Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 671 - 671 670 Followers of the Flowers

671: Chapter 670: Followers of the Flowers 671: Chapter 670: Followers of the Flowers Bai Qingqian spoke with a warm smile, engaging in idle chitchat with the ladies around her, though such occasions were somewhat unfamiliar to her, as she had not attended such lively gatherings for many years.

Over these years, she had lived a reclusive life, devoted to her cultivation, finally advancing to the God Sensing Realm, and her entire being had settled; previously following the arrangements of men, she now reverted to the instincts of a cultivator, gradually extricating her involvement in trade and commerce from her life.

The Bai family had completely withdrawn their business operations from Anhe Dao Country and had made developments in other directions, especially along the coast of the Mirage, where trade had been growing larger; overall, it had not yet returned to its heyday, but it was steadily on the rise, firmly and steadily progressing.

As Hou Niao had said, now was not the best time for expansion and territory acquisition, with the initial signs of tumult on the continent, as investments made without caution could easily come to naught; the only commercial venture undertaken in recent years was in the ancient Lop in the northwest, initially thought to be merely aiding the men, but now it seemed to have brought modest benefits and a promising future.

After internal rectifications, the family business got back on track, the younger generation began to take charge, full of vitality; the most important thing was that sense of stability, as the men said, the root of the Bai family was in Anhe, and their resurgence would also be in Anhe, just waiting for the right opportunity.

She knew the capabilities of the men of her family well, so she was obedient to their plans, an attitude that also influenced several of the Bai family elders; since their return from Divine City, everyone had shifted behind the scenes, no longer showing their faces in public, marking a handover of the family business matters.

In Mirage City, she had been almost invisible over the years; when her men were away, it seemed as if all troubles vanished into thin air, a calm and peaceful cultivation life came unexpectedly, which settled her mind but also made her admire the men’s extraordinary ability to stir up situations.

But then again, without stirring, without restlessness, without the men’s dramatic upheavals, how could the Bai family have secured their foothold here?

This is the nature of this world; one must first show their toughness and recklessness, then others will respect you and provide a stable environment, and nobody will dare to target you.

New cultivators may not understand, but to the people of the Jiedu Mansion, and some old-timers from the Lizhi Sea, the relationship between the Bai family, the Shan Sect Quanzhen, and the largest nearby group of thieves, the Cang Pirates, is well known.

In the commercial circles of Mirage City, they are one of the few businesses people dare not provoke lightly.

So when the Jiedu Mansion widely invited cultivators, they naturally did not overlook her; in a sense, it was also a form of respect.

Knowing that in Mirage City there were countless cultivators, those who were invited were all notable figures, at least the real power cultivators of a certain business in the city, with the identity of an island master on the sea as the very minimum.

There were no special seats, and it was impossible to seat so many people, so everyone stood, gathering in groups with some familiar cultivators, sharing the latest oddities and strange events that had occurred at sea.

Bai Qingqian had little presence in the circles of Mirage City; initially, her man was the one with the notorious reputation, and she herself had silently hidden under his glow, later completely exiting the business operations, greatly reducing contact with the cultivation world of Mirage.

The only person she was familiar with was the owner of the bamboo plantation outside the city, Xiangfei Bamboo, the successor of Bamboo Island and the most proud disciple of Lady Bamboo.

In just a few decades, when the two first met, they both were in the Tongxuan Realm, yet while she had struggled mightily to reach the God Sensing Realm, Xiangfei Bamboo had already reached the Natural Realm.

By this point, regardless of whether they had status on the ground of Mirage, the Jiedu Mansion would not overlook them.

For they now had the realistic potential of forming a Golden Core.

The two were somewhat weary of such superficial courtesies, but there was no helping it; after all, they weren’t immortals uninvolved in worldly affairs.

Since they were in Mirage, some scenes couldn’t be avoided, and at the very least, they had to give Jiedu Mansion face.

If it occurred only once a century, it didn’t really matter.

The other female cultivators by her side were insignificant and inconsequential figures, many of whom were brought out by men from their families to glimpse the ways of the world.

Being strangers to one another and ignorant of each other’s backgrounds, naturally, relationships could not be discussed.

In their eyes, such exchanges were meaningless, but this was the essence of social interaction; what you say is not important, but the attitude with which you participate is.

“The back garden of the Jiedu Mansion is indeed large, yet it has no pattern or layers.

One look at the flowers and plants, and it’s clear that no one has cultivated them with care.

It’s the facade of a mansion, after all.

It’s puzzling what those people in the mansion are thinking,” said the wife of an official, who had a fondness for flowers and plants and thus was dissatisfied with the garden and believed it to be a waste of such valuable land.

“I heard that red clouds were found on Red Cloud Island?

I wonder if anyone is interested in investing in a mining consortium?

If we profit, everyone gains, and even if we lose, the loss would be shared and thus insignificant,” the official’s wife discussed the scenery of the mansion, while the merchant’s companion talked about business, following the saying, ‘Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog,’ which is normal.

“Lately, merchants from the Outer Sea have been coming over in search of opportunities, strutting around with their considerable wealth…” Was this the relative of a pirate, trying to find partners for a raid?

Such were the various bizarre and fantastical things happening.

There were also discussions about cultivation techniques, like the one by an unfamiliar and charming female cultivator, “Sister, that method you taught me last time was truly marvelous.

My husband has been full of praise for it; lately, he returns home every day and no longer hangs around outside…”

The so-called sister chuckled, “Little sister, don’t be impatient.

What you’ve learned is just a superficial technique.

First you wind through the secluded path, then you ambush from all sides, and finally the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven… When you’re done with things here, come see me, and I’ll teach you the next step of the technique…”

In the world of cultivation, dual cultivation wasn’t a taboo subject.

As food and sex are primal desires, from the standpoint of cultivation, they are normal human affairs.

They could improve cultivation, enhance understanding, and perhaps even lead to moments of sudden inspiration – a fleeting feeling of being transfixed with delight.

Of course, discussing such topics at this kind of event seemed somewhat inappropriate, with each person having their own views; it couldn’t be forced.

However, these two sisters were even more outrageous, possibly driven by interest, or perhaps truly returning to nature without care, started to point at and comment on the male cultivators coming and going at the event.

In the cultivation world, there were no ugly men.

Those who entered into cultivation were all beauties, unless they held to their unique personal styles; otherwise, they were all above a certain standard, with many being handsomely dashing.

However, the transformations of the later stages could not completely conceal certain innate traits.

Just as beauties are a dime a dozen, but elegance and charm are rare; handsomeness may be ordinary, but a grace like a jade tree in the wind is scarce.

Temperament is something one is born with and cannot be mimicked later on.

The two women had their eye on a prey, a man with an elegant and noble air, dragon-like brows, phoenix eyes, and a face like carved jade—of the Natural Realm.

Words could hardly describe him, but in one sentence, even amidst nearly a thousand guests, wherever he stood, he would be the most distinctive and most dazzling.

The younger sister was smitten, “What a handsome young man.

I wonder where he comes from?

What brings him here?

I don’t recall Mirage City having such an outstanding figure.”

The elder sister laughed lightly, “What’s so difficult about that?

Just ask and you will know.

Even a soaring bird must land on a blossoming branch eventually.

With you looking like a flower about to bloom, why worry about finding someone to gather your nectar?”