Chapter 783: Chapter 782: The Joy of the Daoist Sect
Back at the residence, I felt I was one step closer to success.
By using these methods that did not involve the Wu Sect’s foundation, he could still fish in troubled waters amidst the current chaos.
Continuing to observe the changes in his Sword Seed, it had grown to just under an inch, far from fully formed. The later the stage, the more immense the resources required to compensate, and he had also discovered that the Flying Sword could continue to be upgraded even after being formed, by continuously compressing the density of the Five Elements Qi within it. If someday he could condense the ephemeral Essence Qi Sword into a solid sword, that would truly be a great achievement, but how long that would take was anybody’s guess.
His short-term goal was to condense the Flying Sword into a three-foot Essence Qi Sword; the medium-term goal was to compress that to a one-foot sword, and the long-term goal was to allow the Flying Sword to take solid form.
The consumption of resources for this was astronomical, too terrifying to contemplate, forcing him to take one step at a time.
The path was his own to walk, no matter what, he had to continue.
While he was contemplating, Old Zhu’s voice came through, “Master, a guest is outside asking to see you.”
Hou Niao met with the Fairy Zhuang once again, still with her untouchable solemn demeanor. Her temperament and her words were at odds, an oddity likely only to be seen within the Daoist Sect, where body and mind were entirely distinct, as if her body did not belong to her.
She kneeled and poured tea, her movements graceful and practiced, exuding charm in every gesture. Due to her posture, her Daoist robe outlined her well-endowed body, sparking endless imagination.
“What do you want? I want the truth.”
Fairy Zhuang’s tender mouth lightly opened, “I heard, brother, your old rule: one night of pleasure in exchange for the Water Element Magical Artifact Dawn Mirage Pearl.”
He was about to refuse but quickly reconsidered. He could not judge the matter by his own thinking but should instead consider it from Liu Yishou’s perspective.
Old rules meant the real Liu Yishou wasn’t a stranger to such deeds, and it was one of the perks of his position in the Inner Warehouse. It was all voluntary, with no coercion involved.
The Dawn Mirage Pearl was one of the top magic artifacts used by cultivators in the Tongtian Realm within the Inner Warehouse; not a hundred years since its last forging, it greatly assisted cultivators with the Water Element skill and was a highly sought-after artifact. It was clear that Fairy Zhuang aimed precisely for that, hence she was willing to pay a significant price.
He wanted to say that compared to the aid treasures provided to cultivators, one night seemed a bit meager? But he quickly realized that the so-called old rules might include just this aspect.
Liu Yishou was a man who, like his name suggested, always held something back, a person with a keen sense of propriety. He could not have occupied such a lucrative position for decades without this quality. This was not something a person driven by insatiable greed could achieve.
He had not anticipated that joining the Wu Sect would bring such unexpected amorous encounters, but considering the Cultivation World’s attitude towards matters of men and women, it was likely just an incidental partner for dual cultivation, not signifying anything else.
“In that case, allow your servant to help you dress…”
…Adorning with rouge, emitting sweet fragrances, leaning on the balustrade with dew-fresh beauty. Who can resist the enchanting red and tender white, let’s not waste the moment of verse before the wine.
Hou Niao, under the guise of official duties for private benefit, infiltrated the enemy camp to gain both wealth and a companion, a pity it was but for one night.
But as they say, fortune is where disaster lies hidden; after a night of good spirits, he was utterly defeated upon arriving at the Inner Warehouse the next day.
Xiang Tianxing stood upright, planted right in front of him, while another servant by his side explained:
“Master Liu, due to the recent increase in workload, the higher-ups have added a few more hands to the Inner Warehouse. This junior brother Xiang is the newcomer assigned to our section, and he will be under your command from now on.”
Hou Niao felt an overwhelming sense of disgust. What higher-ups? It was clearly Hu Daoist who had arranged this; pretending to transfer someone under his wing for him to command, the true intention was to plant a spy, ensuring he was watched at every turn, lest he became too greedy and they all suffered for it.
This was the art of balance practiced by those above, by hampering one another, the big figures could always have advantages on either side.
He couldn’t refuse, nor could he afford to. Thus, with an indifferent expression, he said, “That will be very good, I’ll need a list, dating back a millennium as the boundary, distinguishing between the new and the old artifacts, down to each box and cabinet, making sure all seals are clearly marked…”
Since the newcomer was here, he might as well be put to work like a donkey.
While the Inner Warehouse servants grumbled internally, they began a new round of tasks. This time, Brother Liu was extremely diligent, inspecting almost every cabinet himself and personally scrutinizing each question, all of which brought smiles to Hu Daoist’s face.
Therein lies the saying, mastering the art of controlling people is a profound discipline; with a small move, he had this notoriously slippery cultivator unable to stop himself.
…Time passed, day by day, and Master Hou often had fortune falling into his lap in the form of beautiful encounters, sometimes several in a single day; embracing the noble idea of jointly discussing the Daoist Method and glorifying the Wu Sect, he diligently toiled, losing track of day and night.
During this period, he was genuinely immersed in his work, setting an example with his actions matching his words, and even Xiang Tianxing, who was always by his side, didn’t notice anything suspicious.
But he knew there must be something!
Liu Yishou’s reputation among the low-level cultivators was awful. Without offering a bribe, one couldn’t hope to get the desired magical artifact. Qian Xiu had to pay the price in wealth, while female cultivators had to offer themselves. It had become a well-known secret, universally acknowledged but publicly unspoken.
There had been attempts to report him, but he had some clout within the Wu Sect, and frankly, since the establishment of the Wu Sect, which supervisor in his position had clean hands? Including those in charge of Elixirs and Talismans, they all came from the same mold.
This wasn’t a problem of a single person, but a systemic issue, so the higher-ups turned a blind eye, knowing that replacing him would make no difference. At least this fellow knew some limits, understood how to share the spoils, and didn’t cause excessively severe group incidents.
The usual handling of such matters was to drag things out until resentment reached a breaking point and then erupted, after which they’d deal with the fattened culprit, quell public anger, and continue the cycle of reincarnation…
In that sense, supervisors like Liu Yishou were nothing more than tools for those above, and it was only a matter of time before they faced trouble; drawing hatred, hoarding illicit gains, and eventually being raided and overthrown.
Xiang Tianxing was still too young to fully understand the stories behind all this; even the initial Liu Yishou wasn’t foolish. By continuing to behave as he did, he was betting on successfully advancing to the Golden Core stage, which would naturally elevate him out of the misery and into a higher tier of existence.
Therefore, none of them were fools; it was just that they occupied different positions, each with their own means of survival.
Xiang Tianxing watched him intently, knowing that the main source of illicit gain for this man lay in distinguishing between the new and the old artifacts—declaring the old as new, the new as old… With just minor tampering among tens of thousands of artifacts, the benefits for an individual could be immense.
That was precisely what he was watching for.