Panting for a moment, someone rudely used the Water Wave Skill to douse him from head to toe, not out of kindness, but because he truly stank to the point of inducing nausea. Furthermore, being able to see his face clearly would approximately allow them to discern any changes in his expression, preventing them from being fooled by him.
The execution of the Water Wave Skill was quite rough, his face still streaked with dirt, but his expression was clear enough—a standard image of shame and rage as if desiring to devour someone.
Hou Niao's mind raced rapidly, seizing the moment to catch his breath as he contemplated how to handle the situation in order to escape this predicament.
There were a total of four people in front of him: a red-bearded brawny man with a formidable build, who was the one who kicked and pushed him into the mud, and from the manner and speech displayed before, it was evident that he was not cunning, preferring to be straightforward and direct.
The other three included a man with a pale face and no beard, one with a fat head and large ears, and another as skinny as a pole—these four practically encompassed several aspects of human body types, and it was a wonder how they had come together.
The one who had performed the Water Wave Skill on him was the pale-faced scholar, but Hou Niao wasn't sure if he was the one who stopped the brawny man's violent actions, was he?
The answer was revealed quickly, with the fatty speaking in a light, gentle voice, "Brother, tell us, why did you come to Shan Country uninvited? You better not say you got lost and came to enjoy the scenery. My brother here has a bit of a temper; once he truly starts to fight, even I can't stop him."
The fatty spoke just as Hou Niao had steadied his breath, sending a chill through his heart; at the very least, this man's realm was several levels higher than his own, capable of easily perceiving the changes in his vital energy.
Like a lamb to the slaughter, this kind of undercover experience was indeed beyond his expectations, yet he was not someone who easily gave up.
He struggled to stand, moving his stiff hands and feet, twisting his waist and limbs, just like the normal reaction of anyone in this situation, and then, suddenly leaping up, he threw a punch at the brawny man!
The brawny man showed no surprise, as if he had anticipated this move, and effortlessly reached out to grab Hou Niao's wrist,
"Ho ho, quite fierce! That's not something a Daoist should do, too impulsive."
With a flip and a twist of his hand, the brawny man sent Hou Niao flying involuntarily into the air, crashing down not far away; the guy didn't hold back his strength, and even with Hou Niao's physical resilience, it was somewhat difficult to bear.
The fatty maintained an unruffled demeanor, "Well, now that you've thrown a punch and vented your anger, we can let it slide once; but we will not tolerate a second time! Make your background clear, and if everything checks out, you might still have a chance to live."
His words were very straightforward, without a hint of sympathy; getting trampled into the mud is understandable once, but persistence is simply asking for trouble!
Hou Niao's face turned red, his neck bulging with veins, fists clenched, looking like he was ready to tear into someone, but ultimately, he didn't strike again, nor did he utter a word—is he determined to be defiant to the end?
The brawny man grew impatient, about to forcibly settle things, but the fatty waved his hand,
"Hold on, our good friend is coming; let's hide this guy away first, we'll talk after this thing is done!"
This time, it wasn't the brawny man who took action, but the skinny as a bamboo pole; with a flicker, he appeared in front of Hou Niao, and before Hou Niao could react, he pointed at him with his fingers like swords, and instantly Hou Niao felt weak and about to fall, only to be whisked up by the skinny man into a lush poplar tree, placed on a branch almost thirty feet off the ground.
Unable to move or speak, not even able to fart, Hou Niao could only lie on the branch and observe what was happening below.
He saw the four men conceal themselves, all lying in wait; evidently, the term "good friend" came with a question mark.
These people, of unknown origin, were definitely Cultivators from Shan Country, but whether the Cultivators of Shan Country belonged to the Demon Sect was another matter altogether. He regretted a bit, he should have stayed in Liuyang for a while to get to know more about the Cultivation world of Shan Country; he had been too hasty.
The reason he had thrown that punch just now was to take a gamble; if he put himself in the shoes of someone who had traveled a great distance to seek refuge due to the injustices of the Daoist Sect, harboring resentment and not being broad-minded, would such a person immediately bow and scrape for mercy?
Considering his former identity, then his persona should be that of a narrow-minded, impulsive, and vengeful person!
Therefore, that punch had to be thrown to fit his personality; he couldn't reveal his true intentions right away, but rather had to meet a few cold faces first to act like a normal person.
To infiltrate the Demon Sect, he had been careful ever since he set foot into the Poplar Forest—any carelessness could bring about his doom. From this moment on, he needed to forget about the help Chong Ling Daoist had given him and focus solely on recalling and dwelling on the injustices the Daoist Sect had done to him, as that would make his act more natural and reasonable.
Regardless of whether these people were Disciples of the Demon Sect or violent robbers, he had to immerse himself in his new identity and could not afford the slightest carelessness.
Fortunately, they hadn't twisted his head off.
...
The tree branch he was on was ten zhang high, even higher than the surrounding poplars, which gave him a further view. However, with the dense foliage in summer, it was only a rough view, and not a clear one.
He too was curious about the identity of the 'good friend' these fierce individuals were talking about. In his heart, he didn't believe that these people were necessarily Disciples of the Demon Sect. Although he knew little about the Demon Sect, he had read some travel accounts and miscellaneous books about the Continent during his boat journey and wasn't entirely ignorant.
Just as the Daoist Sect has many branches, the Demon Sect does not refer to a single lineage. It generally refers to those sects or countries that act unrestrainedly, cultivate without regard for life, have styles that follow the heart's desires, and whose Daoist lineages are separate from the Daoist Sect. They can be called Demon Sects or Demon Countries.
In fact, from a cultivation standpoint alone, it could include the Blood Transformation Sect, the Bi Gu Sect, the Heavenly Demon Sect, the Ghost Control Mountain, the Quanzhen Sect, the Corpse Stiff Tomb, and so on. These are relatively famous, and there are countless smaller demon sects.
The philosophies of these Cultivation sects differ from that of the Daoist Sect, but the nature of cultivation is actually the same. It is man-made to divide into Daoist and Demon Sects to indicate a difference; of course, there is also the Buddhist Sect, which is a different matter altogether.
If one takes an impartial and objective stance, you can't say who is right and who is wrong. Who is just, and who is evil?
The history of Cultivation is written by the victors. The one who loses is the demon, it's as simple as that.
In Hou Niao's view, even the Demon Sect should have organized and disciplined ranks, right? Perhaps even more stringent hierarchies. Seeing the Jianghu demeanor of these four made him suspect that they might be Loose Cultivators.
You should know that Loose Cultivators from Shan Country are completely different from those from Anhe Country; those who survive here are all cruel and heartless.
He couldn't move on the tree branch and his perception was limited due to his Realm. Energy Induction Cultivators theoretically possessed basic perceptive abilities; however, he had only succeeded in Energy Induction three days ago, and everything was just beginning.
While he was lost in his chaotic thoughts, suddenly a disturbance came. When he felt the danger, he finally saw those 'good friends' enclosing upon him!
These bastards had no good intentions in placing him on the tree branch to hide; they had used him as bait.
Indeed,
If the heart can't find peace, there's always the devil; in the gloomy Poplar Forest that guards against the cliffs. If there's no Dao Power in three thousand practices, what to do with the snakes and rats of this hill?