217: Chapter 216: Return to Anhe 3 217: Chapter 216: Return to Anhe 3 Hou Niao sighed heavily, he knew he couldn’t refuse!
True freedom is not the right to have, but the right to refuse.
Unfortunately, he was still far from that step.
Daoist Wang patted his shoulder, “Junior Brother Hou, you actually don’t need to feel such pressure, because the Capital Commandant hasn’t actually imposed any concrete missions on you, only within your capabilities and without exposing yourself.
If you achieve something, that’s great; if not, it doesn’t matter.
Here in Da Feng Plain, we’re mostly just cooperating; we are not leading.
So, what are you worried about?”
Hou Niao looked at him deeply, “I was overthinking!”
Daoist Wang left satisfied, leaving Hou Niao with a frown.
Of course, he understood that this task could be significant or minor, light or serious, depending entirely on the executor’s handling.
But his worries weren’t about this.
If it were purely a surveillance task with no actual purpose, why would Daoist Wang disclose the whole cause and effect so clearly to him?
There was no need for that!
With the power of the Capital Commandant’s office, they need not say anything but merely issue a simple order: Monitor Yan Xisheng and report any anomalies.
But Daoist Wang, unusually, explained the whole situation very clearly, suggesting between the lines that he actually wanted to pull him into this big pit or rather, the Capital Commandant’s office was intending to groom him as an agent; that was his real concern.
He was naturally a troublemaker, unable to tolerate any deceit, and his identity was also unique; getting entangled with the Capital Commandant’s office was disadvantageous, and at his current Realm, the cons likely outweighed the pros.
Should he catch or ignore the ball thrown by Capital Commandant Li?
…Within a few days, as the personnel arrived, thirty-five disciples were ready, and with Golden Core Great Cultivator Zhu Jiuling piloting the tower ship, Hou Niao realized they finally wouldn’t have to keep traveling by horse or boat.
This was the way for Cultivators to travel and the reason the Quanzhen Sect was never in a rush.
For this journey, besides the thirty-five disciples, there were also three Upper Cultivators from the Tongtian Realm, surnamed Li, Wang, and Jia.
Heading the team was Golden Core Great Cultivator, even Hou Zhu Jiuling, essentially the management layer of the entire team, all important figures from the Yu Jing stronghold of the Quanzhen Sect.
Hou is a title of respect, granted only to Golden Core Great Cultivators, and is a hybrid produced from the integration of Cultivation and the secular world.
This morning, inside the Sword Mansion, the disciples boarded the ship in order; it was a mid-sized Flying Artifact designed specifically for transporting people, magnificent and unrivaled in power, yet somewhat mismatched with the Quanzhen Sect’s style.
Sword Cultivators typically use Sword Control, but such a large group couldn’t be managed even by a Golden Core Great Cultivator, hence the use of a flying tower ship.
Listening to a few senior brothers whispering nearby, it seemed this tower ship didn’t even belong to Zhu Jiuling; they wondered whose misfortune had been robbed.
The tower ship had cabins, well-furnished and comfortable enough to accommodate dozens of people, but none of the disciples wanted to stay inside the cabins.
Everyone crowded at the bow and the sides; such an opportunity to fly was rare, a novel experience for everyone.
Obviously, the best spot was at the bow with a broad view to face the wind and cleave the clouds, giving directions grandly; but this place belonged to the five prodigies of Yu Jing and some other disciples who thought they were close to them.
Without such connections, one would have to squeeze to the sides.
Hou Niao and Luo Linwang were both the type of people who disliked flattering others.
Hou Niao always tried to keep to himself, while Luo Linwang had the temperament of a disdainful scholar who was proud and aloof.
Thus, they simply stayed at the stern of the boat, favoring its tranquility.
Once everyone had arrived, Zhu Jiuling wasted no time, maneuvering the boat to ascend into the sky, climbing up to a thousand zhang high where clouds obscured their view—this was an intrinsic practice for cultivators as they habitually avoided the gaze of mortals.
The speed of the tower ship was not very fast, which was a characteristic determined by its nature; of course, even so, it was faster than a galloping horse could manage.
What could take others on the ground half a month to reach only took the tower ship half a day—they set out at dawn and by dusk, they would arrive.
Looking down from a thousand zhang up in the sky, the view of the landscape with its farmlands, cities, rivers, and mountains was picturesque, filling the onlookers with a sense of exhilaration and joy.
Luo Linwang couldn’t help exclaiming, “Just for the sake of this flight, we surely must ascend to the Tongxuan realm.
I hear that controlling a sword for flight is even faster and more thrilling, truly something to look forward to.”
This was almost every Sword Cultivator’s dream, and Luo Linwang was no exception.
Hou Niao felt the same.
The two quietly enjoyed the beautiful scenery on the ground below, watching the earth swiftly pass beneath their feet; the only drawback was the lack of that feeling of breaking waves against the wind at the bow of the ship.
No one suggested going to the bow.
What was the use of arguing over such things on someone else’s tower ship?
If they really wanted to experience storming through the clouds, they would have to rely on controlling their own swords.
“Zhou Duo, Duan Kunshan, they mean no harm and are not purposefully targeting you, they are just dissatisfied with the actions of the three mansions and weren’t even given a chance to compete,” Luo Linwang explained.
One day, he had gone to visit a friend and was not at the outer court of the Sword Mansion; he had always wanted to find a chance to explain after hearing about it later.
He had many friends in Jin City and didn’t want to estrange them over this, especially Hou Shidi, who was quite ruthless and not someone to be trifled with.
Hou Niao chuckled, “Elder Brother, you worry too much.
Am I one to hold a petty grudge?
It all comes down to capabilities; they have the right to contend, and I have the right to defend.
I think you ought to explain it to them— I’m afraid they might harbor ill feelings from their failure.”
Luo Linwang laughed, “Why do you think I haven’t approached them?
It’s just that I’m a bit unwilling to swallow my pride momentarily.
But many have slight reservations about your style of combat; it lacks the grace of a Sword Cultivator.
To put it nicely, it’s employing surprise troops; to put it bluntly, it’s fighting without scruples.”
Hou Niao was indifferent, “The grace of a Sword Cultivator?
Being able to give the opponent face while still commanding their respect and compliance?
I don’t have such skills.
Currently, I’m quick to engage but hard to restrain.
Once I draw my sword, I often can’t control myself, hence I have to use some unconventional methods.
It’s not that I look down upon them.”
Luo Linwang, who had been regularly sparring with him these days, knew he was speaking truthfully, “You rascal, I don’t understand how the same swordsmanship from the Sword Storage Tower, once in your hands, completely changes flavor?
Every move is a fight for life and soul chasing strikes!
Were these fought out in Yinling against those demon Soul Ghosts?
That doesn’t seem right either.
I’m also familiar with Xiang Zhiwen, who spent much more time in Yinling than you; even those who patrol haven’t developed a style like yours.”
Of course, Hou Niao couldn’t reveal that all this was learned in the Soul Realm, where every being desperately fought for their life and none were the gentle type.
“Perhaps it’s just my personality?
I’m not one for prolonged battles; I always think about resolving conflicts in one go, so I developed a habit of risking everything in one strike.”
Luo Linwang seriously said, “That habit is not good!
Especially when facing those from the Daoist Sect, who love to wear down their opponents.
They exhaust you until you’re weary and impatient; and when you lose your patience, that’s when they seize their chance.”