After entering the town, the speed slowed down, and Junior Brother Liang promptly dumped the burden he had been carrying from his back,
"You have hands and feet, walk on your own, do you really expect me to carry you for a lifetime?"
Hou Niao had grown accustomed to Liang's abusive language; the man was undoubtedly fierce, but he had carried him without any rough handling all the way, as smooth as a sedan chair, and quite enjoyable at that.
Is this what dignity becomes, once trampled upon, it ceases to matter the next time?
The four of them made their way to the only high point in this settlement, a large earth embankment with a big house perched on top, constructed entirely of bluestone. The weathering streaks on the stone walls revealed its age at a glance, and even the marks from axe cutting and dark burning suggested some unknown history.
The fat one spoke, "You wait for us here. There is a pond below Huqiu, clean yourself thoroughly in it, and do not dare to dirty the Sword Mansion!"
"Don't even think about running away, I've placed divine skills on you, you won't be able to escape!"
Hou Niao responded with silence, showing his aversion. He could tell that with these people's attitudes, they probably couldn't be bothered to impose any real restrictions on him; they were just trying to scare him. In such a place, where the common folk were their loyal supporters, where could he possibly run?
He didn't want to run, either; he planned to settle roots here and deal with these fools sooner or later!
The four men then left, their purpose unknown, leaving him alone in such a carefree manner; to him, it was a sorrowful state, for his negligible strength meant that no one could even conceive of him being a threat.
After they were gone, Hou Niao entered the so-called Sword Mansion and internally criticized it, giving itself a grand name without even having a proper door, just a large stone archway!
Just like Huqiu, nothing but a large earth embankment, really putting on airs for itself.
The Sword Mansion had three floors. The first floor was a large hall with dimensions of several tens of feet in length and width, completely empty except for countless sword marks on the inner stone walls;
The second floor had several rooms, also desolate; the third floor's rooms were equally empty; there would be no thieves coming to this place, nothing but large stones, and more large stones!
After coming out of the Sword Mansion, he washed himself meticulously in the pond below Huqiu, and conveniently disposed of his clothes. The mud they were caked with wouldn't wash out. Although he was not pampered, he had always detested doing laundry the most in his life; it was a matter of principle.
As for what to wear, naturally, he found a set of clothes in the Sword Mansion, a white scholar's robe, probably belonging to that pale-faced scholar; sharp on the outside, spotlessly clean on the inside…
No need for courtesies at this point; after all that had happened, why bother with such needless formality? The more lice, the less itching, the more debts, the less worry.
It was nearing dusk. After an entire day of turmoil and not a single grain of rice ingested, he was truly hungry. There was nothing in the Sword Mansion, not even the slightest scent of a fire being lit, so he didn't bother and instead started to wander casually around the base of Huqiu.
They had threatened him not to flee but hadn't restricted his freedom. A little walk wouldn't hurt, right?
The dwellings at the base of the mound became more numerous, with smoke from cooking fires curling upwards; it was mealtime. There were no streets, and the houses were arranged haphazardly. Although he was unfamiliar with the place, by following the scent of food, he could still find somewhere to fill his stomach.
This was a large noodle shop, with open-air seating, bustling with diners; big bowls of noodles, large platters of meat, hefty jugs of wine, and even the spicy oil the tables were loaded with was served in basins. This was to his liking, this place was it.
He ordered a full table of food. It wasn't that he was wasteful, but at his current realm, the Gluttonous Period, using Elixir was wasteful and summoning spirits was too slow. To replenish the energy he'd expended, he had to indulge in mortal food.
While eating, I listened to the banter of the diners around me and occasionally asked the owner a couple of questions, so the situation here gradually became clear.
The town was Jiangyou Town, which simply meant to the right of the great river; but the river had long dried up, leaving only the faint outline of a riverbed. It had been planted over with crops and was indistinguishable without close inspection, yet the name persisted.
Jiangyou Town had a population of over a hundred thousand, not much different from a small city in Anhe Country, but only a part resided here, with more than half scattered around the town. It somewhat matched the local customs, calling them farming herdsmen wasn't wrong.
To my surprise, the so-called Sword Mansion atop the earthen mound was the guardian deity of this place, in charge of the town's security. It was more appropriate to call them stationed Demon Sect cultivators; as for any other institutions among the locals, I couldn't be bothered to ask right now—it had nothing to do with me.
I was here to infiltrate the Demon Sect, not to take up an official post here.
With limited time, I could only grasp so much. Once the meal was over, I called the owner over, "Check, please!"
The owner was busy as a bee but clear-headed in his calculations, "A total of one liang and one qian of silver. It's your first visit so I'll round down the fraction for you. Just one liang of silver will do."
Hou Niao smiled faintly and with a grand gesture, declared, "Put it on Sword Mansion's tab! I'll settle it at the end of the month!"
It wasn't that I was cheating others; it was simply that material possessions were beyond my grasp, leaving me no choice.
In Poplar Forest, I had lost all my belongings—gold, clothes, food, and other essentials for travel. All but three Daoist texts and elixirs and talismans I kept close. But even those had been thoroughly stolen by a burly man named Liang, clearly adept at this—those Demon Sect folks knew their business well.
Therefore, putting my meal on someone else's tab eased my conscience—I had no guilty feelings whatsoever.
The owner responded with a cheery smile, "Sword Mansion doesn't have a master account; everyone pays their own way. Whose tab would you like to charge it to, then?"
Without hesitation, Hou Niao answered, "Just put it on that bear Liang's tab."
The owner chuckled, "Liang Siye? Heh, Bear is a distinctive nickname for sure. But Liang Siye hasn't settled his account for three months, so his... credit..."
Hou Niao, growing impatient, interjected, "There must be some with good credit, right? Fat Pig, Bamboo Pole, Bookworm—whichever has good credit, put it on their tab. Just mention Hou laoye to them; they'll know."
After saying this, without waiting for the owner's agreement, I strode out. The owner forced a smile, following up with, "Safe travels, honored guest, and welcome back any time?"
A waiter peeked out from behind, "Boss, is that guy a freeloader?"
The owner was nonchalant, "Even if he is, he did come from Sword Mansion. Are you worried the lords won't pay up? The longer they owe, the more generous they are when they finally settle."
Hou Niao, not content with doing things halfway, figured that if he was going to run a tab for one thing, he might as well for multiple things, so he went to a clothier and selected some fine garments for himself, stopped by a blacksmith for a waist-sword, and picked up an assortment of snacks and dried meats... Unfortunately, he couldn't find a Cultivation Workshop.
When he nonchalantly returned to Sword Mansion, four people in the hall just stared at him blankly.
Liang, the burly man, asked directly, "Whose tab did you put it on?"
Hou Niao acted as if nothing was amiss, "What does it matter whose tab it's on? Where I come from in Anhe, I never pay for my meals! It's an honor for them!"