Hou Niao was dazed and muddleheaded. Angry as he was, he could only swallow it, knowing this was no place for him to act with abandon.
He walked out of the altar grounds just like that, then passed countless gates, towers, halls, and buildings of the Daoist Sect. No one bothered with him, as though he were invisible, of no consequence at all.
Only when he reached the main avenue did his indignation subside a little. He could argue his case before immortals in heaven, yet before the Daoist Sect down here, he was utterly at a loss. What could he do but lament his helplessness?
Only after he walked out of the Divine Capital Daoist Prefecture, with fine rain trickling down and washing over his body unchecked, did Hou Niao slowly regain his clarity.
Curses and oaths were useless. This world believed only in strength. Without strength, you deserved to be looked down upon.
Thinking carefully over everything that had happened today, although he had gained nothing, at least he had lost nothing either. It seemed the Daoist Sect would no longer pursue his wanton killing of the Wang Family son. Was that his compensation for serving as a sacrifice?
He was free again. In that respect alone, he had gained a little. He could not compare himself to Zhou Qianyang. The man had reached the Grain Avoidance realm as an unaffiliated cultivator; that was beyond any comparison with him.
He felt lost, unsure where to go. He did not want to return to Fufeng City. As the old saying went, you should get back up where you fell, but if he was still the same man he had been, how could he go back and stand up again?
Besides, the Daoist Sect would never allow such an obvious attempt to stir up trouble.
Yet he did not want to remain in Divine Capital City a moment longer, as though the entire city were laughing at him.
He walked on through the rain like that, indifferent even to being soaked to the skin. As a lowly cultivator who had lost his bearings, where could he see any hope for himself?
Before he knew it, he had reached the Divine Capital South Gate. He was just about to leave the city when someone called loudly from an open-air drinking shed by the gate.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait!"
Such open-sided sheds generally catered only to soldiers and laborers. The food was crude and simple, but the portions were generous and filling. It was not mealtime, and amid the drizzling rain, only one person sat at a table, with a plate of beans and a pot of wine.
Without asking any questions, Hou Niao walked straight over and drained the cup of wine. He was hungry and thirsty. He had thought that today he would either get what he wanted or have his soul return to the underworld. Instead, nothing had changed, leaving him with empty pockets and not a coin to his name. It was terribly awkward.
Daoist Chongling still wore that same expression, neither worried nor pleased. "You've taken the wrong road! You shouldn't leave through the south gate. You should take the north gate."
Hou Niao turned his head. "Shopkeeper, slice a big plate of beef and cook a bowl of noodles. Put it on this Daoist's tab."
Only after draining another cup did he feel warmth return to his body. "I still have a road to take?"
Daoist Chongling nodded. "You do! It may be difficult. It depends on what you choose."
The shopkeeper brought over the sliced beef. Hou Niao stood on no ceremony, alternating mouthfuls of meat and wine as he pondered how to ask for some travel money later.
"Let's hear it."
Daoist Chongling quietly watched him wolf down the food, thoroughly satisfied with his control over his state of mind. Angry without lashing out, indignant without showing it-this was a dog that did not bark before biting. Very good.
"In a few days, I'll be taking up a post on the Liuyang border, overseeing a city's defenses..."
"Congratulations on your promotion..." Hou Niao mumbled, thinking, What the hell does where you're going have to do with me? Is it any concern of mine?
"It may not be a blessing. It could be a calamity. Liuyang City lies on the northern border of the Anhe Kingdom. Well situated for transport, with routes leading in every direction, it is the vital artery through which trade between the Anhe Kingdom and the Shan Kingdom flows most heavily. Going there alone, I'll be rather isolated, with no one at my disposal..."
Hou Niao refused without hesitation. "Hold it! I can't help you with this. First, I have no talent for business. Second, I have no solid fighting skills. If I went, I could do nothing except handle punishments for you and stir up a heap of trouble.
"I know my own limits. In the inland prefectures of the Guangchuan Continent, I could just about manage, but Liuyang sits right beside the Shan Kingdom. That place..."
Daoist Chongling remained unruffled. "What about that place?"
Hou Niao stuffed the last piece of beef into his mouth and thought for a moment. "I've heard the northern border isn't peaceful? The people of the Shan Kingdom are fierce, bandits are as plentiful as hairs on an ox, and the authorities are incompetent... Besides, the Daoist Sect over there..."
Chongling shook his head. "That isn't the Daoist Sect. That's the Demonic Sect!"
In the Anhe Kingdom, discussing the Demonic Sect was taboo, forbidden by those of the Daoist Sect. But if a member of the Daoist Sect brought it up himself, that was another matter.
Hou Niao said nothing more, not because he was afraid, but because he truly knew little about this so-called Demonic Sect. He came from a hereditary family of judicial officers. Generation after generation had made their living in Fufeng City, rarely even leaving the Guangchuan Continent, so his limited knowledge was hardly surprising.
Chongling returned to the matter at hand and revealed his true purpose. "I'm not inviting you to Liuyang City. I'm sending you to the Great Wind Plains in the Shan Kingdom! That is the region within the Shan Kingdom bordering Liuyang in Anhe!
"The Demonic Sect's grand recruitment, held once every ten years, is taking place there. Anyone willing who meets the requirements can join."
Hou Niao's eyelids twitched at what he heard. "Why would I join the Demonic Sect? Do I think I'm not dying fast enough?"
Chongling was composed and unhurried. He knew the ambition in this lowly cultivator's heart. As long as they had desires, there was no risk humans dared not take.
"Because I need a source of information within the Shan Kingdom's Demonic Sect. I need a pair of eyes, a pair of ears..."
Hou Niao played dumb. "Why not just live your own life in Liuyang City? Why are you so eager to learn about the Demonic Sect? If a conflict really breaks out, won't you be the one to suffer?"
Daoist Chongling stared at him. "Because I don't want to spend decades in that place either! I don't even know whether I'll come back alive!
"There are conflicts every year, whether I keep an eye on those demon brats or not! Rather than wait for disaster to strike at some unknown moment, I might as well take the initiative and control the course of those conflicts! Only by accumulating enough merit as quickly as possible will I have a chance to be transferred away!
"To do that, I need eyes of my own."
Hou Niao was unmoved. "I understand. You're dissatisfied with the posting the Daoist Sect has assigned you, so you want to earn merit quickly and get transferred somewhere safe and easy. But what does that have to do with me?
"The Daoist Sect has countless talented people. Since they've enjoyed its benefits, they ought to give something back.
"What do I owe the Daoist Sect? I've already offered myself up as a sacrifice once. Am I supposed to do it a second time?
"Daoist, are you trying to fool me like a three-year-old?"
Daoist Chongling did not grow angry. He knew how to persuade this man. Mutual benefit was the foundation of cooperation. If they could not reach an agreement, it was merely a question of price.
"Don't be so quick to refuse. Why not hear my terms first?
"If you agree to infiltrate the Demonic Sect, whether or not you pass on any substantial information, you'll be credited with service to the Daoist Sect. When I leave, that will also be the moment you leave the Demonic Sect and join the Daoist Sect.
"Either inflicting major losses on the Demonic Sect in the Great Wind Plains or providing highly valuable information will give you bargaining chips to end your undercover service and join the Daoist Sect!
"I can give you my guarantee here, in the name of all the Daoist Sect's sages: I will never break my promise or go back on my word!"
Hou Niao sank into thought. He knew that the efforts he had made these past days had finally found him a direction, but he did not know what lay at its end. Was it a dead end? Or would there be bright flowers beyond the dark willows?
He needed to weigh and measure this carefully.
Weigh, and only then know what was light or heavy; measure, and only then know what was short or long.