Demon Sword Sect's Undercover-Chapter 507 - 506: Fearless and Audacious

"He’s actually set up a stall here? It seems that this wasn’t part of the agreement, Mr. Yan, does this mean..."

Mr. Yan, after all, was experienced. He spoke word by word, "He’s telling us that everything should continue as usual and, moreover, we cannot keep a low profile. We must do whatever we need to!"

Xiao Wu was somewhat flabbergasted, "This, with the current situation so tense, everyone’s been keeping a low profile. Many regular activities have stopped... Does this mean You Chaoen’s trouble is resolved?"

Mr. Yan began packing up the stall, "I don’t know if You Chaoen’s issue has been resolved or not, but I do know this is what Sikong Mansion expects of us! Since it’s so clear, there must be an underlying reason! It suggests that keeping a low profile is not to our advantage, he wants us to return to normal completely, and that’s the key!

Stop thinking about it. The message is clear and unmistakable, pass it along quickly. I don’t want to be the reason for any slip-ups."

The two rapidly packed up their stall, a common sight in the square—people come and go. They would be busy with what comes next, but if the orders from above are to act normally, does that mean there’s no need to be overly cautious?

Why, exactly?

...Hou Niao calmly set up his stall, striving to give a clear enough signal to the spies secretly watching.

Setting up a stall was a new addition, somewhat unconventional, but he believed that to these experienced spies, they should understand his message: not only do we not withdraw, but we also cannot keep a low profile!

This was his judgement, to do the opposite. Taking a gamble with these strangers he didn’t know, he felt no psychological burden—it was a method born out of necessity.

He always felt as though he had been dragged into a play, were all the others actors, and only he was real?

So, what was his value that prompted the Six-Ear Palace’s enforcers to go to such lengths for him? He was neither a True Disciple nor did he know many of Sikong Mansion’s secrets; why would they indulge him in this playacting?

He couldn’t figure it out, but after the assassination attempt failed, he understood!

The words You Chaoen shouted from the palanquin meant: I am starting! I’m going to flip the Shan Sect’s spy network upside down!

The undercover piece’s words before leaving: What is your responsibility?

Indeed, what was his responsibility? Actually, there were two: one was to assassinate You Chaoen, and if that failed and it became impossible, the other was to inform the spies to quickly get away!

The message inside the palanquin from You Chaoen and the undercover piece essentially said the same thing, albeit very discreetly, yet unmistakably clear: Go notify everyone to run away!

Upon his actual notification, the Qi Sect would be waiting with a net spread outside the city!

Although there would also be many who normally leave the city, it significantly reduces the difficulty of distinguishing them. It used to be like finding a needle in a haystack; now it’s like scooping fish from a barrel. How many can withstand such scrutiny?

Xu Shanren was loyal, so he died!

Including You Chaoen, the two members of Sikong Mansion who accompanied the troops had already died in battle. Consequently, the Six-Ear Palace simply had no way to unearth any network; they had no leverage. Therefore, they resorted to their plan, pretending You Chaoen hadn’t died, and the purpose of feigning serious injury was to delay until Sikong Mansion sent more people!

They knew Sikong Mansion would send a Death Soldier, and moreover, an unknowing one, from whom they would not get any useful information; thus, the Six-Ear Palace settled for second best, intentionally allowing the assassination to fail, then hurriedly informing everyone to leave.

A very subtle scheme, a stroke of genius, taking the art of creating something out of nothing to its extreme.

Unfortunately, they encountered him, a freak who had grown up in an environment full of deceit and trickery within the government’s watch.

Among all the actors, Xu Shanren and the two companions who hadn’t taken the stage had their souls return to the underworld; they were the true heroes of the Shan Sect, choosing to stand by their own ideals.

But there were also traitors, such as this so-called undercover pawn of the Six-Ear Palace! Because he’d been shelved by the Sikong Mansion, he was utterly cut off from the external spy network. However, during this incident, he had been pulling strings all along, guiding Hou Niao step by step into the trap they had set.

Unfortunately, the Qi Sect cultivators didn’t understand him; his best skill was to swallow the bait whole and then spit the hook back out. It was just a pity that there wasn’t enough time; otherwise, he would have even managed to hang the hook onto someone else. That was his style.

What role did the two people from the underground forces play exactly? That was the only thing he couldn’t see clearly, but he was more inclined to believe that this power hadn’t sided with the Qi Sect. Anyway, it didn’t matter anymore.

These judgments became crystal clear to him only after the undercover pawn had lured away the pursuers. It had to be said that the move by the Six-Ear Palace was somewhat superfluous, like gilding the lily.

A true hideout agent shouldn’t even lift a finger even if a companion was captured right before their eyes. It was hard to imagine how someone who had carefully made contact at the Heavenly Master Temple could suddenly become so noble, willing to sacrifice themselves for others.

It must have been an act of excessive zeal, perhaps due to a sense of urgency.

As he mulled over all this next to his stall, he was sure that he had made no mistakes; this was a reflection of his strong confidence.

In the following days, every cultivator leaving the city would be subjected to an inspection. Considering the daily volume of cultivators entering and exiting such a large cultivation city, it would take time to thoroughly complete the screening and identification. By the time the Qi Sect realized what was happening, it would likely take three to five days, which meant...

An outrageous idea began to take shape in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more sense it made!

Regarding the mission itself, he believed it had come to a close; although he hadn’t managed to kill his target, what mattered most was that Jianye’s spy system had been preserved. This was more important than the life or death of some traitor.

As for the true identity of the undercover pawn, he still had no clue, but he didn’t want to assign himself extra tasks. In the heart of the Qi Sect’s territory, any overreach could bring about his violent death.

Besides, handling a traitor was something that should be decreed from above. Maybe the Sikong Mansion still wanted to make use of this person? He didn’t need to overstep his bounds.

He also didn’t want to meddle with the Jianye spy network’s issues since he had no instructions and wouldn’t be able to manage it anyway.

After manning his stall for an hour, he assumed that those tasked with making contact had fully understood the information he provided. Only then did he leisurely begin to pack up his stall and prepare to leave. Amusingly, he’d actually sold quite a few of his wares.

There was no shortage of discerning people; all his items were genuine and of high quality, without a single fake. If he lingered any longer, the customers might have swarmed him.

So, he even pretentiously set another meeting for the following day. There was no helping it; the people of Qi Country were too enthusiastic.

He had no fixed abode in Jianye; that was for safety before, and now, of course, there was no need to go back there; he just kept walking straight, slowly reverting to his original appearance, even adopting the distinct attire of a Shan Sect sword cultivator.

No need for pretense anymore, a sword cultivator should be bold and unrestrained!

The path became familiar; he had run it before, fought there before. Now returning, his mood was completely different. He felt incredibly relaxed and full of spirit.

Ahead, a huge palace complex appeared in his sight, and on the gateway were two large golden characters: "Six-Ear Palace."