Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 625 - 625 624 Touring Sanjiang Together

625: Chapter 624: Touring Sanjiang Together 625: Chapter 624: Touring Sanjiang Together The raft set sail anew, and this time the danger came swiftly and left just as quickly.

By the time they realized what had happened, they couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear.

“Has the feud between the northern and southern branches of the Anhe Daoist Sect really reached this extent?” Hou Niao was very curious.

Lan Re gave Hou Niao a meaningful look, “The black Daoist who was looking for you, senior brother, should not be confused.”

The two of them watched as Hou Niao skillfully looted the black Daoist, “Three plus one makes four, one part each, you choose first.”

…A day later, the raft entered the Three Rivers Prefecture, where they were theoretically safe; although the Anhe Daoist Sect had split into two factions, they were far from clear-cut.

These Daoists still roamed throughout Anhe Country.

Without being from their own people, it was almost impossible to distinguish them completely.

The lower the realm, the more blurred it was, compounded by many who had not yet made their final decisions.

Hou Niao was placed in a manor that belonged to the Wen family.

However, the headstrong members of the Wen family had long since scattered.

Lan Re, being very busy as the de facto leader of the Tongtian third realm in North An, carried the weight of too many responsibilities on her shoulders; hence, her whereabouts were uncertain.

He waited for three days; if she did not appear within that time, it was perhaps not meant to be.

His current identity was still somewhat sensitive, as part of the Shan Sect’s system, he was like a local governor stationed afarside; extensive contact with the Anhe North An branch would be imprudent, and he could only use his private identity.

He was tasked with overseeing various matters in Pingliang State, not serving as a liaison with the Anhe Daoist Sect; within his jurisdiction, he could incidentally investigate the collusion between the military in Pingliang State and the Outer Path, but there was a limit that he needed to judge for himself.

On the third day, his last day in the Three Rivers Prefecture, he stood alone on the city’s distant-view tower, immersed in his thoughts.

As he gazed distantly, entranced, a familiar voice came from behind him.

“I hear you almost got killed by the Wu Sect’s black Daoist?

And that you even involved my closest two disciples?”

Hou Niao turned around, smiling, “As an old friend, wouldn’t it be more polite for a Fairy to remove her veil?”

Lan Re huffed and let her veil fall away.

In front of this man, she always felt somewhat uneasy, an inexplicable feeling.

“Out with it, what brings you here?”

“Can’t I come to see you just because?

To chat, to share thoughts.

After all, we haven’t seen each other for decades.

If we delay further, our youth won’t last.”

Lan Re glanced sideways at him, “What does my youth have to do with you?”

Hou Niao gazed at the face before him, which, despite showing signs of both joy and displeasure, had not changed with time.

Yet, he pondered, there were indeed changes—those wrought by the years and experiences that lingered deeply in her eyes.

“There are two things that compel me to see you.”

Hou Niao spoke earnestly, “One is about the truth behind Chong Ling Daoist’s murder, which you once promised me.

I think I now have the ability to know the truth.

You can’t let me guess it; if I guess wrong, it could be very troublesome.

The other issue concerns the business operations in Pingliang State, especially the Geng Ore, involving either South An or the Wu Sect.

I am tasked with regulating the cultivation order in Pingliang State, and this hurdle is unavoidable.

I would like to hear your opinion.”

Daoist Yan glanced at him, “You really are persistent, it’s highly inappropriate to involve outsiders in this matter…”

“I am not an outsider!

I am also a person from Anhe Country, and Daoist Chong Ling even promised to take me back one day.”

Daoist Yan was speechless, “You are just making excuses, talking about things that are completely unfounded.

You had the chance to come back before and you didn’t, and now you’re using it to make a point, do you think I’m a fool?”

Hou Niao smiled lightly, “This is no joke, and not only did Daoist Chong Ling make that promise to me, but others did as well.”

Daoist Yan looked skeptical, “Who?

Who would dare make such a promise?”

Hou Niao smiled and did not answer, just raised a finger and pointed upwards, leaving Daoist Yan somewhat helpless,

“Alright, I hope you’re not just speaking recklessly!”

A carved boat drifted past on the river, with the boatman silently poling while the songstress sang softly.

It was the most common sightseeing boat within the Three Rivers Prefecture, favored by scholars and literati.

But the timing was off, it was still early, leaving the boat somewhat deserted.

Daoist Yan leaped lightly and was already standing at the bow, followed closely by Hou Niao.

The water was as smooth as a mirror, making them look like celestial beings, which rendered the boatmen too wary to speak much; however, at a place like Three Rivers Prefecture, people who were used to seeing cultivators found nothing unusual in this.

“…The challenges faced by Daoist Chong Ling primarily involve three individuals, two from my Anhe Daoist Sect and one Upper Cultivator from the Wu Sect.

They are all now in the Golden Core Realm, living secluded lives.

You must be exceptionally careful in seeking them out…”

Hou Niao smiled, “No hurry.

These things are more enjoyable when taken slowly, like hunting, letting them desperately run and struggle while I follow behind…”

Daoist Yan sighed, “You, after so many years in the Shan Sect, you are no longer who you used to be.”

Hou Niao shook his head, “No, I have always been this way, and nothing has ever changed.

If I had stayed in the Anhe Daoist Sect, it would have been no different.”

“Regarding the Wu Sect’s control over the Geng Ore through the chamber of commerce, we know something about it and it’s directly related to South An as well.

In fact, many loose cultivators in the army prefecture in Pingliang State have more or less connection to South An.

I will tell you all I know and hope you can coordinate with us, for we too need such a trade route…”

The carved boat slowly glided across the river while the two deepened their exchange of information; as a Tongtian Realm cultivator of high potential from North An lineage, Daoist Yan herself had been involved in many of Anhe’s upper echelons’s secrets.

Hou Niao, as well, holding a position that now put him on an equal footing with Daoist Yan, was no less informed.

“Are you going to act soon?

Isn’t it a bit hasty?”

Hou Niao didn’t hide it from her, for both professionally and personally, she was the person he trusted the most.

“We’ll need to watch a bit longer.

The key doesn’t lie with these mercenary merchants from the army prefecture who double-deal, but rather with those native officials from the Langzhong in Mu Shuai’s domain.

It’s a real headache that requires caution…”

Daoist Yan understood his meaning, “To bluff by attacking the mountains to scare the tigers?

To kill the chicken to show the monkeys?

Not a bad strategy, striking one to influence another, without offending them all.”

She thought for a moment then explained further, “The situation within the Anhe Daoist Sect, though divided into northern and southern lineages, remains muddled in ongoing strife.

Each side is doing their best to control the risk of civil war, thus the disagreement remains ideological for now.

Because of this, when you make your move, it becomes hard for us to offer concrete help.”

Hou Niao nodded, “Understood.

I too am a person of Anhe, and I don’t wish to see Anhe Country in chaos.

I hope that at some point in the future, an external force might help to reconcile both sides, or perhaps a definite outcome could emerge between the Shan Sect and the Wu Sect.”

Daoist Yan felt somewhat apologetic; but viewed from the perspective of all being from Anhe, these concerns were not too excessive.