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Hou Niao was not someone wholly ignorant of worldly dealings. He knew that if he wanted to live well, he needed to find a powerful leg to cling to early; but here, he had neither connections nor roots, and no one to introduce him, apart from the Dugu Household and the Anhe Gang.
But he reckoned that with his cultivation realm, even if he tried clinging to them, he would never reach the thigh. He could only cling to a leg hair-the sort you could pluck out, blow on, and shout, "Go!"?
So there was no other choice. His examining master, Commandant Li, was the only option. He had no choice.
If this were a sect he had truly chosen of his own accord, he would carefully consider the man's character, ideals, and even the direction of his cultivation methods. Masters chose disciples, and disciples chose masters; it was a choice made by both sides. Once you borrowed someone's influence, you had to work for them. If differing ideals created a rift, things would become very awkward. Outsiders would not blame the master; they would only say the disciple failed to honor his teacher and respect the Way.
But the Quanzhen Sect was not the place he most yearned for. His original intention had been to join the Anhe Daoist Sect, and he had been sent here as an undercover agent. Since he was only staying briefly, there was no need to consider the ideals of the powerful leg he would cling to. He would grab hold first and worry about the rest later. He would be selling its owner out eventually anyway.
Preferably, the man would be a great villain, so he could sell him out with a clear conscience.
"Master Li has other official business and is not in Jincheng at present. If you need anything, Junior Brother Hou, feel free to tell me. I can make a few arrangements as well."
The Daoist, Wang Shouzhong, had a gentle expression and courteous manners.
Of course, Hou Niao knew he should not probe into whether Commandant Li was actually in Jincheng. Nor should he take the Daoist's offer of arrangements seriously. These were all polite words; he had heard far too many of them in Fufeng's official circles.
"I have no requests. I only came to express my gratitude. Though my position is low, my words carry little weight, and my strength is lacking, please give me any orders you have, Senior Brother Wang. I would certainly never dare pay lip service while disobeying behind your back, or let your words go in one ear and out the other."
Wang Shouzhong grew still more cordial. This low-level cultivator was reasonably sensible and not irritating. He knew when to advance and when to retreat, so Wang did not begrudge him a few more words.
"There are established rules for all the matters involved in joining the sect. Even without my attention, you will not be shortchanged in the slightest. What matters is what comes after this month, once everyone goes their separate ways.
"You must understand that you were personally selected by Commandant Li. Jincheng's Three Outstanding Figures oversee the overall situation and rarely intervene in the admission of new disciples. That is the responsibility of the other martial uncles.
"Of all one hundred and ninety people admitted in this recruitment, fewer than ten were personally selected by those three lords. Some were the children of old acquaintances, some were admitted to repay favors to friends, and some possessed exceptional talent. But whatever the reason, once you entered these ranks, your brand was set. You must never waver between loyalties and harm both others and yourself."
Hou Niao nodded. This was the ecology of officialdom. He had understood as much ever since he had been summoned into the prefecture that night.
"I understand, Senior Brother."
The Daoist toyed with the jade balls in his hand. In truth, he did not quite understand why Master Li had thrown the doors wide open for a disciple with such a low cultivation realm. The threshold for this recruitment was very low, but however low it was, one still needed to be at least in the Foundation Cultivation Realm to have a chance. Most of those recruited this time would be sent to reinforce the towns below, which required practical ability. What could a Qi Gathering cultivator do?
Naturally, he did not have Commandant Li's authority and could not see the Secret Spies' confidential investigation report on Hou Niao. This was not because Hou Niao was particularly important; what mattered was the spies' identities. To protect this hard-won intelligence network, no more than a handful of people in all Jincheng were qualified to read that report.
But since Commandant Li had done this, surely there was a reason?
In fact, Commandant Li had made no arrangements concerning this before leaving. That was precisely what gave the Daoist a headache. Would showing too much care backfire? But if he showed none at all, would his master think he lacked discernment?
He had not studied under Li Chuping for very long. Li Chuping's senior disciples had long since been posted elsewhere to take charge on their own, leaving only him to attend upon their master. Handling everything without a single leak was very difficult.
"Jincheng has three prefectures. The Pastoral Marshal Prefecture is presided over by the Nomadic Commissioner, the Central Army Prefecture is commanded by Gao Zhonglang, and the Commandant Prefecture is controlled by Commandant Li. Each has its own duties and keeps to its own position.
"The Pastoral Marshal Prefecture oversees every aspect of affairs throughout the Great Wind Plains, handling both civil administration and cultivation. But it also has its particular focus: cultivator management, assignments, promotions, daily cultivation, resource allocation, guidance in cultivation methods and techniques, and so on.
"The Central Army Prefecture specializes in warfare. It contains the Great Wind Plains' strongest mobile force of cultivators, and when war breaks out, it also has the authority to mobilize cultivators stationed throughout the region. You could call it the Quanzhen Sect's sharpest claws and fangs in Jincheng.
"The Commandant Prefecture is the smallest, but its powers and responsibilities are extraordinary. It supervises internally and conducts espionage externally, gathering intelligence and rooting out malignant growths and spies within. Everything on the dark side... heh heh. Within the Quanzhen Sect, the various Commandant Prefectures are all the most mysterious and vital places. No one dares regard them without awe. Hatred and fear-that is how people within the sect view the Commandant Prefectures.
"You can imagine what you will face, bearing Commandant Li's mark."
Hou Niao's head began to ache as he listened. He truly knew little about these divisions of power within the Shan Kingdom, largely because they differed so greatly from those in the Anhe Kingdom. They were not the same system at all.
The good news was that beneath a great tree, one could enjoy the shade. With such a powerful leg to cling to, surely no one would investigate him? As long as he was careful in what he did.
The bad news was that this great tree might make him even more conspicuous. More eyes would be watching him, and his private activities would likely be severely restricted.
A dizzy spell was not death. Having come this far, could he still turn back?
The Daoist continued offering guidance. He felt it would be better to give this fellow a few pointers. At least he must not let him bring their master any unnecessary trouble. The Commandant Prefecture had always stood amid the fiercest winds and waves within the great power that was the Quanzhen Sect. Contests between the various factions ultimately depended on the Commandant Prefecture to mediate and resolve them. Thus, to forge iron, one first had to be strong oneself.
"In a month, you will also join one of Jincheng's offices. Remember, do not get involved in any factional struggles. Deal only with the matter at hand.
"People always have vulnerabilities; no one can be utterly infallible. If your own conduct is upright, you need not fear trouble coming to your door.
"But if you get yourself caught in those whirlpools, from what I know of Master, the closer someone is to him, the less mercy he shows. He often increases their punishment by one degree. When that happens, no one will be able to help you."
Hou Niao grumbled inwardly. If I can't rely on him to throw my weight around and do as I please, what sort of backer is he? And upright conduct? It was precisely because I acted too uprightly that they each gave me a kick and booted me out of Fufeng City.
The only difference was that he lacked strength, while Commandant Li held high rank and great authority. So what sort of person you were did not matter. What mattered was what sort of strength you possessed.
...He took his leave of the Daoist and returned to his lodgings at the edge of the city. The new surroundings and his new identity gave him a distinctly unreal feeling.
Sitting alone on the roof, he looked at the main road not far away and wondered whether he should notify Daoist Chongling now that he had joined the Quanzhen Sect.
With his current identity, making contact would be difficult. He could only wait passively for Daoist Chongling to send someone over.
Alas, this identity was troublesome too. In truth, after his dealings with them over these past days, his impression of the Quanzhen Demonic Sect was not all that bad. As a place to settle down and cultivate, perhaps it was not unacceptable?
He gazed into the distance and sank into thought.
...Before the gate, the great road stretched; to gaze afar, he climbed the terrace high. At sunset, all travelers had gone; from the farthest frontier, no word arrived.