Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 375 - 375 374 Waiting for Change

375: Chapter 374: Waiting for Change 375: Chapter 374: Waiting for Change Lady Bamboo sighed softly, “After one hundred and fifty years of cultivation, from a barren island to now being covered with Rouge Bamboo…

Daoist friends do not know that Rouge Bamboo isn’t something you can simply plant and expect to grow; it requires meticulous care, with special pruning and irrigation at every solar term.

It’s like one’s own child; how can one simply abandon it at will?”

Hou Niao was silent.

Rouge Bamboo was not just a simple plant but a type of Spirit Plant that requires careful nurturing.

Without human care, the bamboo on the island might not die, but it would gradually grow and revert to common forest bamboo.

Then there are the flowering periods—ordinary bamboo flowers every sixty years, completing a cycle of reincarnation, but Rouge Bamboo flowers every six years…

He loved nature and the forest bamboo; his only regret was that this Rouge Bamboo would have been better if it had grown wild, even if the rare spiritual varieties were scarcer.

“Cultivating for one or two hundred years, what is there left to not see through?

From the initial growth of the bamboo forest on the island, I knew it was both an accomplishment and a source of disaster.

The more prosperous the bamboo forest, the more renowned it becomes externally, the more difficult it is to protect this island’s bamboo forest.

So yes, I had thoughts of leaving when the bamboo forest was just beginning to form.

Having been close to nature my whole life, how could I not understand the difference between man-made cultivation and natural growth?

But knowing is easier than doing, and to truly leave all this behind has taken all my life’s effort, yet I still haven’t managed to do so.”

Hou Niao nodded silently; he could probably understand such feelings.

It’s easy for others to offer strategy without emotional burden, but those who nurture know the truth…

“I could disregard my own safety and stick to my convictions, for if there truly was danger, I would have had the opportunity to escape far away.

But I can’t ignore the safety of the other disciples on Bamboo Island; they still haven’t gained enough ability to protect themselves in the Lihai, and with the increasing urgency of the Cang Pirates, the time has come to make a decision.”

She reached out and gently caressed a Rouge Bamboo, continuously stroking its slender body,

“Evacuating is indeed real; it’s just that the evacuees are the cultivators from Bamboo Island.

I will not go looking for a second Bamboo Island and then let history repeat itself; instead, I’ve been planning for many years to possibly look for a manor on land.”

Initially, I wanted to guard this Bamboo Island alone, then leave things up to fate, which is a kind of helpless compromise.

But now, I’ve realized that even if I stay here, I actually can’t change anything; it’s just a ridiculous persistence.

The bamboo forest that has accompanied me all my life is certainly important, but those whom I need to accompany are more important.

So, you really don’t need to stay here with us and waste your time.”

Hou Niao chuckled, “I understand Lady’s intention, but please also understand the psychological journey of us people.

Since by a twist of fate we’re involved, we can’t just stand by indifferently.

A person can leave, but regret cannot be easily dispelled; it’s a path we must take.

At this realm, what’s the point of talking about a well-rounded heart realm or crystal-clear philosophy?

We’re all still exploring, not wanting to leave a psychological shadow on ourselves due to a moment of timidity.

In contrast, escorting you away is not only for your protection, but also for our own.”

Lady Bamboo nodded and said with a smile, “But I didn’t expect to find individuals like you and Tan Xiao in the travel group, truly a surprise.

Logically, with your strength, within three thousand miles of the Lizhi Sea, you should be able to move freely…”

Hou Niao made a bitter smile, “It must be fate then.

I don’t know Tan Xiao’s purpose, but I’m just a passerby who happened upon this, joined the travel group by chance, and the itinerary matched up, so I joined.

And, well, to also rest a bit.”

Sword Cultivators are inherently restless, stirring up cats and teasing dogs.

Lady Bamboo could discern the nuanced implication in his words and was not surprised.

“Is that really so?”

“It really is!”

As he watched Lady Bamboo leave, Hou Niao shook his head, feeling bewildered about this trip to Bamboo Island.

He faintly sensed that many things here were illogical and awkward.

How had a place like Bamboo Island survived the past hundred years?

Given their indecisive behavior, they should have been ousted long ago.

How had the Cang Pirates, with their strength, turned a simple raid into such a prolonged and dragging operation?

The principle of pirates is to act decisively, never dawdling.

If someone guessed their next move, their destruction wouldn’t be far off; it was just that the control exercised by the Jiedu Mansion in Lihai was inefficient, organization disordered.

Had a more proactive force been in charge, they would have eradicated them long ago, instead of leaving this cancer to fester.

He knew that his inability to see things clearly was due to missing some important details.

His career founded on criminal law gave him a natural intuition in this respect, but what exactly was it?

Moving forward, he could already see the busy cultivators of Bamboo Island, along with some mortals, making final preparations for leaving the island.

Among them was a beautiful woman, swaying gracefully, her demeanor natural.

He strolled over, “Junior Daoist Hou Niao, would the fairy like some help?”

The woman was somewhat surprised, clearly recognizing him.

A cultivator who could slay the leader of the Cang Pirates was somewhat intimidating to her.

“I dare not trouble you, brother…

hmm, if you insist on helping, then please help me peel and seed this bamboo forest.”

Hou Niao nodded, “Oh, have these bamboos been growing for six years already?”

Following the beautiful woman, Hou Niao started quickly.

He had to make a ring-shaped incision one foot above the root of each bamboo, inject a specially prepared pulp into it to help the bamboo survive its six-year flowering death phase.

Only by enduring three flowering seasons over eighteen years could they finally grow into Rouge Bamboos infused with spirituality.

This task was not complex; the main difficulty lay in the depth of the ring-shaped incision—cutting too deep would destroy the bamboo’s root source, while cutting too shallow would fail to achieve the desired effect.

But for him, a skilled sword handler, this was merely basic practice.

His hands moved quickly, skills honed by practice, making casual conversation with the beauty.

“What may the fairy’s name be?”

“Xiangfei Bamboo.”

“Fairy, your mastery of the Yin Yang technique is truly exquisite.

I thought since Bamboo Island is devoted to the path of plants, you must be cultivating the Wood Element Cultivation Technique.”

“The Great Dao is interconnected; nature itself contains Yin Yang, and the Yin Yang embraces the path of nature.

Actually, it’s all the same thing.

Moreover, the Yin Yang Path of the cultivators from our Bamboo Island differs from that of the Daoist Sect…”

Hou Niao was somewhat surprised, as he had only asked casually, not expecting a detailed answer.

This related to the core secrets of each Daoist lineage, which were to be cherished and guarded, but this woman seemed unconcerned, perhaps even intentionally so…

This one was the youngest among the Tongxuan Cultivators of Bamboo Island, affectionately called the Little Fairy, particularly attuned to the bamboo forest.

“Cultivation is hard, and the isolated island dull.

If it were me, I fear I couldn’t endure here for decades without desire.”

“With the ocean, green mountains, and emerald bamboo around, what boredom is there?

As long as one’s heart is calm, one naturally forgets the worldly strife.

Over time, one learns to settle down.

Here on Bamboo Island, it’s common for us sisters to enter seclusion for months or half a year during cultivation.

Our master is even more impressive, sometimes secluding herself for years without being seen.”