Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 457 - 457 456 Successful Retirement

457: Chapter 456: Successful Retirement 457: Chapter 456: Successful Retirement Hou Niao had spent two months finally bringing this little one back from his memories.

Zhao Xintong decided to stay in Taihao of Wei Country because only there could she learn the Divination Skill she was most proficient in; regarding this, Hou Niao expressed his understanding.

Although he belonged to the Shan Sect and lived in Anhe, it shouldn’t be a reason to constrain the child; in cultivation, what’s important is the intrinsic freedom, not blindly following the established rules.

The path ahead still needed to be walked by oneself, and in this regard, he was not worried — this little one was not simple at all; as her realm improved, it would be difficult for diviners like her to be harmed, it was a naturally sensitive profession, towards the future, towards others.

Calculating the time, his leisure cultivation period had ended, and it was time to return to the Jiedu Mansion in Yu Jing for reporting.

Though his wings were not yet full, his foundations were firmly laid; the perfection of his Body Sword Skill, the final piece of the Thunderbolt System, had transformed him from a chick without a clear direction into an eaglet bracing against the wind.

He just didn’t know where the starting point of his dream was.

…Returning to Yu Jing, it was somewhat surprising that Chuping Li was not in Sikong Mansion.

Where he went, no one knew, and Hou Niao did not ask either.

That was the rule of the Sikong Mansion.

Another Golden Core Judge greeted him, “Hou Niao, newly promoted companion in Sikong Mansion, hm, you’ve passed the familiarization period, so can you be assigned to other duties now?”

Hou Niao nodded, “Disciple is ready, please instruct.”

He was already prepared to live this unsettled life, which is characteristic of joining the Sikong Mansion; unlike the Sima Mansion, which provides local appointments where one can have a stable life for years, nor like the Situ Mansion, where after a single battle mission, there would be personal time allocated.

The Golden Core Judge, named Cheng Wanli, was a veteran in Sikong Mansion, having served there for over a hundred years; only someone with his long-term external experience could finally sit in the current human resources position of Sikong Mansion.

In terms of job rank, both Judges and Assistants were on the same level, but Assistants were generally newcomers, often busy; whereas a Judge needed sufficient qualifications and usually stayed stationed in Sikong Mansion — there was still quite a difference between the two.

“Regarding where to go in the future, do you have any thoughts?”

Knowing that this was just a courtesy, as being within the Sikong Mansion system meant going wherever needed, when had he ever had a say in it?

Of course, he couldn’t be as casual as he was in front of Chuping Li, “Disciple has no personal preference, everything is determined by Sikong Mansion.”

Judge Cheng nodded in satisfaction.

He valued the attitude of the younger generation greatly; it was a prerequisite for everything.

“There are many missions outside, and they can never be completed; there’s always a shortage of people.

But considering your newbie status in Sikong Mansion and that excessively unfamiliar environments are not beneficial for a disciple’s growth, we unanimously decided that you should return to Lizhi Sea, which you are familiar with, and you still have some unfinished business there.”

Without hesitation, Hou Niao agreed, “Good, return to Lizhi Sea.

What specifically is the mission?”

Judge Cheng casually remarked, “There’s no specific mission, just supervise our sect’s disciples near the coastal areas of Lizhi Sea, also keep an eye on the movements of Wu Sect in the Lizhi Sea, regularly report back to Sikong Mansion and accept temporary deployments from Sikong Mansion in the Lizhi Sea — quite simple, do you understand?”

Hou Niao bowed deeply, “Understood, please rest assured, I will not disgrace my mission.”

“Then be off, for cultivators, rest for too long is not beneficial.

Cultivators should engage in cultivation affairs, which are the most valuable assets for the future.”

Hou Niao bid farewell to Judge Cheng, left Sikong Mansion, and was clear about his own missions.

Clearly, Sikong Mansion had tacitly approved his proposal in the Lizhi Sea, thus letting him handle it; the Cang Pirates would stir up a tempest of blood and gore in the Lizhi Sea in the future, which was the Shan Sect’s response to Wu Sect’s actions in Anhe.

Not directly waging war in Anhe Country but choosing a neutral third-party country allowed effective mitigation of escalating conflicts, providing options to advance or retreat; Sikong Mansion had not issued explicit orders, and if boundaries were overstepped, it could be attributed to the individual actions of lower cultivators.

Very bureaucratic, very typical of the Daoist way.

Setting off immediately, he no longer lingered in the heavy gates of his residence, nor did he revisit old friends in Jin City, or return to Liuyang to report to Daoist…

These people and events were but interludes on the path of his cultivation.

Interludes, after all, once passed, are done…

………..

Bolang Island is a cluster of isolated reefs hanging seaward, nearly two thousand li from the coastline, basically at the furthest edge of the near sea with no large islands within a three hundred li radius, making it a relatively secluded sea area.

Because of the fierce winds and violent waves that crashed against the reefs, causing waves to splash visibly from above, it was thus named Bolang Island.

Typically, this sea area was less visited due to its sparse resources, but recently, cultivators had been seen streaking across the skies above Bolang Island, bringing about a change.

As the saying goes, “no one rises early for no benefit.” The sudden liveliness here was still driven by interests below the sea; a current of caotou liu returned from the Outer Sea was passing through here before venturing farther, making Bolang Island the only area in the near sea where Tongtian Realm cultivators could take action.

Caotou liu, a very rare fish species known for the gold on its head, is a valuable Artifact Refining material in the Cultivation World, seldom seen and thus highly sought after, drawing immortals from all directions, eagerly flocking to it.

The information was supposed to be confidential, but there are no secrets in the Cultivation circle; soon it spread, becoming widely known, and anyone with some capability wanted a share of this opportunity.

Since it was a public area not under the jurisdiction of Lihai Jiedu Mansion, such a fortuitous encounter could not be managed; but while the Jiedu Mansion ignored it, that did not mean no one else would manage it.

When official powers turned a blind eye, naturally Jianghu forces would take part, and in this maritime region, pirates were the most likely candidates.

Due to its location, there were two major pirate groups nearby: Cang Pirates and Tiger Fang Pirates; both were large, organized bands, and there were also smaller pirates involved, of course, as well as numerous so-called Island Masters who came to try their luck.

In the Lizhi Sea, the line between pirates and regular Sect cultivators was very blurred, most Island Masters held multiple positions, most pirates maintained a respectable front in public appearances — it was a mess that was never clearly resolved.

Thus, no one considered the cultivation techniques or Daoist traditions among the pirates during conflicts; it just didn’t matter, proving oneself only through combat.

The dead were pirates, the survivors were rightful cultivators.

The distinction was that simple, all mistakes attributed to the deceased.

Very pirate.