The next morning, Hou Niao finished washing up and discovered an additional small bundle in front of his modest pack. Unwrapping it, he found a bottle of elixir, a set of talismans, and three Daoist texts—one of each.
This was the style of the four Elder Realm Inspectors of Jiangyou. He was accustomed to it by now, neither refusing nor offering thanks; respecting others was to respect oneself.
No one came out to see him off—their relationship had not reached that point, and they were not the overly sentimental type.
Scholar Luo had prepared two horses, but with Hou Niao slowing him down, it was no longer feasible to run there, so they had to travel by horse instead.
Hou Niao approached him, "Scholar Luo, it would be better for me to go alone; please don't bother seeing me off."
Scholar Luo raised his eyebrows in surprise, "The road is not entirely safe, you..."
Hou Niao smiled slightly, "If I need an escort even to enter a city, there would be no point in testing my Sword Dao; I might as well turn back now."
Scholar Luo looked at him intently, "Very well! Return the horses to Jin Cheng Sword Mansion; these are Quanzhen property."
Hou Niao, without pretense, bowed slightly and mounted his horse. Since they were in a densely populated residential area, he did not let the horse gallop, but merely trot quickly, gradually disappearing into the faint morning light, leaving only a fleeting figure.
Three men slowly walked out; they had a collective action planned for today. Watching the now indistinct figure of Hou Niao, Second Master Lu shook his head,
"He came here due to humiliation in the Daoist Sect; I see no bright future for him. If he could endure the indignity and lie low in Anhe for a resurgence, I might think more highly of him. But this way, he cannot escape his inherently narrow-minded nature.
He didn't let you see him off; that last shred of opportunity is also gone now."
This was probably their overall view; born of wishes in Anhe to steal a life they thought would transform them, only to still fall short of the Daoist Sect's standards, angrily leaving to seek skills outside to return in glory and shame the Daoist Sect—a rather naive idea.
Is the face of the Daoist Sect so easily shamed?
To learn the Dao for revenge is the wrong mindset, even in so-called Demon Sects like Quanzhen; the Sword is a vessel, a skill. At its root, there is no fundamental difference between the Demon and Daoist Sects—the Realms and challenges they must undergo are the same; that is the Dao.
Fourth Master Liang spoke bluntly, "Although I know this guy's chances of truly entering Quanzhen are slim, and even if he did, it's unlikely he'll last long, I still wish him well. Nope, it's not because I feel sorry for having beaten him; I've beaten more people than there are fishes crossing the river."
Old Master Pang looked at Third Master Luo, who was still in contemplation, "Does Junior Brother Luo have a different opinion?"
Scholar Luo sighed, "I always feel this person is different; it's hard to describe, like there's a fog around him that makes him hard to see through?
But I think he can easily enter Quanzhen, and do very well here."
The four walked together, with Second Master Lu teasing, "Who can you see clearly? Not to mention the distant ones, among us here, can you see everyone clearly? Even Liang Bear must have his own secrets, right?"
Fourth Master Liang cursed, "You stick figure, are you asking for a beating?"
.........
Hou Niao left Jiangyou Town; with major roads accessible, he need not worry about the path, just following the main road was fine.
Jiangyou was three hundred miles from Jin City. With his current riding skills and the wide roads frequented by horses and carriages, he expected to arrive by dusk; the horses raised by the Quanzhen Sect were even stronger than ordinary steeds.
Cultivators often speak in halves, leaving the other half unsaid—one must figure it out for themselves. Just like the reason the Elders of Jiangyou asked Scholar Luo to escort him; now considering the road conditions, there seems to be no risk, with merchants and travelers on the road, how could demons appear?
Thus, the reason for his escort was singular, perhaps to introduce him to a Tongxuan master for a chance meeting of sorts.
No faction is capable of adhering to principles consistently, not even the iron-willed True Demon Sect; they all have personal relationships and private interests at play. This is the real Cultivation World of humanity.
Without selfish intentions, unless everyone is an immortal.
He was unwilling to accept this kindness because he not only considered this place a hiding spot but also a place for cultivation. Only by truly immersing his heart here could he ensure a faultless concealment.
Instead of spending his days slyly gathering trivial rumors.
Riding fast horses is good for traveling, watching rivers creating shadows and seeing the mist… Everything was uneventful, and a few days later, in the evening, he had already seen from afar the building complex of Jin City and Jiangyou had the same style, with no city walls!
Of course, for cultivators, especially high-level cultivators, the presence of city walls really doesn't matter much. And if it is about the wars of the mortal world, well, there haven't been such wars in a thousand years. Whatever disputes arise, the most severe just escalate to the realm of cultivation and are resolved by the forces of cultivation.
He gradually slowed down as the road became congested with people. Vendors and laborers, carrying burdens, thronged the street; buildings became denser, but unlike Jiangyou Town, there were still streets here, wide and straight, giving a sense of grandeur and magnificence.
People and order here blended into a perfect amalgamation; there might still be corruption and darkness, but such superficial prosperity is not easily achieved. Before coming to Shan Country, Hou Niao had imagined this place as a hell on earth, but only by actually being here could one realize how laughable those ideas were.
He finally understood what a Daoist had written in his travel notes: In reality, there is not much difference between Dao and demons. If you have Dao in your heart, what you learn is Dao, even if you are in the Demon Sect; if you have a demon in your heart, what you learn is demon, even if you are in the Daoist Sect.
It was no longer suitable to ride a horse, so he led his horse by the reins, quickly attracting the attention of interested parties. A man in a blue robe approached him,
"Fellow Daoist, please, may I know your purpose in Jin City?"
Seeing the man's gaze sweep over the horse, Hou Niao understood his identity,
"I am Hou Niao, from Anhe Sanjiang, here to participate in tomorrow's Daoist examination."
The man smiled slightly, "Why tomorrow? The day is almost evening, but we are still spirited; I am Wang Daoist, and I am willing to lead you to see the supervising master right now."
Hou Niao was somewhat surprised, "Would that not be somewhat presumptuous? Might it disturb the Daoist's rest?"
Wang Daoist grinned, "Hou Daoist, you have been misled by Anhe Daoist Sect. In our Quanzhen Sect, if it's official business, we never concern ourselves with day or night; this grand recruitment has brought many talents, and having visitors queue up would be discourteous. Thus, we examine as they arrive, if you have no objections?"
Hou Niao inwardly chuckled; perhaps they feared he might call upon connections for help? Leading a horse from the Quanzhen Sect certainly meant he had relations within the Sect. It seemed that the Quanzhen Sect was taking this recruitment very seriously, trying hard to keep personal relationships from influencing it.
Without declining, the two men made their way through the bustling streets, and after half an hour, the streets gradually became quieter, but there were more and more sword-bearing Daoists and fewer and fewer ordinary mortals, until everyone around was a sword-bearing Daoist.
It seemed he had already entered the Sword Mansion, yet he had not seen any walls? He had already adapted to the Quanzhen Sect's style, where in seemingly casual behavior, a suffocatingly powerful confidence was faintly displayed.
Turning this way and that, they arrived at a small courtyard. Wang Daoist gestured with his hand,
"Go on, not sure which master is on duty today?"
Hou Niao bowed in thanks and walked towards the courtyard; the door was slightly ajar, but he still politely said:
"Anhe Sanjiang's Hou Niao, here to partake in the examination!"
No one answered, but the slightly open door opened a bit further. Understanding the hint, he gently pushed the door open and then closed it; by then, it was dusk. Inside, candles burned brightly, casting the shadow of a Daoist reading onto the window paper, a complete silence.
Indeed,
Guiding candles to tread on immortal clay, constantly scattering young swallows. Unknown which Daoist this is, his hands holding a Spiritual Scroll.