Demon Sword Sect's Undercover

Hou Niao, despite never leaving his house, learned about the changes in Fufeng City through Sun Bo.

Indeed, Daoist Chong Ling's visit to Fufeng was not solely for handling accumulated civil cases; he had another purpose: a section of the Qingtang River dike in Three Rivers Prefecture was to fall within the jurisdiction of Fufeng City, which required significant local support.

In that era, dike construction was a labor- and resource-intensive project that did not provide short-term benefits; one had to take a long-term view, which for the common people, meant a lack of motivation. People are like that, cursing heaven and earth during floods, yet ignoring the necessary preventative measures during normal times, necessitating guidance from the government.

In Anhe Country, while the dynasty could not be said to be utterly corrupt, it was not entirely devoted to the people either; some of the major benevolent policies for the people could only be initiated by the Daoist Sect, which was also the essence of their path.

The Daoist Sect facilitated the coordination, but the actual contributions of manpower and funds came from local government officials and gentry. If everyone practiced passive resistance, even the Daoist Sect would find it difficult to change the operational ethos of a region.

This was why, although aware that Meng's murder had a reason behind it, and that Hou Niao's sheltering of him was not without evidence, Chong Ling still insisted on dealing with them both.

Considering the millions of lives along the banks of Qingtang River, the interests of the entire community decidedly outweighed those of two insignificant individuals; in this sense, neither Hou Niao nor Meng were wronged by their fate, as they had indeed committed murder.

With Meng dead, the issue was resolved, leaving only Hou Niao to face a destiny he could not control; as an individual, he had no power to resist against the entire Daoist Sect and could not even find someone capable of communicating his plight to higher authorities.

In the presence of the Daoist Sect, people from the government had no say, and those few Daoist friends he had were similarly disfavored; his circle determined his fate.

… Sun Bo had been busy outside these past few days, managing the remaining wealth of the Hou Family, hoping to provide the young master with more precious materials for potential bribes after he set off; this was the old man's intention. He still did not fully understand the truth about the Daoist Sect; bribing could definitely help, but precious materials alone were not enough.

Hou Niao, refusing to leave his front or back doors, had no interest in being mocked during his downfall. He was a proud person, who reveled in his distinctiveness and could not tolerate such insults; hence, he did not give people such opportunities.

In the study, staring at the wooden box containing the ginseng worm, he hesitated, should he eat it now? Or save it in case he needed to offer it to a key figure?

He did not believe that eating it now would allow him to ascend to heaven in one step; more likely, it would be in vain and could even cause side effects.

He did not think that he could meet a Daoist who, with just a ginseng worm, would let him off the hook; unlike the government, Daoists were devoted elites.

Still undecided, he decided to open it and take a look; since Meng had delivered this item to his door months ago, to show a lofty character, he had never opened this wooden box, hmm, perhaps that was somewhat pretentious.

The wooden box was not locked, made of ordinary locust wood tied with straw rope; gently opening it, a strong medicinal fragrance hit him, and he saw something resembling a cicada lying motionless at the bottom of the box.

The ginseng worm was not a living creature; it was a special product of Anhe Country, a growth that forms on mountain ginseng, resembling a cicada sucking nourishment from it, yet it was also a plant. Its medicinal properties were even more potent than those of the ginseng itself, a rare treasure in the Cultivation World, becoming more precious over time.

Hou Niao had limited knowledge of medicinal herbs and had no opportunity to deepen his knowledge in this area. Even among powerful cultivators, those capable of delving into elixirs were very rare; achieving success in this field required the support of a Sect, which was hardly attainable on an individual basis.

So, how should he take it? Swallow it whole or make it into elixir pills? When would be the best time to consume it for maximum benefit? Were there any taboos?

He was not very clear about these insider details, but he knew that chewing it now would be a waste of a treasure.

He admired the details of the caterpillar, the medicinal fragrance strong in his nostrils, yet he deemed it best not to act for the time being; just as he was about to close the wooden box, he noticed faint characters on the inside wall of the box, upon closer inspection:

"A grain of Criminal Investigation rice weighs as heavy as Mount Sumeru, unable to achieve Dao in this life, still donned in fur and horns."

He sighed deeply, closed the wooden box, and his heart realm gradually returned to calm; at least his actions were recognized, including by Old Meng, as well as those ordinary mortals who quietly left things at his doorstep at night.

Their way of showing gratitude might be weak and useless, but Hou Niao knew that their attitudes gave him the most important peace of mind.

That was enough.

...Three days later, Daoist Chong Ling and his group completed their mission in Fufeng City. The local gentry all expressed strong support, willing to donate money and effort for the betterment of mankind. However, Chong Ling saw clearly that these expressions came with a condition-- the severe punishment of Hou Niao from the Criminal Investigation department.

He had no intention of being lenient. A mere casual cultivator without the true teachings of the Daoist Sect, possessing no potential, it wasn't necessary.

Amidst the farewells of the city's elite, the group of four rode away—Daoist Chong Ling and his two disciples, along with the criminal official Hou Niao. In this world, if a cultivator hasn't yet reached the Tongxuan realm, they cannot fly; hence, horse riding remained their main mode of travel, though whether Daoist Chong Ling had other miraculous means was a different matter.

Hou Niao's face was calm, disappointing those elites who hoped to see panic in his eyes. However, they had already received assurance from the Daoist Sect that this man could not escape the Anhe prayers—one life in a thousand, a rather complete resolution.

In the crowd, a woman, though with her face veiled in light silk yet shapely and plump, blended in while holding a child of a few years.

The child, with a childish voice, asked, "Mommy, where is Daddy going? Doesn't he want Xing'er anymore?"

The woman, expression unseen but tone harsh, said, "That death-seeker won't return! It's his own fault. I've long told him not to regard himself as a defender of morality; now he faces the consequences!

Also, he isn't your dad. Your real dad is Mr. Wang from next door..."

She had reason to be resentful. Although two hundred silver wasn't little, if tallied across the years for each transaction, it hardly amounted to much, not even comparing to the cheapest courtesans in the brothel...

Old Sun Bo from the temple received much more than her, why?

The four figures gradually receded into the distance, and the crowd that had gathered for the sendoff slowly dispersed. In essence, this was a successful collaboration between the Daoist Sect and the government, seamlessly removing a major cancer from the administrative system of Fufeng City; as for repairing the levees, since the cost was passed onto the sheep, what did it really have to do with them?

Fufeng City returned to its normal order, tea houses and taverns now had a new story about the cool official facing the law, yet as it became a conversation piece over meals, how many people realized they had lost a voice that could stand up for them?

Indeed,

Worldly affairs vanish like smoke, lives plunge and soar like fish and birds.

Many wonderful connections from past to present, but who truly resonates with the ancient strings?