Chapter 9: Undercover Meets Undercover
Niu Yuanshan, one of the nine deacons of the Daoist Sect’s outer court.
His cultivation was not considered high within the Daoist Sect, only at the third realm.
But he held great power in the outer court.
Just half an hour ago, he had just completed the new disciple reception task assigned by the Organization and returned to his residence.
He had even been reminiscing about his time in the Moon Country, fondling the golden mask in his room.
Although he had been undercover for many years, holding a high position in the outer court, trusted and valued, these things had not corrupted him.
He felt no sense of belonging to the Daoist Sect.
“Everything I have belongs to the Organization.”
“Loyalty—fidelity!”
Niu Yuanshan’s thoughts were wandering tonight purely because he had completed his final new disciple reception task.
“From now on, I only need to quietly lie low in the Daoist Sect and await the Organization’s next directive.”
“Having worked tirelessly for so many years, I have infiltrated the core circle of the outer court, and in the future, I will be able to dedicate myself and make great contributions to the Organization!”
They, who had been brainwashed since childhood, feared death not at all; they only hated that their deaths were not spectacular enough, and that they had not sacrificed themselves for the Organization.
After a moment of emotion, Niu Yuanshan’s mind once again conjured the image of the young man with the fox-like face.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve met such a special newcomer,” he thought.
Niu Yuanshan had no shortage of admiration for this fox-faced individual.
“Originally, the newcomers of these past few years gave me the feeling that the Organization was doomed.”
“It seems there are still good seedlings!”
It was a pity that he had to infiltrate the Daoist Sect as a handyman. He wondered when he would have a chance to soar.
Amidst Niu Yuanshan’s wandering thoughts, this fox-faced individual truly flew over.
Outside the courtyard, when Niu Yuanshan clearly saw Huaixu’s face, he was immensely shocked.
“Li Chunsong personally brought him?”
“And not as a handyman, but a registered disciple directly?”
“How did he get connected with Li Chunsong?”
“That’s Li Chunsong! The Sixth Elder of the Daoist Sect, a peerless expert in the seventh realm!”
“After all these years of being undercover, I’ve only managed to become acquainted with him!”
“Just this acquaintance is worth writing about in my report to the Organization last year!”
A prodigy, this was definitely a prodigy!
No wonder those of us who crawl in the darkness usually act with discretion, while he is the complete opposite.
Niu Yuanshan still remembered how this fox-faced individual slapped Xue Hu every now and then, acting so arrogantly.
It almost made him want to try it himself, to see if the sensation was indeed so good.
“A naturally gifted genius has his own way of doing things,” Niu Yuanshan sighed in his heart.
In his opinion, Li Chunsong was incredibly arrogant and prideful.
It must have been difficult to gain his special attention.
This young man had accomplished in the beginning what others could not do in years!
“The Organization is indeed full of talent!”
However, there was one point that gave Niu Yuanshan some doubt.
He was an experienced spy from the Moon Country, undercover for many years, and adept at observing people’s expressions.
When he met Chu Huaixu’s gaze earlier, he felt something was amiss; the fox-faced individual had stared at him for a long time.
“Could it be that he knows my identity? Did the Organization not keep it a secret from him?” Niu Yuanshan speculated.
In fact, Chu Huaixu indeed knew.
“Niu Yuanshan? Why did Li Chunsong leave me with Niu Yuanshan!” His heart pounded.
He had an impression of this person, having seen many posts about him on the forum.
This person was an undercover agent sent by an organization from the Moon Country; his identity was accidentally exposed by a few silly players, which caused quite a stir at the time.
This incident had sparked extensive discussions on the forum, even including some philosophical reflections.
After all, the current historical backdrop was—the great catastrophe was imminent.
Under such circumstances, was humanity only maintaining superficial unity?
If the Daoist Sect had undercover agents from the Moon Country, what about other sects?
Were there also undercover agents from the Eastern Continent’s Four Great Sects or the Mirror Country sent by the Moon Country?
Later, the silly players spontaneously organized a grand operation to find undercover agents, simply watching the fun without worrying about making trouble.
As a result, quite a disturbance was indeed caused.
As players were distributed among various different forces, some factions’ players benefited from this, while others were affected.
Niu Yuanshan’s exposure was the beginning of everything!
Those who benefited hailed him: “Farewell, Grandpa Niu!”
Those who were affected cursed him: “Son of a bull demon!”
Therefore, Chu Huaixu had deliberately exposed his flaws just now to observe Niu Yuanshan’s reaction.
At this moment, with his back to Li Chunsong, he vaguely had some answers in his heart.
Returning to his senses, under the watchful eye of the Sixth Elder, Niu Yuanshan, as an outer court deacon, began to distribute registered disciple tokens to Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang.
The token was not only a symbol of identity but also a storage magical artifact, commonly known by players as—the Backpack.
The storage space inside was about three cubic meters.
It already contained some daily necessities, a disciple handbook, and a key to their living quarters.
Niu Yuanshan was not stupid and knew he had to take good care of them, so he arranged for them to have residences in a good location, and their bamboo houses were adjacent, making them neighbors.
After finishing these tasks, he looked up at Li Chunsong with a fawning expression and asked, “Elder, do we need to select a Meridian-Opening Stage Cultivation Technique now? And do you have any other instructions?”
He did not mind showing this side of himself in front of the newcomers sent by the Organization.
On the contrary, he felt that the humility, obsequiousness, and hardship he displayed at this moment were all contributions to the Organization!
He was sure they would feel it, feel my years of hardship, and my image would only become more towering in their minds!
Niu Yuanshan felt that he might not be able to match this unconventional prodigy in terms of ability, so he decided to give the newcomer a lesson on a spiritual level.
Unbeknownst to him, Chu Huaixu was not paying much attention, and even Niu Yuanshan’s words entered his ears and turned directly into: “Abba abba… Meridian-Opening Stage Cultivation Technique… abba abba.”
Is it finally here? Is the door to my cultivation finally about to open?
He suddenly became energetic, chest out, head up, abdomen in, and buttocks clenched.
Li Chunsong stood there and pondered for a moment, then pointed at Han Shuangjiang and instructed, “Give her the Art of Icy Purity.”
He had personally selected it for Han Shuangjiang.
Chu Huaixu’s heart burned: “What about me! What about me!”
Li Chunsong indeed raised his hand and pointed at him, saying, “His is up to him.”
The fox-faced individual heard this and almost transformed into the expression pack of a hidden fox.
The Sixth Elder was also quite helpless.
He was well-traveled, and the Daoist Sect had profound heritage. He had seen all sorts of Spiritual Embryo physiques, and he even knew how to guide the most superior Profound Yin Physique.
The Art of Icy Purity, 100 points, no problem.
However, this “False Spiritual Embryo” of his…
—Damn, this question is too hard!
He had never taught a failing student.
“But it doesn’t matter. Meridian-Opening is just the most basic step. Whether the cultivation technique matches well does have an impact, but the overall impact is not significant,” Li Chunsong thought.
For someone like Han Shuangjiang with the Profound Yin Physique, she could quickly master any Meridian-Opening Cultivation Technique; the difference was only a matter of a few days.
“I don’t know what my shishu was thinking by bringing a False Spiritual Embryo up the mountain,” Li Chunsong couldn’t figure it out.
“However, there are also some exceptions in this world. Their Spiritual Embryo is not outwardly visible, like a pearl hidden in dust.”
“Once they step through the door of cultivation, their brilliance will shine forth.”
He looked at Chu Huaixu and thought, “What if?”
At this thought, his gambling addiction flared up.
“The Sect Master and my fellow disciples are still waiting for me, I must hurry back and gamble a few rounds with them!”
“Both this young girl and this boy are very special. Aren’t they the best choices to gamble on?”
With this in mind, Li Chunsong gave a few brief instructions and then flew away.
He even rubbed his hands together as he flew, leaving the three of them looking at each other in bewilderment.
Wumeng Mountain, Biyouping.
The rain had stopped for a while.
Xu Ziqing, still soaked, stood under the ancient tree, feeling the seconds tick by.
However, no one had appeared to take him to the Daoist Sect.
During this time, Xu Ziqing had indulged in all sorts of fantasies, constantly comforting himself and fabricating excuses.
“It’s okay, there must be a reason.”
“Just wait a little longer, just wait a little longer!”
As time went on, Xu Ziqing began to lose his sense of time.
Cold, so cold…
He shivered more and more intensely in the rain. The youth, who was originally rosy-cheeked, now had pale lips.
Xu Ziqing’s mind flashed with the memory of the storyteller, an ordinary-looking man with a slightly roguish demeanor.
At first, he thought this demeanor indicated a powerful cultivator who was just “playing in the mortal world.”
But now, the more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong, the more something felt wrong.
If he was “playing in the mortal world,” then would I be the one being played?
In Biyouping, at the foot of Wumeng Mountain, the roars of the pathetic youth began to echo:
“You lied to me.”
“You lied to me!”
“You lied to me!!”
“Ah!!!!”
