Great Wind Tower was one of the finest restaurants in Jincheng. Not only were its flavors unrivaled, it was said to serve dishes made from the spirit flesh of demonic beasts. Of course, their means did not stretch to delicacies that required payment in Spirit Stones, so they could only order the finest mundane ingredients.
What they ate did not matter. What mattered was that everyone enjoyed themselves.
After three rounds of wine and a good sampling of the dishes, the mood warmed and everyone grew less reserved with one another. Tao Ji began probing.
"Junior Brother Hou, will you go straight to the Commandant Prefecture once the assignments are made?"
Hou Niao had spent time in official circles himself. Though he disliked their ways, that did not mean he failed to understand them. At times like this, one must never give a definite answer. To sound plausible yet elusive, to remain ambiguous and leave room for speculation-that was the highest art.
"How could I? With my current cultivation, wouldn't entering the Commandant Prefecture now just disgrace Commandant Chuping? I'll have to gain some experience in Jincheng's various offices first..."
Gain some experience first, and then... Those words deliberately set a snare. In truth, he might then be posted elsewhere, and then end up getting nowhere in particular...
Wanshouqi raised his cup. "That won't take long either. I can see you've already made good progress in Qi Gathering, Junior Brother. Within six months to a year, you're certain to reach Foundation Cultivation. When the time comes, with you looking out for us at the Commandant Prefecture, we'll all be able to breathe a great sigh of relief."
Everyone drained their cups. A flower-decked sedan chair needed many hands to lift it. Hou Niao changed the subject without letting anything show.
"Senior Brother Gong, you're setting out on a long journey. Where are you headed? Isn't this a little rushed...?"
Gongcheng Yi sighed. "You may not know this, Junior Brother, but the one-month period is only the final deadline. We don't necessarily have to wait until the very end.
"There are always too many monks and too little gruel when it comes to good places and good positions. With our backgrounds and abilities, competing for the fattest posts would be a stretch. So our best strategy is to settle for the next best thing-not seeking the best, only the second best.
"While those people are locked in a bitter struggle over the few good positions, we can secure some tangible benefits first. Though we won't get the best, at least we won't end up with the worst..."
Hou Niao sighed inwardly. Not one of these people making their way in the world was simple.
Gu Weixin took up the thread. "Not just Senior Brother Gong. The rest of us will also be leaving one after another over the next few days. This is the inevitable choice for cultivators who have some connections, but not strong ones. It saves us competing with others round after round.
"Senior Brother Gong is going to Chongshan Town, another place overrun with mountain demons. Its advantage is that Quanzhen's forces there are strong, with a Profound Connection Venerable Master in residence. Its economy is also good, and everything is orderly. It's a fine place to train and cultivate, and for a newcomer, it counts as a top-tier town."
Gongcheng Yi smiled bitterly. "I wouldn't call it top-tier. It barely qualifies as upper-middle. Even a place like that cost me a good deal of my savings and drew on plenty of connections. A few days later, and I might not have secured it.
"What caught my eye was that there are demonic creatures there to hunt down. I can improve my fighting strength and get some demon cores to supplement the household expenses..."
Tao Ji sighed. "It's just a little dangerous. With those high mountains and dense forests, you'll have to be careful, Senior Brother..."
Gongcheng Yi nodded. "Where isn't there danger? Where aren't there demonic creatures? At least Chongshan Town has a Profound Connection Venerable Master guarding it, so things should remain under control. I looked into Quanzhen disciples' casualties across the Great Wind Plains over the years. Chongshan Town's figures are relatively low, and that's already very good. If we really got sent to those places of barren mountains and treacherous waters, it would be too late even for tears."
Hunting demonic creatures honed one's strength to the fullest, and this was important to the Quanzhen Demonic Sect. In cultivation, strength came first. In the Daoist Sect, one could still discuss warfare on paper, but in the Demonic Sect, it had to be real blades and real spears. Without the ability, even being pushed into a high position would leave one unable to cope, and in greater danger instead.
Thus, having demonic creatures in one's posting was nothing to fear. The key was that their threat had to be controllable, allowing one to gain some benefits while honing one's abilities. Such a place was an excellent posting. As for opening up new territory amid barren mountains and treacherous waters, they should not even think about it with their present abilities.
Wanshouqi was rather subdued. Whenever he thought of the future, a sense of helplessness came over him. He came from a large lineage in the Anhe Kingdom, with a wife, children, and elderly relatives, so he had more ties weighing on him.
"I wonder what the mail routes to Anhe are like? I've been away from home for a year and a half, and I don't know how things are there. Though Quanzhen in the Shan Kingdom stands opposed to the Anhe Daoist Sect, ordinary letters should still be getting through, shouldn't they?"
Tao Ji teased him. "Junior Brother Wan, you've chosen the wrong calling. Your body's cultivating, but your heart's at home. Can't you cultivate in peace without hearing a familiar voice from your hometown?"
Abandoning family and livelihood to enter cultivation was not the norm for every cultivator. For low-level cultivators in particular, their parents were still alive, and their wives and children were still with them. Most would never reach Profound Connection, and their lifespans were no different from ordinary people's. Under such circumstances, it was impossible to expect them to ignore their families entirely.
People always had to leave themselves a way back. These men were all in their twenties or thirties, precisely the age when ties were numerous, with elders above and children below to care for. Even as they struggled to make their way, they also entertained thoughts of returning home to spend their remaining years if cultivation came to nothing.
Gu Weixin thought for a moment. "The Quanzhen Sect doesn't forbid disciples from exchanging news with their hometowns, but specific channels are hard to find. If you leave a letter in Jincheng and wait for someone to take it, that could take a very long time. The best way is to send it directly to a border city. They have more channels to Anhe there."
Cultivation was not all-powerful. Sending out a talisman that arrived in an instant, even across a thousand miles, was not something minor cultivators like them could do. They still had to rely on the ordinary relay stations of the mortal world. That took a long time, however, and also involved transfers across the border between the two kingdoms, making it extraordinarily troublesome.
"The Shan Kingdom and Anhe share a border in many places, involving over a dozen cities and towns. But for convenient transport and easy access, nothing beats the route through Right River Town and Liuyang City. If a letter can reach Jiangyou, it'll save a great deal of time. But we aren't acquainted with the Sword Manor there."
Connections had to be built through gradual contact; they could not be cultivated without several years. Nor were they all gathered in one place, where they could communicate nearby. They were scattered throughout the Great Wind Plains, with few chances to meet. It truly was difficult.
Hou Niao spoke. "As for Right River Town, I do know a few patrol envoys at the Sword Abode. They should be able to get the letters to Liuyang as quickly as possible. But beyond Liuyang, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do."
Wanshouqi was overjoyed. "Once they reach Liuyang, there's nothing to worry about. My family has business there... Junior Brother Hou, you've done me an enormous favor. Please accept a bow from your senior brother."
Hou Niao hurried to his feet, and another round of polite resistance ensued.
He was not taking on trouble at random because he had eaten his fill and had nothing better to do. Rather, he wanted to use the delivery of news from home to sound out how information actually passed between the two kingdoms. When the occasion arose, he could use this channel to keep in contact with Daoist Chongling.
Chongling had said that once he rendered a great service, he could return to Anhe and enter the Daoist Sect. Thus, establishing and maintaining a channel was important. He could not travel back and forth in person, so he had to put effort into other means.
There was something of using his fellow countrymen in this, but wasn't that what fellow countrymen were for?
First establish a channel, exchange ordinary family letters, and when it truly mattered, he could...
...Spring insects flew to the screened window; evening sparrows hid among flowering boughs. In the shadows toward nightfall came the moment to turn and bite back.