Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 253 - 253 252 Reunion with an Old Friend

253: Chapter 252: Reunion with an Old Friend 253: Chapter 252: Reunion with an Old Friend The Monk felt annoyed in his heart, but he was caught in a bind and could do nothing about it; turning around, he picked up the fruits from the ground and entered the tavern directly, finding the table by the window, he naturally placed the fruits on the dish of that indecent customer.

“A meal, a grain, all are gifts from nature, how dare I waste them?”

The customer didn’t even furrow his brow, opened his mouth, and swallowed the fruits, deliberately chewing and savoring them,

“There’s a fragrance of soil…

but then again…

offering food to the monks, burning incense for a calm mind, Monk, you didn’t wash your hands and you succumbed to your anger, this isn’t something a true disciple of the Buddhist Sect should do.”

The Monk sat down opposite him, “What did you mean by your earlier words?”

Hou Niao was smug, “No meaning at all.

How else could you have come up here?

Monk, if you had really left just like that, the Buddhist teachings would have reached Great Success.

But now, we somehow count as colleagues, and we’re old acquaintances at that.

Isn’t it reasonable for you to join me for a drink?

Why put on such a sorrowful look, rejecting others from a thousand miles away?”

Tideng Monk calmed the restlessness in his heart, reminding himself that he absolutely must not get agitated with this guy, or else he’d definitely be the one to suffer in the end; what this guy was best at was verbal provocation, and then stealthily setting traps when you were agitated.

“Speak up, what do you want?

If I can help, I will, but if I can’t, drop it.”

Hou Niao beamed as he signaled for the waiter to add another cup and plate, and ordered a few dishes of seasonal snacks,

“Monk, why such words?

Can’t I seek you out for a drink without a reason?

Look at the fate between us.

The first cultivator I stumbled upon when I entered Yinling was you, and it was the same at West Mang Mountain, we even share a bond from the Southwest discussions, and now we’ve ended up as colleagues.

Couples are said to be predestined to meet across a hundred lifetimes…

hmm, why have you been dispatched to this place too?

Could it be that a secret has been exposed, and you’ve been keeping a mistress outside?”

Tideng Monk was reluctant to speak, but there were some things he couldn’t keep bottled up in front of this person,

“You have the nerve to speak?

Isn’t it all because you made a mess during the Southwest discussions, resulting in me also having to suffer the consequences…”

He didn’t go into detail, and Hou Niao didn’t probe, the sordid matters within the Buddhist Sect were none of his concern; the key point was that this scapegoat arrived at an opportune moment, and had the capability, which was perfect.

Urging him to drink more frequently, “Since you’re here, why not be at ease?

What’s the use of all this annoyance?

It’s better to face it openly.

Let’s join hands and do something spectacular!”

Tideng Monk remained unmoved, “Stop it!

You go and be spectacular on your own.

I’m fine with a simple and quiet life.

I’m afraid of dying alongside you, sooner or later being exiled from the Continent.”

Hou Niao was patient, after all, they were now effectively neighbors and colleagues, tied to the same string as grasshoppers; neither able to flee from the other, nor escape.

So, he took his time.

During their conversation, it became known that Tideng Monk had been on the job for over half a month, it wasn’t that he had just arrived in Xionger, but rather that Hou Niao had seen him while he was out visiting friends.

“You still have friends?

A friend’s friend is surely also a friend.

Would you take me sometime to see the distinguished gentlemen of Xionger?”

Tideng Monk said seriously, “The distinguished gentlemen of Yun Platform!

However, ‘do not scheme if paths aren’t aligned.’ My friends are like carefree clouds and wild cranes, cultivating their minds and nurturing their nature.

They can’t stand to be in the company of someone mired in the mortal world, someone who lives by the sword.

It’s better for everyone to keep their distance, to avoid trouble.”

The Monk was very cautious, but Hou Niao was unconcerned.

What use was caution?

Since they were now stirring in the same pot, could he really get away?

The two had a few drinks, and Tideng Monk excused himself to leave.

Watching him leave without looking back, hurrying along, Hou Niao let slip a sinister smile.

In the following days, Daoist Zhi Sun continued his drunken, dreamy existence, while Tideng Monk once again became invisible…

This was actually the routine for those stationed in Xionger Town.

Ever since the three families took joint control and downgraded the Cultivator Realm required for station duty to Bridge Connection, everyone understood the way of coexistence and treated this place as a spot for retirement.

That’s how things go.

For those who genuinely wished to retire here, the chance might not come easily; but for those with unfinished grand ambitions, they often ended up here confusingly assigned, the same went for Hou Niao, as for Tideng Monk too.

Perhaps some thought that the harsh environment would promote the growth of such characters, hence they were cast into this land where the Demon Clan and humans could live in peace, a place rich in life and devoid of danger.

Heroes don’t fear hardship; what they fear is peace and tranquility, as time cuts like a knife.

In such calm, half a month quietly passed, and then, on the first day of the new year, at the annual grand temple fair of Xionger Town, a piece of news spread wildly.

It wasn’t unfounded rumors; the announcements were plastered everywhere by the authorities of Xionger.

The core message was just one: Starting from the new year, the Cultivation Power would begin a review of all miscarriages of justice that occurred in Xionger Town within the last ten years!

Yes, Hou Niao had chosen his breakthrough direction based on his own familiar field, after having reviewed a multitude of case records.

With a population well into the tens of thousands, the crime rate in Xionger Town was actually not high.

With cultivators in control and a significant number of cultivators among the local populace, the number of miscarriages of justice in civil cases was not large; the ordinary folk always found suitable avenues for appeal, seeking help from known cultivators or directly appealing to three Cultivation Officials.

Since these were mere mortal entanglements, it was easy for those with special abilities to distinguish right from wrong; cultivation means being well-versed in astronomy and geography, history and culture, serving as both a constable and a spy, capable of both pursuit and forensic investigation…

Hence, over the years, there weren’t many significant wrongful cases.

What slipped through the cracks, remained unresolved, and had a huge impact, were all the major cases related to cultivation.

These cases actually affected a very limited portion of the populace, but they created a profound effect, which changed the relationship between mortals and cultivators over time through legends, until most common folks began to view cultivation as a profession that was above the law, where one could act without heed or hindrance.

This was an iceberg, and shattering it would restore clarity to the world, but ignoring it would create an insurmountable gap among humans, artificially dividing them into those who could cultivate and those who couldn’t; those who could defy the rules, and those who had to follow them strictly.

Such results may not be apparent now, this place was just Xionger Town, and they couldn’t govern the entire Jinxiu Continent; it might take hundreds or thousands of years for things to spiral out of control.

But Hou Niao always believed, ‘Don’t bite off more than you can chew when doing things, start from within your capabilities, from the little things, from around you…’

Gradually, like a single spark that starts a prairie fire.