Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 304 - 304 303 Those Friends

304: Chapter 303 Those Friends 304: Chapter 303 Those Friends Hou Niao gritted his teeth and admitted, “Yes.”

“Why?”

“I’m strapped for cash.

The sect only lets me do chores and doesn’t even throw me a bone.

They treat me like a stone donkey.”

Li Chuping pointed at him, “That reason makes sense.

On one hand, you have the wealthy Wu Sect, and on the other, the Bai Family, richest in the world.

That must have been quite the treat to bite into, right?”

Hou Niao gave him a wary glance, “It wasn’t much, just some worthless trifles, not even enough to pick my teeth with.”

Li Chuping chuckled, “I’m not asking you for Spirit Stones, so what are you nervous about?

But I have a task for you, and if the opportunity is right, you might try it.”

Hou Niao, “You mean, it’s optional?”

Li Chuping handed over a Jade Scroll, “Three years ago, a Quanzhen disciple named Li Shizhong, just like you, was sent to Linhai after two years in the Upper Realm and then vanished without a trace after five years; before his disappearance, he had sent word back to the Capital Commandant’s office through someone, claiming he had discovered a secret and needed further verification, but then both the messenger and proof were gone.

We can’t openly investigate in Linhai, that would go against the rules, so we must conduct our investigation secretly; this task doesn’t require you to definitely complete it, but if by some fortunate coincidence, you might as well verify it for yourself.”

Hou Niao was sharp, “Was this Li Shizhong one of your men too?”

Li Chuping neither confirmed nor denied, “Not a man of the Capital Commandant’s office, but he was a righteous person, and I had high hopes for him, unfortunately…”

“What secret could be so grave to take his life?”

“No specifics were given because it was not yet confirmed, but it was likely something to do with internal affairs in the Da Feng Plain; I also can’t be sure whether his disappearance was due to the secret he knew or just a coincidence from other conflicts.

The place is chaotic, and it’s too common to see people die or get injured.”

Hou Niao sighed, “I least like knowing secrets.

Is there an operational budget?”

“No.”

“What about rewards?”

“Everything the Capital Commandant’s office has is at your disposal—take what you will!”

After leaving the Capital Commandant’s office, Hou Niao thought it would be difficult to pry anything worthwhile from this place.

He planned to use this time to visit friends.

Seven years was not a short time; enough for many things to change.

The first destination was of course Yinling, where now the patrol team had changed; most were newcomers.

Among the veterans, Feng Yaochen had successfully ascended to the Tongxuan Realm and was now absent, shoring up his new-found skills somewhere unknown; Li Jingxi, Tu Xiu, and Dou Gong were transferred to different regions; Fang Yazi and Wang Mian were rumored to be in seclusion attempting to breach into Tongxuan, leaving only Yao He and Xu Geng as the familiar faces he could meet.

He also visited Miao Gao Town, but Yu Zhengxing had been reassigned elsewhere before the New Year, and quite far to the north at that.

Luo Linwang had succeeded in ascending to the Upper Realm a year earlier, and many others had split off in various directions…

Everyone was busy living their lives, persistently cultivating, bustling about.

Only after this journey did he understand that this was actually the normal rhythm of a cultivator’s life, unable to gather for chats and laughter, discussing the past and present as mortals do.

The interactions between cultivators might just be a single collaboration or a period of braving the storms together, and that could be enough to create lifelong memories; then, after many years, upon meeting again, they would be old friends.

Their time is much longer than that of mortals, but conversely, their time spent together is much more fleeting.

It is a lonely profession, where meeting is fate and parting is the norm.

Treating every meeting as if it were the last leaves no regrets; and this is only the very beginning of cultivation at the Tongxuan realm, with many already falling behind.

Life is a journey of continuous goodbyes until one bids farewell to the world oneself.

If a person learns to keep oneself company, then they have learned the most important life skill.

He touched the sword in his hand, the only thing that could truly accompany him for a lifetime.

So, he returned to Jin City, planning to visit the Sword Storage Tower to see if he needed to prepare more skills for himself.

After all, Linhai was far away, and travel was inconvenient.

He received an invitation.

In a large mansion to the west of the city, it was crowded with distinguished guests today.

The news that Dugu Lan and her cousin, Xiao Qiang, had both successfully ascended to the Upper Realm was the most prominent news in Jin City over the past month.

It was about talent, and also about the unknown secrets of family cultivation.

Like the Dugu Family’s situation where, over hundreds of years of heritage, was it common for the women to rise to power, while the men seem to serve merely as tools for continuing the lineage?

People like Hou Niao, who after ascending to the Upper Realm, would neither offer congratulations nor host a feast; but it was different for a Cultivation Family.

Their status required them not to keep a low profile, needing to expand the influence of the family was the true way to ensure its lasting prosperity.

There is reason behind being ostentatious and logic behind keeping a low profile; if the situations were reversed, and someone like Hou Niao, with blood-stained hands, flaunted themselves everywhere, that would be a path to doom; similarly, if the two women of the Dugu Family remained silent and hidden, they would truly be ignored.

After initially stabilizing their realms, the Dugu Family held a feast in Jin City, casting invitations far and wide, calling upon relatives and friends.

Both renowned elders and young talents were on the invite list, marking it a grand event in Jin City’s Cultivation World.

Although the three highest-ranking Mansion Masters of Jin City did not attend, they sent representatives to return the courtesy, signifying great regard.

This not only because of the family’s background but also due to the capabilities of the two new Tongxuan cultivators.

Among the more than two hundred guests, excluding the friends of the two female cultivators, there were dozens of only Tongxuan Cultivators, most of whom were rising stars that had risen to prominence in recent years, with Hou Niao barely counting as one of them.

Among these people, Hou Niao actually spotted the figure of the third master of the Bai Family, indicating his social networking skills.

He didn’t approach to acknowledge him, and the experienced third master didn’t come over for a chat either; both pretended not to know each other, simply to avoid the Wu Sect’s eyes and ears.

After that incident, Quanzhen had not denied it had acted, but had not revealed who exactly was involved.

“Looking at the wealth of congratulatory gifts, just from this one banquet, the Dugu Family has gained a lot.

Had I known it would be like this, I should have done the same when I advanced in realm upon returning to the city.

Not to organize is to miss out, now it’s just unfortunate, only spending without gaining.

It seems I better avoid such gatherings in the future.”

A slightly jealous Hou Niao, squeezed in among the observers, couldn’t help but admire how effortlessly the Dugu Family amass wealth when compared to his own laborious and dangerous efforts.

“You?

All you can do is be envious, if you really hosted a grand banquet, how many would come?

Even if they did, they might not bring gifts.

I’m not sure about others, but Capital Commandant Li definitely wouldn’t give a single spiritual coin,” Daoist Wang said laughingly beside him.

He represented Capital Commandant Li, and rather than saying he belonged to the Capital Commandant’s office, it would be more accurate to say he was Li Chuping’s personal steward.

Such status brought many benefits, but it also closed other doors, as the saying goes: ‘each person knows their own situation best.’

Hou Niao let out a sigh.

It was truly a case of ‘same realm, different fate’.

“The Capital Commandant sees me and assigns tasks; it’s always the most dangerous ones, and without any sweeteners…”

Daoist Wang knew he was joking, but some things needed to be made clear, “So, those two women are just outsiders; they can be satisfied with just a couple of gifts.

You, on the other hand, are responsible for performing the most secret missions for the Capital Commandant.

The importance of the two cannot be compared.”

Hou Niao smiled faintly.

That’s certainly one way to put it, but trust is a double-edged sword…

Daoist Wang spoke softly, “Brother, to my knowledge, this grand feast hosted by the Dugu Family in Jin City’s Cultivation circle has some unspeakable secrets behind it.”