, other cultivators would begin to put pressure on us. Also, he had just hit the Song family, and now the Song family will hunt him. He will not want to stay with us. We will understand this. But you have a different position. n.o.body is hunting you. Brother Yuan, my brother, admires you, and he is not mistaken in people. I know that my brother and I cannot offer anything from the material, but we sincerely invite you to join us. I also hope, like brother Guang Te.

Yuan Gan:

 "I know what you think. You think that Lord Tao is not a high cultivator. Only you do not see everything and appreciate the gold frame instead of the jade itself. For you, more critical is Lord Tao. You got the wrong target!"

Shu Qing asked with interest: "I would like to know more!"

Only Yuan Gan, with a stone expression, said: "Lord Tao will remain - I will remain, he will leave, and I will leave!"

Hearing everything directly, Shu Qing smiled bitterly: "Then, how can I persuade the mentor to stay?" She didn't have any certainty about Niu Yu Tao.

Yuan Gan indifferently said: Earlier, lord Tao always said one phrase - to a free horse and the wind is good, and rain is to its liking!"

Shu Qing froze. She seemed to understand what Yuan Gan meant. Little can stop Niu Yu Tao. However, after the words of Yuan Gan, she had hope. Otherwise, the faithful a.s.sistant of Niu Yu Tao would not say such a thing. She asked excitedly: "Do not know what can leave the free horse?"

Yuan Gan was silent for a long time, and then, looking at the grave of Guang Te, he said one thing:

 "Lord Tao is more interested in cultivation!"

He turned and left. He was not going to talk anymore. He had already done something that was not worth doing and said something that was not worth mentioning. Perhaps this will bring trouble to the lord Tao.

Shu Qing also turned, and under the bamboo hat, one could see Shu Qing's worried face. Before this, she understood that Niu Yu Tao is a person who can carry anything, and no one knows where Niu Yu Tao is heading for. But the words of Yuan Gang pointed his direction ...

Inside the temple on the southern mountain at the table, everything was already laid out. Only Shu Qing was not visible. Sitting at the table, Chao Zong asked Lan Jo Ting:

 "Why has Shu Qing not returned yet?"

Lan Jo Ting shook his head a little and, waving his hand, said:

 "Prince, eat first. Princess, as soon as she arrives, for her, you can reheat food." Do not worry. They are watching her. If anything happens, we will be reported immediately.

And while they were talking among themselves, one bodyguard came in. He folded his arms and reported: "Prince, the princess asked you and Mr. Lan to have dinner and not wait for her."

Chao Zong frowned. "What happened to the princess?"

The bodyguard replied: "I don't know. Only I know that she went to the mentor."

Chao Zong and Lan Jo Ting looked at each other.

Candles were burning in one room. Niu Yu Tao sat on a prayer rug, and in front of him stood a table. On the table in the pan was just one large piece of meat cooked. This piece of meat went to him, thanks to the hunt for wild boar.

"Ah!" Niu Yu Tao took the chopsticks and stirred the meat and sighed. He added water. The meat has not yet been cooked, so he had to wait!

Of course, he could not help but acknowledge the fact that with Chao Zong, he was well treated. Every time all the best was presented to him. From the first time, the soldiers regularly presented him with the most abundant and thickest piece. Only they noticed that Niu Yu Tao was sick of fatty meat. However, he understood ordinary warriors. They thought that the fatty slices of meat are quite saturated, and the broth with them is precious. And in this turbulent time, when ordinary people are starving, such a piece of meat will be the lot of the rich. And if they give you the best, then you should take it.

Only the persistently asked not to present him with fatty meat, but to bring lean. Now, one of them lay in front of him.

Low-fat meat is still low-fat meat. You will cut them into thin slices or cook a large piece. Anyway, the soup will not be riches. He only had to sprinkle salt with meat and enjoy what he had. Unlike previous life.

It is already unknown how many times he told himself that as soon as his position stabilizes, he will solve the issue of nutrition.