Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 421 - 421 420 Unexpected Developments 3

421: Chapter 420: Unexpected Developments 3 421: Chapter 420: Unexpected Developments 3 On this day, a month after his arrival in Yujing, he was practicing swordsmanship in the back garden.

A silhouette turned the corner, graceful and poised, holding a food box in her hand.

Hou Niao had long been aware of someone approaching; he was conscious of every inch of the northern courtyard.

He had given instructions not to be disturbed, so no one had dared to come near; in Yujing, no one dared ignore the requests of a cultivator.

When the woman hesitated at a distance, unsure whether to advance or retreat or even greet him, Hou Niao ceased waving his sword and turned his head.

Standing at a distance was an extremely charming woman, with a mature grace that retained its allure; her dressing and bearing were elegant, evoking no sense of blame.

“Who are you?”

The woman walked over gently, placed the food box on a nearby stone table, and crouched with a curtsy, the picture of grace.

“I am the master of this place, Madame E Huang.

I apologize for disrupting the master’s cultivation.”

Hou Niao guessed as much; it must be the landlord, coming to check if the tenant was reliable, whether the room or the flowers and plants in the garden had been damaged?

Especially for sword cultivators, this is why stone houses are so popular throughout Shan Country; they are durable!

But from what the woman could see, this Master Hou seemed steady enough.

The furnishings indoors were intact, the garden’s greenery was still lustrous, and it was clear that the weeds had been meticulously trimmed, showing a forced consistency.

She couldn’t imagine how such an effect, where every blade of grass maintained the same height and even the same branching, could resemble the finest woolen carpets produced in the North.

Of course, she didn’t understand this was all the result of maneuvering a flying sword, interpreting it simply as the young master having an interest in gardening?

Hou Niao smiled faintly, “It’s no bother.

Living behind heavy gates in such an elegant and tranquil environment is a great place for cultivation in the midst of the bustling city.

I am very satisfied.”

Madame E Huang’s eyes curved into a smile.

With her age, her every move was full of charm and had a magnetic pull of its own.

“That’s good to hear, and I must thank the master for trimming the garden, saving me a great deal of effort; otherwise, for such a large area, a gardener would take half a month just for a rough pruning.”

Hou Niao laughed unnaturally, “It’s no trouble, just a hobby.

I’m uncomfortable with disorder, so…

”

As it was their first meeting, and not wishing to impose too much, Madam E Huang also displayed worldly wisdom,

“I’ve made some food, all specialities of Yujing.

I wanted to invite the master to a meal, but feared disturbing him…”

Hou Niao preferred not to be disturbed, so he knew it was best to accept the kindness rather than make excuses to decline.

“In that case, I am most grateful to you.”

This small interlude was pleasant, the food was good, but for him, mere sensory pleasure could no longer entice him.

He continued his cultivation, continued searching in the Sword Storage Tower, and another half month passed by, as he began to harbor some unpleasant premonitions.

He had searched through the swordsmanship section of Sword Storage Tower but didn’t find any Sword techniques similar to the Body Sword Skill’s Qian Character Mantra; he was now looking in the auxiliary Cultivation Techniques, though his intuition told him that he might not find what he desired there either.

“Are there any hidden Skills?

Of course, there are, but they’re all in the private archives of the Great Cultivation elders,” said an old Tongxuan Cultivator in charge of the Sword Storage Tower, smiling amiably.

He sighed and took out ten mid-grade Spirit Stones, “I’m not asking to view them, only for information.”

Actually, he had other options, like asking Li Chuping?

Or maybe trying to seek out his friend from Yujing City, Rao Zongzhi, but he wasn’t sure if Rao was still in Yujing City now?

He would rather spend a bit more than to bother Li Chuping, who was always careful to avoid trouble.

Yet, the old Cultivator did not accept his Spirit Stones, “Junior Brother, take it slow, I’d like to know what exactly you want to find out from these questions.

No need to be too exact, but you still have to give a general direction; otherwise, I can’t provide accurate information for you.”

Hou Niao didn’t intend to hide anything, in truth, if he did find other Sword techniques, it would be no secret once he took them; countless Shanman Sword Cultivators had taken countless Skills, and no one knew whether they were for Cultivation or for observation, whether they had succeeded or failed.

He wasn’t yet powerful enough for people to watch his every move; in Yujing City, he was just an ordinary Tongtian second Realm Cultivator, somewhat promising but plagued with continuous troubles, yet far from astonishing.

Lack of a suitable stage was the main reason.

“To let my elder brother know, it’s about the ancient Sword Skills of the Quanzhen Sect that are considered outdated and discarded; I came from Jin City because someone told me I could find those things in the Sword Storage Tower of Yujing City.”

The old Cultivator laughed, which wasn’t surprising to him.

Although not common, during his decades of service, he did see a few cases: people with ideas believing they could find inspiration in ancient Sword skills and soar into the sky, standing out from the crowd.

They had high aspirations, yet not one of them was successful; if the current trend had abandoned them, it must be because of their undeniable flaws.

How could a major Sect like the Quanzhen Sect leave anything truly useful gathering dust, unnoticed by anyone?

But there was no need to say all that; some people wouldn’t turn back until they hit the southern wall, and for Tongtian third Realm Cultivators who had just started establishing their Dao Foundation, nothing was more enlightening than the lessons learned from their failures.

“In that case, I can indeed tell you, but how to find a way to see them, that’s your business.

There are indeed some Skills in Yujing City’s Sword Storage Tower that are not fit to be shown publicly, including those that are incomplete, misleading, erroneous, or inhumane; all of which are collected and sealed in the Underground Storage, not to be viewed by Cultivators.”

Only those who have reached the Golden Core Realm and can fully control themselves are allowed to consult them freely; mainly, they use it for reference, analysis, and reverse engineering.

Access to the Underground Storage is not freely permitted; you need recommendations from at least three Golden Core Cultivators to enter, but in reality, you only need the trust of a Golden Core elder from your Sect who can easily find people to endorse you.”

Hou Niao was stunned, it seemed he was back to square one; did he still have to rely on Li Chuping?

He still handed over the Spirit Stones, but the old Cultivator refused again, “This is Yujing City, not Jin City!

Assisting you is our responsibility as elders, so if you have any questions, just ask, no need for these methods of bribery.”

Seeing that he did not seem to be disingenuous, Hou Niao gracefully accepted the lesson, “Thank you for the guidance, elder brother, I have been mixed up outside for too long and got used to acting in certain ways, which caused you to laugh at me.”

The old Cultivator nodded with a concealed smile, “I’m curious, how did you come up with the idea of digging into these ancient Sword Skills?”

Hou Niao gave a wry smile, “In Jin City’s Sword Storage Tower, a book was missed…”

The old Cultivator laughed in silent amusement, “That figures, it looks like you have gained something?

Well then, let me give you another tip, if you make a Merit for the Sect and have enough qualifications and Merit, you can also request a writ from your Sect’s authorities, which makes it much easier, as you can leverage personal connections.”

Hou Niao was embarrassingly aware that he hadn’t made any Merit; so far, it seemed he was still in the state of having his stipend deducted.