Demon Sword Sect's Undercover-Chapter 501: The 500th - : Blurring the Line of Sight

"Even fools know this is a setup, but since it’s a game, there are countless possibilities. I want to take a gamble; do any of you dare to join?"

The Daoist, seasoned in these matters, would never be provoked by others, "In Qi Country, in Jianye, we never directly oppose the Sects. That’s a sure path to death. You’ve found the wrong person.

Moreover, as an apology for refusing, we will not disclose your intentions. If there’s business in the future, we look forward to your patronage once again."

Hou Niao wasn’t disappointed. He stood up and placed ten top-grade Spirit Stones on the table as a consultancy fee; it was a test. He was testing the Daoist, and the Daoist was testing him, to see if they were worth cooperating with each other.

Those in this trade only trust their gut feelings; the excuse of not opposing Sects is simply because their interests haven’t been sufficiently piqued; just by opening this topic once, and without any concrete content, handing over ten top-grade Spirit Stones is akin to saying, "Old man, I’m not short on cash."

As he was about to step out of the room, the Daoist’s voice came from behind, "There might be other Methods worth considering..."

Hou Niao turned around, tilting his head to show he was listening.

The Daoist sighed, "Jianye is the capital of Qi Country, the land where Qi Sect was established, with more than ten Nascent Transformation elders and hundreds of Golden Core Great Cultivation experts. Any underground force trying to forcefully collide with them would be like an egg smashing against a rock.

If you were just an Independent Traveler, I would have agreed and then double-crossed you, because you’d be dead doing this on your own anyway...

But since you come from Shan Sect, I cannot treat you as I would a common traveler in the Jianghu. I have two suggestions; would you care to hear them?"

Hou Niao nodded, "Go on."

The Daoist thought for a moment, "One suggestion is that we only provide intelligence support, including information about Daoist Xu in the Dao Prison and the latest developments concerning You Chaoen, but we can’t guarantee accuracy. We’re just offering an idea, after all. The plans of your two factions are ever-changing, and we hope you can understand.

The price for this service is not high, one hundred top-grade Spirit Stones, a friendly price, as we hope for more extensive cooperation in the future."

Hou Niao nodded, "Continue."

The Daoist hesitated slightly, clearly evaluating whether the deal was worth it. Ultimately, greed for the benefits pushed him over the edge,

"Another suggestion is, although we cannot send anyone to help you with the assassination, we can introduce you to two Death Soldiers. They are outsiders, but their price is on the higher side, as what they’re selling is their very lives."

Hou Niao nodded, "I’ll take both services."

The Daoist spoke with profound meaning, "Don’t come here again. We will notify you of the transaction location, and as a token of sincerity, we will soon send you an inside tip."

Hou Niao left Lan Gui Fang. Although he knew these people were unlikely to track him, he was still cautious.

This was his strategy; stirring the waters.

Since he was not planning to settle down here for long, there was no need to be concerned about anything. Muddy waters make it easier to catch fish, which is much better than fighting alone.

All of this was predicated on one condition; as a game, if he couldn’t outsmart these local landlords on a level playing field, he’d have to find an unconventional path.

Sikong Mansion wanted him to complete this assassination on his own, but Hou Niao was not the obedient type. Losing him would mean little to Sikong Mansion, as he was just a newcomer who knew nothing. Yet for himself, life comes only once.

He was certain this was a trap. Even the Underground Cultivation World of Jianye deemed it so. Thus, it was likely a trap indeed.

His lingering doubt was, could he be the prey?

He didn’t think so.

In Shan Sect, in Sikong Mansion, he was nothing. The reputation he had earned at sea could not reach so far as Qi Country thousands of miles away; by comparison, the secret communication system of Shan Sect in Jianye was much more valuable.

The information was still too scarce, lacking a basis for judgment.

On the fourth day, upon meeting with the underground forces, they delivered the first piece of information to him, costing him a hundred top-grade Spirit Stones. He wasn’t lacking in Spirit Stones; his assets were considerable after years of being a Sea Lord, plus Sikong Mansion was covering all expenses for this operation.

He wasn’t considering the expense, nothing compared to the value of his life.

The information was about Daoist Xu Shanren; to everyone’s surprise, according to the message, Daoist Xu had not even been in any Dao Prison but had died in battle upon his arrest.

If this information was true, clearly, the law-enforcing Daoists of Six-Ear Palace intended to lure Shan Sect out for a rescue, resulting in two mishaps from Sikong Mansion, one dead, one injured.

Then, do they continue fishing using You Chaoen as bait?

This mission was becoming more interesting by the minute, shrouded in layers of mist.

At the moment, without his own eyes and ears, he had no choice but to place his hopes on the reliability of that undercover piece, now with the addition of the newly found underground forces.

The awkward thing was that the identity of the chess piece meant he might not be able to get sufficiently accurate messages, while the attitudes of the underground forces were ambivalent.

Should he trust these people’s professional integrity?

This was an exceedingly tricky mission. The difficulty lay in the extreme limitations on his information gathering, because he couldn’t show his face openly, nor could he have direct contact with Qi Sect cultivators. Did all his judgments have to be based on speculation?

Feeling so constrained was unbearably frustrating, and yet, he had no power to change it.

On the fifth day, the underground forces in Jianye directed him to a secluded house in the suburbs. There, he met the two so-called Death Soldiers.

One was of the Natural Realm, the other of the God Sensing Realm, both not young, and even at a first meeting, he could sense the heavy, fading life force in them.

When Cultivators emit such a fading life force, it is a clear sign that their Daoist Path has reached its end, with no possibility of further advancement.

With his rich experience, he could roughly guess the stories behind their decline; the Natural Realm Cultivator suffered from irreversible internal injuries, damaging the Purple Mansion, while the God Sensing Realm Cultivator was simply too old, old to the point where bodily functions began to deteriorate.

To put it bluntly, he wasn’t satisfied with these two so-called helpers, but in this unfamiliar place, it was hard to find another two who dared to go against Qi Sect Daoists.

Having any help was better than none at all.

He sighed, "Do you know whom you’re being hired to go against?"

The Natural Realm Cultivator, named Lu, whether a Loose Cultivator or a minor Sect Cultivator, had his own share of helplessness in the Cultivation World,

"We know. For us, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is; it’s just a trade of life for Spirit Stones. You just need to tell us the time, place, and person. We’ll make one move for you. If it succeeds, great; if not, it’s just another lost life."

Hou Niao still felt it necessary to clarify further, "I must speak candidly, my information may not be accurate. The targets are people from Six-Ear Palace of Qi Sect, and it is very likely a trap.

When the time comes, apart from ourselves, we can’t trust anyone else."