Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 275 - 275 274 The True and the False

275: Chapter 274 The True and the False 275: Chapter 274 The True and the False In the end, the punishment meted out by the Mu Shuai Mansion for this vicious incident was to raise the issue high but let it go gently; after all, no one wanted to offend so many core disciples at once, including the obscure forces behind them.

Each person was fined three months’ salary, with the exception of Hou Niao, who was additionally fined for three years; the reason given was that he had old faults and was unrepentant despite repeated teachings.

But what it really meant was, I can punish lightly, but that doesn’t mean Mu Shuai Mansion is unaware of the truth.

Those disciples who stirred up trouble were hastily dismissed, only Hou Niao was again intercepted by Wang Daoist at the Capital Commandant’s office.

Clearly, the higher-ups in Jin City were not ignorant of the twists and turns of the matter and were even more familiar with his vile nature.

How could there be going with the flow where he was involved?

He must be the ringleader!

Li Chuping frowned as he scrutinized the disciple before him, deeply impressed by his ability to cause trouble; the key was, after stirring up incidents, this guy never ended up in a tight spot.

Instead, with every incident, he managed to rally even more forces around him!

Go to Yinling, the Patrol group at Yinling submits to him; fight in the Southwest, the core disciples of the Quanzhen Sect see him as their representative; defend Xionger, the disciples of the Buddhist Sect from Taihao in Xinye are led around by him; act recklessly in Jin City, more than fifty elite members of the sect endorse him…

If such a man continued on this path, Li Chuping dared not imagine what would happen!

What’s important is that this domineering nature was not achieved even once through the suppression of fellow disciples by martial force.

“In the Quanzhen Sect, there is integration, and there are those who have fallen into devilry.

I make no comment on this; it’s an individual’s choice, and the sect maintains an open attitude.

But even those who have fallen into devilry, I have not heard of anyone who takes action against ordinary mortals; that is the bottom line.

Two mortal lives from the Yang residence south of the city, how do you explain that?”

Hou Niao looked straight ahead unafraid, “No bottom line!

For those without a bottom line, I have no bottom line either, whether they are cultivators or mortals.

I can tolerate the previous extramarital affair, after all, even Elder Brother Xiang endured it; I can also tolerate her remarrying into his household afterward, that is human nature; but can’t it be endured for a mere seven days?

This is no longer merely a matter of passions between a man and a woman; it is an insult to human nature, a trampling on morality, a disregard for ethics.

So, no bottom line.”

Li Chuping rubbed his forehead, “I didn’t realize, you are a moral paragon?

But you can’t judge others from your own perspective, you are not qualified!

Have you ever thought, if Xiang Zhiwen knows of this beneath the Spiritual Spring, what would he think?

That child has lost her mother, what will she think when she grows up?

Hou Niao, you must understand, there are some things in this world that shouldn’t be taken too seriously!”

Hou Niao remained unmoved, “I am qualified because I was the one who accompanied Elder Brother Xiang on his last journey!

From beginning to end, Elder Brother Xiang never mentioned his wife, which means he left it to me to deal with the situation fully, that’s how I interpret it.

She has nightly secret meetings with her lover, not even considering her child crying from hunger several times in the middle of the night; such a person, I do not think she is a competent mother.

I don’t have the time to wait for time to change a person, maybe it could change?

But I do not have the patience!

I only know that if a person slips on the wrong path for the first step, they’ll most likely keep sliding deeper.

The child is still young and lacks any means of self-protection, so I must ensure she grows up in a sufficiently safe environment.

As for when she grows up, that is a matter for the future; Quanzhen Sword Cultivators should not concern themselves with these thoughts, otherwise, I should not wield a sword but should instead be fasting and chanting sutras.”

After a pause, “Senior Uncle, with your extensive connections, can you help me find a good family in Jin City?

The child is too young, and I lack experience in this area…”

Li Chuping looked at him sideways, “You lack experience?

Haven’t you already arranged for an orphan in Liuyang City?

I suggest you find a reliable care institution and establish a long-term partnership, as it seems to me that the pattern of you leaving orphans wherever you go is unlikely to cease any time soon?”

Hou Niao smiled awkwardly, knowing that the Capital Commandant was giving him a sharp reminder.

The reason was simple: killing mortals is a very dangerous beginning.

If it gets out of control from this point on, it’s not about succumbing to evil; it’s about madness.

“Such incidences should be cautious, wary, and utterly avoided.”

Li Chuping did not continue the topic because he did not know how to delve deeper.

Emotionally, he did not feel that doing so was wrong.

This was the cruelty that emerged when rationality was taken to the extreme.

However, the line was difficult to draw; one step further and it would be an abyssal fall.

“How exactly did Xiang Zhiwen die?

Why do I sense an unusual aura in it?”

Hou Niao was honest.

Clinging to powerful legs required skill; sometimes, telling the raw truth could spread the responsibility and make the powerful leg feel your loyalty, ensuring an easier time asking for help in the future.

To Li the Capital Commandant, nothing was more intolerable than secrets unknown to him.

So share it, and while at it, pass the buck.

“Senior Brother Xiang was killed by Zheng Shixie upon ascending to the Upper Realm.

Zheng, who had bestowed the opportunity upon him, had actually been taken over by the Ghost King of West Mang Mountain in a case of body-snatching.

It aimed to bathe in the Spiritual Spring during Senior Brother Xiang’s ascension to wash and renew its body, in order to hide in the human world indefinitely…”

Li Chuping was more and more surprised as he listened.

The whole affair was far beyond his expectations, filled with mysticism—a Ghost King brazenly teaching under the noses of numerous Upper Cultivators in Quanzhen Sect’s stronghold of Jin City, and it went undiscovered for nearly two years.

If one were to meticulously assign blame, the Capital Commandant’s office would bear some responsibility.

Incredulous, “You killed the body-snatcher?”

Hou Niao answered with a mix of truth and falsehood, “It tried to sneak in when Senior Brother Xiang was irrigating his Purple Mansion.

As a result, Senior Brother Xiang chose self-destruction, destroying both the body and the mansion, after which I assisted at the side.

Therefore, Senior Brother Xiang’s death was also for my safety.

I frequently feel guilty that I couldn’t do more.”

Li Chuping understood completely, and this was probably why he acted so ruthlessly towards the disloyal woman related to Xiang Zhiwen.

Where others might ponder how to protect the mother and child, he had gone straight to killing the mother to protect the child—an eccentric indeed.

A flash of sharpness in his eyes, “The ghost hordes of West Mang Mountain?

What do you think?”

Hou Niao replied reverently, “Senior Brother Xiang left a message before his death that grudges are endless and should not be pursued.

But I did not agree.

I believe ordinary Soul Ghosts can be spared, but the Ghost King must never be allowed to reappear!

Wandering Souls and malevolent spirits are our targets until the ghost hordes of West Mang Mountain are headless, then we can gradually whittle them down.”

Li Chuping stared at him, a flash of admiration in his eyes.

He had many decisive Sword Cultivators under his command, but few could maintain a clear mind amidst killing.

Hou Niao was one of them.

He just went mad from time to time.

“Do you need me to deploy people to assist you?”

Hou Niao shook his head, “It’s not suitable for an official announcement.

It’s better to work quietly.

I believe the current Yinling Patrol is enough to take on the task, and it’s also a good training opportunity.”