Hou Niao read through it carefully. His powerful cultivator's memory had already committed everything to mind, and he returned the Jade Slip.
When he reached the doorway, he turned back and asked, "Who sent the message telling the Minister of Justice Prefecture that You Chao'en had defected?"
Judge Cheng answered without hesitation. "The very pawn you're supposed to meet. He's currently inside the Qi Sect and has opportunities to come into contact with these secrets. We gave him authority to make decisions in a crisis, and the information has also been confirmed through other channels."
Hou Niao nodded, but he was not finished. "Can I contact other undercover agents nearby in Jianye for help? Just one contact?"
Judge Cheng shook his head. "That's against the rules! Your seniority doesn't permit you access to the Southeast Region's intelligence network. This isn't a question of trust. It's a principle everyone in our line of work must follow."
"Your mission is elimination. After completing it, go to Purple Sun Temple, which receives the most worshippers in Jianye, and light Daoist incense to signal whether Jianye's intelligence network should withdraw or hold fast. I've already described all of this clearly enough in the Jade Slip."
"Will a Golden Core Upper Cultivator secretly protect me from behind?"
"A Golden Core cultivator isn't enough. How about we send an Infant Transformation Ancestor to protect you?" Hou Niao shook his head slightly, said nothing more, and walked straight out.
But he understood perfectly well what such principles represented. Their real meaning was this: if he fell into the hands of the Qi Sect's Daoists again, a newcomer who had only just joined the Minister of Justice Prefecture and knew nothing whatever he was asked could offer them no valuable information.
Put plainly, he was insignificant, purely a