Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 90 - 90 89 A Mess

90: Chapter 89: A Mess 90: Chapter 89: A Mess PS: On the 11th, the book will be shelved, and to ensure the recommendation spot during the new book period, the word count needs to be controlled under two hundred thousand words.

On the next two days, I’ll update twice each day to keep the book on the new release list for one more day.

I’ll fulfill everyone’s expectations after the 11th, please understand.

………

Faced with such obvious malice, Hou Niao still remained composed,

he always believed when malice was shown on the face, it meant that the hatred wasn’t deep enough, and there was still a chance for redemption.

Only when hatred was hidden in the heart it was irreparable.

A gatekeeper led the way.

As they passed the leader with the red scarf, Hou Niao reached out his hand.

The man with the red scarf paused and then nonchalantly handed back the Sword Talisman, sneering disdainfully,

“This thing isn’t anything special; it’s just that people from Fang Family’s Castle give it some face.

Sir, why not show the Sword Talisman to those Soul Ghosts and see what their reaction would be?”

Hou Niao smiled, “I’ve shown it already, and they loved it!

They swarmed up.”

“If you like it, you could also own one.”

The man with the red scarf sneered, “And then become like you?”

…Hou Niao led his horse on foot; the fortress was quite large and the streets wide enough, but it was not convenient to ride because there were too many stairs, and that was due to the terrain; moreover, everyone on the street was leading horses or donkeys, and he didn’t want to stand out too much.

The Quanzhen Sect doesn’t seem to be very popular here?

He definitely did not want to add fuel to the fire.

The shops lined both sides of the street, the only difference from big cities being that the merchandise was much simpler, mostly necessities, with few luxury goods.

This was befitting of a fortress isolated from others, surrounded by malice.

He could tell that the people here were robust, and although their clothes were plain, they walked with a vigorous spirit, as if they were wearing the most splendid attire.

Being able to wear a sackcloth and make it feel like a fine brocade spoke volumes of the people’s inner strength and self-confidence.

Almost everyone carried a knife, except for the children; when they saw Hou Niao, they didn’t show the fawning common in the eyes of typical mortals from other places, but looked straight at him naturally, which made Hou Niao quite emotional.

The people here managed to settle and live in Yinling, which was no fluke but wasn’t merely someone’s protection either.

Twisting and turning like a mountain path, the road underfoot was uniformly cobblestone, and the buildings they passed were made of kiln-fired clay.

There was no vast forest here, nor a sufficient source of stones, hence buildings had to be made from burnt clay—a reality across all of Yinling.

The general direction was upward, fitting for the status of the Quanzhen Sect.

Even though they weren’t doing so well here, some things, built on accumulated influence, couldn’t change.

After walking for a good quarter of an hour, they reached the highest point in the center of the fortress, a not-so-large square with a rare wooden seven-tier pagoda in the center; flanked by buildings on both sides, which were more refined than others they’d passed.

The gatekeeper pointed to the building on the right,

“There, that’s the place.

Your Town Government official must be there.”

Hou Niao thanked him and headed straight for the building, the gold characters on its door plaque shining brightly: Yinling Town Government.

This was the kind of government enforcement seen throughout Shan Country responsible for local security, although other towns had civil administrative offices as well.

In Fang Family’s Castle, civil matters were controlled by clans, and the Quanzhen Sect couldn’t get involved at all, so only this Town Government was established here.

Unmanned, the Town Government entrance was eerily empty, not a soul in sight, giving off a desolate air; Hou Niao curiously pushed open the door and went inside, immediately struck by the strong smell of medicinal herbs.

He stood somewhat bewildered in the hall, unsure of where to go, when a cultivator carrying a medicine jar came out of a room, equally surprised at seeing Hou Niao standing there dumbfounded,

“Who are you?”

Hou Niao quickly replied, “Hou Niao!

Newly promoted to Essence Building this year, reporting to Yinling…”

While speaking, he handed over a Sword Talisman and credentials, but to his surprise, the other party neither looked nor accepted them,

“The new junior brother?

That’s just right, come and lend a hand!”

The cultivator turned and walked away, so Hou Niao could only follow and wisely shut his mouth, even a fool could tell something was amiss at the Town Government.

Entering a room next door, another cultivator was sitting cross-legged, his face pale, his upper body bare, and his entire back swollen to a purplish hue…

The cultivator passed over a clay pot, “Apply this frost lip balm to him, but don’t use too much, there are six more after him!”

The seated cultivator opened his eyes, glaring angrily, “Yao He, you’re mixing personal grudges with official duties!

Among all here, my injury is the worst, so naturally I should use more!”

The cultivator who had brought Hou Niao over must be Yao He, who scornfully curled his lip, “Yes, your injury, Qian Chong, is the worst, but what a pity it’s all on your back!

Spreading this would tarnish the reputation of the Quanzhen Sect, it would have been better if you’d been stung to death!”

As they bickered, Hou Niao finally understood; clearly, Yao He was reluctant to apply the medicine himself, and had caught him to take his place.

Having never done this sort of thing before, he could only make do, taking a medicine spatula, scooping out a lump of frost lip balm, and spreading it across the cultivator’s back like a plasterer.

Qian Chong gritted his teeth in pain and cursed, “Who is this kid?

Apply it gently, don’t you know how potent the bee venom is, there might still be stingers not yet removed from the flesh?”

Hou Niao frowned but didn’t retort, continuing to apply the medicine, yet not easing his hand at all; he found it odd, were disciples of the Demon Sect so fragile?

Even at the Essence Building Realm, couldn’t they withstand a bit of pain?

Qian Chong grew increasingly irritated.

He dared not curse at Yao He, but the one applying the medicine looked unfamiliar and was probably a cultivator from the Fang Family’s Castle, so he could scold without restraint,

“You’re courting death, doing this on purpose, right?

Just wait till I catch my breath, I’ll make sure you regret this!”

Hou Niao said nothing more, his empty hand swinging in a swift slap to Qian Chong’s face, the force of the strike knocking him out cold; he had realized, this man was not easy to kill.

He haphazardly finished smearing the balm on his back, looking at the silently watching Yao He, “I’m done.”

Yao He glared, “You haven’t covered it all!”

Hou Niao didn’t care, “Leaving some wounds is good, otherwise he won’t learn his lesson!”

Yao He shook his head, “Such a fiery temper, coming to Yinling really did you no injustice!”

While he said so, Yao He looked quite pleased, since even he had not had the guts to slap him, though he had long wanted to.

Walking to the next room, “I’m Yao He, what’s your esteemed surname, junior brother?”

“Hou Niao.”

“Not a good one either!

Come on, there are six more unfortunate souls waiting, all big masters needing attendance.”

Although still confused, Hou Niao had discerned a bit of the situation; such bee injuries were likely caused by demons specifically targeting the Gang Shield, not lethal, but the remaining poison wasn’t easy to clear and needed time to be gradually treated.

It’s not as one might imagine for cultivators to be injured, swallowing an elixir and shifting their Qi could heal most of it; especially for minor cultivators like them, often all three methods were needed.

Circulating Qi, swallowing an elixir, and external application, lacking one wouldn’t suffice.

Of course, Qian Chong definitely couldn’t circulate his Qi now, who asked for his nasty mouth?

Was Master Hou someone who easily attended to others?

Not expecting thanks is one thing, yet still spitting venomous words…

For your careless words, I deliver you to Five Finger Mountain; practicing the sword relieves the spirit, just for a clear view ahead.