Demon Sword Sect's Undercover-Chapter 769 - 768: Vaguely Indistinct

Wang Shanchang, the shopkeeper of the safe and stable mule and horse business, that was his public identity. In private, he was also an informant for an underground cultivation force in southeast Jinxiu Continent. There were many like him who belonged to the outermost circle, responsible for running errands and minor tasks. Each year, he received a modest reward; the greatest benefit was that if there was trouble, someone would come to help him handle it.

He had not joined the Daoist Sect, still a minor Bridge Connection cultivator. He knew that cultivation was likely beyond his reach in this lifetime. His strenuous efforts were solely to provide for his descendants, hoping that the Wang family might produce a true cultivator.

With his strength, major matters were beyond his reach; he was only involved in trivial issues. In Sui Mo City, such minor issues were rare, as the country of Shangyu, managed by the Heavenly Heart Pavilion, was a small state with simple folk and affluent lives, having little involvement with the cultivation world of the continent. freёweɓnovel_com

Just a few days ago, an upper contact who had not reached out to him for a long time entrusted him with a portrait of a fairy. The woman in the picture was as beautiful as a heavenly fairy, her posture graceful; the note left on it stated that someone was searching for this woman, and if any clues were found, they were to be reported immediately for substantial rewards.

It was just a portrait, said to be of a foreign female cultivator, to see if this woman had been seen in Sui Mo City. The message was quite vague, probably because they didn’t expect that the woman would appear in Sui Mo City. After all, neither Hou Niao nor Bai Qingqian had any past connections with this city, and even the Bai’s Trading Company had no branch here.

Wang Shanchang operated the mule and horse shop, a profession that involved interacting with people and thus had extensive connections. All flower-related businesses in Sui Mo City were linked with the mule and horse business. Usually, small and medium businesses did not keep a large number of horses and carts but hired them as needed, which was cost-effective.

He did not recognize this woman, so he dismissed it at the time.

Having worked for the underground cultivation forces for a long time, he knew very well what to engage in and what to avoid. Being someone who had not even entered the path of cultivation, what lives did he have to risk by recklessly involving himself in cultivation disputes?

If he recognized her, that would be best; if not, there was no need to go door-to-door in Sui Mo City, that was not the way to seek death.

This issue should have passed uneventfully, but, by chance, a florist’s assistant who hired a car mentioned the owner of a flower shop during a casual conversation. He spoke animatedly about how beautiful she was, just like a fairy.

It was on a whim that he took out the portrait of the fairy to tease this simpleton, not expecting that the simpleton would definitively insist that the flower shop owner was the woman in the picture.

He hit the jackpot.

After dismissing the simpleton, he had to confirm the truth himself; reporting it carelessly and making a mistake could lead to serious consequences.

He was cautious, knowing he had to be extremely careful when dealing with cultivators. Otherwise, in a fight between gods, a minor character like him was bound to suffer.

Anything unusual would alert a cultivator. Therefore, he suppressed his excitement, preferring to lose sight of the target rather than take a reckless action. He wouldn’t make a direct approach until a month later when that uncle and nephew hired a large cart to go to the very secluded flower shop to collect flowers, which was when he secretly made his move on the flower merchant, Old Liu.

Old Liu was a true mortal, while he himself was at least half a cultivator, so he undetectably made arrangements and then, feigning enthusiasm, drove to the flower shop to collect the goods.

This visit immediately confirmed that the owner of the flower shop was indeed the woman in the portrait.

The rest was not his concern; all he needed to do was report the information and wait for his reward.

...

The information covertly spread among the underground cultivation forces of Jinxiu Continent, first arriving at a certain Daoist Sect and then disseminating naturally to the Shan Sect.

All being cunning as foxes, in such matters the Daoist Sect would not make the first move forcefully; letting Shan Sect handle or cooperate in resolving it was the best method. It would eliminate potential threats and completely sever the ties between Shan Sect and this former disciple of theirs, even if not successful, that dog could never return to the Sword Sect.

But Shangyu was a somewhat special country; because of the Heavenly Heart Pavilion’s presence, there were some reservations, and it wasn’t a place where one could indulge in arbitrary slaughter, as it could easily provoke turmoil in the entire cultivation world of the continent.

In Jinxiu Continent, the Nascent Transformation ancestor of the Heavenly Heart Pavilion had always been an elusive figure, and no one wanted to confront such an extraordinary old monster just for an inferior Tongtian Realm cultivator, even if he were a Constellation True Inheritor.

People have always held a contradictory attitude toward these so-called favored sons of heaven; they both revered their potential accomplishments and were very aware that ultimately, only one person might achieve such feats. Most would still follow the normal rhythm of cultivators, Golden Core, Nascent Transformation...

Under the seemingly calm surface, cultivators began to converge on Sui Mo City in Shangyu Country in a subtle manner. The scale was very small and did not stand out in Sui Mo City, which had always seen a large number of foreign cultivators coming and going, just to show their faces before the masters of Heavenly Heart Pavilion.

Zhang Han Cheng entered Sui Mo City with the flow of people, also delighted by the blooming beauty of the place, even as a Sword Cultivator, who appreciated beauty.

He came from Yujing, was a guest elder at the Prince Manor, and also a Sword Cultivator, but he was not on the list of the official Shan Sect Quanzhen.

This was a rather helpless story, probably about how youthful indiscretions forced him to leave the Quanzhen Sect and he was then sheltered by Master Duan, who was always eager for talent. With the backing of the Prince Manor, access to resources and cultivation techniques was not a concern, and he himself was ambitious. Over the years, he smoothly reached the Golden Core Realm.

This was not merely a benefit enjoyed; in return for the support from Prince Manor, he also had to solve some morally dubious tasks for the manor. In the Cultivation World of Jinxiu Continent, this was a common practice. Large cultivation families all had such retainers, similar to the enforcers of trading companies, but at a much higher level.

Dispatching a non-Shan Sect Sword Cultivator could avoid many problems, at least keeping the Prince Manor from being at the forefront of public criticism. Everyone knew that the Prince Manor would definitely seek revenge. If the revenge was unsuccessful, they would lose face. Utilizing official Shan Sect power was out of the question as the Quanzhen would not agree and the Sikong Mansion was watching closely. Thus, they could only rely on the latent strength and connections of the Prince Manor.

Master Duan could neither go personally nor ask a favor from another friendly master. Spanning two realms, the cost of lost reputation was too great.

Nor would they send a minor Tongtian three-realm cultivator for the assassination. Being a Constellation True Inheritor, Hou Niao was already at the pinnacle of Tongtian Realm combat prowess. What more could they send?

Dispatching another Constellation True Inheritor might not make a difference, and no Constellation True Inheritor would accept such a foolish task.

Golden Core was the only choice.

So, he came.