Chapter 166: The Generous Li Tan

“Oh?”

“What?”

“You mean you think I’m stupid enough to accidentally bump into something like this?”

The male disciple seemed extremely angry, his large body rapidly closing in on the petite Xue Ying, creating a strong sense of oppression.

“Oh, yes, um, no!” Xue Ying panicked, unsure of what to say.

The male disciple’s gaze roamed over Xue Ying’s body with ill intent. He licked his lips, revealing a greedy expression, while his right hand slowly approached her.

Xue Ying seemed to realize his intentions and immediately turned pale with fear. In a panic, she pushed him away and stumbled backward.

However, this action only gave the male disciple an even better excuse to be angry.

“Are you trying to kill me?”

“What if I fell from here?”

Although his words were angry, the male disciple’s face only showed a pretense of anger. The filthy, lewd smile hidden beneath his expression was nearly impossible to conceal.

Xue Ying wanted to run but knew she couldn’t possibly outrun him, feeling a sense of despair. Why had she encountered such a situation?

In reality, it wasn’t that she had “encountered this situation,” but rather the male disciple had deliberately targeted her. After all, even the most despicable person wouldn’t typically develop lustful thoughts about a woman they saw on the street and act on them.

Precisely because of this, the male disciple had originally been paid by someone to cause trouble for Li Tan. At this moment, doing something to Xue Ying—just “accidentally” hurting her badly enough to keep her bedridden for ten or fifteen days—would be the best lesson for Li Tan.

But this male disciple, who had been single for over twenty years and was rather unattractive, couldn’t help but develop lewd thoughts upon seeing Xue Ying.

After all, he was going to beat her half to death anyway. Having angered those people by siding with Li Tan, she might as well be dead for staying in Tianlang Sect. Since that was the case, why not do himself a favor?

Xue Ying was truly at a loss. In her desperation, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind: “Aren’t you afraid of breaking the sect’s rules?”

“Sect rules? Haha, don’t make me laugh. They’re just a piece of paper with four words written on it: survival of the fittest. Who would care about someone like you?”

The male disciple kept approaching.

After just a few more steps, he would be able to grab Xue Ying.

No, absolutely not like this. Ah, right! If I just escape back up the mountain, he won’t be able to do anything to me.

Xue Ying gritted her teeth, decisively turned around, and ran up the mountain with all her might.

“It’s useless! Useless! Useless!”

The male disciple chased after her with a cruel sense of amusement. Compared to the exhausted Xue Ying, he was clearly at ease but deliberately kept a leisurely pace, a cruel smile on his face as he followed closely behind her.

Panting heavily, Xue Ying’s cultivation was merely at the early stage of the innate realm, not much stronger than an ordinary person. Having spent over an hour carrying water, her already exhausted body finally gave out. She fell heavily onto the stone steps. She could hear the male disciple’s increasingly loud, expectant laughter drawing closer, but her body no longer obeyed her will.

Just as the male disciple was within arm’s reach of Xue Ying, the chubby youngster Qiu Jue rushed over in a panic. Taking advantage of the male disciple’s momentary shock, he threw a punch directly at him.

Caught off guard, the male disciple staggered backward, nearly tumbling down the stone steps.

“You bastard!”

The lewd smile vanished from his face, replaced by a furious glare and a surge of anger rising from his feet to his head.

“You—you, what do you think you’re doing? If you don’t stop right now, I’ll report you to the prison department!”

Qiu Jue didn’t have time to speak to Xue Ying. Gathering his courage, he shouted this sentence, but obviously lacked confidence, his forehead sweating nervously. He was extremely anxious.

This person was his senior brother. Even if he was useless, he still possessed cultivation at the middle stage of the innate realm, or even at the peak. Even if Qiu Jue had ten clones, he probably wouldn’t stand a chance against him! “Senior Brother Qiu, run quickly!”

Xue Ying struggled to roll over and shouted.

“The prison department?

Haha, do you think you’re someone important?

Do you think they have time to deal with you?”

The male disciple sneered, then his body surged with true energy as he assumed a sprinting posture. Then, with the speed of a leopard, he charged upward fiercely.

Qiu Jue turned pale and hadn’t even reacted before he was grabbed by the collar by the male disciple.

“You, you let me go, or Big Brother Li won’t let you off!” Qiu Jue struggled desperately, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t budge the other person at all.

“Senior Brother, run quickly! Go find Big Brother Li!”

At this moment, the trembling Xue Ying, who had been paralyzed with fear, suddenly found strength from somewhere. She stood up and bit down hard on the male disciple’s wrist.

With a loud cry, Qiu Jue fell to the ground, while the enraged male disciple struck Xue Ying hard in the chest.

Xue Ying let out a muffled groan but didn’t loosen her bite.

“You wait for me, I’ll be right back!”

At the same time, Qiu Jue was equally furious, but reason told him he must escape immediately to get help.

However, reality was particularly cruel. He hadn’t run a few steps before a tremendous force grabbed him by the back of his collar and yanked him backward, sending him rolling down the stone steps.

With difficulty lifting his head, he saw Xue Ying already unconscious beside him, her clothes stained with a lot of blood.

“Hmph, don’t worry, she’s not dead. Today, senior brother will teach you two a lesson—it’s called respecting teachers and upholding the Dao.”

Feeling particularly relieved, the male disciple’s smile returned.

Just as he had said, as long as no one died, the sect wouldn’t care what happened to the servant disciples. Qiu Jue and Xue Ying could only swallow their suffering silently.

“Yulian Liquid should be taken once every evening. Add one drop into a pot of water for dilution.”

At the entrance of the Tianlang Sect’s kitchen, Li Tan spoke earnestly.

“Ah, well, can’t I add a bit more?”

Zhang Zhenshan, with a fresh and cheerful smile, asked.

“Sure.”

Li Tan replied nonchalantly.

Zhang Zhenshan immediately smiled even more happily.

But Li Tan quickly added: “Anyway, it’s none of my business if your meridians get ruined by the medicine.”

“Cough, cough, one drop it is. I definitely won’t add more.”

Zhang Zhenshan responded somewhat awkwardly.

“You need to slowly nourish your dantian; don’t rush it. In any case, use up this bottle first and see how it goes.”

Li Tan said.

Zhang Zhenshan nodded, then suddenly patted his head apologetically and said, “Look at my bad memory, haha. How much payment do you need for making this medicine? I’ll prepare it for you right away.”

Li Tan thought of the medicinal herbs in the Huang Tower and generously replied, “Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. No need for payment. Let’s call it a day for now. See you.”

Looking at Li Tan’s retreating figure, Zhang Zhenshan sighed, “What a magnanimous young man!”

Since his madness was about to be cured, his mood was very good, and his temper, at least when dealing with Li Tan, was particularly gentle.

Li Tan originally intended to return directly to his quarters to cultivate, but after overhearing some idle gossip from the servant disciples on the roadside, he remembered his bet with Elder Su, and thus changed his mind, deciding to go find Qiu Jue and Xue Ying.