70: Chapter 69: The Junior Wishes Longevity 70: Chapter 69: The Junior Wishes Longevity Hou Niao arrived at the grand entrance of the Guan residence without an invitation or a visiting card…

Attending a birthday celebration doesn’t necessarily require an invitation, since all attendees are guests coming to offer birthday wishes; however, lacking a visiting card was problematic because it was impossible to prove one’s identity.

What if it was an enemy causing trouble?

Caught in a deadlock, Hou Niao knew it was inappropriate to cause a stir at the front gate, as it could attract onlookers, potentially embarrassing not only himself but also the host.

“I come from a distant country and cannot disclose my name and origin.

I am here at the behest of an old friend of Lord Guan, and arguing here benefits no one; tell Lord Guan that an old acquaintance from Mist Marsh has come, he will understand,” he said.

The doorman dared not neglect him too much, as proficiency in their job relies on keen judgment.

How could they hold this position long if they frequently caused trouble for their master, or even turned friends into foes?

In the world of cultivation, there were too many unusual people and inconceivable incidents that these mortals could not understand.

The doorman felt that it was always best to ask and report more.

After exchanging courteous pleasantries, he entered the inner hall and soon returned, his demeanor much more respectful,

“The master invites you to enter the great hall; he is hosting many guests and cannot get away at the moment…”

Carrying the little girl on his back, Hou Niao stepped into the Guan residence.

If it were merely about delivering a congratulatory gift, he could have just left the item at the door; however, the intention from Capital Commandant Li was that he personally present the gift, which could only mean one of two things.

Either the gift was exceedingly valuable, or it was likely that he would also need to carry a return message?

The great hall was lavish and in no way resembled a hermit’s abode, suggesting that the host could be someone who lived in simplicity but whose heart roamed the greater world; the banquet had not yet started, and the servants were still preparing, but the guests had already formed numerous small groups, the largest undoubtedly centered around today’s birthday boy.

Given Hou Niao’s low status and insignificant realm, he couldn’t just push his way forward and had to find a remote corner to sit and wait for an opportunity.

He set down the basket, letting the child get down and move about to stretch her limbs; although she remained silent, her eyes gave away her curiosity as she glanced over the hall’s peculiar decorations and, naturally, the array of fruits on the tables.

Hou Niao smiled, feeling hopeful, and waved over a servant, “Excuse me, could you prepare a small fruit plate for the child?”

It was customary; while he could have taken some himself, doing so would seem unrefined.

Hou Niao, a former official, had such manners ingrained in his very marrow.

The server, smiling, nodded and brought a tray, holding the child’s hand to let her pick what she liked—fruits, cakes, the tray piled high by the end…

It truly was the style of a great house, evident even in the demeanor of the servants.

The child sat on a little stool, happily devouring the plate of snacks.

Although Hou Niao had not mistreated her and always cared for her diligently, his lifestyle couldn’t possibly cater to a child’s desires.

She had had enough meat to the point of being nauseated by it, yet she favored the sweets that Hou Niao usually ignored.

Hou Niao sighed, contemplating how to settle the child.

He needed to come up with a plan soon; he could not keep delaying.

In fact, as they had traveled through villages and towns, he had had several opportunities to leave the child with someone else.

At four or five years old, her chubby cheeks were undeniably charming, and finding her a home wouldn’t be difficult.

However, he couldn’t ensure her future wouldn’t be miserable, and from the way she clung to his robe, he could tell she was resistant.

Standing quietly in a corner of the hall, he waited for his opportunity.

But as the sole host of today’s birthday feast, Lord Guan was constantly surrounded by throngs of people, exchanging pleasantries, a new group replacing the last…

Hou Niao was quietly waiting for the right moment when someone appeared silently beside him; he had no reaction whatsoever, illustrating the overwhelming difference in their realms, an insurmountable gap.

“Waiting for a chance to face someone alone?”

A familiar voice reached Hou Niao’s ears, evoking no ripples in his heart, only a silent lamentation of how small the world was.

“Exactly.

Since our parting by the Yao River, a hurried half year has passed.

I had the intention to offer what little help I could, but with my low realm, I failed to catch your eye.

Hou Niao has seen the Upper Cultivator.”

The Daoist Yan looked at him with a smile that was not quite a smile, but beneath the light veil, he could see nothing.

“Why did you go to the Quanzhen Sect in Shan Country?” Daoist Yan cut to the chase.

She was not fond of pleasantries, and after all, they were strangers; she was merely offering a bit of guidance as a senior in cultivation.

Hou Niao slightly apologized, “I originally intended to join the Anhe Daoist Sect, but ‘the blossom intended, the stream had no heart,’ so I had to settle for the next best thing.”

However, Daoist Yan did not let him off easily, “With your speed of cultivation, it’s merely a matter of another year or two.

After reaching the Essence Building Realm, you could naturally achieve your wish.

If not, I could also give you a little push.”

Hou Niao forced a smile, “The minimum requirement for a Loose Cultivator to join the Anhe Daoist Sect is the Essence Building Realm, but that doesn’t guarantee acceptance; potential, age, and aptitude are also considered.

My age makes things rather awkward.”

As for your recommendation, if it weren’t for my journey to Shan Country, how could I have possibly met you, an Upper Cultivator?”

Daoist Yan caught a loophole in his words, “How can you be sure that the Anhe Daoist Sect definitely wouldn’t accept you?

Did you offend a Daoist?”

Actually, Hou Niao really didn’t want to bring up the past now, but this Upper Cultivator was relentless.

With her high realm and owing her a favor, he couldn’t refuse,

“I was a survivor from the last Anhe prayer event, rejected in front of many Upper Cultivators of Anhe… Thus, cultivation waits for no one, I just had to turn to the True Demon Sect…”

Daoist Yan frowned, if those brothers had rejected him, it was no wonder he had lost faith in the Anhe Daoist Sect;

Within the higher echelons of the Anhe Daoist Sect, it’s necessary to maintain face among each other.

For instance, if I rejected a Loose Cultivator and you accepted him, it could easily create rifts and build walls; everyone has a reputation to uphold, and over merely a lowly cultivator it’s not worth it, most of the time that Loose Cultivator basically has no hope of getting in, that’s the reality.

No matter the kind of power, over time structural problems, indifference, shirking responsibilities, and inefficiencies emerge… This is an unavoidable reality.

For a sect’s power, this still doesn’t count as fatal—more like fine dust; but for an individual, this dust becomes an insurmountable mountain.

She could forcefully push this fellow into the Anhe Daoist Sect—she had the right and didn’t care who she might offend—but a person of cultivation wouldn’t act this way.

Doing so would be too forceful, and it might not even benefit this person in front of her.

The Quanzhen Sect would remember him, and the Daoist Sect also wouldn’t completely trust him… A natural process is necessary.

She was a person who valued talent and was somewhat dissatisfied with the stagnation within the Daoist Sect.

Now that she had reached this position, it was her duty to bring more exceptional talents into the Sect.

This ‘exceptional’ doesn’t refer to age, potential, or realm, but to something indescribable and intuitive, only understood through feeling and not through words.

The Daoist Sect has never paid much attention to these qualities, but the True Demon Sect values them highly, and this was the underlying reason for her concerns about the current state of the Anhe Daoist Sect.