Hou Niao only received the news the next day. Though they were the actual participants, they were merely pawns; whether they captured flags or defended them was not up to them.
He understood perfectly. This was a struggle between powers, not a place to indulge individual temperaments.
The two found a pavilion in the middle of a lake and settled in at their leisure. Wine, food, melons, and fruit were all provided in the pavilion, a testament to the Anhe Daoist Sect's wealth. This was also the Daoist Sect's way of putting on a show. They were always like this, unlike the Quanzhen Sect, which cared little for such things.
The wine was excellent, and the food even better. Raising their cups and drinking freely amid the lake and mountain scenery truly was the life of immortals.
"Once you come somewhere like this, you never want to leave. It wears away a cultivator's edge-the great enemy of Sword Cultivators like us. Junior Brother Hou, you made the right choice coming to Quanzhen in the Shan Kingdom. Otherwise, what Dao could you possibly cultivate in surroundings like these? You'd want nothing more than a beauty in each arm and all the pleasures life could offer, wouldn't you?"
Hou Niao shot him a look. "Senior Brother, isn't that a little biased? Life here may be comfortable, but it can still serve as a trial. What would it amount to for someone with a genuine heart for the Dao? Besides, the Anhe Daoist Sect has plenty of upper and great cultivators. I haven't seen their hearts for the Dao worn away.
"And you-your mouth makes this place sound utterly worthless, yet you've drunk more wine than anyone and eaten several plates of meat! I saw it, too. You secretly stashed away two flasks