Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 345 - 345 344 After Extreme Adversity Comes Prosperity

345: Chapter 344: After Extreme Adversity Comes Prosperity 345: Chapter 344: After Extreme Adversity Comes Prosperity Wang Chuquan raised his eyebrows.

He had seen many domineering Sword Cultivators, but few were willing to concede a step after being domineering.

Just for that, he was optimistic about this person’s future.

He pondered, “Hou Niao, do you have any solid evidence for this matter?”

Hou Niao shook his head, “There’s no solid evidence, just a feeling!

But I am willing to undergo the Soul Chasing Inquiry, and I also earnestly request that Lu Shilun be subjected to the Soul Root Investigation!”

Wang Chuquan wanted to shake his head, he sighed, still so young, always so earnest about everything.

“Soul Chasing, I can do, and if you’re not at ease, you can also ask for a Golden Core from Quanzhen Sect.

Everyone is quite familiar, so achieving this is not difficult.

But do you know, there’s a saying in this world, ‘Ignorance is bliss.’ There are some things that it’s better not to know than to know.

Not knowing, some things can be overlooked, maintaining harmony and the status quo; but once known, some things cannot be ignored, regardless of the outcome, one must follow that path to the end.

So, would you rather know, or not know?”

However, Hou Niao didn’t insist, “If you feel that I shouldn’t know, then I won’t know, Elder.”

Wang Chuquan nodded in approval.

He liked dealing with smart people, as it spared many troubles; what he feared most was dealing with hot-headed fools – they could neither be beaten nor counseled, truly troublesome.

They were a hassle, the fools were hassled, and those who caused trouble for everyone else also hassled him.

Looking at Lu Shilun, his voice grew colder, “I sentence you to forfeit thirty years of pension and exiled you to guard Heize.

Do you have any objection?”

Lu Shilun’s face was ashen, his heart desolate; in this brief moment, he realized just how vast the gap was between him and the Sword Cultivators.

Others stand and live; he kneels and survives.

There’s no comparison.

He was very aware that Mansion Master Wang’s words were asking him if the Sword Cultivator had wronged him.

If so, then appeal, and Jiedu Mansion will back him up, even if it means facing Quanzhen Sect; if not wronged, then accept the punishment silently without further complaints.

Any hesitation or delay, and Wang Chuquan would not spare him.

Emotionally, he wanted to deny it, but just thinking about the consequences of denial—Wo Sect and Quanzhen Sect’s higher-ups intervening—sent chills down his spine; once a high-level Cultivator targets you, what secrets can be kept?

“Disciple… does not appeal; I accept the punishment from my uncle master.”

Wang Chuquan sighed, both frustrated by his lack of fight and relieved that this matter had finally been suppressed and did not escalate.

In Mirage, where various powers intertwined, the Daoist Sect’s influence was especially significant as it sought any opportunity to disrupt the alliance between Quanzhen Sect and Wo Sect, and thus, conflicts could not be allowed to spread and become fodder for others.

Compared to the greater concerns of the Southwest, personal gains and losses were trivial; certainly, this disciple indeed lacked spirit.

You present yourself this way, why bother getting involved and making trouble?

A useless troublemaker, with no self-awareness; if it wasn’t for the reputation of Jiedu Mansion, he wouldn’t bother with this man’s fate at all.

Mere ants, left to their own devices; weary of sparing him another glance, he turned back to Hou Niao,

“Jiedu Mansion will not apologize for this matter nor will it disclose the truth; it will merely continue with the conclusion from three years ago: three people were attacked, one fought to the death, and two could not hold on, which led to subsequent changes,”

“But Jiedu Mansion is not an unreasonable place.

Losses within the dike are compensated outside the dike.

Since you haven’t been given justice, how about some benefits instead?”

“The debts of Bai’s account are no small sum, and now all are transferred to you.

You will be the creditor, and how you deal with them is up to you.”

“Jiedu Mansion will handle these matters for you, so you don’t need to worry; as for your position, discuss it with the people below and go wherever you wish, these are trivial matters.”

Wang Chuquan truly was a Golden Core Great Cultivation, moving forward and backward with grace and propriety.

With just a few sentences, he managed to dissipate the potential crisis into invisibility, leaving both Hou Niao and Lu Shilun without anything to say.

This was a display of skill, open-mindedness, and chiefly, a perspective of overlooking from a higher stance.

What seemed paramount to Hou Niao and Lu Shilun was but a minor nuisance in his daily routine.

In the thousands of island territories overseas, hundreds to thousands of cultivators perish every year, don’t dozens or even more die?

If everyone dug deep into every matter, the continent would have long been in chaos.

Thus, when Hou Niao was rumored to have been killed by the Sea Clan, he glossed over by rewarding the victims; now that this victim had risen from the dead, he started punishing those who slipped through the net.

The principle was to belittle major issues and dissolve minor ones.

This kind of capability was truly an acquired mastery, refined to perfection, compelling genuine admiration.

Hou Niao flew into Jiedu Mansion, strolled out of Dragon and Tiger Cave; when he came out, it was still before dawn, the Great Dao scarcely trafficked, save for a solitary figure who stubbornly stood outside Jiedu Mansion, unwaveringly loyal.

Seeing Hou Niao emerge safely, she couldn’t contain her joy and ran over, “Sir, did Jiedu Mansion give you a hard time?”

Hou Niao smiled, “Why would they?

We are all part of the same nest, it was merely a formality.

Jiedu Mansion wouldn’t trouble me, and I wouldn’t cling to it either; it’s that simple.”

Qingqian automatically assumed a subordinate position, falling half a step behind, matching step for step, and cautiously asked:

“Sir, what exactly happened?

You were gone for three, four years?

And just happened to return now?”

Hou Niao walked forward, lightly stated, “What else could have happened?

It’s just like what’s written in the storybooks—during a battle with a Tiger Demon Whale, I inadvertently fell into a sea trench.

There was an old man in the trench who taught me many skills, gave me a ginseng, and even wanted to marry his daughter to me, which I sternly refused.”

Qingqian covered her mouth to laugh; she enjoyed listening to him tell stories with such seriousness.

“It must have been a demon old man, right?

Did he also have a little demoness?

I’ve never heard before of ginseng growing under the sea…”

Hou Niao earnestly took out a ginseng, which had wilted a bit due to improper storage; recalling the medicine farmer Old Meng, he sighed internally as some events had begun to fade from his memory.

He had never thought of eating this ginseng, and now eating it wouldn’t make much difference to him than eating a carrot.

“Are there ever truly any coincidences in this world?

I’ve been back for half a month now, secretly investigating these two people’s movements, striving to catch them all in one net.

It would have been troublesome if they were separated.

“Zeng Ji was easy to deal with, but that Lu Shilun was extremely cautious, rarely showing himself.

It wasn’t until this Zhao Yang feast that I finally found an opportunity.”

Qingqian looked up, “Sir, were they really the ones who harmed you back then?”

Hou Niao shrugged, “Who knows!

Who would admit such a thing?

I have no evidence.

But I’m a petty person.

I was fighting for my life down there, and they were up there enjoying the show; where’s the justice in that?

“There’s no reason, it’s just for revenge!”