“Li Tan, what have you done!”
Elder Su slammed the table furiously.
Li Tan stood calmly in the center of the hall, while Qiue Jue and Xue Ying, standing behind him, kept their heads lowered, too afraid to speak.
“Just disciplined a good-for-nothing.”
Said Li Tan.
Elder Su laughed bitterly in rage, “Haha, calling your senior brother a good-for-nothing. Do you still have any respect for discipline in your heart?”
“He was defeated by me, a new disciple, despite having been here for over three years. If he isn’t a good-for-nothing, then what is he?”
Li Tan retorted naturally.
Qiue Jue was very angry but felt slightly confused inside. Why had that person lost to Li Tan?
Could it be that Zhang Chenghuan had given Li Tan some talismans or treasures for protection?
No matter how he thought about it, there was no clear conclusion. However, he tended to believe that Li Tan had defeated his opponent using a disposable talisman, so he didn’t fear Li Tan much because of this.
“Hmph, I’m not going to argue with you about this. As an elder, I advise you to confess to the penal department yourself; perhaps there’s still a chance for leniency.”
Elder Su switched teacups and started brewing tea again, pretending to be calm.
Li Tan calmly countered, “May I ask, Elder, what have I done wrong?”
“You ruined your senior brother’s cultivation. Isn’t that wrong?”
Elder Su tightened his grip, causing the tea in his cup to tremble slightly.
Li Tan stared at Elder Su unwaveringly, “He challenged me first. I was just giving him a slight lesson.”
“A slight lesson?
You dare to call ruining his cultivation a slight lesson? You directly crippled his abilities. Moreover, he was only doing his duty as a senior brother, teaching the new disciples about the sect’s rules!”
Elder Su spoke with righteous indignation.
Li Tan felt nauseated just looking at this false expression, “What kind of education leaves fellow disciples bedridden for half a month?”
“Bedridden?
They look quite healthy and flushed, don’t they?”
Elder Su pointed at Qiue Jue and Xue Ying.
Xue Ying, who had kept her head lowered, hesitated for a moment before slightly raising her head and nervously saying, “Um, Li Dage gave us some healing pills.”
Elder Su furrowed his brows, “Alright, even if what you said is true, he was just a bit too heavy-handed. Why didn’t you come to me for justice?”
“Would it help to come to you?”
Li Tan gave a disdainful look, “You should know the truth behind this matter better than anyone else. If you have something to say, just say it directly. Don’t waste my time.”
That man must have deliberately picked on Xue Ying and Qiue Jue to cause trouble for Li Tan. Since that man had no prior grudge against Li Tan, he must have been acting on someone else’s behalf, which was obvious without even thinking.
Within the entire Tianlang Sect, the only people who had conflicts with Li Tan were Zhou Zhi and Elder Su himself. Zhou Zhi had already been dealt with by the penal department, so the person behind this could only be Elder Su. However, there was one thing puzzling Li Tan: Elder Su was merely a peak-level background cultivator, someone who could only boss around the servant disciples within Tianlang Sect and had to bow and flatter even the ordinary outer sect disciples. Where did he get the courage to oppose Li Tan at the risk of angering Zhang Chenghuan?
This was something he couldn’t figure out for now; perhaps the man was simply mentally unstable.
Anyway, although Elder Su outwardly appeared furious, he was secretly delighted inside. Because Li Tan had crippled that person, Elder Su only needed to report this to the penal department to make sure Li Tan couldn’t escape consequences, even going as far as expelling him from Tianlang Sect, something not even Zhang Chenghuan could prevent.
With such thoughts in mind, Elder Su seemed to recall something else. Although he tried hard to maintain an angry expression, the corners of his mouth occasionally twitched upward in excitement.
“I won’t dwell on your disrespect toward elders, but crippling a senior brother must be reported to the penal department. I can’t help you anymore. You should look after yourself.”
“I see. Then this should have nothing to do with Qiue Jue and Xue Ying, right?”
“If you’re willing to take responsibility alone, I have no objection.”
“Fine. Qiue Jue, Xue Ying, let’s go.”
After Li Tan finished speaking, he turned and walked toward the exit.
“Stop!”
But immediately after, the sound of a table being slammed echoed behind them.
Li Tan turned back impatiently, “What else?”
“They can leave, but you cannot!”
Elder Su glanced toward the door, “Come in!”
Hasty footsteps sounded as two servant disciples responsible for guarding entered from the outer sect and blocked the entrance.
“What do you mean by this?”
Li Tan asked in displeasure.
“…”, Qiue Jue.
“…”, Xue Ying.
Both were very worried, but seeing Li Tan’s calm expression, they inexplicably felt reassured.
“I suspect you have violent tendencies. For the safety of other disciples, please stay in the dungeon for a few days. As for yesterday’s bet, I’ll take the liberty of nullifying it for you.”
Elder Su recalled the incident from yesterday’s class and couldn’t help but shoot a smug glance at Qiue Jue and Xue Ying, clearly intending to convey the message, “Let’s see how you handle this now.”
Li Tan instinctively gathered his true energy in his hand, but at this moment, Xue Ying tightly grabbed his sleeve. He hesitated, and reluctantly dispersed his energy.
If he fought here, it might affect Qiue Jue’s and Xue Ying’s future in Tianlang Sect. Moreover, resisting Elder Su forcefully would escalate the matter. After all, crippling a servant disciple wasn’t a big deal, and with Zhang Zhi’s support, no one would dare to mistreat him. However, crippling Su Zhengyi would significantly increase the severity of the charges. If someone used this as an opportunity to make trouble, things could become really difficult to handle. His plan to enter the inner sect smoothly might also be ruined. Therefore, there was no need to fight.
“Fine. Take me there later.”
Li Tan loudly responded to Elder Su, then leaned close to the anxious Xue Ying and whispered, “Go to the kitchen and find the old man who stokes the fire. Tell him I’m in some trouble.”
After saying that, Li Tan was taken away by the two guards, while Xue Ying stood there, deeply puzzled.
Why should she go to the kitchen to find the cook?
“Quick, let’s go.”
Qiue Jue pulled her away. After reaching his room, he curiously asked, “What did Li Dage just say to you?”
“He told me to go find the cook for help.”
Xue Ying replied.
Qiue Jue was stunned, his eyes wide, “You didn’t mishear, did you?”
Xue Ying shook her head seriously, “Absolutely not.”
Qiue Jue scratched his head in confusion. After a long while, he said, “Never mind, if Li Dage said so, there must be a reason. We should just follow his instructions.”
Xue Ying nodded, “Yes, and did you notice?”
“Notice what?”
“Even though he’s about to be sent to the penal department, Li Dage doesn’t seem worried at all.”
“Of course I noticed that. And you might not know this, but since entering the sect, Li Dage has never panicked even once.”
“Why can Li Dage stay so calm?”
“How should I know?”
“Then guess.”
“Um, maybe it’s related to Senior Zhang. After all, Senior Zhang seems to value Li Dage greatly. If the sect leader speaks up, the penal department will definitely show some respect, especially since it’s just a servant disciple who was crippled.”
Just like that man had said on the mountain path, an ordinary servant disciple, even if he died, wouldn’t cause much of a ripple.
Then the two hurriedly ran toward the kitchen. Qiue Jue directly pulled the door open and immediately got hit hard on the forehead with a ladle.
“Who let you two in?”
Zhang Zhenshan glared at them fiercely.
Qiue Jue held his head in pain, while Xue Ying was so frightened by Zhang Zhenshan’s sharp gaze that she closed her eyes, lowered her head, and nervously shouted, “Li Dage is in trouble and sent us to find you!”
Zhang Zhenshan furrowed his brows and suspiciously stared at the two for a while before finally saying, “Come in,” and threw the ladle back into the pot.
Qiue Jue and Xue Ying exchanged a nervous glance, then entered together and closed the door behind them, standing stiffly in front of the stove.
Zhang Zhenshan sat on a low stool and pointed to a wooden bench nearby that could seat two people, saying, “Sit there and tell me everything clearly.”
Qiue Jue and Xue Ying sat down. Under the old man’s invisible pressure, they barely dared to breathe heavily. Taking turns, they spent half an hour detailing the entire incident.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage