Chapter 804: Chapter 803: The Matter of Shuanggou 01
Hou Niao didn’t insist. Shi Le was right; they weren’t children and didn’t need to be hand-held.
He also wanted to pass the next few years peacefully, harmonizing his abilities in all aspects.
Although the flying sword had been successfully cultivated and the self sword spirit was born properly, to unleash its greatest power, he still needed to compress the three-foot flying sword down to one foot, forming a sufficiently refined and dense golden energy sword.
The structure of the flying sword must be hard enough to be invincible, which is the first stage to complete now. After this stage is finished, he will need to find a large number of resources to reinforce the flying sword until it finally transforms from a void sword into a real sword.
But this process may have to be completed after the Core Formation. Now, he doesn’t have enough time, and it’s also difficult to find a perfect place like the Inner Warehouse of the Wu Sect.
Using this completely new flying sword as the center, to reacquaint himself with his swordsmanship system, many adjustments are required, along with more diverse and varied swordsmanship combinations based on this foundation.
There’s still a lot to be done.
He’s not too concerned about outside news. Currently, on the continent, the only real event is the fall of Spiritual Green from outer space six years later, and nothing major aside from that.
Continuing to immerse himself in various attempts with the flying sword, he felt his flying sword skills had undergone a qualitative change. The past shackles were gone; the practiced swordsmanship became second nature, ready at hand.
He finally patched the last shortcoming in his swordsmanship system, and now, confronting those so-called Constellation True Inheritors, he was full of confidence.
Several days later, Shi Le and his group returned to the camp, looking dejected and grimy, each carrying injuries, full of unwillingness.
Hou Niao found it a bit amusing, “What, thought you’d been reborn, but showed your true colors afterward?”
Shi Le, still unwilling, recounted their recent visit to the Shuanggou Market in detail,
“Senior Brother, when we rushed over, we thought it was just a common dispute, easily resolved without much fuss. But when we actually arrived at Shuanggou Market, we found it was nothing like we imagined.”
Hou Niao listened quietly. He didn’t think anything earthshattering would happen. The grassland had been peaceful and uneventful for thousands of years. Could his arrival really stir things up? He believed he didn’t have that kind of influence.
“Shuanggou Market used to be a common mortal market set up for commerce, thriving over time, managed by Daitao Country, where they collected taxes. It was a lucrative place, so it was reasonably well-managed.
Cultivators seldom reside and cultivate in such places, too noisy, and market trade goods are basically unrelated to cultivation. Over hundreds and thousands of years, I’ve never heard of any cultivation power there, yet this time, something seemed suspicious.”
Shi Le looked puzzled, “The first conflict occurred when one of our brothers visited Shuanggou Market to see relatives, and he discovered traces of numerous unfamiliar cultivators. This brother is very responsible, cautious about protecting the grassland, so he wanted to secretly probe these cultivators’ backgrounds. However, these people were very alert, and after being discovered, they attacked him. If he weren’t clever enough, he might not have made it back to the grassland.
Our second trip consisted of seven brothers, and we didn’t expect to wage war in retaliation. But at the very least, those who injured us should give us a clear explanation, right?”
Shi Le frowned, “We openly visited them, and upon reaching Shuanggou Market, discovered our brother’s words weren’t false; unfamiliar cultivators indeed gathered there. Strangely, they weren’t Body Cultivators from Wuji Sect but a group of unknown Magic Cultivators. They were secretive and wouldn’t disclose their Daoist affiliations, leaving us unable to guess. You know, Daoists from the Central Plains are all more or less similar, hard to distinguish.”
He said with indignation, “We don’t want to know their secrets. In the cultivation world, things happen every year, everywhere; it’s not manageable. We just want to know if their intentions concern the grassland, or if they’re merely passing through.
But these people were very unreasonable. Everyone says people in the Central Plains are courteous and principled; I think not so. The conversation quickly turned into conflict and from words to blows. They vastly outnumbered us, leading to the current situation. If it weren’t for the fact that we had brothers skilled in Body Sword techniques, we would have been wiped out. Even so, two brothers died at their hands, and the rest are all wounded.”
Hou Niao, still calm, “You said they outnumbered you; by how much?”
“About fourteen or fifteen people, twice our number. But I know not all of them showed up; I don’t know if they looked down on us or had some hesitation.”
“How was their individual strength?”
Shi Le spoke truthfully, “I’ve roamed the continent for decades, seen countless Daoist affiliations. In my opinion, their strength is very strong, definitely from the Great Dao Sect; there’s no mistake about it, far beyond the Body Cultivators of Wuji Sect.
But we also surprised them. I estimate they initially dispatched around ten, intending to trap us in Shuanggou, but our strength exceeded their expectations. Later, when I saw their hidden reinforcements stirring, we immediately retreated.”
Hou Niao laughed, “Running away is good. You must understand, fleeing isn’t shameful in this cultivation world; at least there’s a chance to recover the loss later.”
He scratched his head, a bit perplexed, “I’ll take a look, at least to ascertain their origins. Otherwise, remaining confused… And what their real objectives are—it can’t just remain unclear.”
Shi Le resolutely refused, “Senior Brother, we’ve discussed it, and we’ll handle it ourselves; no need for you to intervene.”
Hou Niao seemed a bit surprised, “What, treating me as an outsider?”
Shi Le shook his head, “No, you’re the Senior Brother after all, one of us. But consider this: if you found out their origins and purposes, would we still have the courage to do anything?
Everyone knows your skills, Senior Brother. If you investigate, you’ll certainly find out. Then what? If it’s the Great Dao Sect, can we retaliate without fear? If their purpose isn’t related to us, is there any need to continue?
For the sake of our tribe’s survival, we’ve always borne with it.
It’s better not knowing, to treat it as an accidental happening. We’re impulsive grasslanders; if wronged, we want revenge—that’s the best strategy, vent our anger, and later we can justify it.”
Gazing steadily at Hou Niao, “Senior Brother, that’s how we grasslanders are, pretending to be brash, yet not truly daring… We have no Nascent Transformation Masters, few Golden Cores. If any major force sets its heart on wiping us out, we truly have no solution.
So now, we’re just a group of hotheaded brutes. Wronged, we seek revenge.
When one is hit, we send seven; when seven are hit, we send seventy. In the grasslands, we have plenty of people.
But, Senior Brother, you can’t go; your presence would change the situation.”