Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 133 - 133 132 The Path of Wei Ming Extra for Alliance Hierarch Yu Xiaoyao

133: Chapter 132: The Path of Wei Ming [Extra for Alliance Hierarch Yu Xiaoyao] 133: Chapter 132: The Path of Wei Ming [Extra for Alliance Hierarch Yu Xiaoyao] A mysterious Daoist leading a horse stood under a large locust tree and, turning back, bowed with hands clasped,

“I am Wei Ming.

I followed the tracks of a wolf pack here, not knowing that a respected master from the Quanzhen Sect was present.

I am ashamed, truly ashamed.”

Hou Niao responded with a slight smile, “Thank you, Daoist Brother, for protecting my Yinling citizens.

I was just in the right place at the right time; I am about to return to the small fortified settlement.

Would you care to join me?”

Wei Ming shook his head, “Recently, the Yinling Wilderness has been beset with troubles, and your sect seems to be short-staffed as well.

I would rather continue wandering around; the wolves here are not limited to just this one lair.”

Hou Niao bowed again, “In that case, I thank you for your tireless efforts.”

Wei Ming mounted his horse, “Since I am here, I ought to do something.

There’s no need for any talk of serving the people or the family; I am merely pursuing my own cultivation.”

He rode off into the distance.

In the Yinling Wilderness, there were many cultivators like Wei Ming, who seemed purposeless or to be drifting aimlessly, each engaging in their own cultivation.

Sometimes they would hunt the demons of this land, sometimes extend a helping hand to the border people, and at other times, they would choose to turn a blind eye.

Among them was once the Tideng Monk.

The Quanzhen Sect adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards these individuals, as long as they did not endanger the rule of the Quanzhen Sect in Yinling or harm the interests of the local people, they were left to their own devices.

Hou Niao made his way back the way he came, and the troupe had already resumed its journey.

Having safely survived a disaster, everyone was very excited and putting in an extra effort.

The three ladies from the Jiang Family were a bit at a loss as the men volunteered to help with hitching the oxen to their cart, sparing them the effort.

They were quite aware of the reason behind this.

So laden, they returned to the small fortified settlement at the end of the hour of the Monkey, completing a successful water retrieval trip.

The ox cart was pulled into the courtyard, the exhausted yaks were unhitched and fed grass, and an entire large wooden barrel of clear water was stored.

With a diameter of half a zhang and a length of over a zhang, if used sparingly, it could last for half a month.

Just as Hou Niao returned to his room, Jiang Lin’s wife came in holding a stack of scrolls,

“Sir, these are the old Yinling maps left by my father…”

Hou Niao chuckled, “There’s no need for so many, just help me find the ones related to the old river courses of the White Ribbon River.”

Jiang Lin’s wife quickly found the two relevant scroll maps and handed them over, then hesitantly said,

“Sir, you’ve toiled all day.

Shall we heat some water for your bath?”

Hou Niao shook his head, “I was unaware before, but now I know the hardship of fetching water.

How can I waste it so recklessly?”

Yet Jiang Lin’s wife insisted, “Sir doesn’t know, but every time we fetch water, we also heat water for bathing.

It’s considered a small luxury after the hard work, so we would heat water regardless…”

Hou Niao paused, realizing that even those who loved cleanliness in the small fortified settlement usually wiped themselves down with a cloth, daring not to waste stored water.

Only after returning from fetching water would they indulge just this once.

He couldn’t deny others their pleasure, could he?

Or rather, their most basic need.

“Very well, then it wouldn’t be right to bathe alone—let’s all bathe together.”

Jiang Lin’s wife blushed, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s as she lowered her head, “I’ll go and speak to the sisters to see what they think…”

After the woman left the room, Hou Niao opened the scroll.

It was quite old but still clear and legible.

When placed alongside other maps and compared, he quickly understood what the situation with the old river courses was.

His fingers lightly tapped, sinking into contemplation.

He had some ideas, though not yet fully formed, and they required the right timing—an element beyond force.

Deep in thought, evening prayers, sword practice, by the time he had worked up a sweat, the sisters-in-law had already dealt with the household chores and came in together, carrying a steaming large wooden tub.

Hmm, tonight I have to practice an extra group battle session.

It won’t be easy…

… Three days later, Wang Mian and Fang Yazi came looking for him, and the trio left the little fortress, disappearing without a trace; the women of the Jiang family were sincerely anxious, fearing the guest might leave and never return.

Fortunately, the next day, the guest returned alone, but his two friends had vanished, shrouded in secrecy, leaving everyone wondering what they were up to.

Hou Niao sought the elder of the small fortress, an old man who resembled a dried tangerine,

“Are you the elder of the Jiang clan?

I am Hou Niao.

With Brother Yao absent, I’m temporarily in charge here.

Do you have any objections, Elder Jiang?”

Old Jiang grinned and said, “As long as it’s a Yinling Patrol, we are more than willing to follow!

Mr.

Hou has ensured the safety of the Yin Moon and rescued our small fortress’s water-fetching folk.

This old man is immensely grateful.

Whatever your requests, feel free to command.”

Hou Niao nodded, “I’m here to see the difficulty your small fortress faces in fetching water.

If this situation continues, the loss and harm to the population will be inevitable.

I can protect you once, but not forever.

We need to find a permanent solution.”

Old Jiang’s eyes gleamed with curious light, “You are indeed a savior Bodhisattva!

We have lived here, struggling to fetch water for a long time.

Since the White Ribbon River changed its course over a hundred years ago, I have witnessed the decline in population within the fortress, family after family in mourning.

If this continues, in not many decades, the small fortress will inevitably become a dead fortress, with no one willing to stay.

But over the decades, we have also thought of countless strategies, and yet, we have been unable to overcome the forces of nature.

Unless the White Ribbon River changes its course back or the small fortress relocates, besides these, it seems there isn’t any other real permanent solution?”

Hou Niao waved his hand, “How can there be none?

As long as one is willing to do it, there will definitely be a way.

I have a method, would Elder Jiang like to hear it?”

Elder Jiang straightened his body with a bow, “This old man is eager to hear the details!”

Hou Niao drew a few lines on the scroll in front of him, “Dig channels, collect water!”

Upon hearing this, Old Jiang felt a bit disappointed; this method wasn’t exactly fresh or innovative.

Others had brought it up in the past, but for various reasons, they couldn’t start the work.

“Mr.

Hou may not know, but the digging of channels has also been proposed before.

It’s easy to say, but hard to do, with countless obstacles making it difficult to resolve.

The most critical issue is the lack of labor; moreover, it’s hard to maintain comprehensive defenses over distances spanning dozens of miles.

If we dispatch too many people from the fortress, how will we manage?

If too few go, it will take an overly long time, and with demons causing trouble now and then, it truly is difficult!”

Hou Niao was unfazed, “No matter how difficult it may be, compared to the future of the small fortress, which is lighter, which is heavier?

If labor is in short supply, we can call for it from other fortresses; for defense, we of the Quanzhen Patrol can take charge.

With this, elder, what else are you worried about?”

Old Jiang was in quite a quandary, likely because actually going through with this task was not as simple as just talking about it; it involved too many aspects,

“Do you have a specific plan?”

Hou Niao smiled, “Of course!

Now, with the cold freezing the earth, it’s unsuitable for channel digging, so we can leave the main channel construction until the spring thaw.

We don’t need to think about it now.

What we need to do now is to allocate a portion of people to find a low-lying area near the small fortress and dig out a large pond.

Although initially the frozen ground will be hard to break, once we dig past three feet, it will no longer be permafrost, and it will become much easier.

Furthermore, we’re going to prepare to breach the White Ribbon River.

We’ll just work on these two things this winter, and two to three months should be more than enough!

My people will guard here at the small fortress, and they will do the same at the White Ribbon River breach.

We don’t have to stretch the team too long, making it easier to protect nearby.

Elder, what do you think?”